Legal Question regarding my business

**CAL** · 08-19-2006 06:29 PM

Hello All,

I want to create a website that would sell amusement park travel tips/guides for a particular park chain. The site would benefit this park because I would give tips on how to visit the park.

Here is where the problem lies... I am a full-time employee of this amusement park chain. Do you think that it would be ethical/legal to make money on the side using the park that I am employed with?

Thanks for all your help,
Cal

**freshcutslawn** · 08-19-2006 09:30 PM

If you do not violate any of the agreements that you have set with your employer I cant find any reason that you can't start another business on the side.

**akula** · 08-19-2006 09:56 PM

so which law school did you go to?

**buynick** · 08-20-2006 09:17 AM

Cal,

The only problem would be in having pictures or registered trademarks on the site. You would want to get permission from the amusement park before doing that.

**CAL** · 08-20-2006 10:03 AM

buynick: Do you think I would still need to get permission if the pictures and the logos were something that could be obtained by the general public?

**buynick** · 08-20-2006 11:04 AM

100% yes! There is a difference between taking a picture of a theme park with your digital camera and showing your family at Thanksgiving and taking a picture that you will post on a website in order to make money. You definitely need to get permission from the company to post pictures of their theme park. The other option is to get pictures not of that specific theme park but of a cartoon representation of a "roller coaster" and not offer particular images of that park.

**NeeJam** · 08-20-2006 12:49 PM

Your thread = 'Legal Question regarding my business' your an employee of that chain you better contact a lawyer and read your contract it might have something stated in it saying you can/can't best to speak to a lawyer though.

**robyang!** · 08-20-2006 04:11 PM

If you took pictures and posted it on your website (even if for money) I believe it would fall under fair-use laws regarding copyright.

See -> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use

**dre** · 08-20-2006 04:35 PM

Hello All,

I want to create a website that would sell amusement park travel tips/guides for a particular park chain. The site would benefit this park because I would give tips on how to visit the park.

Here is where the problem lies... I am a full-time employee of this amusement park chain. Do you think that it would be ethical/legal to make money on the side using the park that I am employed with?

Thanks for all your help,
Cal

What type of information do you plan to offer people that your companies site does not? Also how do you plan to make money?

**CAL** · 08-20-2006 04:47 PM

It is not so much that I am worried about using the logo and pictures of the company (because I can disclose the trademarks) but of the fact that I am a full time employee of the company. Many businesses use the logos of other businesses for their profit (i.e. McDonald's commercials featuring the Burger King logos). The only difference is that I am affiliated with the business.

Dre: I plan on taking what the existing company website has and putting a unique spin on it. I plan on recruiting individuals who are "fans" of this park and have them follow my outline guide and write a "guide to visiting for families". This would in turn be sold to potential visitors of the park. The writers that I would recruit would receive a share of each sale.