Legal Guide to Creating and Maintaining a Website

Here are some tips to make sure your website is legally OK. We can’t cover every type of website or every topic and feature a website may have, so for specifics, be sure to get legal help.

1. What are the general internet laws I should know?

We’ve created an entire guide all about laws for the internet, email and social media!

2. What should I know about creating a website for a business?

Many websites are either advertising for a business or a product/service of the business itself. Either way, you should read our Guide to Law for Business Owners, and our guide to Laws about Marketing and Merchandising.

3. What about e-commerce?

Be sure to check out our Guide to Laws for Consumers and Guide to Laws about Online Shopping.

4. What if the website is a blog or has a blog?

See our Guide to Laws for Bloggers.

5. Cybersquatting

What is cybersquatting? Is it illegal?

Cybersquatting is when someone buys a domain name that is the same or similar to someone else’s trademark, for the purpose of taking financial advantage of that trademark. And yes, it’s generally illegal.¹Anti-Cybersquatting Protection Act (15 USC sec 1125(d))

What is typosquatting? Is it illegal?

Typosquatting is a type of cybersquatting based on an internet user making a typo in entering a URL, e.g. “facebobk.com” or “facebookwelcome.com.” It is also illegal.²Anti-Cybersquatting Protection Act (15 USC sec 1125(d))

6. Net Neutrality

Can an ISP charge me for the right to allow its customers to access my website?

Yes, except for California, Washington, Oregon, and Vermont (as of October 2018). Because the Federal Communications Commission got rid of Net Neutrality, now ISPs can force website owners to pay to ensure that the ISP’s customers can access the website. Or they can even block your website altogether! See the FCC’s “Restoring Internet Freedom Order”

Recommendations & Resources

If you have additional questions, see our options for legal help.

For web hosting, we recommend SiteGround. We have used them for years and are very happy with it!³Note: if you sign up with this vendor, we may receive a commission. Thank you for helping support our mission to democratize the law