The legal guide for designers

The web may be the new frontier, but it’s by no means a lawless one. All the complex rules and regulations that govern our society apply here just as elsewhere – and web designers ignore them at their peril.

You need to make sure any contracts you sign are watertight. You also need to protect yourself and your client from being sued for infringing patents, Trade Marks or other intellectual property. Plus there’s government legislation to comply with, such as the Data Protection Act, or the 1995 Disability Discrimination Act and its implications for accessibility. The list of obligations sometimes seems endless, and it can be tempting to just bury your head in the sand. Yet there’s no need to despair. While the fine detail of the law can be complex, the concepts behind it are usually relatively straightforward, and familiarising yourself with them will go a long way to ensuring you do the right thing. I’ll outline the basics of what you need to know, and how to protect yourself and the work you create. Read More