BlogmyQuery – BMQ

Being a marketer means using a lot of innovation in order to get your brand’s message across, but you need to be careful about crossing the line between innovation and copyright infringement. In this article, we’ll share five tips for staying on the right side of copyright infringement law.

Marketing is a creative business, and proactive marketers are often required to think outside of the box when it comes to creating effective ads and messages while saving money. While this is necessary, copyright lawyers may be finding that marketers are either deliberately or inadvertently breaching copyright laws.

In this article, we’ll be sharing eight tips for avoiding copyright infringement as a marketer.

What is Copyright Infringement?

This is the term for when somebody uses or shares work that belongs to somebody else, and which is protected by copyright law. Copyright protects a person’s intellectual property, and unlawful use can result in legal action in some cases.

Tips to Avoid Copyright Infringement

Some examples of how to avoid copyright infringement in various media include:

1. Social media

Social media often makes up a sizable chunk of your overall marketing and, as such, it’s important to get to know the platforms that you’re using. Each platform, for example, Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube has its own set of rules and regulations when it comes to content. Familiarising yourself with these will help you to stay on the right side of the law.

2. Photographs and video

No social media marketing campaign is complete without photographs and videos. Marketers will often make light work of searching the internet for appropriate images before quickly copying or downloading them for use in their campaigns. In many cases, a marketer will assume that, if a photograph is not watermarked then it’s up for grabs, however, this isn’t necessarily the case. 

Before copying and using any photograph or video, it’s the responsibility of the marketer to find out if copyright applies – in which case, they will need to contact the owner of the work to request permission. A safer option is to use a specific site that offers royalty-free photographs, such as Unsplash.

This can protect you against possible copyright infringement issues. However, you may find that the images that you use are also being used by a large number of other businesses.

3. Plagiarism

Creating content for marketing campaigns will often involve quoted content from other people and websites. Largely speaking, it’s absolutely fine to quote content from others.

However, you should always credit this as appropriate – for example, by crediting the owner by name or by linking to the original content. The latter can be done quickly and easily by creating a hyperlink.

4. Music

Just like written content, photographs, and videos, music is classed as intellectual property and is, therefore, ‘owned’. Music can be a great way of adding depth to a marketing campaign, but it can also land you in legal hot water.

This month, Prime Minister, Liz Truss, caused a stir when she used a track by M People for a political event, without permission. In almost every case, a piece of music is subject to copyright and, therefore, you must gain permission from the owner to use it in your campaign.

Failing to do so, can result in your post or campaign being removed or, in some circumstances, legal action which can be costly for your brand in terms of finance and reputation. If in doubt, it’s best to use a site such as Stripe to secure music for your marketing efforts. 

5. Celebrities

A surprising number of marketers take part in the dishonest practice of claiming support for their brand from celebrities or high-profile persons. They often do this under the mistaken belief that it doesn’t do any harm and that nobody will find out.

In reality, celebrities employ teams of people whose job it is to scour the internet for mentions of their name in order to identify the use of that name without permission. Because of this, marketers rarely get away with doing this. 

This was the case with television personality Esther Rantzen, who discovered that a CBD company was claiming that she not only supported the brand but was actively involved with it. Ms. Rantzen was entirely unaware of this improper use of her name until a relative came across it whilst browsing the internet. 

Unlawful use of a person’s name can potentially damage their public reputation. Because of this, unlawful use of a celebrity’s name will result in legal action against you and your brand – something which can severely harm your brand’s own reputation. The only way a celebrity’s name should ever appear in your marketing is when you have that person’s express permission to do so. 

Staying on the right side of the law

As a marketer, there are plenty of ways in which you can add creativity to your campaigns without infringing copyright law. As well as keeping you out of trouble, using original photographs, videos and content will add a unique dimension to your brand and help you stand out from the crowd.

Should you wish to use intellectual property belonging to somebody else, it’s vital that you always acquire permission – and make the payment if necessary – to ensure that you are not putting your brand in harm’s way by infringing copyright laws.

