Don’t
Panic!
Do
E-commerce
A
Beginner’s Guide to European Law Affecting
E-commerce
By Corinna Schulze
Published by the European
Commission’s Electronic Commerce Team
(Information Society Directorate General)
Legal Notice
Neither the European
Commission nor any person acting on its behalf
is responsible for the use which might be made
of the information contained in the present
publication. The European Commission is not
responsible for either the functioning or the
content of the external websites referred to in
the present publication.
The views expressed in this
publication are those of the author and do not
necessarily reflect the official European
Commission'’ view on the subject.
Acknowledgements
The author wish to thank Bror
Salmelin, Ronald MacKay, Jeffrey Baumgartner and
Sonia Luthra for their support and assistance in
preparing this guide.
Foreword
After a
slow start, electronic commerce (e-commerce) is
taking off in Europe. People are going on-line
at unprecedented rates and on-line shops are
popping up left and right. A business card
without an e-mail address is becoming rarity.
Nevertheless, there are still a number of
barriers preventing many small and medium sized
enterprises (SMEs) from going on-line and
causing consumers to be wary of shopping on
line. The law is one of them.
Many
existing SMEs are confused by e-commerce-related
law and so are reluctant to go on-line. They are
often established companies that have been doing
business for years, if not generations. But
their business has always been local. Suppliers
are local. Customers are local. And, of course,
the law is local. They know that when they put
their business on the web, suppliers and
customers could come from anywhere in the world
– and that translates into a whole new set of
laws to deal with.
At the
same time, many new start ups are launched by
young technicians and marketing people with
innovative ideas, bags of venture capital and
stacks of enthusiasm. They launch their
businesses in complete ignorance of relevant law
and may suffer the consequences sooner or later.
This
guide aims to be a beginner’s guide to
e-commerce law in Europe, pointing out the key
relevant laws for e-businesses. It is important
to bear in mind that this booklet does not even
pretend to be a complete guide to legal issues.
Moreover, just as the industry is moving at a
phenomenal rate, so too (albeit slightly more
slowly) is e-legislation. If you have questions,
check with a legal professional or a completely
up-to-date resource.
Finally,
as our title says, “Don’t Panic.
Do
E-commerce”.
Once a
basic understanding is gained, it is clear the
law is not that complex. As you will see, a
great deal is based on common sense. Baring this
in mind, you should not have any problems doing
e-commerce – at least not from a legal
perspective.
Good
luck. |
RoDI
ISOC
IWA
ARTT
RTS
WQC 2003
ISAQ 2005