The Online Course Show 134: Privacy Policies, Terms of Use, and Other LEGAL Considerations for Course Creators
Jun 2, 2020
58:10
If you’re like me, the legal side of an online course business can be intimidating. Privacy policies, trademarks, pirating… so many legal concerns to consider! Fortunately, lawyer and course creator Autumn Witt is here on today’s episode to break down some of the most important considerations in this topic for online course businesses.
"I put a lot [of my audience's feedback] into packaging up what needed to be in my course."
- Autumn Witt
Autumn shared a wealth of insight on how new and old course creators alike can identify legal concerns and take action no matter what stage your business is in. I’m still mulling over what I learned in today’s episode, and I’m definitely going to be taking some of Autumn’s advice for my own online course business.
In This Episode, We Talked About:
- (3:32) Celebrating wins and sharing a fun giveaway I did for my piano students
- (6:16) What makes this podcast different
- (6:55) What percent of my students are in the US, and what does that have to do with my accent?
- (9:29) An idea I’m considering as a way to serve my students better
- (12:56) Affiliate updates for my course
- (17:02) Introducing Autumn and how she helps course creators
- (19:58) The biggest mistake course creators make when it comes to legal considerations
- (20:43) Privacy policies, disclaimers, and terms of use
- (23:33) Templates versus working with an attorney for custom legal advice
- (24:20) Big online course names that Autumn has worked with
- (24:54) Legal concerns to know when starting an online course
- (26:36) Dealing with refund requests and disputed charges
- (28:27) How scaling up affects your business legally
- (29:41) How much does registering a trademark cost?
- (30:53) Questions about pirating and plagiarism
- (34:50) Autumn’s own online course journey
- (37:04) Who can benefit from Autumn’s course
- (38:43) Favorite tools and platforms
- (40:22) Autumn’s advice for new course creators
- (42:25) Her team and where to find her online
- (43:32) David and I discuss how not to be an ostrich
- (45:23) Thoughts on handling disputes and choosing your battles
- (49:47) Reducing barriers to entry versus covering your legal bases
- (51:56) Trademark stories with David
- (53:33) Respect and dealing with unreasonable people
- (57:16) Wrapping up
Whew, that about does it for today! Thanks so much for tuning in!