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Do I really need a website
Posted by Howard P. Shaw on 16.Jul.04 at 6:44 PM using a Web browser
Category: Internet (websites) Release: Platform: Windows

I'll leave the marketing considerations to the other list members who have expertise in that area. From a legal perspective, consider that in one recent case elsewhere in the country, a company (let's call it Your Name Co.) did business as Your Name. It had not registered a domain name or set up any website. A disgruntled customer registered the domain name yourname.com and set up a website to air her grievances. The company sued to get its own name transferred to it as a domain name, but failed. A key factor to the court was that under the law in question, the critic could not be accused of trying to divert business from Your Name Co.'s website, which was non-existent. This suggests that (a) you probably should reserve a domain name, preferably yourbusinessname.com, to prevent critics and competitors from using it, and (b) you probably should set up a website to direct people to your business, even if it is just a simple site.
NOTE: This posting and its contents are not intended as legal advice or a substitute for legal advice. Your particular facts and circumstances might call for a different course of action. You should consult with an attorney familiar with your particular situation.
Howard P. Shaw
Schenck, Price, Smith & King LLP
10 Washington St., POB 905
Morristown, NJ 07963-0905
T: (973) 540-7322 F: (973) 540-7300
E-mail: hps@spsk.com

Do I really need a website (Davis Love 6.Jul.04)
. . The Internet & a website can extend... (Dave Kolakowski... 12.Jul.04)
. . Validation -- and Competition (Bill Treloar 14.Jul.04)
. . RE: Do I really need a website (Howard P. Shaw 16.Jul.04)
. . RE: Do I really need a website (David Smith 20.Jul.04)