This unique text deals with the most important legal areas for e-commerce related business in most of the member states in Europe as well as the USA. Topics that are dealt with include: contract law, consumer protection, intellectual property law, unfair competition, antitrust law, liability of providers, money transactions, privacy and data protection.
The year 2000 was when the European Union issued its E-commerce Directive. This directive regulates and facilitates e-commerce in the internal market by laying down a clear and general legal framework favorable for business organizations as well as protecting the interests of consumers. This book analyzes the consequences of the legal framework for business organizations involved with e-commerce in Europe.
Significantly revised and expanded, this important book addresses the key pieces of EU legislation in the field of e-commerce, including on consumer rights, copyright, electronic identification, open internet access, electronic payments, competition law and digital content.
Written specifically for legal practitioners and students, this book examines the concerns, laws and regulations involved in Electronic Commerce. In just a few years, commerce via the World Wide Web and other online platforms has boomed, and a new field of legal theory and practice has emerged. Legislation has been enacted to keep pace with commercial realities, cyber-criminals and unforeseen social consequences, but the ever-evolving nature of new technologies has challenged the capacity of the courts to respond effectively. This book addresses the legal issues relating to the introduction and adoption of various forms of electronic commerce. From intellectual property, to issues of security and privacy, Alan Davidson looks at the practical changes for lawyers and commercial parties whilst providing a rationale for the underlying legal theory.
Compares the legislative frameworks in the EU, US, China and International Organisations applicable to e-commerce and highlights the main legal obstacles to the development of electronic contracts and signatures, as well as Internet jurisdiction and online dispute resolutions.
Supplies an in-depth commentary on EU media law, with detailed analysis of all important legislation and court decisions. It leads European lawyers with vast knowledge and practical experience of media law provide detailed expert commentary.
So rapid have been the developments of e-commerce, that it is now frequently said that this is the future of any commerce and that it carries the potential for enormous growth - at least for the business to business ("B2B") sector. This text covers some important legal issues arising in e-commerce.
All are agreed that the digital economy contributes to a dynamic evolution of markets and competition. Nonetheless, concerns are increasingly raised about the market dominance of a few key players. Because these companies hold the power to drive rivals out of business, regulators have begun to seek scope for competition enforcement in cases where companies claim that withholding data is needed to satisfy customers and cut costs. This book is the first focus on how competition law enforcement tools can be applied to refusals of dominant firms to give access data on online platforms such as search engines, social networks, and e-commerce platforms – commonly referred to as the ‘gatekeepers’ of the Internet. The question arises whether the denial of a dominant firm to grant competitors access to its data could constitute a ‘refusal to deal’ and lead to competition law liability under the so-called ‘essential facilities doctrine', according to which firms need access to shared knowledge in order to be able to compete. A possible duty to share data with rivals also brings to the forefront the interaction of competition law with data protection legislation considering that the required information may include personal data of individuals. Building on the refusal to deal concept, and using a multidisciplinary approach, the analysis covers such issues and topics as the following: – data portability; – interoperability; – data as a competitive advantage or entry barrier in digital markets; – market definition and dominance with respect to data; – disruptive versus sustaining innovation; – role of intellectual property regimes; – economic trade-off in essential facilities cases; – relationship of competition enforcement with data protection law and – data-related competition concerns in merger cases. The author draws on a wealth of relevant material, including EU and US decision-making practice, case law, and policy documents, as well as economic and empirical literature on the link between competition and innovation. The book concludes with a proposed framework for the application of the essential facilities doctrine to potential forms of abuse of dominance relating to data. In addition, it makes suggestions as to how data protection interests can be integrated into competition policy. An invaluable contribution to ongoing academic and policy discussions about how data-related competition concerns should be addressed under competition law, the analysis clearly demonstrates how existing competition tools for market definition and assessment of dominance can be applied to online platforms. It will be of immeasurable value to the many jurists, business persons, and academics concerned with this very timely subject.
This extensively revised and updated third edition of EU Internet Law offers a state of the art overview of the key areas of EU Internet regulation, as well as a critical evaluation of EU policy-making and governance in the field. It provides an in-depth analysis of the ways in which relevant legal instruments interact, as well as comparative discussions contrasting EU and US solutions.
