Last time I mentioned how all businesses must ensure that the legal issues are taken care of and also gave some examples of the differences between business considerations for business with sole owners and those registered as limited companies. Today I’ll be giving some reminders regarding legal issues that apply to businesses of all kinds.
Registration – Always make sure all your papers are in place before starting operation. Make sure that you register your business under the proper category because this will affect all the other legal considerations such as tax. If you do not know whether you should form a limited company or not make sure you do your research or ask for advice before taking the next step.
Copyright/Patent Laws – If you are going to be producing and/or selling products you invented make sure that you apply for a patent to protect your product from being copied and used by others without your permission. Patent filing is known for red tape though so it is a good idea to use a patent agent to help you with this. Creative works are always automatically copyrighted even if you do not file anything so that this shouldn’t pose any problem if you catch someone claiming your work as your own. However, it is better to state the kind of copyright (or copyleft) you wish for your work.
to be continued…
Originally posted on March 20, 2008 @ 5:53 pm