Regulation and Compliance

Did you get an email from LinkedIn last week - something about a class action suit Perkins vs. LinkedIn? It might have seemed like spam, but it is actually a big deal, says Quartz. LinkedIn informed its members on Friday that it settled a class action lawsuit for $13 million to pay members who felt that too many emails had been sent on their behalf from the social media platform. LinkedIn also agreed to pay up…

Did you know that US companies are responsible for collecting and remitting VAT payments to any consumer subscribers in Europe -- even if you're selling digital content? Find out how much you owe and how to set up the most effective system to remit this online sales tax.

Subscription sites may want to readjust their budgets for paid search soon. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) just sent letters to the major search engines, warning them to distinguish between natural and paid search results more clearly. The crux of the letter requires search engines to "select hues of sufficient luminosity to account for varying monitor types, technology settings, and lighting conditions." In short, the pale shading most often employed by search engines is considered insufficient for…

If you're using behavioral targeting or interest-based advertising, you'll need to follow the self-regulatory principles put forth by the Digital Advertising Alliance. In this on-demand video, Genie Barton (VP and Director of the Online Interest-Based Advertising Accountability Program of the Council of Better Business Bureaus) presents a clear and concise explanation of how you can be in compliance -- from including the right language and opt-out procedures to why transparency helps marketers in the long run.

The advantage to online content is that global distribution is logistically easier and far cheaper than any other medium. However, there are still laws, payment processing and marketing considerations to take into account when expanding into international markets. In this Laws & Regulations briefing, we discuss three factors critical to selling subscriptions in the UK and Europe -- Value Added Tax, Direct Debit and marketing differences. Plus, find out what laws and regulations may be changing that could affect your bottom line.

End-User License Agreements are becoming more prevalent, not only among SaaS providers, but also B2B subscription sites and sites with group sales. In this one-hour video, Attorneys Chad Bowman and Tom Curley take you through the legal aspects of creating a legally-binding End-User License Agreement. They also discuss copyright concerns, working with government entities and foreign subscribers, and what's the best way to show proof of delivery and/or account activation.

Yesterday I wrote about what options subscription and paid content sites had in terms of mobile strategy. Coincidentally, this week also saw the release of the Federal Trade Commission's Mobile Marketing Guide, in time for the 2012 holiday season (If you're looking for great holiday marketing ideas, check out our post on Selling Gift Subscriptions). Once again, the FTC is reminding mobile app creators to be transparent about data practices and build privacy considerations in from the…

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently issued a study indicating that when marketers use the phrase "up to" in claims about their products, many consumers are likely to believe that they will achieve the maximum "up to" results. The study describes how a group of consumers thought replacement home windows purporting to provide "up to 47%" savings in energy costs would provide that much for all or most buyers. The FTC has also been cracking down…

Every successful subscription site is collecting information from its users-either for simple transactional reasons or marketing purposes. But the government is cracking down on sites that violate terms of use or simply fail to notify users about privacy policies. Listen to this one-hour Webinar with Attorney Lisa Dubrow to find out what the new FTC regulations are, why you shouldn't say your site is "safe and secure," and how to best inform users about any changes in your terms of use.

In these economically-strapped times, the Federal Trade Commission(FTC) is cracking down not only on merchants who swindle consumers, but all parties involved in fraud, including payment processors.Recently, a U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas banned the use of "remotely created payment orders" by Landmark Clearing, Inc. "Remotely created payment orders" allow merchants to enter a client's name and bank number into a form and are cleared like a paper check, except that…