Anytime I can learn new law areas, I always take full advantage of digesting as much information as possible. This course was no different; we learned how laws on defamation, spam, and copyright could affect the digital marketing career field. I will also share the objectives that I created before taking the course and how I met them.
When it comes to defamation lawsuits, three main criteria have to be met for a suit to be successful to include: prove a false statement of fact was made, that statement published to a third party, and the intent is to harm or discredit someone. I learned how certain pieces of legislation, like the Communications Decency Act of 1996 Section 230, helped pave the way for what we now know as the internet. It allows for freedom of speech to be carried out online with Internet service providers, websites, and bloggers. I also learned that the best defense for a lawsuit like is telling the truth, which is absolute if proven.
Next, we learned about the CAN-Spam Act and how it guides what we can digitally communicate with potential customers. The act’s central guidance focuses on correctly identifying advertising correspondence and making sure that it is not misleading to the recipient. There are essential components of the communication that have to be present, like placing an opt-out feature and posting a company’s physical address. For every email identified not to be following the Can-Spam Act rules, they incur a fine of up to $43,280. Companies should ensure that they follow the rules, or it could be a costly mistake if caught.
Copyright was a subject that I learned in-depth during my music business undergrad degree program. It was quite lovely to have a refresher in intellectual property, and creative commons works. I learned the importance of using work for hire contracts when having a third party complete work for the company. Doing so allows the company to pay for ownership of the copyright to the agreed-upon work. I also learned how important the use of original work is versus having to acquire a copyright.
Before taking this course, I set a few objectives based on what I read about the class online. Those objectives were to achieve a ninety percent grade point average and above, gain knowledge of FTC/FCC regulations that affect digital marketers, and learn the primary laws that affect our industry. I feel confident that I have achieved all three of these objectives, and I will take what I learned into the field.
Giovanni Centeno's Mastery Journal 