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“You’ve just won a fabulous vacation or prize package! Now, if you’ll kindly give me your credit card information and social security number for verification purposes, you will receive this awesome gift!”

Now why would they need my credit card or social security number to send me a freebie? Can you say, “identity theft?”

Although there are legitimate reasons for people to need that information, such as a purchase or job application, thieves need it to steal your life and money from you!

Crime officials are reporting that this kind of theft is becoming quite common. Don’t be a victim! Follow a few common-sense suggestions to avoid finding out someone else has taken over your life-along with your bank account!

-Do not allow anyone to borrow your credit cards! Your best friend may be trustworthy, but her boyfriend may not be!

-Don’t provide personal information such as date of birth, credit card numbers, your pin number, mom’s maiden name, or social security number over the telephone unless you initiate the call.
Don’t leave mail lying around for strangers to pry into. How well do you really know your teen’s friends?

-Destroy all bills, pre-approved credit card applications, credit card receipts, and other financial information when you no longer need such items.

-Don’t keep private information like pin numbers and such in your purse or wallet. It’s just too risky. We humans are much too forgetful. Be honest, how many times have YOU had to return to a restaurant or friend’s home to retrieve your purse? Is there anything in there that could harm you if it was stolen or lost? Time to check.

-Check your credit reports regularly. To order your report, call the three major credit bureaus at these toll-free numbers: Equifax at (800) 685-1111, Experian at (888) 397-3742, or Trans Union at (800) 888-4213. By law, the most you can be charged for a copy of your report is $8.50. To be safe, consider getting a copy from each of the three companies. If after reviewing your report you spot signs of a possible fraud, report it immediately!

-Keep your passwords and pins confidential and secure. Avoid passwords and pin numbers that will be easy for a thief to figure out. For example, don’t use your name, street address or birth date. Also, change your passwords every once in awhile, just to be safe.

-Get Identity Theft Insurance! It’s smart and inexpensive.

The FTC works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and to provide information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them. To file a complaint or to get free information on consumer issues, visit www.ftc.gov or call toll-free, 1-877-FTC-HELP (1-877-382-4357); TTY: 1-866-653-4261. The FTC enters Internet, telemarketing, identity theft and other fraud-related complaints into Consumer Sentinel, a secure, online database available to hundreds of civil and criminal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and abroad. Report suspected Internet-based fraud to the Federal Trade Commission or the IFCC (www.ifccfbi.gov/Default.asp), a new joint project of the FBI and the National White Collar Crime.

Want to know how I protect myself from identity theft?
Want to know how you can too?
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Publisher: Internet Treasures Newsletter http://treasures.smartauthor.com
Publisher: Writers EDGE Newsletter
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A decade or so ago there was no such thing as computer law. This niche of the legal system has come into being out of necessity with the proliferation of the Internet and the issues that come along with the technology that makes worldwide communication and transactions possible.

Traditional law does not cover many of the issues that occur in the online realm. Therefore it is crucial that we have a particular branch of law that exists to deal with legal problems that may arise by the very nature of the Internet and are not able to be covered by local jurisdictions.

There may be disagreements over copyright or ownership of a domain or website which cannot be resolved due to the parties being in different states or even different countries. The problem that arises here is that there are complex problems in deciding what state or country’s law and jurisdiction will have the authority to resolve the issue. In situations like this the area of law known as “Conflicts of Law” comes into play.

The increasingly complex area of computer law is exceedingly demanding in its educational requirements for attorneys who practice in this niche. The term “computer law” is kind of a misnomer since it is really the information on the computer such as software, personal info, and possible trade secrets that are the issue as well as the possibility of international disputes over domain names and copyright violations. For these reasons, those who practice computer law are usually the same attorneys who specialize in Intellectual Property Law, also known as IP Law, which covers trademarks, patents, copyrights, and trade secrets. The U.S. Patent Office requires attorneys practicing before it to hold a bachelor’s degree in the areas of engineering or science at the very least.

Some traditional areas of law are evolving to include ever-changing computer laws. Early on it was declared that software would be classified as “goods”, but the difference between normal goods and software “goods” is that one only owns the media that the software is stored on and a license to the use of the software which is now covered under the Uniform Commercial Code.

Those who hack into computer systems without authorization and use that computer’s resources or steal information from it are guilty of pretty much the same thing as what traditional law would call burglary. However, since by definition burglary means entering an actual physical residence, specific laws were added to cover this offense.

One of the biggest problems with the Internet and one that grows even larger annually is that of copyright theft and piracy. Anyone with a computer and access to the Internet can easily steal the intellectual property of another. Additionally, the piracy of media such as movies and music is an enormous problem that is plaguing those industries today. It is a fact that the area of computer law will continue to expand and be used more in the future as the use of the Internet to commit crimes continues to grow.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach Florida. Find more about this as well as computer law at http://www.focusonip.com

So you have a hot idea for a website, or maybe you want to capitalize on a hot new product that has just been released. There are some things that you will want to know first before you get yourself in a lot of hot water.

Choosing a domain name isn’t really rocket science but it is very important. You want to choose something that is as short as possible, easy to pronounce and remember for marketing purposes, and if at all possible you want to get your main keywords in the domain name. All that aside, you also have to be careful that you don’t step on the toes of a person or company who may be inclined to sue you.

For example, judges have ruled against domain name squatters in every case where they registered a celebrity’s name. They will also rule against companies that infringe upon other companies. A good case in point would be the case a couple of years ago between the World Wrestling Federation and the World Wildlife Foundation. The World Wrestling Federation called itself the “WWF”, put up a website at wwf.com, and the World Wildlife Foundation filed a trademark infringement suit against them. The Wildlife Foundation won because they had been in existence for many years before the wrestling firm and therefore the World Wrestling Federation had to change its name to World Wrestling Entertainment. Obviously this cost them a great some of money to change their name that appeared on millions of marketing products all over the world as well as the expense they had put up on their website and online marketing.

Another more recent issue that is still ongoing is the battle between Apple and the V.O.I.P. product “iphone” from Cisco. Apple announced they would be bringing a product to market called the Apple iPhone to go along with their other products that start with an “I”. Cisco promptly filed for injunctive relief and as of this writing the issue is unresolved.

There are a few basic guidelines that will help keep you out of trouble when you are choosing a domain name so you don’t run into legal trouble from violating someone’s trademark. Let’s take a look at them.

First off you need to realize that a name that is used to identify a particular service or product is a recognized trademark. Trademarks that are deemed to be suggestive and memorable are granted protection by both state and federal law.

A confliction of trademarks occurs when one trademark is in conflict with another and the deployment of both is probably going to be confusing to customers or would be customers concerning the company’s products or services. As I illustrated above, when the legal issue is with a later user of a trademark, the law rules that the first commercial user of the trademark is the legal owner and is therefore given protection. The loser will be forced to cease using the trademark and may even be compelled to pay damages to the original owner, particularly if it is determined that they were malicious in their intent.

The smart thing to do is to consult a trademark lawyer and have them check out your idea for a domain name before you invest too much in developing and marketing it.

Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach Florida. Find more about this as well as intellectual property attorneys at http://www.focusonip.com

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