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E-commerce law and practice in Europe

Edited by Ian Walden and Julia Hörnle, Queen Mary College, University of London

With the massive explosion of e-commerce, and especially the use of the Internet as a transnational and instant medium for business transactions, has come a whole range of new laws and regulations - and, inevitably, a minefield of accompanying uncertainties and potential pitfalls. So what exactly are the legal issues companies need to address, and what are their implications in real terms for the business world?

Find the answers in this groundbreaking study undertaken for the European Commission within the framework of the ECLIP project.

With a brief to provide practical help for businesses and e-commerce initiatives, this series of cutting-edge reviews examines and evaluates the special rules designed to regulate the Internet - both at a European and at national level in the Member States. It also explains the relevant technological developments and evaluates them against the legal background.

This is an essential guide for legal and corporate practitioners alike, as well as software developers and the consultancy community internationally.

ISBN 1 85573 580 6
ISBN-13: 978 1 85573 580 4
April 2001
686 pages  A4  looseleaf  
£495.00 / US$840.00 / €620.00

Reprinting – not in stock at present

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Contents

Section 1 Introduction
Section 2 CONTRACT LAW
Section 3 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Section 1 Introduction

Part 1 Electronic commerce and law
 - Introduction
 - The phenomenon of dematerialisation and the new property rights
 - The information
 - The domain
 - Electronic commerce and the deterritorialisation of the law
 - Problem areas
 - Possible solutions
 - The internet and the detemporalisation of the law
 - Problem areas · Possible solutions
 - Self-regulation instead of state regulation
 - Data protection and depersonalisation of the law
 - Technology instead of law
 - Electronic commerce and the problem of trust
 - Trust in the 'analogous' environment
 - Trust and digital signature
 - Summary

Part 2 How to regulate the internet: new paradigms for internet governance
 - Positioning the problem
 - The various regulatory techniques on the internet
 - On the diversity of regulatory models
 - The state norm level
 - The private norms level
 - Towards a lex informatica
 - The role of state legislation in the reception and promotion of 'private' sources of cyberspace law
 - Preliminary reflections - a clear acknowledgement of the juridic pluralism
 - The triple criteria of a legal norm
 - The subsidiarity principle
 - Two fundamental questions
 - The recognition of private sources by state law
 - The application of the three criteria of validity of the legal norms vis-à-vis self-regulation in recent official European documents
 - The promotion of the private legal systems: considerations on certain provisions of the 95/46 Data Protection Directive
 - Conclusions
 - The state norm
 - The value and limitations of self-regulation
 - Co-regulation or integrated effective mix

Section 2 CONTRACT LAW

Part 1 An introduction to web contracts
 - Introduction
 - Types of internet contracts · The contracting process in web contracts · The proposal for a Directive on e-commerce
 - Principles and methods of web contracts in e-commerce
 - Introduction · Not just a legal but also a sociological and economic perspective: the evidence issue · The assumption of the asymmetry of web-based e-commerce · The need for a teleological equivalence of old rules and new ones: the form of contracts as an example · The need to exploit the flexibility of a general theory of contracts entering the twenty-first century: intelligent agents, mistakes and good faith · The need to protect e-consumers · The duty to exploit the features of the new technologies: the information challenge

Part 2 The content of web contracts
 - Introduction
 - Standard terms
 - Incorporation control and content control · The 'formal adhesion' rule · The duty to deliver the standard terms · The 'red hand' rule · The advertising rule
 - Product description: the application to e-commerce of the Directive on Certain Aspects of the Sale of Consumer Goods and Associated Guarantees
 - Introduction: 'conformity with the contract' · The description of the product · Fitness for what purpose? · What can a consumer reasonably expect?

