Does anyone know where I could read up on the legalities and technicalities of running a UK based Company from a US based Web Hosting Company?

Anyone?????

Do you have any specific questions about it, or are you just wanting to read.

I thought VT6.co.uk offers the same. Perhaps the owner could tell you more?

Does anyone know where I could read up on the legalities and technicalities of running a UK based Company from a US based Web Hosting Company?

Legalities - if you're storing client data then you'll need to think/check on the DPR aspects

Technicalities - not getting included in country specific search engines, being 100ms, 15 hops and 4000 miles away ...

It's too vague a question, and without knowing what your business does, a very difficult question to begin to answer.

The legalities aren't much different as if you were offering UK hosting.

But Like the poster above, You would need to provide alot more information . Its best to talk to a Solicitor to get things sorted properly.

The issue some of our customers have is that the US Patriot Act is a bit broad in giving powers to authorities, and thus they cannot have their users' data residing on US soil. Because of that, we have a server in Canada specifically for customers where this is an issue. I know it's an issue in Canada, and might be in the UK as well, as data protection laws seem quite strict there also in my experience.

I thought VT6.co.uk offers the same. Perhaps the owner could tell you more?

Sorry it took so long to find this thread - it's not a section I'm very active in. Feel free to PM me if you need help in future :)

The original question was quite vague - there are a number of things but I'll try and outline the basics. I'll do my best to help you with any specific questions you have.

You are a UK company - you should be registered at Companies House if you want to be a public or private limited company with limited liability and shareholding. You NEED to be VAT registered if your turnover is over £68,000 per annum and NEED to pay corporation tax if your turnover is over £58,000 per annum. You NEED to comply with UK distance selling regulations including giving buyers a 7-day moneyback guarantee and having a valid and reachable georaphic contact clearly displayed on your website including a full name, address, post code, telephone number, fax (optional) and email address (optional). If you wish to borrow money through the company you will need at least an 80% shareholding. A limited liability company MUST have a director AND a secretary (2 different people) and these anyone can be these people (with no reference to age, background, income etc)

You have servers in the USA - all data on the servers must comply with USA laws including specifically the DMCA (nulled software, stolen pictures...). Data transfer will be slower from the server to home/office. You will generally pay less for your servers and if you choose a good network, will get better international routing. If you choose to colocate make sure remote hands aren't too expensive or you'll end up having to get a plane ride every time a hard drive fails. Most USA firms require a passport or some other identification prior to setting up servers for you. You may incur transaction fees as money crosses borders and funds need to be converted between currencies. The floating rate of each currency will affect your profits hugely.

VT6 Pretty much covers most of your bases there.

Also as of this year (its either as of now or by the end of this year can't remember which.) You need to display your company name and registered number on your site.

The issue some of our customers have is that the US Patriot Act is a bit broad in giving powers to authorities, and thus they cannot have their users' data residing on US soil. Because of that, we have a server in Canada specifically for customers where this is an issue. I know it's an issue in Canada, and might be in the UK as well, as data protection laws seem quite strict there also in my experience.

It might be worth getting a server from Shinjiru or a similar company for cusomers like that.