Notice: The fictitious information on this page is for the sole purpose of a school project.
If you are a potential client, please disregard the information on this page and explore the rest of the pages on the site!
THE vision
Sites By Chibuzo is a website and graphic design agency. We currently offer services classified as Graphic Design Services (NAICS 541430), with a primary focus on website design and package design. Sites By Chibuzo was organized in 2016 by Chibuzo Opaigbeogu. He has personally funded this organization since its inception. Sites By Chibuzo started when his first client requested his assistance in designing and maintaining their business' website. That sparked a passion for website design that expanded to other design areas, especially for local small businesses. Sites By Chibuzo is currently headquartered in Prince George's County, Maryland. We are looking forward to opening a design studio in the summer of 2023 that will host a creative space for up to 10 designers and a meeting space for clients. Our designers will work alongside the Member to create websites and designs that meet the desired vision of our clients.
The Team
Chibuzo
Opaigbeogu
President & CEO
Hunter
Tzou
Director of Marketing
Rachel
Bruce
Graphic Design & HR
All team members listed have expressed agency authority to sign client contracts on behalf of Sites By Chibuzo. Team members may be granted additional agency authority either expressly or implied as a result of the scope of their job description. As employees of Sites By Chibuzo, all behavior that occurs within the scope of employment and that passes the Motivation Test as required by state law, can result in Sites By Chibuzo being held liable. Any designers are most likely to bring liability to the company as they have the most direct communication with clients, especially in regard to project requirements for web or graphic design. Under federal law, the company is not required to follow Title VII, ADA, or ADEA anti-discrimination laws, because the company does not employ at least 15 people. The state of Maryland has comparable anti-discrimination laws that do not apply for the same reason.
how did we get here?
BUSINESS FORMATION
Sites By Chibuzo is a Limited Liability Company (LLC). This will protect our CEO and our designers in the unlikely case of a legal dispute between the company and the client. In all services rendered, we require the client to agree to the terms of a contract between themselves and Sites By Chibuzo. This protects our CEO and designers from being held personally liable for most of any potential issues that may arise in the design and delivery process. However, we are confident that our clients will be satisfied with the services that we provide.
We are organized under the State of Maryland, our principal place of business, and our headquarters and future design studio location. Our business name is available in the State of Maryland. This was verified through the State of Maryland's Business Express site for Registration & Filings which also provides a Business Entity Search. We organized in the State of Maryland using our Articles of Organization and we continue to operate under its laws by submitting an Annual Report every year. We have and maintain a business license with the state and pay all applicable taxes to remain in good standing. All information that we operate under was found on the Maryland Business Express Resources website.
Sites By Chibuzo requires all clients to agree to any situation requiring mediation, arbitration, and/or legal suits to be executed within the State of Maryland, except as required by law. Sites By Chibuzo has the ability to do business with organizations outside of the state of Maryland. However, the focus of our company is to design websites and other graphics as a service to local, small businesses within the state of Maryland.
Contracts
Standard contract guidelines for clients, employees, leasing, and advertising.
Client
The other party of this contract is the client, usually a small to mid-sized local business. This contract aims to create a new website for the client that presents the information that the client desires. Sites By Chibuzo promises to create a functional website or graphic design with all the requested information presented. The client promises to provide monetary compensation on an amount that is agreed on before the start of the contract.
Employee
The other party of this contract is the employee. This contract aims to gain an employee for Sites By Chibuzo that assists with the operations of the company (i.e. design, customer relations, HR, etc.). Sites By Chibuzo promises to provide and maintain employment at will as long as there is a need and the employee is successfully completing tasks towards meeting that need. The employee promises to successfully complete tasks that meet the need stated in the job description.
Leasing
The other party of this contract is the leasing agency. This contract aims to secure a location for the headquarters and design studio for Sites By Chibuzo. Sites By Chibuzo promises to provide monetary compensation for the space provided for use as a headquarters and design studio. The leasing agency promises to provide a space that is adequate and well-maintained for the purpose of a headquarters and design studio for Sites By Chibuzo.
