A. When you register a domain name, you are inserting an entry into a directory of all the domain names and their corresponding IP addresses on the Internet.

A. Many different companies known as registrars carry out domain name registration and they are all in competition with one another. See this site for a list of accredited registrars. If you want to register a .uk domain name go to this site.

A. Each registrar sets a price it charges for registering names, and they can vary significantly. Some companies offer cheaper or free domain name registration in connection with other offers such as web hosting services.

A. All ICANN-accredited registrars follow a uniform dispute resolution policy for .com domain names. For more information, see here. In the UK, for .uk domain names Nominet offers a dispute resolution service, as well as a domain name registration. These services provide quicker and more cost effective procedures without the costs and delays involved in court litigation.

A. When collecting personal details you will need a data protection notice; when entering into contracts online you will also need terms and conditions; you will need to copyright notice to protect your copyright to any content on the website; and you will need a disclaimer to protect your liability.

A. Linking from one part of a website to another part of the same website is not a problem. However, when linking to another website, you should ensure that a disclaimer pops up prior to the user leaving your website advising them that this is what they are doing. This will ensure that you are not liable for any matters arising from use of the linked website.

A. All companies, no matter how small need to register under the Data Protection Act if they are processing personal data. This includes anything from the payroll details to marketing databases – in fact any information from which living individuals can be identified, from as little as their name, or an identifying e-mail address such as joebloggs@hotmail.com. To register under the Act is easy. All you have to do is visit the website of the Office of the Information Commissioner and notify the register online at a cost of £35 per annum.

A. If you want to stop receiving spam e-mail you can register with The Direct Marketing Association (DMA) e-mail Preference Service to opt out of receiving unsolicited e-mail. There are also a similar Preference Services to opt out of receiving unsolicited fax, letters or telephone calls.

A. Most software programmes such as Windows 2000 offer the capability for digital signatures. To acquire a more advanced signature for important documentation and online trading see the Verisign website.

A. Yes you can. As long as you own the copyright for the content on your website, anyone using that is in breach of copyright law. You should have a copyright notice on your website, or at the very least, the symbol © preceded by the company name and followed by the year the content was written. The offending company can be prevented by law from using the content from your website by use of an interdict and damages for breach of copyright may be obtained.