5 Legal Tips for Protecting Your Online Assets
Thursday, December 18th, 2008If you’re a domainer, you have lots of online assets. But are you properly protecting them? There are a few legal steps you should take to ensure that your online property is secure.
1. Use Good Security
This first tip isn’t really about the law. It’s just common sense.
Use adequate passwords. Keep them in a safe place. Change them often.
All your legal efforts won’t amount to anything if you use passwords like “password” and write them on a sticky note.
2. Pay Attention to Names
Many people form companies for their business purposes, to protect their personal assets. To be effective, your assets have to be owned by the company.
When you buy a domain or a website, you should always make sure the business actually owns it. If you own it personally, your personal creditors could seize it to collect a judgment.
3. Watch Your Agents
If you have given someone else the authority to handle your affairs, they’re your agent. They have legal responsibilities to you in the way they handle your affairs.
To protect yourself and your online assets, be sure to keep an eye on your agents. Agents steal from their employers even when they work in the same office. Think how much easier it would be to steal when everything is online. Make sure they aren’t handling things improperly or stealing from you.
4. Make a List
What will happen to your online assets, if something happens to you? Does your significant other or next of kin know about your online life?
To make it easy for your next of kin to handle your assets, you should at least keep a list of what you own. You could take the extra step of writing out instructions on how to manage your websites, where to access your domain portfolio, etc.
5. Review Your Will
If you’re an adult, you should have a will. And you should review it every five years.
If you executed a will 15 years ago, you probably didn’t even own domains at that time. Your will doesn’t need to specifically mention your online property, but it should properly implement your wishes. Changes in technology are but one reason to review and update your will throughout life.
This is a Guest Post by…
Andrew Flusche, a Virginia lawyer who works with individuals and businesses. He is also a Virginia reckless driving lawyer.
This article is from DotSauce Magazine - The Domain Industry’s HOTTEST Publication!
5 Legal Tips for Protecting Your Online Assets
Original post by Mark Fulton










As they say, everything is bigger in Texas; and that holds true for the Texas Domainers and Developers Convention (TDADC). The conference will be held from Nov. 3rd through Nov. 6th in Grapevine, Texas (Between Ft. Worth and Dallas) at the Grapevine Convention Center.