Advertising
The other part of this contract is the advertising agency. This contract aims to provide advertising for Sites By Chibuzo on a billboard in a local shopping center. Sites By Chibuzo promises to provide monetary compensation for the use of a billboard in a local shopping center. The advertising agency promises to provide the use of a billboard in a local shopping center and the work required to install and uninstall the banner to cover the billboard.
Our Branding
Learn more about our intellectual property, trademarks, and copyrights
Logo (Design) - since June 2018
Wordmark - since June 2018
Any intellectual property created in the scope of a contract between the company and a client remains the property of the client unless otherwise noted.
Sites By Chibuzo maintains the trademark of the Sites By Chibuzo logo and wordmark. Sites By Chibuzo also maintains the copyright for this website and any information presented on it, unless otherwise noted. Clients are responsible for securing and protecting any intellectual property that is created and transferred during a contract.
The current logo and wordmark for Sites By Chibuzo were launched in June 2018. The current branding portfolio was launched in July 2018.
The logo and wordmark that currently in use by Sites By Chibuzo, LLC. are able to be filed with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for federal trademark protection. After a search on the Trademark Electronic Search System by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, no other designs were found that use a multicolor arrow design in the same manner as the one currently in use by Sites By Chibuzo. Additionally, there are no wordmarks that contain the text "Chibuzo".
Sites By Chibuzo is currently live at www.sitesbychibuzo.com. Sites By Chibuzo is also on Instagram (@sitesbychibuzo). The account name "Sites By Chibuzo" is available on all other major social media platforms and will be secured in the near future. We are confident that our name will be secured in the state of Maryland and nationwide without contest due to the uncommon use of the name/word "Chibuzo" in the United States.
TORTS
Negligence & Intentional Torts
Sites By Chibuzo has a high standard of expectation of duty and care from our employees. We have a great team working with us and do not anticipate any of the following events to occur, however, we are prepared should the need arise.
Sites By Chibuzo will have a special relationship with our current and potential clients when they are physically present at our headquarters/design studio. The company would have the duty to protect them from foreseeable physical harm within the studio. We will have a special relationship with all current clients to provide them with their requested services without subjecting them to careless harm.
There are two foreseeable circumstances that someone could sue the company for negligence. The first is for liability in an intellectual property suit. The second is for poor cybersecurity practices that led to a data breach.
In the first circumstance, the supposed duty to the client is to make sure the business has the right to use whatever material is used in their website or design. The breach would be the website or design for the client containing the intellectual property of a third party without the proper rights. The supposed cause is the company not be careful to ensure the rights of any third-party material used in a design. The damages would be the recovery that the third party has sought and won from the client in a separate suit. To protect the company from liability, the contract signed by the clients can include the provision to release the company from any liability involving intellectual property and to take responsibility for ensuring any content or material in their design is used with the proper permission.
In the second circumstance, the supposed duty to the client is to ensure the private information of the client's customers, members, etc. is protected on the website. The breach would be the website for the client being involved in a data breach. The supposed cause is the company was not being careful to ensure common threats would not be able to breach the client's website. The damages would be the recovery that the client and potentially the users of the client's website sought. To protect the company from liability, the contract signed by the clients can include the provision to release the company from any liability involving data breaches. However, this would largely be unnecessary because cybersecurity is not a service provided by the company and that liability would fall with the client's website builder and host, who is almost certainly Wix.com
Sites By Chibuzo is not liable for any product liability claims. We operate as a freelance design agency that provides the services of web and graphic design. The result is the work we create becomes the property of the client and any claims for a defective work are now the responsibility of the client.
Two plausible intentional torts that an employee could commit against the business and/or client would be an invasion of privacy and defamation.
Regarding invasion of privacy, as an agency that designs websites for local businesses, these businesses will sometimes disclose private information about their business or business associates that is not to be disclosed. As an employee of Sites By Chibuzo, they will also have access to private information about our business or business associates. In either case, the company could be sued for invasion of privacy. The company could be held liable if it's determined that the employee was in the scope of employment and if the actions passed the Motivation Test.
Regarding defamation, the employees of our company interact with many different businesses and organizations. The productivity or outcome of these interactions may not always be good. If an employee decides to defame a company or business that they do not like, whether through trade disparagement or in some cases slander or libel, the company could be sued. The company could be held liable if it's determined that the employee was in the scope of employment and if the actions passed the Motivation Test.