Cyber Consumer Law and Unfair Trading Practices Markets and the Law Series

Of great interest to practitioners, policymakers and academics - as well as to consumers and traders in general - this timely work addresses all important legal and practical issues that arise in connection with online trading. This important work outlines the existing legislation and legal jurisprudence in the EU and the US and exposes the potential for unfair commercial practices to arise from online contracts, electronic agents, disclosure of information, online advertising and online dispute resolution in cross-border transactions. The continuing prevalence of unfair commercial practices will ensure this book remains in great demand.

Contents: Preface, Ian Walden; Infrastructure of the electronic marketplace; Electronic market failures and consumer confidence; Standardization of online contracts; Electronic agents; Online dispute resolution; Disclosure of online information: from the asymmetry of information to the 'dominance of technological information'; Online misleading advertising; Fair trading legal models in commercial practices: from a national or community principle to an international model; Fair trading principle - the starting point for online consumer law in Europe?; General conclusion; References; Index.

Cristina Coteanu is an Avocat and Member of the Brussels Bar, Belgium. She is also an Associate at the Institute of European Studies, Université Libre de Bruxelles. Starting in summer 2004, she will be a non-residential Fellow with the Stanford Law School's Center for Internet and Society. Coteanu is an active member of the Advisory Board of the PIR (Public Interest Registry, Reston, US) for Europe, the Internet Society, USA (domain names), CEPANI 'Centre belge d'arbitrage et de médiation', Brussels, and of the Commission on European law, Brussels Bar Association.