The Protection of Consumers on Online Auction Sites - An International Study

CJEU Case C-324/09 L'Oreal v eBay - Nuclear bomb or gentle explosion?

2011-07-18T17:25:00.002+01:00

A nuclear bomb has just exploded in the online auction world that could possibly change the business model adopted by eBay and other Online Auction Intermediaries (AOI) forever. On the 12th July 2011, the Court of Justice of the European Union published its decision concerning the case opposing L’Oreal to eBay (CJEU Case C-324/09).

The liability of eBay has been tested in many European and US courts and until now, the received wisdom was that while eBay could do more to protect IP owners and consumers and eradicate the sale of fake goods on its sites, the law (i.e. the Electronic Commerce Directive 2000/31) was simply not forcing them to do so. This decision from the CJEU is now likely to change all this. The position taken by the court follows in the footsteps of the Google decision (Joined cases C-236/08 and C-238/08) and is unequivocally for a restrictive interpretation of article 14 of the Electronic Commerce Directive, the provision limiting the liability of intermediaries hosting third party content. The Court also clearly sides in favour of Intellectual Property Rights owners, by allowing the use of article 11 of the Enforcement Directive 2004/48 to prevent future infringements of IP right via online auction sales (albeit with some restrictions as we will see below). This may be marking the end of AOI liability as we thought we knew it. This decision is also likely to have an effect on other types of ISPs. It is expected that following the decision of the CJEU, eBay and other competitors will have to shape up and tighten controls on their sites or face many unpleasant consequences.

The decision may be good news for consumers throughout Europe, since tighter controls may mean better piece of mind while buying items on the online auction giant's website. But it also may have unwanted consequences, such as driving costs up and forcing higher commissions being charged, ultimately disturbing the business model that had seen millions flock to the site in search of a bargain. We will for now abandon discussions on the economic impact of the decision to concentrate on the content of the CJEU decision and what is likely to change for ISPs and more particularly Online Auction Intermediaries, since while eBay dominates the market place, it is not the only online auction provider to be affected by the decision.

For a full coverage of the case, see the other blog I contribute to: Recent Developments in European Consumer Law

Tiffany case - ebay cleared in the US

2011-07-13T13:24:00.003+01:00

Tiffany (NJ) Inc. and Tiffany and Company v eBay Inc, United States District Court Southern District of New York, Case N°04 Civ 4607 (RJS), 14 July 2008.

The eBay business model is safe following this decision from the US District Court of New York, which found that eBay could not be liable for the sale of counterfeit Tiffany products solely on the basis of generalised knowledge that trademark infringement might be occurring on the site.

Background

In this case, Tiffany, the world renowned retailer of luxury goods launched a lawsuit against eBay, for the sale of counterfeit jewellery on the eBay.com website. Tiffany argued that during the period between 2003 and 2006, eBay facilitated and allowed an important number of sales of fake Tiffany jewellery. Principally, Tiffany complained of direct and contributory trademark infringement but also entertained a number of other causes of action including unfair competition, false advertising under section 43(a)(1)(B) of the Lanham Act, trademark dilution and contributory dilution none of which succeeded.

Judge’s decision

No direct trademark infringement

Tiffany argues that eBay has infringed its trademark by advertising the availability of Tiffany jewellery on eBay (through Yahoo! And Google sponsored links), by using the Tiffany name on the eBay home page and by deriving revenue from the sale of the fake jewellery (through listing fees and final value fees levied after each successful sales).
eBay argued convincingly that the use of the Tiffany trademarks on its homepage and through the purchase of sponsored links was protected under the doctrine of nominative fair use. The court applied the test for nominative fair use established in New Kids on the Block v News Am. Publ’g Inc, 971 F 2d 302, 308 (9th Circuit 1992), which requires that the goods or service in question is not readily identifiable without the use of the trademark, that the trademark is used as is reasonably necessary to identify the product, and that the user must do nothing that would suggest sponsorship or endorsement by the trademark holder.
The court concluded that eBay’s use of the Tiffany marks was protected under nominative fair use because eBay demonstrated that the jewellery was not readily identifiable without the use of the Tiffany trademark. The court noted that “the Tiffany name is what gives the jewellery the cachet it enjoys. Absent the Tiffany brand, a silver heart necklace or a silver bracelet with an ID chain would simply be a piece of jewellery instead of a symbol of luxury. Indeed, were eBay precluded from using the term Tiffany to describe Tiffany jewellery, eBay would be forced into absurd circumlocution”. This reasoning was applicable to the use of the Tiffany trademarks on the eBay’s home page as well as in the purchase of sponsored links.

