Security before site launch

[JamesR]

Can anybody direct me to any info that would help me identify security concerns before a site is launched? I am talking necessity of trademarking a name(do i?), embedding links or code in images to keep from theft, writing an effective privacy policy, and whatever else I might need to know. Appreciate the help in advance.

[rcjordan]

One at a time, maybe..

Trademark:
First and foremost, be sure YOU are not infringing upon someone else's established mark. It's sad to lose a domain, but it's sadder still when you realize that ALL of your hard-fought SEO, rank, and online "brand" evaporate with it. For that reason, for high-end sites, I recommend 2 domains one to 'market' (i.e., a splash domain) and one to optimize.

If the domain is one that someone will covet -in your industry or otherwise- I'd say the odds of getting a 'cease and desist' letter are pretty high.

[Q]

Here [the-dma.org] is a link to a privacy policy generator. I used it for a quick fix before writing my own. I think it is a good starting point.

[DaveAtIFG]

[ggmark.com...] is a promising links page, no specific recommendations, I haven't had the time to explore it.

[rcjordan]

Here's what the webmaster typically has in mind re trademarks:
#1 - I don't want to get my domain yanked out from under me.

#2 - The site name is the domain name and is pretty generic, aren't generic terms safe?

#3 - How would I know if anyone else has trademarked it?

The answer to #3 is 'spend money' -you can do EVERYTHING and still not be protected. It's only when you have a tradmark in hand that you are modestly assured that you will not be blind-sided.

NFFC has listed a resource here, a free trademark search [webmasterworld.com].

[rcjordan]

Then, to familiarize yourself with the pitfalls. Read this thread and articles [webmasterworld.com] --particularly the post I made Sep 29/00, that's a great punchlist of the tactics the 'offense' will be using.

[rcjordan]

Cost: I've spent around $2500 US for each trademark. You can get a trademark search from the tm database for around $350, I believe.

[rcjordan]

#2 - generic terms.

No, generic terms are not safe. BEEN there, done that. (But I prevailed -long story.)

[oilman]

Q - thanks for that link. It really helped me get the skeleton of our new policy built.

[JamesR]

Trademark search from US Gov here [uspto.gov]. RC thanks for the help and wisdom but these threads are making me shudder. I guess shuddering now is better than shuddering later....

Nice link Q, thanks also.

Edited by: JamesR

[rcjordan]

#1 - I don't want to get my domain yanked out from under me.
The trademark process will provide some sheilding. But I still believe planning for a legal attack should be part of a pre-launch strategy. Spread the SEO load among several domains, they're cheap. Once the content is developed it's portable, but your rank and submittals aren't.

[rcjordan]

US Gov PTO disclaimer [uspto.gov] It's not much better than the other free tm search tools.

[rcjordan]

>shudder
If you think you're shuddering now, wait till you get a 'cease and desist' on your best, highest-traffic, MONEY-MAKINGEST site. It can ruin your whole day.

[rcjordan]

As for photos, graphics, text, javascript, code, content of your database, etc., there's not a thing in your site that someone can't figure out a way to take. You might hide some of it with cloaking, but then again, probably not [webmasterworld.com].