If you haven't heard, Vonage, the voice over IP technology company with the annoying commercials, was accused of knowingly violating patents from Sprint and Verizon. Whether they knowingly violated patents is a big issue, but the fact is that they did violate patents for similar technology and uses. The courts are have re-opened one of the cases, and the other case is being appealed (Read more: Vonage Investor Relations page)
Whether you're trying to start a business in your dorm room or trying to fly solo on the side of an entry-level job it is so important to research copyrights, trademarks, and patents. Before you sink a significant amount of bills into your idea, look for any possible infringements or legal issues that could sink you soon after you start swimming. Hire a lawyer to handle the research for you if you are dead serious about doing things the right way.
Starting a web-based business should involve researching domain name legal hurdles, business names already in use, graphics and content that you post on your website, and so on. Unfortunately, there is tons of gray area in the world of web laws as lawmakers and politicians are still trying to figure out what the internet is. It's always safer to lean away from any name or content that you even have to think about if it is usable or not.
