11 March 2014
Legal Issues of Web 2.0 and Social Media by Stephen Kunciewicz
How do you ensure that your organisation’s valuable intellectual property is not being misused, copied or redistributed by others?
And what rights and remedies do you have if a third party has been illegally using your intellectual property?
And on the other side of the coin, what responsibilities does your organisation have with regard to employees’ use of social media – should an employee make a potentially libellous comment online about a competitor, using a work computer, what involvement might a company be deemed to have?
These are the questions posed by Stephen Kuncewicz at the beginning of Legal Issues of Web 2.0 and Social Media. Everyone knows that today’s businesses must be social-media-savvy. Blogs, the ubiquitous FaceBook, LinkedIn, Twitter even, these are not just for private individuals, they are for businesses to use as well, both for gathering and for disseminating information. But we are also all aware of their reputation as a legal and ethical minefield. The law has been struggling to keep up with technological developments, and social media users are often quite unsure about where they stand.
Stephen Kunciewicz is a lawyer at Halliwells LLP, and probably about as well-qualified to write on the topic as anyone alive. He takes the reader through the subject in just over 200 jargon-free pages, illustrating each point with real-life (and in some cases famous) examples.
The book is divided into five sections:
- Placing social media in the legal context
- Social media and copyright
- Social media and brands
- Social media and privacy, confidentiality, defamation
- Social media and criminal law.
This book would seem to be a must-have for every start-up and SME in the land, but for one thing: the price. On Amazon, new copies are selling for around £300. However, we have two copies here at the British Library. One is held by our Document Supply Service, and the other is available in the Business & IP Centre, in the Small Business Help section.
Rupert Lee on behalf of Business & IP Centre
10 February 2014
Are you the next Internet Icon?
‘Web in Feb’ is our Business & IP Centre series of events in February where we are helping you and your business make the most of the ever-expanding digital landscape. Access to the Internet using a mobile phone more than doubled between 2010 and 2013, from 24% to 53% in the United Kingdom stated this OFCOM report. Internet users are increasingly making online purchases either at home or roaming on their digital devices.
Photo Source – TechCity, East London Map
London may not have been the birthplace of Facebook, Apple, Google or Twitter but there is a growing tech community which is a friendly rival to Silicon Valley – with rapid growth in the number of technology based start-up businesses that are riding the wave in the capital.
Some of these giant companies have set up houses in what is now known as Tech City UK in Shoreditch, East London. Supported by the UK Government, this is a technology cluster providing support to entrepreneurs to set up in Tech City by providing practical, online and face-to-face advice on everything from location to guidance on exports, introductions to investors, talents and other contacts. Do have a look at their resources and success stories to share for inspiration.
One of the reasons for the success is the ecosystem around of start-ups, support, location and possibility… timing of a community space. Seen as a hub for innovation - there are a few accelerators like well-known Seedcamp and co-working spaces where you can also network, pool knowledge, collaborate and forge business together. If you are looking to get in, check organisations located there on this map and to find physical space see Trampery, TechHub, and this guide by Shoreditch Office Space.
Not just focussed on London, it seems that tech hubs are also blossoming up and down the country such as in Croydon – with Leeds, Sheffield and Manchester looking to be the ‘Tech City of the North’.
` Photo Source - Shutl
In the Centre and with our partners Lucidica and Grow, we have our own success stories for supporting online and tech businesses. We can direct you to the relevant information, advice and experts.
Shutl, one of our customers, received free advice as part of our Innovating for Growth programme to help their company to grow. During their time they received advice on their strategy for business growth, product development and market penetration.
Their business provides an integrated web service across a retailer’s various channels to offer shoppers immediate and convenient delivery. This was the first and only delivery service of its kind in the UK, with major retailer Argos as one of the first and major customers. Just after they completed the programme, they were acquired by eBay Inc, with plans to expand to the US market.
Startup Flubit founders Bertie Stephens and Adel Louertatani launched a social-commerce website called Flubit in April 2011. Flubit breaks away from the traditional commission-based model by giving online shoppers unique and discounted offers on products they want to buy. Find out how he applied what he learnt from the Centre’s intellectual property workshops and advice sessions with phone box millionaire, Stephen Fear on our video.
These are just some ways we are happy to ride this wave and support you in your online or tech business ventures.
Keep your eyes out for all the events we have planned for Web in Feb , including our next Inspiring Entrepreneurs ‘Internet Icons’ with Nick Robertson OBE of ASOS, Kathryn Parsons of Decoded and Nick Jenkins of Moonpig.com.
Seema Rampersad on behalf of Business & IP Centre
08 January 2014
Recycling Business Resolutions
As another year begins, it is an ideal time for us to think of those business resolutions that we always thought about but find it difficult to put into gear. One of my own is to recycle more since taking a tour of the EcoPark at the London Waste Company.