Section 3 INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Part 1 Copyright
 - Introduction
 - Works protected by copyright in electronic commerce
 - Types of works protected by copyright · Originality, necessary level of creativity and digitalisation · Copyright protection of web pages
 - Right-holders
 - Ownership · Joint authorship
 - Exploitation rights
 - The digitisation · Uploading · Transmission of protected works over an open network · Storage on the end-user's computer · Hyperlinks and inline graphics
 - Exhaustion of rights
 - Exemption provisions
 - Granting of licences
 - Statutory licensing · Single licensing · Collective licensing Technical solutions of copyright protection in electronic commerce
 - The amended EC Copyright Directive proposal provides for a legal protection for technological measures and rights-management information: Articles 6 and 7
 - Part 2: Law and technology convergence: copyright
 - Introduction to protection technologies
 - Different protection technologies
 - Legal requirements for copyright protection on-line · Evaluation of existing protection technologies
 - Standardisation activities in the field of copyright protection
 - IPR identifiers · IPR metadata · Harmonising standardisation efforts: INDECS · Interim findings
 - A standard for trade with materials protected by IPR
 - ISO/OSI open systems interconnection reference model · Use of existing transport layer standards · Copyright trading block/component
 - Recommendations to the European Commission
 - A critical review of the proposed Copyright Directive · Research recommendations
 - Part 3: Trademark law: domain name issues
 - Introduction
 - Protection of trademarks against domain names
 - Use of the trademark · Infringement without online-presentation · Use in the course of trade · The different infringement options · Both parties own right to the sign · Limitations to trademark protection · Administrative dispute resolution system
 - Protection on further grounds
 - The protection of the domain name as such
 - Rights conferred via registration
 - Conclusions
 - Part 4: Reference tools: the treasure maps of the internet
 - Introduction
 - Categories of reference tools
 - Liability for the reference
 - Issue at stake · Copyright · Civil liability, unfair competition and trademark law

Part 2 Trademark law
 - A particular case: advertising banners and keywords on the internet
 - The use of keywords by browsers
 - Conclusion

Section 4 INTERMEDIARIES

Part 1 Liability for online intermediaries: comparing EU and US legal frameworks
 - Scope of the Directive's provisions
 - Definitions of online intermediary activities · Unlawful acts covered by the Directive
 - Analysis of the liability limitations laid down by Articles 12 to 15 of the Directive
 - Mere conduit activity: Article 12 · Caching activity: Article 13 · Hosting activity: Article 14
 - Information location tool providers' legal situation
 - Information location tool providers · The legal issues · Potential liability derived from the provision of links to sites that contain illegal or infringing material · Potential liability derived from the mere provision of links as a copyright infringement · Potential liability derived from the use of certain linking techniques that might enhance violation of substantive law.
 - Conclusion

Part 2 Comments and critical reflections on the European directive on a common framework for electronic signatures and certification service providers
 - Introduction
 - Electronic signatures, certificates and certification authorities
 - Electronic signatures in general and digital signatures in particular · Certificates and certification service providers
 - Legal effects of electronic signatures
 - The rule of equivalent function · Legal presumptions and their rebuttal
 - Providers of certification services
 - Definition and functions · Principles for the provision of certification services · Requirements to be met by certification service providers issuing qualified certificates (Annex II) · Liability of providers of certification services
 - Conclusions

Section 5 DATA PROTECTION

Part 1 Determining applicable law pursuant to European data protection legislation
 - Introduction
 - The situation prior to the adoption of the EC Directive on data protection
 - Determination of applicable law pursuant to Article 4 of the EC Directive on data protection
 - Problematic aspects of Article 4
 - Possible remedies

Part 2 Law and technology convergence: electronic threats on personal data and electronic data protection on the internet
 - Some privacy killing aspects of the internet technology
 - The Intel Processor Serial Number · Microsoft Global Unique Identifier · Browser chattering · Invisible hyperlinks · Cookies · Client-side scripting
 - Privacy enhancing technologies
 - P3P · Cookie killers · Proxy-servers · Anonymising services · Infomediaries · The labelling of privacy · Why is surfing so privacy killing?
 - Conclusion: a paradigm shift in the data protection of the consumer
 - Identified, identifiable and anonymous individuals · The e-commerce privacy paradigm shift
 - Recommendations
 - The dead-end of individual privacy enhancing technologies · Where are the privacy-enhanced technologies? · The IAP as an infomediary · The mutual recognition of internet software as a significant component of telecommunications terminal equipment · EU must promote law and technology convergence