The post 5 Tips to Avoid Copyright Infringement as a Marketer appeared first on noupe.

Web development is big business in 2022, as more and more businesses move away from the high street and onto the internet. These days, web developers are more in demand than ever before, and, as lucrative as this industry is, we’re going to look at whether it’s right for the increasingly popular employee ownership model.

When we look at employee ownership trusts explained, we see that it’s a model whereby ‘ownership’ of a business is distributed among its workforce. This is usually done through an employee benefit trust, which allows employees to collect shares in the company. They can do this either by buying them, earning them, or being gifted them as part of a reward program.

These schemes are increasingly popular with businesses in the UK, following the example of companies like John Lewis who have been using the model for almost a century. In fact, there are around 1,557 web development companies in the UK serving businesses across the country. So, does it work for web development businesses? In this article, we explore this question…

Why Do Businesses Choose Employee Ownership?

There are a number of benefits to the employee ownership model – most specifically the fact that, when employees own a part of the company they work for, they tend to be more invested in the business. Therefore, they are usually more productive.

The model also benefits the company in other ways, such as raising capital in order to invest or expand the business more quickly than would otherwise be possible. 

For employees, this model is extremely attractive as it removes the idea that they are working for somebody else as they own a piece of the business, however small that piece may be.

Is Employee Ownership Right for Web Development Companies?

In most cases, employees of web development companies work to either a remote or hybrid work model. These businesses tend to lend themselves perfectly to employee ownership for a number of reasons, including: 

Accountability

With remote and hybrid models, it can at times be difficult to keep staff motivated and to make sure that they are putting in the necessary work. Employee ownership can help here by adding a layer of accountability whereby employees understand that the harder they work, the more money the company makes and, subsequently, the more their shares will be worth.

Staff turnover

The very nature of web development jobs means that staff turnover can often be high, as employees are poached or tempted away by other businesses. Employee ownership helps with staff retention by making employees feel more invested in the company and, therefore, they are likely to stay for longer. 

2021 was the year of The Great Resignation – followed by 2022 which has become known for the ‘Quiet Quit’, whereby employees remain in their positions but put in just enough work to prevent them from being fired. All of this means that it’s becoming more and more challenging for employers to retain great, hardworking talent.

As employees become ever more demanding, business owners need to offer more than just a salary and an annual bonus. Employee ownership is proven to be seen as an extremely valuable benefit by UK employees. 

Future-proofing

When employees become partners, they tend to be more willing to give input to the company. This increased engagement can help to tap into different perspectives, as the employees work together to make the company stronger and better for the future. 

Tax

The UK government offers a number of tax benefits to companies who choose to move to employee ownership, and these include: 

• Save As You Earn
• Share Incentive Plan
• Enterprise Management Incentives

These tax savings can be incredibly useful for small companies and can help them to more quickly scale their businesses.

Employee Ownership is a Win-Win for Web Development Companies

In many more traditional, old-school businesses, owners and stakeholders are often reluctant to change to new working models, simply because it’s something that they are not accustomed to. Businesses such as web development agencies, on the other hand, have the advantage of being younger, more modern companies that are more willing to embrace new ideas and ways of working. 

Changing to a different work model is something that should never be taken lightly. It’s fair to say that employee ownership is far from a ‘one size fits all’ solution. There are some industries that are simply not suited to such a model for various reasons – but web development isn’t one of them.

By their very nature, website development companies tend to be modern and forward-thinking, and this type of environment lends itself perfectly to the employee ownership model. 

Web development agencies also tend to employ young people who do not find traditional working models attractive, as older people perhaps would. Because of this, employee ownership appeals to the entrepreneurial nature of today’s talent. It also offers significant benefits for business owners and CEOs, making this a win-win solution for all concerned.

The post Is Employee Ownership a Good Business Model for Web Development Businesses? appeared first on noupe.

Data breaches can cost businesses thousands and, in some cases, may even result in legal action. In this article, we’ll share tips for keeping your website data breach free. 

