This is in the non-tax-related area of law:

I’m writing to tell you about – and invite you to come to – a free panel discussion (aka “Public Forum”) on a topic important to anyone who runs or wants to run a website or blog, and to lawyers who advise website owners or bloggers, or both.

A little more information: The forum is entitled:

“Click on the Dotted Line:

Internet Website Privacy Policies,

Terms of Use and Service, and Disclaimers —

Can all that stuff you never read actually hurt you?”

 

It’s taking place on Tuesday April 27, 2010 at 6 PM at New York County Lawyers’ Association (NYCLA), which is downtown, near City Hall, at 14 Vesey Street, New York, NY. NYCLA’s Cyberspace Law Committee is putting on this forum and I will be moderating it.

What’s it about? This forum will discuss the enforceability of website terms, good practices in developing those terms, as well as pitfalls for website owners, businesses, and their attorneys in identifying issues, developing policies, and drafting the “fine print” terms for websites.

Who will be speaking? There will be

  • a director of and counsel to the consumer watchdog organization, the Better Business Bureau (BBB),
  • a consultant to businesses for developing the policies which underlie website terms and policies,
  • the general counsel to a large website doing substantial online commerce and social networking (a sort of facebook for artists, craftspeople, and their customers), and
  • an Intellectual Property and Internet attorney who drafts terms and policies for websites and the businesses or entrepreneurs who own them. (See the list of speakers, below, and also see the flyer for this forum, which is attached, as a pdf file)
  • plus, the forum will be moderated by me (appeals lawyer, tax lawyer, civil litigator, longtime member of the Cyberspace Law Committee’s executive committee)

Where and when is it taking place?

WHERE: New York County Lawyers Association

14 Vesey Street

New York, NY 10007

WHEN: Tuesday, April 27th, 2010, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM

What does it cost? This Public Forum is FREE of charge and open to the public.

Do I need a ticket? No, you do not need a ticket. And it’s free of charge. You can just show up;

BUT, NYCLA does request that you RSVP by sending an email to dlamb@nycla.org with the phrase “April 27 forum” in the subject line

What are the names of the speakers and what’s their background?

Sarah Feingold, Esq. — General Counsel to Etsy.com, an online marketplace for hand-crafted items and artwork

Ester Horowitz — Privacy, Identity Theft and Fraud-Prevention Consultant

Brian Rauer, Esq. — Executive Director, Better Business Bureau (BBB), Mid-Hudson and Long Island regions and General Counsel, BBB Serving Metro New York

Natalie Sulimani, Esq. — Internet and Intellectual Property Attorney and Principal, Sulimani Law Firm

Moderator: Allan R. Pearlman, Esq. — Tax, Civil Litigation and Appeals Attorney and Author of http://LifeLawandTaxes.com

I hope you can come, and that if you have friends or colleagues who are interested in internet law and the legal issues surrounding running a website or blog, that they might come. Please forward this email and/or tell anyone you know who might be interested in this topic about this forum. Thanks.