No contributory trademark infringement

Tiffany claimed that eBay knew or had reasons to know of the infringement at issue and should have done more to stop it occuring. The court analysed contributory infringement under the test articulated under Supreme Court case Inwood Laboratories Inc. v Ives Laboratories Inc., 546 U.S. 844 (1982) under which “if a manufacturer or distributor intentionally induces another to infringe a trademark, or if it continues to supply its product to one whom it knows or has reasons to know is engaging in trademark infringement, the manufacturer or distributor is contributorially responsible for any harm done as a result of the deceit”.
Whilst the case only mentions distribution and manufacture of products, contributory liability has been extended beyond this scope to include venues providing a service, focussing on the extent of the control exercised by the defendant over the third party’s means of infringement (Lockheed Martin Corporation v Network Solutions Inc., 194 F.3d 980, 984 (9th Cir. 1999)). As a result the court considered if eBay had direct control over the means of infringement. The Court had to consider if the generalised knowledge eBay had was sufficient to constitute “knowledge or reason to know” under the Inwood standard. Whilst the court did not deny that eBay had generalised knowledge of the infringement taking place on its site, it did not consider that such knowledge was sufficient to satisfy the requirement set in Inwood. This is because the standard in Inwood requires specific rather than general knowledge, and places a high burden on trademark owners to establish knowledge of contributory infringement.
The court then turned to applying the Inwood test to eBay’s action following receipt of notices to take down from Tiffany. The court noted that the test was not merely to establish that eBay had knowledge (which arguably the filing of a notice provided it with) but that having that knowledge it continued to supply its products to known infringers. The court found that it was eBay’s practice to promptly remove listings upon receipt of a take down notice and to warn sellers and buyers about the reasons for removal as well as reimburse listing and final value fees when appropriate. As a result, the court considered that eBay took appropriate steps despite refusing to suspend sellers at first or second notice to take down. Criticism targeted at the VERO programme were also dismissed, the judge noting that Tiffany’s commitment to reporting infringing listings through the VERO programme had been sporadic and relatively meagre. The court strongly stated that right holders bear the principal responsibility to police their trademarks and not eBay.

Comment

Amidst intense legal activity concerning eBay’s liability for the sale of fake items on its site around the world, the position adopted in the USA is favourable to eBay’s business model clearly stating that it is not for eBay to police the use of trademarks, but for the trademark owners to do so. In addition, the judge clearly states that eBay is doing enough to prevent counterfeit sales on its website. It is interesting to note a number of criticisms that the judge addressed to Tiffany and that may have been instrumental in tipping the balance towards eBay. First, the judge noted that Tiffany only had effectively one member of staff working on policing infringements of the Tiffany trademarks, a rather modest investment. Second the judge noted that Tiffany had not been forthcoming with its filings of take down notices under the VERO programme. It is easy to speculate that had Tiffany shown serious investments in policing their trademarks, eBay’s liability might have been viewed differently. The US approach is dissimilar to the approach taken in France where a series of case, one of which directly concerned trademark infringement, found that eBay was liable for the sale of fake items on its site. In Société Hermès International v Cindy F and S.A eBay France, and EBay International AG (T.G. Troyes 04 June 2008), the French court found that by offering fake Hermès bags for sale on eBay and by failing to prevent infringing use of the site, eBay was liable jointly with the seller of the fake handbags and ordered to pay damages to Hermès.

