Legal

One third of NSW small businesses are unaware of the Fair Work Act that was introduced last year, even as the final effects of modern awards apply from the 1st of July.

So how do you spot a business failure? My answer to this is simple: “Look for the bad.”

Under what conditions can you re-print an article? Under what conditions can you re-produce an image or video? For business owners, bloggers, and people who use content to create new works, these are critical questions that need to be answered.

Fair Work Australia has increased the wages of 1.4 million award-dependent workers by $26 per week after a two year wage freeze under the previous Government’s wage-setting tribunal.

Consumer law nationally has been radically changed with the passing of new laws that prohibit standard form consumer contracts which contain unfair terms. These changes are likely to have a significant impact on SMEs and how they interact with their customers.

A guide to the unfair contract terms law, helps businesses understand their rights and obligations under the new Unfair Contract Terms (UCT) law which commences on July 1 this year.

Australia Post will increase the costs of postage stamps to 60 cents, with the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) not objecting to the increase.

The Minister for Financial Services, Superannuation and Corporate Law, Chris Bowen MP, has today released draft legislation cracking down on market offences, such as insider trading.

Telstra, COSBOA and Workforce Guardian have delivered on a Federal Government initiative to help businesses comply with the new Fair Work Act with a free online employee calculator.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission instituted proceedings in the Federal Court today against Air New Zealand Ltd for fixing prices.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission welcomes the announcement by eBay that it will change the ebay.com.au website and payment policies to remove the requirement that sellers offer PayPal as a payment option.

The Federal Court has found in favor of the ACCC that that e-commerce marketing companies StoresOnline International, Inc. and StoresOnline, Inc made misleading and deceptive representations regarding the price of their products and services.

A must read for all professionals and professional associations – Professions and the Trade Practices Act – has been launched by Australian Competition and Consumer Commission deputy chair Michael Schaper.

Starting up a business can be challenging. A lot of entrepreneurs fall into the trap of not paying attention to matters that, if left unattended, may cause problems in the future.

The Federal Court in Perth last week handed down its final orders in the long running Western Australian air conditioning cartel case which had involved bid-rigging and price fixing on projects valued at over $100 million.

The ACCC has been equipped with greater powers to protect consumers from unscrupulous businesses, with first part of the Australian Consumer Law coming into effect today.

One in four Australian SME business leaders say they are not well-informed or adequately prepared for the Federal Government’s new Fair Work industrial relations laws.

Personal information and privacy is a concern for many people. In this modern day and age information is a valuable commodity and a company’s clientele database is arguably one of the most important assets to the company.

When the publication of information is no longer confined to newspapers, a basic knowledge of how defamation laws work becomes relevant to business owners who blog or tweet. A careless statement, even if it was intended to be an honest opinion, may open you to a host of problems.

Do you know what your business’ intellectual property includes and how much it’s worth? Here’s some practical, expert advice on managing the IP in your business.