487: Internet Legal Issues, Mistakes and Strategies with SoCal Internet Attorney Richard Chapo

What this episode covers

Richard Chapo, the SoCal Internet Lawyer, is a San Diego attorney specializing in advising small and large online businesses on legal requirements when operating in or selling to the U.S. market. Richard's goal is to help clients avoid legal issues before they happen by being proactive when addressing legal threats. He's been practicing for 25 plus years. Richard tells us that we should meet with our local attorney once per year to discuss possible legal "holes" in our business including FTC disclosures, DMCA, GDPR, cold calling, affiliate programs, direct mailing, affiliate compensations, social media accounts, insurance, and more. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyQIqbhIufo Quotes:                                                                                                                                    “The beautiful thing about the web is it's the web—it's a free exchange of communication. But in some aspects, you're always going to have the garbage in, garbage out kind of scenario.” – Richard Chapo “In the United States, there's no concept of privacy. Privacy in the U.S. is nothing less than a complete and utter joke. And if you think you have any privacy in the U.S., let me just tell you unequivocally—you do not.” – Richard Chapo “If I were someone running an online business today, or thinking about starting one, I would give a lot of thought to my market and where my geographic market is.” – Richard Chapo Takeaways: 00:00 Finding a specialized internet lawyer who understands your specific business can help prevent legal issues before they start. 11:49 Running an affiliate program requires careful management to avoid potential legal risks from affiliate actions. 23:33 The internet landscape is changing, with increasing regulations that will make online business more complex but not impossible. 27:58 New internet laws often seem out of touch, but they're typically just minor annoyances rather than business-ending challenges. 29:40 The online business world is shifting from a completely open model to one with more structured compliance requirements. Resources Law Offices of Richard A. Chapo (Official Site) Richard Chapo (LinkedIn) Richard Chapo (Yelp)