Legal Question in International Law in Washington

Re: Website development

I'm not quite sure what your question is, since you refer to South Africa, but have posted this question in the Washington law section.

If you are planning to come to Washington (possibly from South Africa?) and go into competition with Google, yes, that is legal. You cannot legally "borrow" Google's algorithms or other protected trade secrets in order to do so, but you are welcome to compete against them, and many others are indeed trying to do just that. You will need to follow all applicable laws concerning registration of any company you decide to form, and you must comply with all government regulations that apply to this type of business.

If you are planning to compete with Google in South Africa, I cannot advise what laws might apply there, but perhaps someone else will respond with that information for you.