Internet has plethora of law-oriented Web sites

Can the Internet make you an expert in the areas of law affecting your business or career? In a word no.

But it can acquaint you with a number of legal issues that affect your life and money. By checking out some of the sites listed below, you'll be in a better position to ask your lawyer about specifics.

?American Association of Franchisees and Dealers

www.aafd.org

If you've ever thought about purchasing a franchise and starting your own business, you'll want to check this site out. The AAFD provides practical information about the risks and rewards of franchises. Many of the pages on this site contain information about legal issues franchisees face with their franchisers.

?Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation

www.fdic.gov/

If it has to do with the banking industry, it's on this Web site: rules, regulations, news releases, consumer information. The site also lists those investment products that are not covered by FDIC insurance.

?United States Copyright Office

lcweb.loc/gov/copyright/

Have a publication you'd like to copyright? The registration process is spelled out clearly and simply at this site. In addition to the U.S. copyright law, international copyright is explained.

?World Trade Organization

www.wto.org

What does the World Trade Organization have to do with you? Everything from the details about the European Communities compromise on the recent banana dispute, to the details of the trade treaties affecting the global marketplace are on this megasite.

?Federal Trade Commission

www.ftc.gov/

This immense but well-organized site covers many different areas of business and law. It includes a plain English guide to antitrust law, as well as details about the Fair Credit Reporting Act and many, many other areas, including franchises.

?The Franklin Pierce Law Center Intellectual Property Mall

www.ipmall.fplc.edu

This site offers billions and billions of articles and links about intellectual property. It is geared toward legal professionals, academics, inventors and entrepreneurs.

?The Legal Information Institute Banking

www.law.cornell.edu/topics/banking.html

Need to know about the Garn-St. Germain Depository Institutions Act? Maybe not. But this site can provide quick links to federal and state statutes affecting banks, and savings and loan associations.

?The Legal Information Institute Corporations

www.law.cornell.edu/topics/corporations.html

Here you will find federal and state information about the ever-popular legal entity known as the corporation. This site includes links to contract and commercial transactions law pages.

?American Bankruptcy Institute

www.abiworld.org

Among the topics found at this site are options for those who are in debt, statistics and legislative updates. The site contains an excellent link to recent articles in the lay press and the legal press about bankruptcy.

?U.S. Patent and Trademark Office

www.uspto.gov/

You can conduct a free patent database search or a trademark search at this site, which contains the ultimate word on these topics.

(The preceding article was provided by the Missouri Bar Association.)