Legal

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.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) invites comment on a proposal to require the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA) to streamline processes for composers dealing directly with music users. APRA currently collects royalties for songwriters for the public performance of music and most composers in Australia assign their rights to APRA to issue licences […]

The Fair Work for Small Business website has launched a Vietnamese language component to assist small business owners and managers to understand the new industrial relations laws in their mother tongue. The website already offers language-specific help in Arabic, Cantonese, Mandarin, Italian and Greek. The Vietnamese language component was launched at Asean Travel and Tours […]

One minute I am flying down Charlotte Pass, congratulating myself on my ability to keep up with my teenage children, the next I am hitting the frozen, unforgiving snow face first – taking the full force of the fall on my chest.

As by now you would be aware, 1 July 2009 heralded a new era in Industrial Relations (IR) legislation, with the Fair Work Act commencing as a national IR system. This new system covers most employees nationally, but as an employer, what does it mean for your business?

Family businesses range from small start-ups to $500 million organisations. And with half of business owners expecting proceeds of sale to fund their retirement, succession planning is becoming an increasingly important issue. Below are some exit options for business owners.

You’ve embraced corporate social responsibility and the ecological movement, but how does that translate through your international dealings? Here’s a global view of ethical business.

Smart companies fiercely protect their best ideas and inventions. But if you’re only doing that in Australia, you’re only doing half the job. Here’s how to protect yourself globally.

The internet and email have become indispensable tools for business, but many companies are finding employees are using these tools as much or more for personal activities than job-related tasks. If you don’t know what your staff are doing online, you’re putting yourself at risk.

Despite signs that the economy is improving and businesses are ready to start hiring again, redundancies and forced resignations are still very common in the workplace; and with new workplace laws to abide by, employers must ensure they know their legal obligations and rights.

Frequently neglected, the absence of a will can cause serious problems for your family and your business. It is essential for all SMEs to have a will.

There is a long history of successful family businesses in Australia. But many aren’t making adequate legal provisions to ensure their business survives into the next generation. Implementing a succession plan is crucial.

A lot of reports have been swirling around as of late, concerning the changes to the Trade Practices Act in relation to product pricing. Restaurants in particular have been mentioned quite heavily, with restaurants who charge a weekend surcharge now being made to print two different menus – one with their weekend price and one with their Monday to Friday prices. Why is this relevant to your business and how will it affect the way you do business?

Intellectual property (IP) is often one of the uncounted assets of business, and like all business assets, IP needs to be cultivated to get the most value from it. Trade marks are an important part of IP. So what are they, why do we have them and how can you register your trade mark?

As information becomes readily accessible in the age of the internet and other advanced technology, individuals are becoming more and more aware of the ways in which they can protect and maintain the privacy of their personal information. With the advent of social networking, the lines between personal and private are becoming increasingly blurred and it is important for businesses to understand how privacy laws are applied in the online space.

Judging by recent articles in the press, employers are now not only monitoring staff’s usage of social networking sites such as Twitter but some have decided it is a good idea to become a ‘friend’ of their staff on such sites. Understandably a number of people find this idea uncomfortable and are reluctant to ‘befriend’ their manager on Twitter and allow them to ‘follow’ them around. The cross-over between work and play is becoming just too close for some, so it is important employers ensure company policies covers social networking usage.