A data breach can be catastrophic for a business or an individual and can lead to a loss of reputation, a loss of revenue, and even legal action depending on the extent of the issues. 

In this article, we’ll explain what a data breach is, including when a company gets a GDPR data breach notification, and how to keep your website data breach free. 

What is a Data Breach?

In 2016, the European Union adopted the GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation which was introduced to better regulate the collation, handling, storage, and sharing of personal data. 

A data breach occurs when the integrity of the data held is compromised and, therefore, falls into the wrong hands or is at risk of doing so. Breaches can occur accidentally or through deliberate cyber-attacks and can mean that private information, including financial and medical details, may be distributed without consent. 

In the case of a data breach due to cybercrime, the data holding company may be ‘held to ransom by attackers who will threaten to release the data unless a financial payment is made. 

Since the introduction of GDPR, data controllers are required, by law, to report any data breach to the supervisory authority within 72 hours or face severe penalties – this is known as a GDPR notification. 

Protecting Your Website from Data Breaches

Anybody who collates and stores data has a responsibility to keep it safe and, in this section, we’ll run through ways in which you can do just that: 

Use of High-Quality Firewalls

First and foremost, you need to make sure that you have a high-quality and comprehensive firewall in place to protect the data that you’re holding. This should be standard for any company and is the first defense against cybercrime. 

Multiple Authentications 

Many businesses make the mistake of still only requiring employees to use a simple password in order to access systems. This is inadequate when all employees are using company equipment and working from the same office – but is so much more dangerous when employees are working remotely some of the time. 

To protect data, it’s vital that you introduce two-step authentication – i.e. a password and a code sent by text or, a password plus a fingerprint, in order to prevent data breaches. 

Secure Sockets Layer

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) adds another layer of protection to your website. This essentially encrypts data and information when it’s in transit, preventing unauthorized people from accessing and reading it. 

Regular Security Audits

Get into the habit of having regular security audits performed on your system to make sure that all is well. By doing this regularly, you have a much better chance of catching any problems early. 

Install Malware on Devices

In 2022, we all use more devices than ever before and that includes employees. Plugging different devices into computers and laptops can significantly increase the risk of data breaches. 

Therefore, it’s a good idea to install malware that will scan each device before allowing use. 

Education and GDPR Training

Web security should be the responsibility of each and every employee and, as such, investing in proper education and training is vital in giving employees ownership of data protection and keeping your systems safe. 

Updating Software and Plugins

Many people are guilty of installing software and plugins and then forgetting about them. In reality, these need to be updated regularly in order to be effective and secure. Hackers and bots are able to make light work of breaching outdated software, so this is a really good habit to get into. 

Use Separate Devices for Work and Personal Matters

We spend a huge amount of time online both at work and in our spare time, and problems can occur when employees are using the same device for both. 

While there may not be any significant issues with employees downloading movies and other content on their own devices in their own time, these can introduce viruses and other nasties into work devices which can quickly compromise the data held. 

Banning Social Media on Work Devices 

It’s incredibly common for employees to log onto their Facebook or Instagram page during their lunch break or downtime but, as with downloads, this can be bad news for work systems. 

While it may seem a bit ‘big brother’ to ban access to social media on work computers, it’s a good idea to put security settings in place to limit the risk of data breaches. 

 Backup your backup

Information and data should be backed up on a very regular basis as we all know, however, this isn’t always enough. Adding an extra backup layer is a great way of making sure that, should a breach occur, your IT personnel will be able to identify where and when the issue happened and get to work on minimizing the damage. 

Don’t cut corners when it comes to cyber security… 

When thinking about your website security, think of your website address as an actual physical address and the web host as the property’s plot. Then think about the lengths that you would go to, to protect that property and everything inside it. 
This is exactly what you need to be doing to keep your website and the data stored within it secure. By following the tips in this article, it is possible to keep yours and your customers’ data locked up tight and avoid reputational loss and possible legal action.

The post Top Tips for Keeping Your Website Data Breach Free appeared first on noupe.