Legal Considerations

As with any element of business or publishing, website development involves a variety of legal issues. Such issues need to be considered and understood in order to protect both the consumer and site owner alike.

Whatever is published on a UK-based server falls within the jurisdiction of the Laws of the United Kingdom. UK Web Sites generally fall within the jurisdiction of the Office of Fair Trading, Trading Standards and any advertising would be within the remit of Advertising Standards.

It is advisable that any business that collates and stores data on individuals should register for the Data Protection Act. By accepting enquiries and using them for marketing purposes, businesses store personal information of prospects and customers on servers and PC's within their offices.

The Disability Discrimination Act requires that websites meet Disability Rights Commission (DRC) guidelines on accessibility and usability for the disabled.

Companies in the UK must include certain regulatory information on their websites and in their email footers or they will breach the Companies Act and risk a fine. Every company should list its company registration number, place of registration, and registered office address on its website as a result of an update to the legislation of 1985.