Predatory Lending
(Separate Website)
Predatory lending is the practice of lenders targeting vulnerable individuals and convincing them to take loans with incredibly high interest rates and other abusive terms.
Sometimes, the victims of predatory lending may have less than perfect credit, so they can?t get a standard loan. In other cases, they may actually be able to get a standard loan but are misled by the lender or broker into believing they can?t. They are often hardworking people with limited incomes. An extra expense or setback, such as an unexpected medical bill or a car accident, may leave them unable to pay their bills. With their back against the wall, they become perfect targets for predatory lenders. Some of the most common forms of predatory lending include payday loans, car title loans, and predatory mortgage lending.
By: Barnes Law Group
Product Liability
(Separate Website)
Too often companies try to increase their profits at the expense of consumers. In the production of consumer products like cars, baby cribs, medications, and exercise equipment, manufacturers often "rush to market" for profits. Product safety is not always a priority. Manufacturers may choose cheaper, less safe designs for their products; may have inadequate quality control measures that allow defective products onto the market; or may fail to provide adequate instructions and warnings for the proper use of the product.
By: Barnes Law Group
Steps YOU can take to protect yourself as a consumer!
(Separate Website)
10 steps you can take to avoid getting ripped off.
By: Barnes Law Group
Basic Facts About Patents
(Separate Website)
This web page answers basic questions about patents, including: What does the United States Patent and Trademark Office do? What Are Patents, Trademarks, Servicemarks, and Copyrights? What Can Be Patented?
By: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Basic Facts About Trademarks
(Separate Website)
This web page contains answers to basic questions about trademarks, including: What is a trademark or service mark? Do Trademarks, Copyrights and Patents protect the same things? Should I register my mark? What does the U.S. Trademark and Patent office do?
By: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Buying and Using Software
(Separate Website)
Software is a bunch of magnetic "ones and zeros," or electronic signals, that takes your thousands of dollars worth of plastic, metal and glass—your personal computer, or hardware—and animates it into something that lets you "fly" an airplane, balance your checkbook or manage your small business. Most personal computers sold today come with a "bundle" of software pre-loaded onto the computer, including basic financial, word processing, communications and entertainment software.
By: American Bar Association
Common Questions Asked of the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
(Separate Website)
This web page from the USPTO web site answers common questions about the Patent and Trademark Office, inventions, trademarks, the patent process and amendments to patents.
By: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office
Copyright
(Separate Website)
This web site contains information on (1) Copyright Basics, (2) Registrations and Documents, (3) Licensing,
(4) Copyright Law and much more!
By: U.S. Copyright Office
Copyright (Frequently Asked Questions)
(Separate Website)
This link to the ChillingEffects web site contains answers to frequently asked questions about copyright laws and copyright infringement. Chilling Effects is a joint project of the Electronic Frontier Foundation and Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, University of San Francisco, and University of Maine law school clinics. Chilling Effects aims to help you understand the protections that the First Amendment and intellectual property laws give to your online activities. Anecdotal evidence suggests that some individuals and corporations are using intellectual property and other laws to silence other online users. Chilling Effects encourages respect for intellectual property law, while frowning on its misuse to "chill" legitimate activity.
By: Electronic Frontier Foundation and Harvard, Stanford, Berkeley, University of San Francisco, and University of Maine law school clinics
Learn about Personal Finances and Using Credit
(Separate Website)
This presentation was developed as part of the Law and Government Education Project in the Institute of Government at the University of Georgia. In partnership with the Law School and the Center for Teaching and Learning at UGA and the Law School at Mercer University, the Institute develops resources on basic areas of Georgia and federal law. These resources are then distributed across the state in a variety of ways including the State Bar of Georgia?s Pro Bono Project website. We hope you will find this presentation to be useful and informative. Please be advised, however, that this presentation is designed to provide general information only and does not substitute for legal advice. At the conclusion of the presentation you will find a list of organizations which may be able to provide assistance to those who have legal issues relevant to the topic of this presentation. We encourage viewers to contact these organizations for help. Also, please consult the Pro Bono Project website for a list of other presentations available for viewing.
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Patents, Trademarks, Copyright - State Bar of Georgia Consumer Pamphlet
(Separate Website)
This pamphlet describes the various types of intellectual property - patents, trademarks and copyrights - and discusses how to protect your rights.
By: State Bar of Georgia
Basics of Borrowing and Credit in Georgia
This document discusses the basic law relating to borrowing and credit.
