Legal issues

Legal Issues

Star wars copy right

Article — Summarise

Intellectual property 

Most businesses rely on a bright idea weather its creating a new product with a eye catching design. IP law is to stop people from violating your own ideas. Four different areas of the IP law - Trade marks, Copy right, Design rights, Patents 

Trade marks - Used by businesses to protect their brand, this applies to a name, a logo or both. They only need renewal every 10 years.

Copy right - Copy right automatically exists in documents, websites, photos and maps for free. Copy right lasts for 70 years after your life time. If you pay someone copy right something they will have a part of the copyright unless you explicitly state that they are not a part of it.

Design rights - Design rights aren't expensive and cover the UK and abroad. Even if you don't register them you may get design rights that are free and automatic

Patents - if you invent new product, Patents last for up to twenty years. It can be very complicated and expensive, that said it may be a really good investment for the business.

Freedom of information act 

Data protection act

DPA stands for the data protection act, A UK law that mandates all business running in the uk must follow 8 principles - Each week 4000 pieces of our personal information is stored in around 1000 different places. DPA requires this data to be passed around safely and securely.

The 8 principles - 

• Requires the customers consent 
• Should only be kept for the reason it was collected 
• Should be kept accurate 
• Should be kept up to date
• Should only be kept for as long as its needed
• Should be available to the customer 
• Should be processed securely 
• Should be processed within the UK

Copy right

Copy right act came in at 1988. Originally copy right only had to do with big publishing firms and big movie makers. 

Libel

Writing something that is inaccurate or untrue about somebody. This will mostly happen on newspapers and magazines however more recently it has started to show up on websites too.

- Ruining reputation, Relationships and Work opportunities and lowering the standing of somebody in their community.

Embargo - secret until the date thats given