Whether you provide computer or web services, or manage, write or commission a blog, 2013 has seen a number of developments in the laws that impact your business. We will discuss two of these developments with an emphasis on practical steps to address the issues raised by each. First, in May of this year, the FTC released additional guidance on “Dot Com Disclosures” updating the 2009 FTC Endorsement Guidelines that introduced standards for blog posts promoting or reviewing consumer products. We will discuss the implications of this new guidance –as well as recent FTC enforcement actions – and practical steps that bloggers (and those that hire them) can take to protect their businesses.

Second, we will discuss the current state of copyright law on the web. The “Copyright Policy, Creativity, and Innovation in the Digital Economy” green paper published by the U.S. Dept. of Commerce this summer raises important questions about copyright law online. We will discuss current day-to-day copyright compliance issues for businesses as well as the legal landscape going forward.