In December 2024, I provided a whole series of Q&As on LinkedIn outlining important end of year legal reminders for business owners, titled 12 Lightbulbs of Christmas. You can find the entire series here in this blog - a mini guide to some things you can implement in your business to ensure a great (and legally compliant!) start to 2025.
End of Year Reminder #1 🔔
Update your copyright legend! ©
Don't forget to review and update the copyright legend on your website, documents, and other assets to reflect the new year. 🗓️
Keeping this updated maintains professionalism, ensures your intellectual property rights are clear and lets people know you’re still in business!
This is how your copyright legend should look on January 1st 2025 -
© {Your Business Name} 2025. All rights reserved.
In the UK, it’s not a legal requirement to have a copyright legend on your marketing materials since copyright is automatically awarded to the creator of the work. However, it serves as a reminder to those who might, knowingly or unknowingly, infringe on your copyright.
Do you have questions about copyright? Get in touch to ensure your intellectual property is protected. 📄
End of Year Reminder #2 🔔
Check over your terms and conditions. 🔍
Are they still relevant? Accurate? Is anything not covered?
Businesses change all the time, so it’s important to review your terms and conditions (sometimes known as terms of business) and make sure they are still protecting your business interests. 📝
Firstly, you’ll need to check your basic company details—such as name, address, and description of services/goods—to ensure they're still correct. ✅
Then—within the realms of what is legal and reasonable—you may want to consider whether the following policies within this vital document are still serving the needs of both your clients and your business:
Cancellation policy
Payment terms
Non-disclosure clauses
Ordering/service processes
The New Year can be the perfect time to reflect on the struggles and successes of the last year and make any necessary changes.
If you’ve expanded your services, adopted new processes, or noticed recurring client issues, your terms and conditions may need to be revised to reflect these changes.
Need help doing this? Get in touch and allow me to ensure your legal documents are evolving alongside your business. 🤝
End of Year Reminder #3 🔔
Is your next annual data protection fee to the ICO due?
Or, if you’ve been exempt previously, might that have changed?
The Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is responsible for promoting and upholding data protection compliance for companies in the UK. Organisations and sole traders processing personal data may be required to register with the ICO and pay a fee. This fee funds the ICO’s work and also strengthens your professional reputation as a business or individual who takes data protection seriously. 🔒
There are some organisations and sole traders who may be exempt though so before paying the fee, check if you need to here.
If you have already registered and paid your fee then make sure to check the date of renewal and add this to your 2025 calendar.
End of Year Reminder #4 🛡️
Review your trade mark registrations!
As the New Year approaches, it's the perfect time to ensure your trade marks are in order. 📜
If you have trade marks registered with the UK Intellectual Property Office, log in to your gov.uk account to view your trade marks and assess the following:
✅ Are any of your assets up for renewal?
✅ Does your trade mark still cover the markets you operate in and the services/goods you offer?
✅ Have any similar marks been registered that could conflict with yours? (You may need to conduct a wider online search to verify this)
Unsure if your trade mark registrations are still serving your business and protecting your assets? Get in touch and we can talk through your trade mark queries and, if needed, I can assist you in making new applications or amending current registrations. 💬
End of Year Reminder #5 🤖
Have you started using AI and, if so, do you have an AI policy? 🤔
There are currently no UK laws or regulations around AI. However, if you have adopted the use of AI in your business this last year, as many have, then it may be a good idea to consider the following:
Are you using AI in a way that might put data protection at risk? 🔒
Are employees and partners aware of how they can and cannot use AI within their job role?
Do you need to declare the usage of AI to clients?
When businesses started using social media to promote their brands, most companies found it necessary to create a social media policy so employees had guidelines to follow. The same may be true for the use of AI. 📄
As it stands, in the UK there is no legal requirement to inform customers/clients if you’re using AI to assist in producing or delivering your services/goods. However, it may be worth checking your terms and conditions or supplier agreements to ensure you aren’t potentially breaching an existing agreement. ✅
Unsure of this? Reach out and let me check for you. It may be worth adding a clause to your contracts - in the interests of transparency - if you’re harnessing AI. Besides, with the EU AI Act now being implemented it’s only a matter of time until we have a similar set of guidelines to comply with in the UK. ⏳
End of Year Reminder #6 📜
Update your website policies 📄
On your website, you will need a privacy policy, cookie policy and probably terms and conditions too.
As the New Year approaches, it’s wise to give these documents a check-over to ensure they’re up to date. Specifically, check that dates and basic company information are correct. You should also check over any processes you describe and consider whether these are still accurate. 🤔
You may find this summary of my Lightbulb series on legal questions regarding business websites useful, you can read this here.
