Most business owners don’t knowingly break the law. After all, with profits and their company reputation on the line, they wouldn’t want to do anything that could derail their businesses.
But here’s the thing. Some business owners break the law without actually realizing it. While they might not experience the consequences of this straight away, there could be a time when they are forced to face up to the legal mistakes they have made.
As a business owner, the best way to avoid law-breaking is to consult with a lawyer. They will give you the lowdown on the business laws you need to know about so you don’t end up doing something illegal.
In this article, we will list some of the laws that businesses often break. If you relate to any of these, now is the time to stop your law-breaking!
#1: Playing music
If your employees listen to the music they have bought and downloaded on their headphones while working, that is not considered illegal.
But if you broadcast music publically, be that for your customers or your employees, you need a Public Performance Licence. If you don’t you are violating copyright law.
There is information here on how to legally play music in your business, so check out the article and obtain the necessary licence before you are forced to face the music (metaphorically speaking) for playing illegal tunes in your workplace.
#2: Destroying documents
Let’s be honest. Keeping paper records takes up a lot of space so you might have cause to shred your old documents so they aren’t taking up room in your filing cabinets or drawers.
But if your company is ever involved in a legal proceeding and the documents you have shredded are needed as evidence, you may be accused of criminal activity if you have accidentally destroyed them.
These are some of the paper records you need to keep at your business.
#3: Breaking patent law
If you come up with a great idea for a product, you might rush to get it on the market before your competitors do. This could be your way of attracting more customers as the more unique your business is, the better.
But what if your competitors have come up with the same idea? And what if the product you are promoting is already on the market? In the case of the latter, you will have broken patent law and you could be liable to pay damages to the patent owner, which will be based on the losses they have suffered.
To avoid breaking the law, check for an existing patent before you go ahead with your idea. If there is no evidence of an existing product based on your idea, you can start production. But don’t forget to patent it to ensure nobody else can copy (accidentally or otherwise) your product.
Finally
Breaking the law comes with financial penalties and in some cases, jail time! As such, you need to safeguard yourself from legal complications. Speak to a lawyer for advice, educate yourself on business laws, and relay your knowledge to your employees so they don’t inadvertently break the law and get your business into trouble.
