HELP: Setting up an online store.

[imk]

Ok so, i'm setting up a site where by people can sell thier music for download or CD, by submitting it to the site and we take a small commision. It will be mainly underground music that we will be selling. However i'm fairly new to the store concept so is thier any advice anyone can give me for example,

What software to use(shopping carts etc)
What legal issues i have to deal with?
How do i copyright my site?
etc etc

any help is much appreciated....thanks..

[cheat-master30]

What software to use?

No idea. Never dealt with an online store before, so I would not really know. May want to take a look at quite a few of them though, and comparisons between them based on features/price/security/performance etc.

What legal issues i have to deal with?

People adding music they have no rights to as a download.
People selling real world fake CDs.
Disputes between artists and companies and the like.

May really want to speak to a lawyer about this part.

How do i copyright my site?

Unofficially, this is automatic as soon as you create it. From a court perspective, and in the USA, you could register with the copyright office or something. I also hear in some other countries like the UK, formal registration is not a must even if it reaches the courts. As said, I have no experience of people stealing my ideas before or content.

[imk]

thanks.

[Deepdog009]

Ok so, i'm setting up a site where by people can sell thier music for download or CD, by submitting it to the site and we take a small commision. It will be mainly underground music that we will be selling. However i'm fairly new to the store concept so is thier any advice anyone can give me for example,

What software to use(shopping carts etc)
What legal issues i have to deal with?
How do i copyright my site?
etc etc


any help is much appreciated....thanks..


Try CUBECART (http://cubecart.com),,, its easy 2 use and its FREE without removing the BRAND,,, remove brand...>>> $89 buckolaa's...

vBull has some Mod's with stores,,, but it would be nice if vBulletin.com Coder's created a Add-on Store sometime in near future...

If U be needing help with installing and setup give me a jingle,,, I have several folks using it...

Good Luck;)

[nexialys]

i would suggest you start here:
http://www.hotscripts.com/PHP/Scripts_and_Programs/E-Commerce/index.html

choose the best software for your needs, and request a bridge between it and vB... ;)

[DarkSpike]

What software?
Don't know you may check
here (http://www.download.com/E-commerce/3150-2649_4-0.html?tag=catat)
and here (http://www.download.com/Corporate-Security-Software/3150-2653_4-0.html?tag=catat)

What legal issues?
Get policies like them at ebay (http://pages.ebay.com/help/policies/index.html?_trksid=m40)
Get informed about patent, copyrights and intellectual property (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property)

How do you copyright your site?
into your footer
Copyright ? 2007(or any other date), yousite.com. All rights reserved.
also a good place to put a link for your policies

Hope this wa useful
have fun and good luck

[ablaye]

You could try OsCommerce.
You could also hire a freelance programmer to design a custom script for you.

[devilsown]

I would recomend starting off with a good open source "widely uses widely support" like OsCommerce. Lots of people that are familar with it an lots of free source that can be put in.

[Freesteyelz]

You don't need a copyright notice anywhere (site or in code) for copyright protection, at least here in the U.S. It's really for public view. Though, having it does make a work, such as a site more professional (perception is key).

As for legal issues, I also recommend contacting a lawyer who specializes in the area to help you set up. It may also be a good idea to do research on Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Consider how the sellers'/consumers' sensitive information will be stored. A third-party, secure off-locaton is often standard.