International
Law
If you have a web
site, then whether you intend so or not, you may have to consider various
aspects of international law. For the typical small business this will
not be a big issue, unless you target some clearly contentious topics,
products or markets. This is just as well, as a local lawyer may be
reluctant to give legal advice about a foreign jurisdiction.
Some key points
to be aware of (for a UK or other European site):
1) consumer law
requires you (broadly speaking) to treat all European consumers as you
treat consumers in your own European country
2) if you export
goods from a European country to another you charge VAT (if you are
VAT registered)
3) VAT is chargeable
if the goods are physically delivered in Europe, it is not based on
where the payee happens to be located
4)you can find out
more about export regulations from your local Chamber
of Commerce
5) you should clearly
state in your terms & conditions, the jurisdiction (i.e.: your own)
in which any sales agreement is made
6) US sites are
not subject to such tight consumer protection and privacy laws. You
may wish to point this out to your users, if you are a European based
site.
7) you would be
wise to treat non European consumers (in terms of guarantees, privacy
etc) as you would local consumers
8) any sales to
foreign countries may still be subject to the laws of those countries
as well as your own.
