Rivera Technology Law Firm

Internet Lawyers – Cyber Attorneys

Category Archives: Internet Contracts

practice areas

Our Internet Law Practice Areas

Whether your Internet legal issues relate to online copyright infringement, online trademark infringement, Internet contracts, web development contracts, Internet site documents, domain name law, Internet defamation, trade secret misappropriation, cyber crimes, Internet sex crimes, spam issues, Internet privacy, or whether you desire to create a legally solid website, we are your cyber law attorneys.

Our Internet Law practice areas include:

web contracts

WEBSITE DEVELOPMENT CONTRACTS

Your business decides to hire a web developer to create a website. Or perhaps, you or your company is in the business of developing Internet websites.

Under U.S. copyright laws, the developer of a website owns the intellectual property and copyrightable elements of the website.

The copyrightable elements of a website include the text, graphics, scripts, code, and the “look and feel.” Unless there is a website development contract to the contrary, the website developer’s client only obtains a non-exclusive license to utilize the intellectual property that it paid to develop.

Even the copyright notice on the client’s website applies only to the contents that were developed by the client and not to the contents that were created by the developer. This means that in the absence of a properly drafted website development contract, the website developer can sell a website that is similar to yours to your competitors.  Additionally, when the business relationship with the website developer ends, the website developer can demand that you stop using its intellectual property and copyrightable contents. If you refuse, you may find yourself as the defendant in a copyright infringement lawsuit.

Additionally, in the absence of a properly drafted website development contract, the website developer may refuse to facilitate your business’ transition to a new developer. If your business depends on its website, it may never recover from this website hijacking scheme commonly applied by some website developers. You should be aware of the risks associated with the absence of a carefully drafted website development agreement and should consult with an Internet Attorney before hiring others to develop your website.

Our Internet Law Attorneys draft and negotiate website development agreements on a daily basis and can provide you with the knowledge and experience necessary to assist you every step of the way.

privacy policy

Website Privacy Policy

The importance of a properly drafted Internet site privacy policy and strict adherence to this website privacy policy cannot be overstated.

Almost every e-Commerce website collects personal identifiable information from its users. Personal identifiable information includes name, address, e-mail address, phone number, social security number, date of birth, age, gender, income, occupation, browsing patterns, etc.

Many websites have a posted privacy policy explaining what information is collected from the users of the website and how the information is used. Once a company posts a privacy policy on its website, it will be held legally liable for its failure to abide by this privacy policy.

For example, the privacy policy for Geocities’ website contained the statement “we will never give your information to anyone without your permission.” However, when it appeared that Geocities sold and disclosed the information to others, the FTC accused Geocities of misrepresenting its reasons for collecting information from adults and children. The matter eventually settled.

So with such a big risk, why should companies even post a privacy policy at all?

After all, it is impossible to violate a privacy policy that does not exist. However, some jurisdictions require websites to have posted privacy policies. For example, the California Online Privacy Protection Act requires websites to:

1) identify the categories of information collected and with whom the information may be shared;

2) describe how to review and change the personally identifiable information;

3) explain how to find out about changes to the privacy policy; and

4) indicate the effective date of the privacy policy.

Additionally, websites that collect information from children are subject to the requirements of the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA).

The European Union also imposes privacy protection requirements for websites who operate in or have customers in the European Union. The list of potential issues with your Privacy Policy and other website documents goes on and on….. Our website development attorneys understand these issues and can assist you to create a legally sound website…. anything else can cost you dearly.

web documents

Our Internet lawyers routinely Draft, Negotiate, and Interpret Website Documents, including:

Website Hosting Agreement, Terms of Use, Privacy Policy, Affiliate Agreement, Re-seller Agreement, Internet Contracts, Copyright Policy, e-Commerce documents, Domain Name Licensing Agreement, and more.

Our Internet Lawyers and website documents attorneys can also assist you in obtaining legal protection for your Internet website’s Intellectual Property including: Drafting Domain Name Transfer Agreement,  Trademark Application, Copyright Application, DMCA Takedown Notice, Internet Cease and Desist Letters.

internet contracts

Internet Contracts Attorney and Website Contract Dispute Lawyer

Our Internet Law attorneys are experienced in drafting, negotiating, and interpreting web contracts.  Whether we are drafting website documents, website development contracts, privacy policies, affiliate agreements, or negotiating Pay Per Click (PPC) Agreements, we are experienced in Internet legal contracts and Website documents.

With our unique business and technical knowledge and experience, we are unmatched in understanding the legal, business, and technical issues presented by Internet contracts.

We also have a successful track record of handling online contractual disputes or Internet contract litigation, should the need arise to involve the Court to protect your rights during Internet contract litigation or a Website contract dispute.

cease and desist

The preparation of an Intellectual Property and Internet law cease and desist notice may be necessary if you or your business are the victim of Internet copyright infringement, Internet trademark infringement, Internet defamation, or other Internet law issues.

Perhaps your Internet business needs an effective cease and desist letter to prevent your competitors from copying the contents of your website in order to take advantage of the success of your online business.

On the flip side, you may receive an Internet copyright infringement cease and desist notice from an Internet copyright infringement lawyer or Internet trademark infringement lawyer asking you for a significant amount of monetary damages.  In addition  the copyright infringement cease and desist notice written  may contain threats indicating that your company will be the target of a copyright infringement lawsuit, and an injunction against Internet copyright infringement.

Our Internet lawyers can provide  assistance in drafting an effective cease and desist notice or responding to a cease and desist notice.  Effective handling of the cease and desist letter may determine whether or not expensive court litigation will be necessary to resolve the legal dispute.

cyber crimes

Our computer and cybercrime defense lawyers are prepared to protect your rights if you are accused of an Internet crime.  If you are accused of a computer cyber crime in Virginia, Maryland, or anywhere in the United States, you need representation from an attorney who not only understands criminal defense laws and procedures, but who is also well versed in the law of the Internet and computer crime defense.  Our Virginia computer crime and cybercrime defense attorneys, Maryland cybercrime defense lawyers, and nationwide computer cyber crime defense attorneys are not only aggressive in criminal law and procedure, but also technical gurus and experienced Internet Law Attorneys.

Some states, including Virginia, prosecute computer cyber crimes very aggressively.  If you are accused of a computer crime in Virginia, you need  representation to protect your rights and freedom.

A cybercrime defense attorney with our firm is also a SPAM defense lawyer, Online Criminal Copyright Infringement attorney, identity theft lawyer, cyber stalking defense attorney, and a computer trespass attorney.

Our cyber crime defense attorneys can also protect your rights of you are accused of or are a victim of Internet sex crimes including Internet solicitation of a minor or  other cyber crimes including Email spoofing, phishing, cookie poisoning, wardriving, malicious software “malware”, and pod slurping.

Whether you are accused of Computer Fraud, Computer Embezzlement, Computer Trespass, Computer Invasion of Privacy, SPAM or transmission of unsolicited or bulk electronic mail, Theft of Computer Services, Use of a Computer as an Instrument of Forgery, an Internet sex crime, Internet solicitation of a minor, or any other computer cybercrime, you need experienced and competent legal representation. A computer crime defense attorney or cybercrime lawyer with our firm can assist you.