EU electronic commerce law

Abstract:

This work arises from an international research conference on EU Electronic Commerce Law held in Køge, Denmark in November 2003. The conference concentrated upon a number of topics particularly related to e-commerce law in the EU, including marketing, self regulation, contract and information requirements, electronic signatures, jurisdiction and enforcement and Internet market places. The book is comprised of articles based on presentations and workshops given at the conference.

There are twelve chapters in all. The first sets the background in exploring the current state and significant trends in electronic commerce law. The second addresses the issue of e-commerce on new media and offers an overview of the EU regulatory regime. Chapter three explores the area of copyright and the possible consequences of the expansion of the copyright monopoly on e-commerce. Chapter four examines the increasing information obligations in e-commerce law. The European regulatory framework for electronic signatures is the focus of chapter five, while chapter six discusses the management of electronic signatures. Chapter seven examines European contract law, and chapter eight looks at the issue of jurisdiction and enforcement in the Information Society. The focus of chapter nine is the issue of cross-border law enforcement and the management of legal risks deriving from states where the Internet services are available. Chapter ten deals with dispute resolution in the electronic marketplace, exploring the potential for alternative dispute resolution with particular emphasis given to the European Commission’s implementation of its ADR (Alternative Dispute Resolution) schemes. Chapter eleven has the enticing title 'Electronic agents: Spies, lies and villains in the online world’ and deals with autonomous, mobile software agents. The final chapter discusses competition law issues and the mistaken notion that this area of business is not suitable for competition law regulation.

The work will interest scholars and students, practitioners and researchers engaged in e-commerce law as well as those people doing business in e-commerce.