CyberLaw Blog

Archive for the ‘E-commerce’ Category

Over 1,200 UK shopping websites shut down: “More than 1,200 illegal internet shopping websites that have made millions of pounds for criminals have been shut down by Scotland Yard in the biggest operation of its kind in Britain.

(Via Tech and Web from Times Online.)

European Commission will tackle differential web pricing: “The European Commission will investigate and take action to stop online traders from charging consumers different prices based on an analysis of their web surfing habits or location.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

EU – Europe's growing army of bloggers and social networkers can generate new services and growth: “(Europa)
A study says that European interactive websites like video sharing sites and blogs are growing, generating revenue for both owners and contributors. Compared with the US, which hosts the most commonly used websites for content created by users (blogs, texts, videos, music, games and virtual objects), Europe has more contributors. For example, almost 4 in 5 Italian internet users read blogs compared to 60% in the US, 41% of Spanish users write blogs but only 26% in the US, almost 60% of Czech internet users upload photos and 48% of Polish internet users subscribe to RSS feeds, all ahead of the US (see annex). To help the emergence of European Flickrs and youtubes that turn this large European creativity into growth and jobs, the Commission’s report highlights the need for new and updated EU rules building a Single Market for content that can be made and shared online by anyone.

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(Via QuickLinks Update.)

EU – 60% of cross border internet shopping orders are refused, says new study: “(RAPID)
There are widespread problems with refusals of orders for EU consumers trying to purchase goods online in another Member state, according to a new European Commission report on cross border consumer e-commerce. An extensive independent mystery shopping exercise was carried out for the Commission where shoppers across the EU tried to purchase a list of 100 popular products ?for example cameras, CDs, books, clothes – from a cross border provider. Over 11,000 test orders were carried out. The research found that 60% of cross border transactions could not be completed by consumers because the trader did not ship the product to their country or did not offer adequate means for cross border payment.

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(Via QuickLinks Update.)

Guide to EU small claims procedure for cross-border disputes below €2,000: “A consumer protection group has published a guide to taking legal action against anybody in the European Union for a fixed cost and without the need to hire lawyers. The guide is designed to help people use the EU’s small claims procedure.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

ECJ says online retailers can almost never charge for use made of returned goods: “Online retailers can only charge a consumer for the use they made of a product which they then returned if it was used in bad faith or for ‘unjust enrichment’, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) has said.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

Encouraging European e-commerce: “Posted by Simon Hampton, Director of European Public Policy and Government Relations

Europe benefits from a single currency and a single market, yet few Europeans use the Internet to shop for deals outside of their home countries. The problem isn’t an aversion to e-commerce. More and more Europeans are buying online; 33% of Europeans shopped online last year, up from 27% in the previous year. Meanwhile, the figure for purchases abroad remained almost stable at a mere 7%, according to a report released today by the European Commission.

The Commission’s Directorate General for ‘Health and Consumer’s’ provocative study dissects the barriers to cross-border e-commerce. The Commission found that only about a third of European consumers said they were willing to purchase goods and services in another language — and only about two-thirds of European online merchants are prepared to sell in more than one language.

Google is working hard to help consumers and merchants overcome these language barriers. Free tools like Google Translate and Google Dictionary allow shoppers to navigate the continent’s fragmented, multilingual retail universe. Google Toolbar also contains a translation feature. With a single click, these tools make foreign language websites understandable.

Merchants can use these free tools to add machine translation to their websites. This are particularly useful for small businesses, which often lack the resources to build multilingual sites and which the Commission says ‘appear to have been particularly reluctant to embrace the opportunities of e-commerce to sell cross-border.’

Technology, of course, cannot by itself create a seamless single European online market, and language isn’t the only barrier to cross-border e-commerce. As the Commission rightly notes, regulators themselves must work to end the continent’s differences in consumer, copyright, and tax systems. But better information can provide a big boost. At Google, we’ll continue to advance tools that connect consumers and businesses across the European Union’s many languages.

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(Via Google Public Policy Blog.)

EU – Barriers to E-commerce: “(RAPID)
A new report on Barriers to E-commerce, presented by EU Consumer Commissioner Meglena Kuneva, shows that online shopping is increasingly popular in the EU, but warns that barriers to cross border trade are holding back its development. The report presents a detailed analysis of current trends in e-commerce across the EU ? including per country, most purchased items and obstacles for consumers and business online. Between 2006 and 2008 the proportion of EU consumers buying at least one item over the internet increased from 27% to 33%. These average figures mask the huge popularity of online shopping in countries like UK, France and Germany where more than 50% of internet users have made online purchases in the last year. In the Nordic countries (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland and Iceland) the proportion of internet users who bought products and services online was 91% in 2008. Countries like Italy and Spain are also fast growing markets. Against this pattern of fast growing national markets, the extent of online purchasing cross border remains small, at only 7% in 2008 (compared to 6% in 2006). The report warns that numerous obstacles – linguistic, practical and regulatory as well as important trust issues ? are holding back the development of online shopping in the EU.”

(Via QuickLinks Update.)

As if others like Jet2.com comply….

Budget airlines break new rules on opt-in website pricing: “Budget airlines Ryanair and easyJet are failing to comply with European laws that ban pre-checked boxes on websites that sell flight tickets. New rules provide that optional price supplements must be accepted on an ‘opt-in’ basis.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)

ECJ says websites need phone numbers or web forms: “Companies have to provide a means of contact on their websites in addition to their postal and email addresses, the European Court of Justice has ruled. A telephone number, or a contact form that is answered within 60 minutes, were deemed acceptable.”

(Via OUT-LAW News.)