Sale of fake goods on eBay: eBay must pay €38.532.000 in damages according to French Court

2008-07-01T15:37:00.000+01:00

eBay is in trouble in France - A series of 3 decisions by the Paris Tribunal de Commerce are forcing eBay to pay astronomical sums to the victims of its negligence. The French court found that eBay was not acting as a simple intermediary and was therefore not able to hide behind the protection offered by the e-commerce directive. A full article will be published shortly on e-comlaw , but in the mean time, you can consult the BBC's news item.

Australia - eBay's payment policy under scrutiny

2008-06-26T16:11:00.000+01:00

eBay in Australia is trying to introduce sole use of Paypal as a payment system on its site. the The Australian Competition & Consumer Commission is currently ivestigating the practice which may be contrary to competition law. For more on this see, ACCC proposes to revoke immunity for eBay's PayPal only policy

Time flies

2008-06-26T16:08:00.000+01:00

Time just flies. It has been far too long since my last entry in this blog. I have now completed my research (well more or less), published a few articles and gave a number of conference papers. I inted to now start posting again... more regularly!

Microsoft is suing counterfeiters selling goods on eBay and other online auction sites.

2006-11-01T07:25:00.000Z

Microsoft is launching lawsuits worldwide against counterfeiters selling on auction sites. Rather than holding the sites liable, Microsoft decided to work with them in order to gain the best co-operation. The company has launched a large offensive against piracy of its Windows operating system, with lawsuits in France, the USA, Germany, the UK, The Netherlands, Belgium, Korea, Poland, Argentina, etc. In total 50 lawsuits have been launched against offenders who are persisting in selling pirated software on eBay and other online auction sites despite earlier request to cease and desist from the illegal practice. Those lawsuits also come after Microsoft has been using the Vero Programme to take down some infringing materials.

See also for more on this story:
ZDNet (en francais)
Yahoo News
The Register

French lawsuit against eBay - eBay reacts

2006-09-28T10:55:00.000+01:00

eBay is being sued in front of the Tribunal de Grande Instance in Paris to the tune of 37 millions in damages for its apathy in dealing with the sale of fake products on its site. eBay has now publicly reacted and explained via a press release that over 2000 employees were busy dealing with such issues and the Vero Programme was also in place to help TM owners and other IPRs owners deal with infringing materials. In addition, eBay has launched a campaing on its site aimed at informing users. For more on this story, see ZDNet.

eBay sellers on strike?

2006-08-25T17:50:00.000+01:00

The online auction site faces the prospect of its UK customers going on strike this week over recent changes. The changes include raised fees for bulk sellers. The full story on ZDNet UK.

eBay in trouble over counterfeit merchandise on sale on its French site.

2006-08-22T08:07:00.000+01:00

ZDNet reports (21 August 2006) that eBay and Yahoo France are being at the receiving end of the Union of Manufacturers' disatisfaction at the multiplication of sale of counterfeit products on those auction sites. Considering that the site have a share in the responsibility the Union has decided to complain and request damages to cover the loss to its members. The Union who counts members such as Nike, Louis Vuitton, L'Oreal or Microsoft is planning to formally complaint in September. This come after months of unsuccesful negotiations with ionline auction sites requiring that they exercise some control prior to the sales taking place and not when notified after the event.For coverage of the story in English, see The Register.

online auction sites used in rising counterfeit software trade

2006-06-27T07:36:00.000+01:00

Matt Chapman, vnunet.com 22 Jun 2006 reports:

Software piracy rampant in the EU

Intellectual property crime such as counterfeiting and piracy is on the rise, and seizures at EU external borders have increased dramatically, according to a government report released today by The Patent Office. The study found that the internet has become a major avenue of trade for counterfeit sellers, particularly using online auction sites.

Talk to your bidders - use of Skype on eBay is rolled out

2006-06-15T19:31:00.000+01:00

The full story sur le Blog de Benoit Tabaka (in French!)

eBay: law is, mostly, on your side

2006-06-13T14:53:00.000+01:00

An article by Christine Riefa published in The Times, June 13 2006.
What are the legal rights of World Cup fans who have bought fake final tickets?
FOOTBALL fever is upon us. While the unauthorised resale of World Cup tickets became a criminal offence in Britian a few weeks ago — prompting www.eBay.co.uk to ban the sale of such items — tickets are still available on other eBay sites.

