With so many people seeking to make money from home, you might have found yourself considering the potential of becoming a blogger. While it's fairly easy to get started, there are many details that aspiring and new bloggers often overlook. For example, one of the things that you should consider is the importance of liability insurance to protect yourself and your publication. While your homeowner's insurance might offer some extension of coverage, you'll want some commercial protection as well.
What Kinds Of Risks Are There?
Just like any other media source, you'll want to have coverage that protects against the major risks. For example, you are vulnerable to claims of libel, defamation, copyright violations, and licensing infringements. There's also risk of invasion of privacy claims as well as cease-and-desist letters.
What About Freedom of Speech?
One of the biggest reasons that many bloggers dismiss the importance of commercial liability protection is because they assume that everything they publish is protected by freedom of speech and freedom of the press. Unfortunately, there's a fine line between what makes a blogger an individual versus a member of the press or a publisher.
In addition, the laws surrounding these rights is outdated in terms of modern technology. The laws are very clear in relation to traditional or mainstream media outlets and the like. However, at the time when these laws were written, the concept of blogging was not even considered. Since there's no clear definition of when a blogger is considered an individual versus a media outlet, there's little boundary development for the courts to go on in cases like these.
What Can You Do As A Blogger?
The best way to protect yourself and your personal assets as a blogger is to talk with your local commercial insurance company about a blogger's liability policy. There are many different options that you can consider based on the protections you need.
Your insurance company will consider the types of topics you blog about and your target audience to help determine the level of risk and protection that you'll need. For example, gossip blogs and parenting sites that review and promote children's products may need far more liability protection than a recipe blog.
Like any other insurance policy, you'll have a deductible for your policy. You'll be responsible for paying that deductible as part of any claim that your insurance company pays out. Talk with your local commercial insurance broker today to see what options you have to protect yourself and your blog.
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