The applicable law to consumer contracts made over the internet: consumer protection through private international law?

1997 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
pp. 192-229 ◽  
Author(s):  
R Schu
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Consumer Protection ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Private International Law ◽  
Applicable Law ◽  
Consumer Contracts

scholarly journals CONSUMER PROTECTION LEGISLATION AND PRIVATE INTERNATIONAL LAW

Obiter ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jan L Neels
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
South African ◽  
Consumer Protection ◽  
Private International Law ◽  
Electronic Communications ◽  
Consumer Protection Act ◽  
Protection Legislation ◽  
Consumer Contracts ◽  
National Credit Act

Although South African private international law is primarily based on bilateral and multilateral reference rules, the legislator in recent consumer protection legislation rather employs unilateral conflict rules by the identification of rules of immediate application and in the form of scope rules. The relevant provisions in the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, the National Credit Act 34 of 2005 and the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 are discussed, together with the role that the traditional conflict rules still play. A new rule of private international law for consumer contracts is proposed; in this regard the principle of preferential treatmentwill play a role in the context of alternative reference rules.

Consumer Protection and Jurisdiction

2021 ◽  
pp. 331-368
Author(s):  
Julia Hörnle
Keyword(s):  
Consumer Protection ◽  
Private International Law ◽  
Undue Influence ◽  
Choice Of Law ◽  
Applicable Law ◽  
Business Interests ◽  
The Us ◽  
Consumer Contracts ◽  
Rome I ◽  
The Eu

Chapter 10 examines the validity and enforceability of forum selection (jurisdiction) and choice of law (applicable law) clauses in consumer contracts in the US and in the EU, comparing two differing approaches to finding a balance between business’ interests, transactional efficiency, and consumer protection in e-commerce. The chapter explains the US jurisprudence, which has established a presumption in favour of the validity of jurisdiction and choice of law clauses in the absence of fraud, undue influence, or overweening bargaining power (US Supreme Court in Bremen and Carnival Cruise Lines v Shute). It contrasts the contractual analysis in the US, which may hold certain forms of clauses in adhesion contracts unenforceable, depending on the applicable state law with the stricter public policy approach in the EU, which implements consumer protection law through its private international law rules in the Brussels I Regulation and the Rome I Regulation. It examines the EU rules with respect to the types of consumers and consumer contracts to which the protective jurisdictional rules apply. The chapter critically analyses the jurisprudence on jurisdiction in internet and e-commerce cases and incisively conceptualizes the legal approaches and latest developments on both sides of the Atlantic. This includes the directing/targeting line of cases after Pammer/Alpenhof in the EU.

Understanding the Functions of Jurisdictional Law

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Jerker B. Svantesson
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Legal Theory ◽  
Legal Philosophy ◽  
Law Reform ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Private International Law ◽  
Public International Law ◽  
Important Concept ◽  
Definition Of

This chapter takes us into the domain of legal theory and legal philosophy as it places the questions of Internet jurisdiction in a broader theoretical, and indeed philosophical, context. Indeed, it goes as far as to (1) present a definition of what is law, (2) discuss what are the law’s tools, and (3) to describe the roles of law. In addition, it provides distinctions important for how we understand the role of jurisdictional rules both in private international law and in public international law as traditionally defined. Furthermore, it adds law reform tools by introducing and discussing the concept of ‘market sovereignty’ based on ‘market destroying measures’––an important concept for solving the Internet jurisdiction puzzle.

Solving the Internet Jurisdiction Puzzle

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dan Jerker B. Svantesson
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
Cyber Security ◽  
Data Privacy ◽  
Modern World ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Private International Law ◽  
Reform Initiatives ◽  
Legal Principles ◽  
Privacy Law ◽  
History Of

