Promoting Your Etsy Shop: Contest Alternatives!
Many sellers and Etsy Teams have approached both Sarah (Etsy's lawyer, SarahSays) and Sara (Etsy's Teams Coordinator, sarawearsskirts) with questions concerning contests. After all, a contest seems like a creative and fun way to publicize your shop or Etsy Team and to get sales. However, there are legal …
Safety First: California's Lead in Jewelry Law
Safety issues, laws, and consumer protection: these are serious matters, and Etsy, as a venue, advocates that all Etsy sellers go above and beyond to make sure that their items are safe for buyers. We can help here at the Storque by shedding some light on these issues, because awareness will benefit both …
Tax Time Considerations for the Independent
It's tax time again — you know, that time of year when indie artists and crafters to weep and tear our hair out. But fear not! SarahSays, who is not an accountant but understands tax law a bit better than many of us, shares some tips below for US-based artists and makers of all things handmade. While looking …
All about Etsy FAQ Series: Legal Info
In this installment of the All About Etsy FAQ series, SarahSays will explain Etsy's stance on our involvement in the legal issues of Etsy users, as well as the answers to the most pressing FAQs. Sarah is Etsy’s in house lawyer, as well as a jeweler. She writes a Storque column which addresses legal issues for …
SarahSays: Trademarks
So you’re sitting in a cafe and you're online with your laptop —you know, the one with the cute little fruit logo. You're buying handmade items from that web site with the orange and white brick rectangular symbol on every page. You suddenly get a craving for a hamburger from the golden arches and a soda with the …
SarahSays: Contest Law
“Open to U.S. residents.” “Void where prohibited.” “No purchase necessary.” Those phrases are all over contest fine print. But why? And why are so many contests (including Etsy’s Survey Sweepstakes…sorry) only open to United States residents?Contest law is very complicated due to, for example, lottery laws, gaming …
Etsy’s Copyright Policy
As a marketplace, Etsy serves, on the one hand, as a place where people come to buy and sell, but on the other hand, it's also a place where ideas and inspiration flow. Sometimes this is in a friendly way, and sometimes in a not so friendly way, and sometimes in a misinformed way. In any case, there's a lot of anxiety on …
SarahSays Copyrights: Register for U.S. Copyright Online
As Etsy's in house attorney and as a jeweler, I was so exited to hear this news I'd been waiting for for a long time. The United States Copyright Office announced that it is conducting a beta test of its web-based registration system. The public can request to participate in this test. Beta testing covers …
(Coloring) Book Review: U.S. Supreme Court Coloring and Activity Book
SarahSays writes a regular Storque column in which she provides legal info for indie entrepreneurs. As Etsy's in-house attorney, she also has the tough job of dealing with the intense and varied legal issues that come up for any young web commerce site. After hours, she feels like doing something a bit …
