Case study: Glasplus

Contract and data protection help

Glasplus provides an on-line platform for glass suppliers and glass shops, large and small, to reach customers. If any of these glass shops have excess windscreen stock, they can go to Glasplus.com and sell it using the site's auction service.

For the business idea to work, the company had to first convince insurers, glass shops and suppliers that using its service would help them to make money. For the insurers, data protection was a significant obstacle. Personal information is provided in taking out insurance and there are limits on what can be done with that data.

Pinsent Masons came up with a solution to enable the sharing of the minimum data required by Glasplus without breaching any privacy rights of the motorists. In addition, it put together all the terms and conditions for the site and negotiated a hosting and maintenance agreement with the software developer retained by Glasplus.

This is an edited version of a case study that first appeared in the OUT-LAW Magazine, spring 2002