Note that an unfortunate typing error found its way into the article. The sentence: "Bear in mind that for audio and video recordings or computer software, you can cancel only if the goods are unsealed" SHOULD READ "Bear in mind that for audio and video recordings or computer software, you can cancel only if the goods are NOT unsealed".

eBay expects greater sales in Europe than in the US

2006-06-09T08:25:00.000+01:00

Germany tops the chart... In fron tof the UK... Now that would not be a prediction for the footie?
See the full story on Heise Online

eBay tries email in net neutrality fight

2006-06-06T11:00:00.000+01:00

By Declan McCullagh, CNET News.com

eBay this week unleashed a political machine that should make politicians envious: a national email blast over net neutrality.

Meg Whitman, chief executive of the Internet auctioneer, called on more than a million eBay members to get involved in the debate over telecommunications laws and "send a message to your representatives in Congress before it is too late".

For the full story...

Drop-off locations on the up.

2006-05-24T22:27:00.000+01:00

eBay drop-off points are growing and the US leads the way with numerous regional centres where consumers can pay a third party to place goods on eBay and handle the sale for them. AuctionBytes offers a list of those consignment centres, click here.

Op-Ed: Tiffany Actually Loses if It Wins eBay Lawsuit

2006-05-24T22:23:00.000+01:00

A Daniel Nissanoff has an interesting opinion about designer brands on eBay. He says Tiffany may be making a mistake in not recognizing the value in the secondary market for their items, and opines on its lawsuit against eBay. Read more from this author of the groundbreaking book, "Futureshop."
The Full story on AuctionBytes.com

Dr Christine Riefa Visiting University of Houston Consumer Law Centre

2006-05-24T22:21:00.000+01:00

Dr Riefa is currently working at the University of Houston, Centre for Consumer Law, getting acquainted with the american system and the protection of consumers on online auction sites. A full report will be available shortly.

eBay goes to the Supreme Court ...

2006-05-05T17:38:00.000+01:00

Franky went to hollywood and eBay goes to the Supreme court in its dispute over patents... The full story by the BBC

Despite the light tone, eBay may well have to shut down its services if found guilty of patent abuse.

Weird and wonderful things you can buy on eBay!

2006-05-05T17:35:00.000+01:00

Yes, a fighter jet was sold on eBay!
Read the full story as covered by the BBC

Fake Blue Peter Badges on sale on eBay

2006-03-29T17:04:00.000+01:00

The BBC is fighting the sale of Blue Peter Badges fakes and non-fakes that are sold on eBay and advertised as enabling free entry at many top UK attractions.
For the full story, see:
The Times 27 March 2006 or Yahoo! News 27 March 2006.
For more informatin on hte BLue Peter Badges, see the BBC webpages.

BBC Watchdog warns about PAYPAL practices

2006-03-28T19:55:00.000+01:00

Dr Riefa helped the BBC and the Watchdog programme for their report on Paypal broadcasted 28th March 2006. The programme highlighted difficulties faced by sellers. Many complaints have been directed to the BBC with regards to Paypal accounts being frozen for fraud when the seller has already sent the goods and then sees the money received debited back from its account wihtout any possible immediate recourse.

eBay expands operations in Ireland.

2006-03-20T13:10:00.000Z

The full story on Silicon Republic...

Case against eBay dismissed

2006-03-11T15:21:00.000Z

The Opticians Act 1989 in the Uk provides that contact lenses must be sold by a registered optician or doctor. However in August 2005, many instances of contact lenses being sold by non-registered agents where highlighted by the General Optical Council who decided to take their case up to court. The charges that eBay had aided the illegal sale of contact lenses were dismissed. The full story on the BBC website...

