Message text written by INTERNET:[email protected] >I'm interested in starting a web-based custom sundial business.<
First of all, you need to understand where your designs come from. If you use established equations for the sun's position and do the calculations yourself to design dials of what might be called conventional designs then there should be no problem with patents or copyright law. However, if you plan to develop and patent a so-called new design rather than aparticular delineation, then you will need to use a patent attorney to perform a search to establish your priority. You should not use software calculation programs that have not been specifically licenced to you for commercial purposes. Whether or not you might get away with it is irrelevant - you are misusing the trust of those who have put these packages into the public domain for your private and individual use. As important though is the business planning aspect. You need to be sure that you can make a profit on the designs you make which will cover all your costs - not just produce a positive margin from a particular selling price. You must prepare a business plan. It would be sensible to ask an accountant to look it over. Remember that if you offset any costs of the premises in which you work against tax then you might incur taxation on the value of your own premises when you sell. You must be in control of your business and you must be the one who holds the test records of the dials that you supply. You will soon be the subject of litigation if you do not test all shipments in some appropriate way before despatch. I would recommend starting simply and only after success is proven should you expand. Finally, you will be wise to make a provision from the proceeds of each sale which can go into a secure fund - outside your business account - from which all warranty claims can be met. 6% of SP is common but you might need less or more in some cases. Check what the taxman allows you to provide and set against tax. Unused funds in this account should only be taken to profit proportionately to the expiration of your warranty to each client. Good luck Patrick ------------------------------------------------------------------------- E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Web: http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Patrick_Powers/ Lat: N 51d. 49m. 09s: Long: W 00d. 21m. 53s -