Part 3 Protection of data under European law
 - Introduction
 - The General Directive
 - Definitions and identification · Respect of the principles laid down in the Directive · Rights of the data subject · The controller's obligations and liabilities · Transfer of personal data to third countries
 - Telecommunications Data Protection Directive
 - Scope of the Directive · Confidentiality of the communication · Traffic and billing data · 'Calling line identification' · Automatic call forwarding · Unsolicited calls

Section 6 CONSUMER PROTECTION

Part 1 Consumer protection issues
 - Analysis of the legal instruments at European and international levels relevant for the protection of consumers in the online environment
 - The Distance Contracts Directive
 - Field of application and definitions · The particularities of distance contracts · Recommendation on electronic payments · Council Resolution on the consumer dimension of the Information Society - 19 January 1999 · OECD guidelines · The Electronic Commerce Directive · Rome conference · Conclusion
 - Interest of self-regulation for consumers
 - Codes of conduct · Site labelling · ADR
 - Enhancing consumer protection on the internet: some proposals
 - Information provided to the consumer · Direct contact with the service provider · Summing up of the transaction · Recording of the transaction · Payment issue
 - Final conclusion
 - Need for a specific protection · Current legislative protection · Interest of self-regulation · Towards a better protection of consumers on the network than in traditional commerce

Section 7 ELECTRONIC PAYMENT

Part 1 Electronic payment systems
 - Introduction
 - The regulatory framework applicable to users of electronic money
 - Directives on electronic money
 - Money laundering
 - Taxation
 - Distance selling of financial services
 - Financial services regulations
 - Fraud
 - Contractual relationship
 - Unfair terms in consumer contracts · The Unfair Contract Terms Act
 - The UK Banking Code
 - Distance Selling Directive
 - Recommendation on electronic payment instruments
 - Consumer credit regulations
 - National consumer protection measures
 - Retailers' liability
 - Conclusions

Part 2 Law and technology convergence: electronic payment systems
 - Introduction
 - Payment systems
 - Credit and debit cards · Digital cash systems · Electronic cheques · Other systems with impact upon payment systems · lnteroperability
 - Legal issues
 - Data protection · The Payments Recommendation · Systemic risk · Liability and other issues relating to multi-functional devices
 - Conclusion

Section 8 TAXATION

Part 1 Tax aspects of international electronic commerce
 - Introduction
 - Direct taxation - OECD Model Convention
 - Assignment of taxing rights · Residence · Business profits derived from a permanent establishment · Allocation of income · Transfer pricing · Royalty income
 - Direct taxation - national law
 - Austria · France · Germany · Italy · The Netherlands · Spain · United Kingdom
 - Value added tax
 - In general · Electronic commerce · Supplies by internet service providers · Place of establishment · Compliance with the principle of neutrality · Options for amending the existing concepts · Issuance of invoices

Part 2 Law and technology convergence: electronic commerce taxation
 - Introduction
 - Technical measures regarding the collection of tax
 - The internet challenge · Collecting points · IOTP · Trust centre (right protection server)
 - Storage of data
 - Electronic invoicing
 - Legal situation · Legal requirements · Technical measures · Conclusion
 - Electronic filing
 - Germany (ELSTER) · United Kingdom · United States

Section 9 PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW

Part 1 International consumer purchasers through the internet: Jurisdictional issues pursuant to European law
 - Introduction
 - Article 13
 - The purpose of Article 13
 - The concept of consumer
 - The vendor's good faith
 - The scope of Articles 13(1)(1) and 13 (1)(2)
 - The scope of Article 13 (1)(3)
 - The scope of Article 13(2)
 - Article 5(5)
 - Proposed revision of the Brussels and Lugano Conventions

Part 2 The identification of applicable law and liability with regard to the use of protected material in the digital context
 - Introduction
 - Jurisdiction and the choice of law
 - Sign based services in open networks: an introduction
 - An attempt at characterising the factual situation
 - The digital environment of physical data carriers · The network environment · The communication process
 - Law of evidence and procedure
 - The applicable intellectual property law within an environment of digital networks
 - A brief survey of existing international instruments · The Directive on certain legal aspects of electronic commerce in the internal market · A tentative summing up: criteria for the choice of applicable law
 - Liability
 - The liability of intermediaries
 - Jurisdiction and liability
 - Choice of law