When most people think about small business insurance, they tend to think about coverage for accidents involving people or recovering from natural disasters or theft. However, it is equally as important to consider advertising injury situations that can occur in Essex Junction and other parts of the world.
A Small Business Insurance Policy in Essex Junction May Provide Coverage for Advertising Injury
The good news is, if you’ve purchased commercial general liability (CGL) coverage for your small business, you might already be covered for advertising injury. Advertising injury (AI) coverage is a component of most standard CGL policies, but in rare cases, it may be necessary to purchase separately.
AI is an important insurance coverage, which helps to protect policyholders for claims involving advertising. Specifically, a policy may cover several liability aspects when a policyholder is being sued for advertising injury such as:
- Copyright infringement
- Slander
- Libel
- Invasion of privacy
- Stolen ideas
Advertising injury policies may have different policy limits, which could affect your coverage, but most policies may help to cover court costs such as docket fees and witness expenses, defense fees, and judgment or settlement fees.
How Does Advertising Injury Occur?
Essentially, it’s possible for advertising injury to occur just about anywhere. It could result from a billboard advertisement, magazine advertisement or even a poster you have displayed in your brick and mortar shop.
In all likelihood, advertising injury can also be found in a variety of places all over the Internet. With today’s technology, it is so easy and fast to post information and advertisements on forums, job sites, websites, blogs, online magazines, and so on.
Because information is so easily posted on the Internet, people often forget to check their work, post something in haste or anger, or they type up a quick message or forum reply without thinking. This is where small business insurance in Essex Junction could come in handy.
Examples of Advertising Injury That May Be Covered in Your Small Business Insurance Policy in Essex Junction
If a business were to advertise on a radio commercial that its competitor uses inferior ingredients in its pizza, this situation might lead to a slander lawsuit.
Copying another businesses advertising campaign style with many of the same types of props might fall into the category of stolen ideas.
Posting a photo on your blog or website taken from another person’s website without asking permission, could be construed as copyright infringement.
A small business owner of a bakery could be accused of libel if he or she were to publish false information about another business owner down the street.
Social Media Liability Issues
Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are great ways to advertise your business services and products. However, there can be dire consequences if you or your employees post something that is not true or damages the reputation of a person or another business.
To reduce your chances of an advertising injury lawsuit:
- Develop a policy for dealing with social media and networking sites.
- Provide employees with training on using social media sites. Make sure everyone knows what they can discuss online and what is not acceptable.
- Ensure that all published information is carefully checked for accuracy and facts before publishing.
- Always assume that whatever you publish online can be copied and posted for the public to read.
It’s nice to know your small business insurance policy is there, when you need it in Essex Junction, just in case of an advertising injury claim.
This material is for informational purposes only. All statements herein are subject to the provision, exclusions and conditions of the applicable policy. For an actual description of all coverages, terms and conditions, refer to the insurance policy.