Legal issues relating to online presence in Nigeria by Bar. Ronke Omorodion

After this session, you will get to learn:
➢The legal requirements for every business
➢How to protect your intellectual property
➢Important website policies to have
➢General overview of the Cybercrime Act

Transcript

1. Legal issues relating to online presence Legally Securing your Online Businesses Delivered by: Bar. Ronke Omorodion
2. Who am I? Her practice encompasses the full range of corporate and commercial legal services. This includes protection of intellectual property, company secretariat services, employment matters, media, technology and taxation amongst others. Ronke is also the founder of Legal Insights for Business - a group dedicated to discussing the law as it relates to business in Nigeria. Ronke Omorodion is a Legal Practitioner & Consultant She is an exceptional professional who strives for excellence in delivering innovative solutions to clients’ complex legal issues. Ronke is passionate about helping business owners understand the legal implications of doing business in Nigeria
3. What you will learn from this session: After this session, you will get to learn: ➢The legal requirements for every business ➢How to protect your intellectual property ➢Important website policies to have ➢General overview of the Cybercrime Act
4. Best Legal Structure for your Business If you operate a business for profit, then the following structures are available for registration: ➢ Business Name: sole proprietorship or partnership ➢Limited liability structure
5. Intellectual Property Protection If you create content online, then it is a pre- requisite that you protect your intellectual property. Below are the available options. ➢Copyright registration ➢Trademark registration ➢Patent registration
6. Benefits of registering your IP You enjoy the following when your Intellectual Property is registered; ➢ Exclusive protection of the product (investment is secured) ➢ Security from theft ➢ Enjoy royalties from selling licenses ➢ Helps protect your idea and secure your business’ growth
7. Website polices These are the terms that governs the use of your site. They are very important because they represent your value and beliefs. The following should be present in every site; ➢Terms and Conditions ➢Privacy Policy ➢Disclaimer ➢Shipping policy and ➢Return and refund policy
8. Website disclaimers… They state the limitations of your liability for the use of your website and the information it contains. For example, • » “» The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by [business name] and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk…” •
9. Overview of the Cybercrime Act ➢ 1. Before you publish a story make sure you get your facts right- This is very important because if you publish an information that is false, you can be held liable for defamation (libel to be precise). ➢ 2. It is advised you have a blogging policy- This is especially important for companies whose employees are responsible for uploading content onto their blog/website. Because the employer would be held liable for any misinformation published on their site. ➢ 3. Do not copy and paste content from other blogs without seeking for permission from the original writer and giving credit to the publisher of the content- if this is not done, you can be sued for breach of the owner’s copyright.
10. Cybercrime contd. ➢ 4. The same goes for images- If you must use images for your blog post then you can either create your own image, purchase them from stock photos or use royalty free images. If not, then you should give credit to the owner of the image by adding a link to their site. ➢ 5. Make sure you moderate the comments made by third parties on your blog/website-Try as much as possible to discourage anonymous users, delete comments that can put raise controversy, or add a clear disclaimer that users would be held liable for their comments. ➢ By doing these you would to an extent, be able to mitigate against unnecessary liabilities.
11. Closing Remarks Ignorance of the law is not an excuse. Tidy up your online business, make informed decisions, and make your business legally sound.
12. Questions?
13. Contact me… Email: ronkeomo@gmail.com Phone no. 08034724840 Website: www.ronkeomo.com Instagram: entrepreneurs_lawyer Facebook Group: Legal Insights for Business