Internet laws undergoing changes in Brazil

December 13, 2012
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Internet Laws Changes

Businesses working in Brazil and negotiating contracts and transactions will need to follow the laws of the land. The Brazilian legal system incorporates differing legislation from that of the United States or other countries, as it is partially based on the history and culture of a different nation. In order to gain more consumers, companies today are moving toward internet-based marketing and utilizing cost-effective ways of social media networking.

However, there are various laws that govern the Internet in Brazil as well as other countries. The Brazilian government is currently in the midst of proposing and developing an Internet Bill of Rights, according to the Knight Center for Journalism in the Americas.

The vote on the final outcome was postponed at least four times and has been put forth to the Chamber of Deputies on November 13. The biggest problem has been a statement in Article 15 of the bill that states a court order is unnecessary for copyright infringement cases.

This is clearly problematic, as businesses need to ensure their patents and copyrights are protected even in the online world. Another legislation called the Civil Regulatory Framework for the Internet shows basic principles meant to protect the rights and responsibilities of users. It also keeps internet intermediaries, such as social media sites, hosting platforms, blog owners, and internet service providers from being responsible for illegal or duplicated information posted on their page by a user.

American businesses working with Brazil will need to follow all internet laws in order to avoid disputes, accusations or even lawsuits. An experienced, knowledgeable Brazilian attorney working for a law firm in Brazil will be able to provide the necessary expertise for companies that need assistance with internet law.

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