Companies in the UK must display certain company details on their websites and in their email from 1st January 2007 or they will breach the Companies Act and risk a fine.

The Companies Act 1985 already requires the company's name to appear clearly in all its business letters, cheques and other documents. And, from 1 January 2007, a company's name should also appear clearly on all its websites. Also, the company's business letters, order forms and websites have to include fuller particulars, namely:

 

All these requirements apply whether the document is in hard copy or electronic or any other form.

 

For emails, the information is likely to appear at the bottom of every email sent from a company, to avoid having to decide whether an individual email is a 'business letter' or not.

For websites,the required information does not need to appear on every page. Many company websites will already display the relevant information, perhaps on their 'About us' or 'Contact us' pages.

 

If you need assistance in updating your website or creating an email template to comply with this legislation please contact us.

You should consult the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) website for further guidance. FAQs on the Companies Act on the DTI website.