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Basics of Obtaining Credit in Georgia
This document discusses the basic law relating to borrowing and credit.
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Credit and your Consumer Rights
(Separate Website)
A good credit rating is very important. Businesses inspect your credit history when they evaluate your applications for credit, insurance, employment, and even leases. They can use it when they choose to give or deny you credit or insurance, provided you receive fair and equal treatment. Sometimes, things happen that can cause credit problems: a temporary loss of income, an illness, even a computer error. Solving credit problems may take time and patience, but it doesn’t have to be an ordeal.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Credit Card Catch
(Separate Website)
You might think that as long as you pay your credit card bill on time, your credit card company can’t raise your interest rates without giving you fair warning-guess again. Increasingly common among credit card companies is what’s known as a “universal default” policy. These policies are often hidden in the fine print of your credit card agreement or may be tucked away as a policy update in one of the many flyers or special offers you receive from the company throughout the year.
It's bad enough that credit card companies aren’t usually up front about their universal default policies, but what makes universal default even worse is that it may have nothing to do with your payment history on your credit card account or any of your other debts.
By: Barnes Law Group
Right to Access Free Credit Reports
(Separate Website)
Soon you’ll be able to get your credit report for free. A recent amendment to the federal Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requires each of the nationwide consumer reporting companies to provide you with a free copy of your credit report, at your request, once every 12 months. The FCRA promotes the accuracy and privacy of information in the files of the nation’s consumer reporting companies. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC), the nation’s consumer protection agency, enforces the FCRA with respect to consumer reporting companies.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Personal Financial Education
(Separate Website)
Over the years, the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta has developed and participated in many projects designed to build bridges between you and your financial goals. By working with consumer-interest groups, faith-based organizations, government agencies, nonprofits, and other companies, the Atlanta Fed helps provide the tools that people need to make informed financial decisions. This Web site provides fundamental information about the Atlanta Fed’s educational outreach efforts.
By: Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Fast Facts on Consumer Rights
(Separate Website)
This document provides some quick tips on your rights in certain consumer issues.
By: Barnes Law Group
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
(Separate Website)
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) is a nonprofit consumer organization with a two-part mission -- consumer information and consumer advocacy. It was established in 1992 and is based in San Diego, California. It is primarily grant-supported and serves individuals nationwide.
The PRC's goals are to:
Raise consumers' awareness of how technology affects personal privacy.
Empower consumers to take action to control their own personal information by providing practical tips on privacy protection.
Respond to specific privacy-related complaints from consumers, intercede on their behalf, and, when appropriate, refer them to the proper organizations for further assistance.
Document the nature of consumers' complaints and questions about privacy in reports, testimony, and speeches and make them available to policy makers, industry representatives, consumer advocates, and the media.
Advocate for consumers' privacy rights in local, state, and federal public policy proceedings, including legislative testimony, regulatory agency hearings, task forces, and study commissions as well as conferences and workshops.
By: The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Credit
(Separate Website)
The use of credit is a way of life in the United States. At any one time, about three-fourths of American households have some form of debt, including credit purchases of cars, appliances, clothing, vacation trips and other goods and services. Just over two-fifths of households have loans secured by their homes—in other words, mortgages. This web site will help you understand the rules, regulations, and laws about consumer installment credit, designed to protect you, the consumer.
By: American Bar Association
Mortgage and Real Estate Loans Information from the Federal Trade Commission
(Separate Website)
This web site contains documents relating to: (1) home equity loans, home equity credit lines and common home equity scams, (2) high rate, high fee mortgages, (3) reverse mortgages, (4) payday loans, and (5) mortgage discrimination. You may view the documents on-line and print them out or print them in PDF format.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
EarnBenefits Online
(Separate Website)
How to get free checking accounts, homebuying resources, repairing your credit
By: Seedco
Questions about Family Consumer Debt Problems
This web page helps you understand your rights in connection with creditors.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Consumer Information for Domestic Violence Survivors
(Separate Website)
These two brochures are geared to help survivors of domestic violence with credit and debt issues.
By: Consumer Rights for Domestic Violence Survivors Initiative
What You Need to Know about Garnishments and Bankruptcies This brochure provides basic legal information about garnishments and bankruptcies in Georgia.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Credit Card Catch
(Separate Website)
You might think that as long as you pay your credit card bill on time, your credit card company can’t raise your interest rates without giving you fair warning-guess again. Increasingly common among credit card companies is what’s known as a “universal default” policy. These policies are often hidden in the fine print of your credit card agreement or may be tucked away as a policy update in one of the many flyers or special offers you receive from the company throughout the year.
