E-commerce is no longer new to our economy. The demand for e-commerce activities continues to grow and new entrepreneurs join online sales every day. Online activities of larger, already established, companies have already resulted into real success stories.
Unfortunately, legislation is not simple. Consumer protection, VAT legislation, data protection, geoblocking, take-back obligations and recycling rules, packaging and labeling rules … the list of rules you have to take into account is endless.
Fortunately, we at Sirius Legal know how to navigate the maze of e-commerce rules and regulations. E-commerce is in our firm’s DNA, and has been for more than a decade. We have helped hundreds of large and small webshops with all their e-commerce questions. Since 2011, we have also been the permanent legal partner of Becom, one of the leading organizations in Belgium when it comes to e-commerce. Our partnership with FeWeb (the Belgian Federation of Web Professionals), combined with the daily work for our own clients give us unique expertise in all aspects of e-commerce.
Launching a webshop is more than just a quick copy/paste of some general terms and conditions from your competitor’s website. There are many aspects that have to be taken into account.
General terms and conditions, privacy policy, cookie policy, opt-in and forms, mandatory information on return rights or warranty, correct price indications are all essential points of attention. At Sirius Legal, we ensure that these aspects can all be verified at once for one fixed price in our “Website Certifier Service“.
However, e-commerce is so much more than a simple check list. Anyone who wants to do business successfully online should also properly protect their brand name and domain names as well and establish solid contracts with suppliers and web agencies. In addition, clear agreements with partners, a secure and robust corporate structure and well-founded tax advice are indispensable for those who want to make their online business a success. Moreover, questions surrounding cyber security, GDPR and cookie legislation are also likely to arise.
At Sirius Legal, we always look at the whole picture. We look at all aspects of your business and identify all relevant concerns and risks. We provide our clients with clear, pragmatic and feasible advice and propose the most (cost-)efficient solutions. It is all about you as an entrepreneur and our job is to provide you with maximum legal support.
All this does not only apply to traditional webshops. Our e-commerce clients include many content platforms, marketplaces, dropshipping suppliers, and auction platforms. Many of our clients come to us with questions about the use of apps, selling on social media or other matters.
Our advice is not limited to Belgium. E-commerce is often conducted globally and as an entrepreneur we understand that you look for a legal partner who can assist you beyond our national borders. This is precisely why we are putting a lot of effort into international representation. For example, our Managing Partner Bart Van den Brande is chairman of the IT & Data Protection Practice Group of the international professional network of lawyers Consulegis. In the framework of this Group, we meet monthly with colleagues from all over the world to exchange information on latest developments in the digital economy, including e-commerce.
Ideally, your start-up should be completely compliant with the relevant laws and regulations. However, look beyond the contract work and choose a sparring partner who thinks along with you and covers all the legal pitfalls for you.
Your company can also become a victim of cybercrime,reports on cybercrime are increasing exponentially. We can help you design an effective technical and legal cyber security policy.
The digitization of our economy comes with a lot of legal challenges. We gladly advise you on the legal impact of AI, blockchain, cryptocurrencies, Internet of Things, and digital signatures.
Active in web, app or software development? Then you better make sure the projects you deliver are legally apt. Besides, the relationships with your clients are usually just fine … until things go wrong, right?