End of Year Reminder #7 🔐
Review your insurance! 📝
As a business evolves, so too may your insurance needs. Most insurance contracts are auto-renewed each year, so it can be easy to lose track of what types of insurance you have and the details they have about your business. ✅
Remember, if the insurer doesn’t have accurate business information, your policy may be invalid and no longer protecting you. Therefore, review your policy every year and check that everything is correct. 🔍
It may also be worth considering if any other types of insurance are needed, especially if your business has expanded into other areas, moved premises, or hired employees. 🏢👷
Reputable insurance providers should be able to advise you on the types and scope of insurance you need. However, it's always a good idea to consult a few different companies to ensure you're getting the right advice and not being presented with policies your business doesn't really require. 💼💡
End of Year Reminder #8 🎁
Conduct a risk assessment for data protection 🔒💻
Over time, businesses may introduce new technologies, processes, or form partnerships that could inadvertently create data protection vulnerabilities. 👩💻
Conducting a data protection review or risk assessment annually is a good idea to ensure your business is staying compliant with GDPR and that your processes are robust. 🛡️
This can also be an opportunity to check that any employees dealing with personal data know what they should and should not be doing. ✅
It ensures that your data processing activities align with current legal obligations, including:
Having a valid legal basis for processing data
Displaying privacy notices/policies
Securing sensitive information
For small businesses, this review is especially important because a data breach or regulatory non-compliance can lead to fines, reputational damage, and lost customers.
An annual data protection review not only protects your business but also demonstrates your commitment to transparency and fostering trust among customers and stakeholders. 🤝
End of Year Reminder #9 🍬
Check your Online Terms of Sale. 📄
Sometimes, policies can sit dormant on our website, and though the goods and services a business sells may change, the policy may not get updated. Therefore, it is a good idea to check through the terms of sale for selling online goods and services once per year. 🛍️
When selling goods online, you need to ensure, as well as some other things, that you:
Describe items accurately ✔️
Lay out the sales and delivery process 🚚
Explain your returns and refund policies 🔄
When selling digital goods, though, it can be a little more complicated because you may need to take measures to protect your intellectual property and, therefore, aspects such as your returns policy. 📲
You can find out more in my article on Terms and Conditions For Selling Content Online.
Keep these terms up to date to ensure both your and your customer’s rights are protected according to The Consumer Rights Act. 📜
End of Year Reminder #10 💼
Check you’re still compliant with employment law! ✅
This is an ever-evolving area, and there have been changes in the UK this year to employment law and employee rights. 📜
The Employment Rights Bill 2024 introduced significant changes, including:
Day-one rights for unfair dismissal 🛡️
Ending of fire and re-hire in most cases 🚫
Extending collective consultation obligations 🤝
In April 2025, the minimum wage will also rise as follows:
The minimum wage for over 21s (National Living Wage) will rise by 6.7%, from £11.44 to £12.21
For 18 to 20-year-olds, the minimum wage will rise from £8.60 to £10
Apprentice wages will go from a minimum £6.40 to a minimum £7.55 an hour
UK businesses should check if and how this might affect them and plan accordingly.
End of Year Reminder #11 🧑⚕️
Health & Safety Check-Up! ⚠️
As we approach the end of the year, it’s the perfect time for businesses to review their Health and Safety Policy and conduct their annual Risk Assessment. ✅
This is essential for staying compliant with health and safety laws and safeguards against costly legal fines or claims. Furthermore, this helps to protect your employees and clients through minimising risk.
Late December/early January is a good time to -
Review your current Health and Safety Policy to ensure it aligns with current regulations.
Conduct a thorough Risk Assessment to identify potential hazards in the workplace. 🛡️
Update training and procedures to address any new or evolving risks.
Ensure all staff are informed of the latest safety measures and understand their responsibilities.
A proactive approach to health and safety isn’t just good practice—it’s essential for protecting your business and your people.
End of Year Reminder #12 🛡
Update cybersecurity measures on your website and software.🛡️
Cyber threats are ever-evolving. Regular updates reduce the risk of breaches and data theft. 👩💻
To ensure your business website and systems are protected, review your SSL certificates, firewalls, and backup protocols. Check they’re up-to-date and that third parties and software suppliers are reputable. 💻
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate ensures that data transmitted between a user’s browser and a website remains encrypted and secure. This is important not only for security but because some browsers and networks may automatically block sites without a SSL certificate. However, SSL certificates may be lost for a number of reasons and you may need to renew. So, check if your SSL certificate is still valid.🔒
End of Year Reminder #13 (a bonus one!)🧹️
Have a corporate clear-out! 🗂️🗑️
The New Year is the perfect time to clear out the old to make way for the new. For businesses, it’s an ideal time to go through files and paperwork—both physical and digital—and destroy or archive anything no longer needed.
This is also a great opportunity to ensure you’re securely destroying records and personal data when necessary, in line with data retention agreements and GDPR. 🔒📜
Keeping files updated and organised not only helps you manage your business better but also makes it easier to stay legally compliant. ✅
Are you a small business or freelancer needing to know more about common legal queries? Follow me and benefit from my Lightbulb Series on LinkedIn - regular snippets of legal advice (just like above).
💡Still confused about where to start with your legal documents and compliance for the New Year? Contact me with any queries you have.
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