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RE: FN-FORUM: new UK website regulations
date posted 12th January 2007 20:45
I'm intrigued - what does a degree in e-commerce give you ? What does it
cover or was it a component of a larger degree.=20
Just interested.
Cheers
Andy
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL REMOVED] [EMAIL REMOVED] On Behalf Of Alex
Libby
Sent: 12 January 2007 21:28
To: Andy Macnaughton-Jones
Subject: RE: FN-FORUM: new UK website regulations
Hi,
This article raises a number of interesting questions:
Having done a degree in e-commerce, I can understand the need for some
degree of transparency, as it shows to a potential client that a website
offering a service or product for sale is a legitimate one, and not
trying to "pull a fast one". However, if the UK Government seems so
intent on adding as much red tape as possible (I have to admit that I
think what they are requiring seems to take things to extreme a little),
then what happens with companies who are technically registered
overseas, but whom have UK subsidiaries?=20
Take this as an example - Amazon.co.uk. OK - this is only a quick test,
and certainly not scientific. I tried to easily find an address and
telephone number for them here in the UK - but this seems impossible.
Technically, the copyright is owned by Amazon USA - it seems that
nowhere is there an address or VAT number which is easily found (within
about 2-3 clicks). Does this still count for Amazon? What about
maintaining that transparency, and reputation, as one of the biggest
e-tailers in the 20th/21st century? Just trying to find an email address
was really impossible - you have to first sign in, then wade through a
whole mass of screens which build up a contact us form with details,
before it is sent off to Amazon UK. Is this still legitimate?=20
To go back to the original question about designers - what happens if,
as Cat says, they do not want to publish their home postal address
online, if that is the one which is used for their business? It seems
strange though that the UK Government do not require a telephone number
to be published; with the huge surge in use of 0870 non-geographical
numbers, I would have thought it a requirement that customers have a
means to contact a company, should they have a need. Not all of us have
email, although yes, I would guess it is less of a problem than say 5
years ago. I can imagine what would happen if the UK Government were to
turn around and say that yes, a geographical number is required and must
be published....me thinks a lot of unhappy service providers, who
suddenly find demand for 0845 and 0870 numbers suddenly drop...!
But - on a more serious note: I have always maintained that the use of
e-commerce and the internet is there to break down barriers to sales
worldwide; VAT numbers for a company in a different country become
irrelevant if I were to buy from that company (broadly speaking!). Do
they want to encourage global business, or stifle it??
I myself am tempted with going into freelancing within Canada in a few
years time (for various reasons), as I hate the UK - do I register
myself here in the UK, with a UK VAT number, or go to Canada?
Mmm...
Alex.
P.S. Yes - you could look up whois to get an idea of the registrant. But
is this always accurate? What if a design company registered a .co.uk
domain in the US, for a UK company? Check out Hostgator - they register
your domain for you, but then do not give you any opportunity or means
to easily change the registrant's name from them to you, despite
advertising otherwise (at least when I was briefly with them for all of
a week, before leaving in serious disgust!)
-----Original Message-----
From: [EMAIL REMOVED] [EMAIL REMOVED] On Behalf Of Cat
Sent: 12 January 2007 17:18
To: FN-FORUM / [EMAIL REMOVED]
Subject: FN-FORUM: new UK website regulations
hi,
with regard to the new website regulations (basically requiring clear
publication of a companies reg no., VAT details etc. on their website),
there is also a requirement as follows:
> The name of the service provider must be given somewhere easily=20
> accessible on the site. This might differ from the trading name and=20
> any such difference should be explained - e.g. "XYZ.com is the trading
> name of XYZ Enterprises Limited.
>=20
> The email address of the service provider must be given. It is not=20
> sufficient to include a 'contact us' form without also providing an=20
> email
address.
>
> The geographic address of the service provider must be given. A PO Box
> is unlikely to suffice as a geographic address; but a registered=20
> office address would. If the business is a company, the registered=20
> office address must be included in any event.
( from http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/12/21/new_web_email_regulation
)
my question is: how does this affect a web designer/developer? do they
mean the name of just the hosting company? or does the
designer/developers details also need to be included?
thanks,
cat
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