Whaddaya mean I have a franchise in Lithuania?

As I alluded to earlier, the current weakness of the dollar is encouraging more and more US companies to try their hand at exporting. That, combined with the web, seems like a no brainer – after all, tapping world markets (or at least world markets where they speak English) is practically free, right?

Well, this article from the American Bar Association is a good reminder that there are some things to consider when US companies go global. Even better, it’s not as dry as most lawyer-written fare tends to be. Simply aiming one’s products at foreign markets can result in some unintended legal consequences, and continued business with a particular country or outsourcing of services, while convenient over the internet, can result in long-term ties which are hard to break.

By all means export, just think about the risks first …