It's bad enough that credit card companies aren’t usually up front about their universal default policies, but what makes universal default even worse is that it may have nothing to do with your payment history on your credit card account or any of your other debts.
By: Barnes Law Group
Fast Facts on Consumer Rights
(Separate Website)
This document provides some quick tips on your rights in certain consumer issues.
By: Barnes Law Group
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
(Separate Website)
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) is a nonprofit consumer organization with a two-part mission -- consumer information and consumer advocacy. It was established in 1992 and is based in San Diego, California. It is primarily grant-supported and serves individuals nationwide.
The PRC's goals are to:
Raise consumers' awareness of how technology affects personal privacy.
Empower consumers to take action to control their own personal information by providing practical tips on privacy protection.
Respond to specific privacy-related complaints from consumers, intercede on their behalf, and, when appropriate, refer them to the proper organizations for further assistance.
Document the nature of consumers' complaints and questions about privacy in reports, testimony, and speeches and make them available to policy makers, industry representatives, consumer advocates, and the media.
Advocate for consumers' privacy rights in local, state, and federal public policy proceedings, including legislative testimony, regulatory agency hearings, task forces, and study commissions as well as conferences and workshops.
By: The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Consumer Information for Domestic Violence Survivors
(Separate Website)
These two brochures are geared to help survivors of domestic violence with credit and debt issues.
By: Consumer Rights for Domestic Violence Survivors Initiative
What You Need to Know about Garnishments and Bankruptcies This brochure provides basic legal information about garnishments and bankruptcies in Georgia.
By: Georgia Legal Services Program®
Basic Debt Collection and Consumer Protection in Georgia
This document describes the law relating to debt collection and basic consumer protection laws, answering the following questions: Why do you need to understand your contract before signing it? How can creditors collect debts? How can consumers protect themselves? The document is an excerpt from An Introduction to Law in Georgia,
Fourth Edition, published by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1998 (updated 2004).
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Fair Debt Collection
(Separate Website)
If you use credit cards, owe money on a personal loan, or are paying on a home mortgage, you are a "debtor." If you fall behind in repaying your creditors, or an error is made on your accounts, you may be contacted by a "debt collector." You should know that in either situation, the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act requires that debt collectors treat you fairly and prohibits certain methods of debt collection. Of course, the law does not erase any legitimate debt you owe. This brochure answers commonly asked questions about your rights under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
How to Use the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act Letter
Do you have debt collectors calling you all the time at work and at home? You have protection under federal law under the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act. This document explains the law and provides a sample letter for you to use.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Questions about Family Consumer Debt Problems
This web page helps you understand your rights in connection with creditors.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
The Fair Debt Collection Act
(Separate Website)
How the Fair Debt Collection Act protects the consumer
By: Barnes Law Group
Debt Collection FAQs: A Guide for Consumers
(Separate Website)
This web site describes your basic federal rights in connection with debt collectors.
By: U.S. Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Basic Consumer Law in Georgia: Warranties
This document discusses warranties and basic consumer safety and protection laws and answers the following questions: What is a warranty? What is an implied warranty? What is a warranty of merchantability? What is a warranty of fitness? What is a warranty of title? How do you waive an implied warranty? What is an express warranty?
What is the difference between a full warranty and a limited warranty? What to do if a warranty is broken? The document is excerpted from An Introduction to Law in Georgia, Fourth Edition, published by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1998 (updated 2004).
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Be on the Alert against Fraud
(Separate Website)
The FTC, the nation's consumer protection agency, works for the consumer to prevent fraudulent, deceptive and unfair business practices in the marketplace and provides information to help consumers spot, stop and avoid them.
By: Federal Trade Commission
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Consumer Complaints
(Separate Website)
How and when to file a complaint with the Governor's Office of Consumer Affairs; includes complaint form.
By: Georgia.gov
Consumer Law: Legal Issues on the Internet
(Separate Website)
The Internet has become ubiquitous in American life. It raises number of consumer-protection issues that can be addressed here.
By: American Bar Association
Fast Facts on Consumer Rights
(Separate Website)
This document provides some quick tips on your rights in certain consumer issues.
