We are subject to a variety of laws in the U.S. and abroad that are costly to comply with, can result in negative publicity and diversion of management time and effort and can subject us to claims or other remedies. Some of these laws, such as income, sales, use, value-added and other tax laws and consumer protection laws, are applicable to businesses generally and others are unique to the various types of businesses in which we are engaged. Many of these laws were adopted prior to the advent of the internet and related technologies and, as a result, do not contemplate or address the unique issues of the internet and related technologies. Laws that do reference the internet are being interpreted by the courts, but their applicability and scope remain uncertain.
For example, through our various businesses we post and link to third party content, including third party advertisements, links and websites, as well as content submitted by users, such as comments, photographs and videos. We could be subject to liability for posting or linking to third party content, and while we generally require third parties to indemnify us for related claims, we may not be able to enforce our indemnification rights. Some laws, including the Communications Decency Act, or CDA, and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, or DMCA, limit our liability for posting or linking to third party content. For example, the DMCA generally protects online service providers from claims of copyright infringement based on use of third-party content, so long as certain statutory requirements are satisfied. However, the scope and applicability of the DMCA are subject to judicial interpretation and, as such, remain uncertain, and the U.S. Congress may enact legislation limiting the protections afforded by the DMCA to online service providers. Moreover, similar protections may not exist in other jurisdictions in which our products are used. As a result, claims could be threatened and filed under both U.S. and foreign laws based upon use of third-party content asserting, among other things, defamation, invasion of privacy or right or publicity, copyright infringement or trademark infringement.
Any failure on our part to comply with applicable laws may subject us to additional liabilities, which could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations. In addition, if the laws to which we are currently subject are amended or interpreted adversely to our interests, or if new adverse laws are adopted, our products and services might need to be modified to comply with such laws, which would increase our costs and could result in decreased demand for our products and services to the extent that we pass on such costs to our customers. Specifically, in the case of tax laws, positions that we have taken or will take are subject to interpretation by the relevant taxing authorities. While we believe that the positions we have taken to date comply with applicable law, there can be no assurances that the relevant taxing authorities will not take a contrary position, and if so, that such positions will not adversely affect us. Any events of this nature could adversely affect our business, financial condition and results of operations.