They collect rubbish… but they do so much more such as diverting waste from landfill responsibly by recycling and generating renewable energy. Some examples are by producing 292,100 Mwh of electricity a year and 10,000 tonnes of compost from the 35000 tonnes of kitchen and garden waste – compost which you can buy from local councils in North London. Since my eye-opening and nostril-pleasing visit I have increased my own rubbish recycling and gained amazing insight and understanding of the possibilities of recycling rubbish.
There are a number of innovative ways that global and national businesses are doing this in a big way, such as Veolia Environment in this article in the Evening Standard. You may already have ideas in your head, but my challenge here is to research and learn other ways that small businesses and individuals can create a business out of recyclables before it gets to the bin or landfill.
Reclaimed bath at Gilbert’s Garden Bar, St Pancras, London.
Ravensbourne college is a great grassroots example of encouraging innovative designers and sustainable businesses based on recyclables as showcased at their Penrose Festival. Some of these include jewellery, fashion, home wares, laser-cut sculptures, paradox oil lamp made of recyclable light bulbs sourced from the recycle machine at IKEA, and lamp-shades cut into city shapes produced from different shops from around London.
On a larger scale Treehugger has more examples of items such as washing machines to chairs, vintage bone china tea cups to bracelets and even old phone booths into public aquariums in Japan.
Closer to home, we have had businesses that have used the Business & IP Centre for setting up and growing their recycling businesses. Some of them took part in our Spring Market last year, including Boodiblu who design jewellery out of recycled china and Motties who make shoes that are constructed entirely from reclaimed materials that would otherwise go to waste – with £1 from every pair sold going to the homeless charity Emmaus. In our Innovating for Growth programme we also have an entrepreneur, Tristan Titeaux of Custom Carpentry, who designs bespoke furniture out of waste off-cuts, which otherwise would go to landfill.
Custom Carpentry’s bespoke furniture made of reclaimed materials.
In conclusion, it seems like it is not only a good new year’s resolution for households and businesses but “trash can be cash”. There are some good business ideas and evidence out there that recyclables can be environmentally responsible as well as can be a sustainable and profitable business.
Don't forget that we have lots of workshops and resources that can help anyone looking to start or grow their own business. Have a look at our calendar to see what's coming up.
Seema Rampersad on behalf of Business & IP Centre
29 November 2013
Innovating for Growth success story - Socially Bright
With mobile and apps growing all the time, we’re seeing a lot more of these types of businesses using the Centre and applying for our Innovating for Growth programme.
So we asked Socially Bright to share their experiences on growing their company with the advice and help they received at the Centre.
“Socially Bright help agencies and brands to create apps that are beautifully designed and deliver impressive results. We are a Facebook Preferred Marketing Developer but are also familiar with all network APIs such as LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube. Everything is built on our platform, Bandstand, which contains a suite of tools for managing app content and facilitates rapid production and deployment.
Our journey with the British Library Innovating for Growth programme began when our Technical Director saw an advert. Having already had the idea of creating a new software platform ‘Bandstand’ for our clients, we hoped that being part of the programme would kick-start the development process and that the expert business advice we received would double our efforts and help us focus on the long term growth strategy of the business.
We were thrilled to be accepted onto the programme and received a number of one-to-one tutorials from industry experts ranging from product development to finance and intellectual property.
There was also the opportunity to attend some really interesting talks outside of the scheduled programme sessions such as Inspiring Entrepreneurs: Marketing Maestros, where speakers including Jo Fairley, founder of Green & Black’s and Will King, founder of King of Shaves shared their experiences and innovative strategies.
Having recently completed the programme, we are now working on implementing a number of recommendations received from the programme with a view to making Bandstand the most robust and intuitive platform it can be.
Alongside this, we are also working on the transition to a license model for the platform thereby giving us the increased security and predictability of a fixed income that will allow us to budget more effectively in the future.
Most recently, we’re very proud to announce that the ‘Cif the Web’ app we developed for our client DLKW Lowe picked up the gold award at the Campaign Big Awards.
The Campaign Big Awards aim to champion and celebrate the very best work, in any and all media, in one place on one night. They bring together the brightest agencies and the smartest clients from across the advertising spectrum to applaud and reward brilliant British advertising. The Big Awards are now recognised as one of the UK’s most important barometers of creative advertising in the UK.
We’re looking forward to using the Business & IP Centre a lot more as our business develops and grows."
If you’re an ambitious London-based business looking to grow, apply for Innovating for Growth now for the chance to get tailored support and advice to get your business to the next level.
Socially Bright on behalf of Business & IP Centre
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