We live in a complex and ever-growing technological world, and one of the benefits is that those who manufacture the products we use everyday, from our morning coffee to our evening beer, are under responsibility to produce high-quality goods. For an excellent recent example, consider Hercegovacka Pivovara, the company behind the Sarajevsko brand of beers. They are firmly committed to maintaining high standards in brewing by paying attention to the ingredients used during production. The importance of ingredient quality and equipment standards cannot be understated, and neither can the importance of legal compliance. We live in a world where we’ve grown accustomed to expecting a high level of quality in our products, and our laws and the agencies we have instituted to uphold them are growing increasingly complex and specific. Creating and maintaining high quality standards is vital, and so is knowing the laws that govern them. In other words, if you’re running a business that involves a product that is strictly regulated under the law, such as a specific type of alcoholic beverage or a particular blade design, you may well need to hire a specialized team of attorneys to help you navigate through the thicket of laws that may -whether you expect it or not – impact your business and expose it to legal liability. We may all be used to hearing about the ingredients that go into our favorite foods and beverages, but ignorance of the law has no redeeming qualities and can expose someone to needless legal penalties.
One example of how complex such laws can be involves the legal status of gravity knives. By law, these knives are able to automatically open with a flick of the wrist, and have been a part of the “Gravity Knife Amendment” in New York for years. The complicated definition of a “gravity knife” in New York law has given New York-based businesses nightmares over the last year. For context, the term “gravity knife” comes from the original mechanism of the knife, which would use a spring that would allow the blade to fall out upon exertion of downward inertia force or a sharp flick of the hand. These knives were originally invented for military purposes but became available for the average person to buy and use in their everyday lives. These knives were “self-opening” – that means they would open when exposed to gravitational force or when struck, very different from a modern switchblade, which is defined by the fact that it opens with a button press.
The ambiguous law in New York regarding the legal status of these knives is a simple, yet widespread, example of how many business operations are impacted by laws surrounding what appears to be an innocuous product. The legal status of the gravity knife in New York was recently changed in the summer of 2018. In a vote of 90-To-36, the New York assembly passed the bill that removed the knife from the list of prohibited weapons in New York. These technicalities in New York’s laws are tedious, but it is important for companies to understand them correctly. Make sure there isn’t ambiguity in your business’ operations, and avoid leaving any confusion open for interpretation by the law. Like required licenses for obtaining a business license, each industry will have different requirements and policies that must be followed.
As a business owner, you must ensure that your company is adhering to all local, state, and federal laws that may apply to your field to remain compliant and out of legal trouble. While it’s annoying to have to deal with legalities like this in your business, the best way to avoid potential legal pitfalls is to educate yourself on the law and hire a team of legal professionals that can help you understand and work within the law.