It's 3:00 a.m., and your website is still open for business. But do you know who, or what, is creeping around your homepage? Browsers (human, bot, or otherwise) could be stealing your content without consequences and without you knowing. Want to prevent this? Give your website some T&C's and protect it with the power of contract.
Website Terms and Conditions of Use (T&C's) are legal terms that set out how a user can interact with your website. They often set out what users can do with your content (can they copy it or use it on their website?), or make clear who is responsible for discussion forum content (hint: not you). Up until now, website owners had to hope users would abide by their terms. But now, thanks to a recent court decision, website owners can sue users who violate their terms under the law of contract.
Of course, if you don't have T&C's posted on your website, you aren't protected. Although they're often the link in small print, having adequate T&C's is like making sure your house has doors; it protects the valuables inside. Thinking of adding T&C's to your site? A couple of things to keep in mind: your T&C's should be tailored to the unique content and features of your website and, because T&C's set out legal terms, it's best to have legal advice when drafting them.
Going crazy with copyright? Look for more information on Canada's new Copyright Bill in this column soon.
Brought to you by Macleod Dixon
Authored By: Harry Ludwig and Claire Stilwell
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