Internet jurisdiction has emerged as one of the greatest and most urgent challenges online, severely affecting areas as diverse as e-commerce, data privacy, law enforcement, content take-downs, cloud computing, e-health, Cyber security, intellectual property, freedom of speech, and Cyberwar. In this innovative book, Professor Svantesson presents a vision for a new approach to Internet jurisdiction––for both private international law and public international law––based on sixteen years of research dedicated specifically to the topic. The book demonstrates that our current paradigm remains attached to a territorial thinking that is out of sync with our modern world, especially, but not only, online. Having made the claim that our adherence to the territoriality principle is based more on habit than on any clear and universally accepted legal principles, Professor Svantesson advances a new jurisprudential framework for how we approach jurisdiction. He also proposes several other reform initiatives such as the concept of ‘investigative jurisdiction’ and an approach to geo-blocking, aimed at equipping us to solve the Internet jurisdiction puzzle. In addition, the book provides a history of Internet jurisdiction, and challenges our traditional categorisation of different types of jurisdiction. It places Internet jurisdiction in a broader context and outlines methods for how properly to understand and work with rules of Internet jurisdiction. While Solving the Internet Puzzle paints a clear picture of the concerns involved and the problems that needs to be overcome, this book is distinctly aimed at finding practical solutions anchored in a solid theoretical framework.

The new Uruguayan private international law: an open door to party autonomy in international contracts

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eduardo Florio de León
Keyword(s):  
International Law ◽  
General Analysis ◽  
Private International Law ◽  
State Law ◽  
Open Door ◽  
Commercial Law ◽  
Party Autonomy ◽  
Applicable Law ◽  
General Law ◽  
Contractual Obligations

Abstract On 17 November 2020, the General Law on Private International Law (Law 19.920) was approved. This Law resulted from a process of hard work that took over two decades of discussions and debates.1 With this Law, Uruguay becomes one of a group of countries that have already carried out this kind of reform, particularly in regard to international commercial law and international contracts. The new Law 19.920 allows parties to choose the applicable law (State or non-State law) to regulate their international contractual obligations. This reform has a real disruptive imprint since Uruguay leaves behind its old and anachronistic regulation of the matter. This article provides a general analysis of the regulation of international commercial law under Law 19.920 (Articles 13 and 51) and the new regime applicable to international contracts, including the parties’ right to choose the applicable law (Article 45) (State or non-State law), which increases their autonomy in comparison with the previous regime.

Internet Jurisdiction Law and Practice

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Hörnle
Keyword(s):  
Intellectual Property ◽  
International Law ◽  
Data Protection ◽  
Hate Speech ◽  
Public Law ◽  
The Internet ◽  
Private Law ◽  
Private International Law ◽  
Online Data ◽  
Media Regulation

Jurisdiction is the foundational concept for both national laws and international law as it provides the link between the sovereign government and its territory, and ultimately its people. The internet challenges this concept at its root: data travels across the internet without respecting political borders or territory. This book is about this Jurisdictional Challenge created by internet technologies. The Jurisdictional Challenge arises as civil disputes, criminal cases, and regulatory action span different countries, rising questions as to the international competence of courts, law enforcement, and regulators. From a technological standpoint, geography is largely irrelevant for online data flows and this raises the question of who governs “YouTubistan.” Services, communication, and interaction occur online between persons who may be located in different countries. Data is stored and processed online in data centres remote from the actual user, with cloud computing provided as a utility. Illegal acts such as hacking, identity theft and fraud, cyberespionage, propagation of terrorist propaganda, hate speech, defamation, revenge porn, and illegal marketplaces (such as Silkroad) may all be remotely targeted at a country, or simply create effects in many countries. Software applications (“apps”) developed by a software developer in one country are seamlessly downloaded by users on their mobile devices worldwide, without regard to applicable consumer protection, data protection, intellectual property, or media law. Therefore, the internet has created multi-facetted and complex challenges for the concept of jurisdiction and conflicts of law. Traditionally, jurisdiction in private law and jurisdiction in public law have belonged to different areas of law, namely private international law and (public) international law. The unique feature of this book is that it explores the notion of jurisdiction in different branches of “the” law. It analyses legislation and jurisprudence to extract how the concept of jurisdiction is applied in internet cases, taking a comparative law approach, focusing on EU, English, German, and US law. This synthesis and comparison of approaches across the board has produced new insights on how we should tackle the Jurisdictional Challenge. The first three chapters explain the Jurisdictional Challenge created by the internet and place this in the context of technology, sovereignty, territory, and media regulation. The following four chapters focus on public law aspects, namely criminal law and data protection jurisdiction. The next five chapters are about private law disputes, including cross-border B2C e-commerce, online privacy and defamation disputes, and internet intellectual property disputes. The final chapter harnesses the insights from the different areas of law examined.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document