Understanding Insurance Policies
Do You Need Personal And Advertising Injury Liability Coverage?
Samantha Reynolds
Your general liability insurance coverage is an important part of protecting your business. But most business owners think about general liability in terms of accidents that may occur on their site or as a result of their actions.
However, general liability coverage includes a number of less well-known protections for small businesses. One of these is personal and advertising injury coverage. What should you know about this insurance? And how can you make use of its protection? Here's what you need to know.
What Is Personal and Advertising Injury?
Its name may suggest that personal and advertising injury relates to accidents that involve personal physical injuries. However, in this case, the personal injury is often to someone's reputation, assets, or income.
One of the most common types of claims under this coverage is libel or slander. Libel refers to written statements that are defamatory. So if your company's social media account writes something untrue about a competitor, this part of your insurance will help protect you against a libel lawsuit. Slander might happen if you or an employee instead says something defamatory about that competitor.
Advertising Injury generally involves the accidental use of copyrighted materials, misusing some other branding or advertising methods, or copying other businesses in a significant way. Did your new beer bottle label end up looking too much like the label of a beer in another state? Advertising injury insurance helps you defend yourself against misuse of copyright or trademarks.
How Can You Best Use Personal and Advertising Injury Coverage?
Now that you know more about personal and advertising injury insurance, how can you go about protecting your business with it? First, determine if your insurance policy includes this important coverage. While it's often an automatic part of general liability policies, don't assume this includes yours.
Then, read through the specific details and discuss them with your agent to understand exactly what is covered. Is there a particular risk factor in your industry that may not be fully covered?
For example, a bridal consultant might use photos of their work as a big part of advertising the services they provide. But this opens up the consultant to complaints of anything from using unattractive photos to using photos without proper authorization or attribution. The consultant may want to ensure their bases are fully covered.
Where Can You Learn More?
Ready to learn more about your specific coverage and any potential gaps in personal and advertising injury insurance? Start by meeting with a high-quality insurance company in your state today.
Share
After I moved out of my parent's home, I started learning more and more about insurance policies. I was involved in a bad car accident, and I ended up working with my car insurance company as well as my medical and dental insurance companies. I paid my premiums and enjoyed coverage, but I didn't really understand how the entire insurance claim process worked. I wanted to make this blog to help other people like me to learn more about insurance coverage. Check out this blog for more details on insurance coverage, how to file a claim, and what you should expect throughout the shopping process.