INTRODUCTION:
Did you know that without legal disclosure, your business website can get you into legal trouble even if you haven’t made a single sale? That’s 100% true. Make sure you have all the legal information on your website. So I’m in this article talking about what needs to be disclosed on the website.
GENERAL REQUIREMENT:
- Name & details of the Business
- Name & details of the owner/management
- Contact Number & Email ID
- Head Office & Branch Office Address
- Business policy applicable to your business
For Example: Shipping Policy, Payment Terms, Return Policy, Sexual Harassment Policy etc
- Business license applicable to your business
For Example: GST, FSSAI, Trademark, ISO etc
AS PER THE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY LAWS:
Privacy Policy:
This tells the users
- What sensitive personal data or information you collect from them
- How you collect the data
- How you uses, stores or maintains it
- How to you discloses and protects it and
- What you do with it
Terms and Conditions:
This tells what kind of terms and conditions are applicable to the users, if they use your site.
Disclaimer:
This tells the users what you are NOT responsible for.
Grievance Officer:
Tell the users name and contact details of the Grievance Officer, who shall redress the grievances or provide information expeditiously but within one month from the date of receipt of grievance.
AS PER THE COMPANIES LAW:
- Name of the company
- Business of the company
- Director details
- Address of its registered office & branch offices
- Corporate Identity Number
- Telephone number
- Fax number (If any)
- The name of person who may be contacted in case of any queries or grievances
- Annual Return of the company
- Details of the Corporate Social Responsibility
- Business policy applicable to your business
For Example: CSR Policy, Sexual Harassment Policy, code of conduct etc
Note: This all is the basic general disclosure. However, based on your business structure and industry, you must mention other laws disclosures on your website.
For example:
Listed Company – Company Law & Security Law
Direct Selling Industry – Consumer Protection (Direct Selling) Rules
Ecommerce Business – Consumer Protection (E-Commerce) Rules and Legal metrology Law
Though there is no particular legal format of a disclosure but what details need to be mentioned it’s clearly specified in respective laws and rules, so you can draft as per your business requirement, but you must mention all the details as per legal provisions.
CONCLUSION:
Having a website and online appearance strategy allows any business to blossom its market and expand its business. As the web has the quickest reach to announce any type of business. Web disclosure is a key tool for improving corporate governance. By these small things you can save your business/company from hefty penalties.
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Disclaimer: This article is based on the relevant provisions and to the best of my knowledge at the time of preparation of this article and moreover in no event author shall be liable for any direct and indirect result from this article and this is only a knowledge sharing initiative provided solely for information, this article is not a professional advice or recommendation.
Author: CS JINAL SHAH, JINAL SHAH & CO. Company Secretary in Practice from Surat, Gujarat. If you have any query feels free to contact us on jinalshahco@gmail.com or 9173610133.
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