Internet 'legal minefield' for small business start-ups

Date: 14th October 2008

New government regulations have added a number of significant legal dangers for small businesses, according to one industry official.

The Companies Act 2006 - which came into effect at the start of October this year - stipulates a host of new rules and regulations with which small companies must comply.

From this month, small firms must display the company name, number, place of registration and office address on every e-mail and page of their website, along with several other new requirements.

Phil McCabe, a spokesman for the FPB, said: "For small business owners, the internet can be a legal minefield and many may not be fully aware of what they have to do to comply with the law."

There are also a number of less obvious dangers, such as requirements covering copyright, data protection and privacy, Mr McCabe added.

A recent investigation by Premierline Direct discovered that over 50 per cent of small business start-ups use the internet to gain greater control over their expenditure.