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Tag Archives: Consumer law
Amelia won a car in an online lottery, but it was taken away. Here’s what to look for if you’re entering a raffle
Sharon Givoni Consulting Consumer Law
From buying a raffle ticket in support of your local footy club, or dreaming of winning a multi-million-dollar lottery, trying your luck can be alluring. But beyond the luck element, there are strict rules across Australia designed to make sure there’s a level of fairness and transparency afforded to those who enter competitions large and […]
Legal Ease not Legalese. Plain English: What is it and why do we need when it comes to the law?
Sharon Givoni Consulting Consumer Law
Plain English: What is it and why do we need when it comes to the law? By far one of my favourite quotes is one by Blaise Pascal, a French mathematician, physicist, and philosopher who said something on the lines of: “I’m sorry for writing such a long letter, but I didn’t have time to […]
Trade Promotions & Lotteries – the Laws
Sharon Givoni Consulting Commercial and Contracts, Consumer Law
At Sharon Givoni Consulting we believe in proactive law which is based on the philosophy that legal knowledge is at its best when applied before things go wrong. In Australia, trade promotions and lotteries are regulated by the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) and the State and Territory legislation. “You could buy 100 lottery tickets and […]
Does your business have a good set of website terms and conditions? If not you need to read this…
Sharon Givoni Consulting Commercial and Contracts, Consumer Law, Internet Law
If your business is online, terms and conditions are a must. They are an electronic contract that is legally binding between you and your customers. Specifically, they govern what customers or users must comply with in order to access and use your website. What is the law? The Australian Consumer Law (ACL) requires businesses with […]
Dark Patterns: User interfaces that make consumers buy and buy more. What are the laws and are dark patterns illegal?
Sharon Givoni Consulting Consumer Law, Intellectual Property, Internet Law
Have you ever been in a situation where you are buying things online and find it really easy to sign up but a real challenge to get out of it? Maybe an online subscription service for example that makes it difficult for users to cancel? Other examples of dark patterns that internet users may come […]
Diamonds May Be a Girl’s Best Friend, But Is the Law? – Protecting Your Jewellery Designs
Sharon Givoni Consulting Arts and design
Jewellery designs are a labour of love and beauty which form the foundation of any business – and to see that your designs ripped off can make a heart sink like a 24-karat rock. In our experience, jewellers tend to make the mistake of a reactive rather than proactive approaches to protecting their designs. We […]
Organic Claims – Legal Requirements for Labelling and Packaging
Sharon Givoni Consulting Food Law, Intellectual Property, Packaging
As ‘Organic’ products attract a premium price it is not surprising that many businesses want to use the term on their labelling and packaging. However, when it comes to organic claims, consumers should be able to assume that the organic claim is true and that the ingredients are indeed organic. When you design a label, […]
Unfair contract terms – how could they affect you?
Sharon Givoni Consulting Consumer Law
On 2 November 2016, a new law, Treasury Legislation Amendment (Small Business and Unfair Contract Terms) Bill 2015 (Cth), came into effect. The aim was to protect small businesses from unfair terms in business-to-business standard form contracts. This law applies to standard form contracts that are either entered into, varied on or after, or renewed […]
Pet Food Packaging: Legal Requirements in Australia
Sharon Givoni Consulting Intellectual Property
Starting a pet food business in Australia? Over the years we have had a number of clients come in to see us to review their pet food packaging and to make sure it is compliant with all pet food labelling regulations and standards. One of the issues that can be problematic is when people make […]
Website terms and conditions – what you need to know
Sharon Givoni Consulting Internet Law
This article considers the legalities of website terms and conditions of websites including consumer laws, warranties, privacy policies and disclaimers. It also considers clauses covering payment methods, delivery of goods and intellectual property clauses that address social media. Read more…