By: Barnes Law Group
Predatory Lending
(Separate Website)
Predatory lending is the practice of lenders targeting vulnerable individuals and convincing them to take loans with incredibly high interest rates and other abusive terms.
Sometimes, the victims of predatory lending may have less than perfect credit, so they can?t get a standard loan. In other cases, they may actually be able to get a standard loan but are misled by the lender or broker into believing they can?t. They are often hardworking people with limited incomes. An extra expense or setback, such as an unexpected medical bill or a car accident, may leave them unable to pay their bills. With their back against the wall, they become perfect targets for predatory lenders. Some of the most common forms of predatory lending include payday loans, car title loans, and predatory mortgage lending.
By: Barnes Law Group
Product Liability
(Separate Website)
Too often companies try to increase their profits at the expense of consumers. In the production of consumer products like cars, baby cribs, medications, and exercise equipment, manufacturers often "rush to market" for profits. Product safety is not always a priority. Manufacturers may choose cheaper, less safe designs for their products; may have inadequate quality control measures that allow defective products onto the market; or may fail to provide adequate instructions and warnings for the proper use of the product.
By: Barnes Law Group
Regulating Unfair Sales Practices in Georgia
This document covers the basic laws that protect you from unfair sales practices in Georgia, answering the following questions: How do you protect yourself against unfair or deceptive sales practices? What is the Federal Trade Commission and how is it related to unfair and deceptive sales practices? What is the Georgia Fair Business Practices Act? What are some practices that are considered unfair or deceptive in Georgia? What can you do if you are stung by one of these practices? What happens when you don't buy in stores? What is the Door-to-Door Trade Regulations Rule? What is the "Transient Merchants" law and how does it protect consumers? How do FTC rules and the U.S. Postal Service protect buyers? The document is an excerpt from An Introduction to Law in Georgia, Fourth \ Edition, published by the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, 1998 (updated 2004).
By: Carl Vinson Institute of Government, University of Georgia
Read this in:
Spanish / Español
Schemes to Cheat the Unwary Homeowner If you are like most homeowners, your house is your most valuable investment. As a homeowner you have to be very careful to protect your investment or you may become the victim of schemes to steal your money, your equity, or even your house. This brochure will help you recognize equity theft and title conversion scams and avoid them.
By: Atlanta Legal Aid Society, Inc.
Securities and Business Regulation Division
(Separate Website)
The Securities and Business Regulation Division of the Georgia Secretary of State's Office protects Georgians from investment, cemetery and pre-need funeral services/merchandise, charity and telemarketing fraud by registering and regulating:
securities offerings, securities firms, securities salespeople, investment advisors, charities, charitable fundraisers, and cemeteries and pre-need funeral services/merchandise.
By: Georgia Secretary of State
Steps YOU can take to protect yourself as a consumer!
(Separate Website)
10 steps you can take to avoid getting ripped off.
By: Barnes Law Group
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
(Separate Website)
The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (PRC) is a nonprofit consumer organization with a two-part mission -- consumer information and consumer advocacy. It was established in 1992 and is based in San Diego, California. It is primarily grant-supported and serves individuals nationwide.
The PRC's goals are to:
Raise consumers' awareness of how technology affects personal privacy.
Empower consumers to take action to control their own personal information by providing practical tips on privacy protection.
Respond to specific privacy-related complaints from consumers, intercede on their behalf, and, when appropriate, refer them to the proper organizations for further assistance.
Document the nature of consumers' complaints and questions about privacy in reports, testimony, and speeches and make them available to policy makers, industry representatives, consumer advocates, and the media.
Advocate for consumers' privacy rights in local, state, and federal public policy proceedings, including legislative testimony, regulatory agency hearings, task forces, and study commissions as well as conferences and workshops.
By: The Privacy Rights Clearinghouse
Tort Reform and You the Consumer
(Separate Website)
How tort reform legislation effects you as a consumer
By: Barnes Law Group
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LegalAid-GA.org provides general information only. This is not legal advice and cannot replace legal advice. You can get legal advice only from a lawyer. Deadlines are extremely important in most legal matters. You may lose important legal rights if you do not hire an attorney immediately to advise you. Viewing this web site or sending an e-mail message through this web site does NOT create an attorney-client relationship.
LegalAid-GA is a project of the Atlanta Legal Aid Society, the Georgia Legal Services Program and the Pro Bono Project of the State Bar of Georgia. This website was produced with funding from the Legal Services Corporation.
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