How Can You Protect Yourself and Your Business with Insurance Coverage?
In the United States, everyone has the right to speak their mind. However, freedom of expression has limits. But what are these limits, and what kind of speech is limited? We’ll tell you!
In 2009, the Center for Inquiry (CFI) established International Blasphemy Rights Day to promote and defend freedom of expression. The CFI wanted to highlight the freedom to criticize religion without fear of retribution, violence, or persecution.
With social media on the rise, it’s easier than ever for us to comment and speak freely. But free speech still has consequences, and when a comment is found to infringe on the rights and interests of others, that’s when these consequences begin.
Understanding Personal and Advertising Injury
Both homeowners’ and renters’ insurance provide not only property coverage but also personal liability coverage. This defends against accusations such as bodily injury or property damage. However, standard liability coverage does not include issues such as libel and slander. To have that protection, you need to be sure your policy includes personal injury coverage.
Typical general liability coverage includes personal and advertising injury protection, which defends against libel or slander — Both in a general context, and for promotional purposes.
Higher-risk operations, like marketing or advertising services, may require specific coverage, often referred to as “media liability.”
It’s a good idea to check with your local agent to ensure personal injury coverage is included under your homeowners policy, and for businesses, to confirm you are properly protected for personal injury and advertising exposure.
Defining Advertising Injury
But what exactly constitutes advertising injury?
Well, it does vary a bit between individual cases. But generally speaking, advertising injury involves several categories:
- Libel or slander, or the publication of untrue or damaging information about another business
- Copyright infringement, or the use of another company’s intellectual property or trademark without permission
- Invasion of privacy, or the publication of an individual’s private information without permission
- False advertising, or the publication of untrue or misleading claims about a service or product
Of course, media and advertising companies require their own industry-specific policies for this, so as always, contact your agent to ensure you’ll get the coverage and protection you and your business need!
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