14/03/2006 Conference Université de Montréal - session on Online auction sites and the protection of individual users

2006-03-08T00:21:00.000Z

A conference at the Université de Montréal hosted by the Chaire en droit de la sécurité et des affaires électroniques Professor Vincent Gautrais, will look into the protection of Internet Users and the efficiacy of the law in apprehending the Cyber age. A session on online auctions will feature Professor Jacques Robert (HEC Montréal) and Dr Christine Riefa (Brunel University West London).
For the full programme, click here.

Ticketmaster USA is hosting an auction for the Champions on Ice shows

2006-02-26T23:13:00.000Z

According to the press release dated 23 February 2006: "Ticketmaster auctions provide fan-friendly opportunities for artists, performers, sports teams, and more to connect with their fans, in a secure purchasing environment, fully integrated with Ticketmaster's state-of-the-art ticketing system. Ticketmaster auctions enable consumers to determine the market value of tickets (also referred to as "dynamic pricing"). By enabling consumers to select the price he or she is willing to pay for a ticket in a specified seat location for a specific event, Ticketmaster auctions help to keep premium tickets out of the hands of unauthorized resellers. Ticketmaster auctions also offer consumers the security of knowing they have purchased a valid ticket. For auction terms and conditions, please visit ticketmaster.com".
The full story on Yahoo! News

Growing anger over eBay payment firm

2006-02-20T12:04:00.000Z

An article from the Sunday Times (money supplement)available online.
The article covers Paypal and its lack of accountability. Dr Christine Riefa, is quoted in the article with regards to the legal framework applicable to both eBay and Paypal.

Pa. Attorney General Shuts Down Internet Sales Scheme operating on online auction sites

2006-02-08T10:06:00.000Z

Attorney General Tom Corbett announced Monday that nearly $6,500 will be returned to more than a dozen consumers who failed to receive the designer purses, Xboxes and DVD video cameras that they purchased from a Northampton County woman who advertised the products on Internet auction sites, including eBay. Consumers must file a complaint with the attorney general's office by April 28 to obtain a refund. The full story on Yahoo! News.

the changing face of eBay

2006-02-08T09:59:00.000Z

According to CEO Meg Whitman eBay is fast moving away from its roots as an online auction site and becoming an electronic-commerce site. Indeed, more than a third of sales on eBay sites are bought instantly at fixed prices rather than through the online auctions that established its reputation. Is it the end of online uactions as we know them? Read the full story on Yahoo! News.

An Open Letter to the Live Auction Industry and Creation of the Online Auctioneers Association

2006-01-28T16:41:00.000Z

The Live Auctioneer empire strikes back. In a PRWEB release pubished on Yahoo! News the author explains: "Clearly, the 75 million bidders registered on eBay obviously prefer the eBay timed auction model instead of the eBayLive Auctions model. Reversing the trend and driving online bidders to participate in live auctions is the mission of the Online Auctioneers Association."

New Patent-Pending Online Reverse Auction System 'Tip-Mart'

2006-01-28T16:36:00.000Z

Yahoo! Finance reports: In Tip-Mart's reverse auction, buyers no longer are required to search through and evaluate thousands of potential sellers to locate legal services. Instead, buyers merely post unlimited free reverse auctioned-classifieds ("tipmarts" = "systems and methods for online reverse auctions") for a particular good or service. The burden is then shifted to interested sellers to competitively bid among other interested sellers to provide the good or service to the buyer. The buyer is then able to conveniently and easily evaluate various offers based on reputation, price, quality, users' feedback- ratings, or other terms and then accept the best offer. Thus, the system eliminates market inefficiencies, drives down prices, increases sales, and provides value to both buyers and sellers.
For the full article...

Discover 6 Myths Surrounding Online Auctions

2006-01-23T18:10:00.000Z

(PRWEB) - (PRWEB) January 19, 2006 -- Online Auctions are unmistakably among the hottest eSourcing technologies on the Internet business today. But what exactly is an online auction anyway and what are its benefits? According to The Pocket Oxford Dictionary, fourth edition (1942), an auction is a "public sale in which articles are sold to the highest bidder." And if done on Internet it is online auction.

Continue reading...

Buying Cars at Live Auctions Better than Buying Online for Some Consumers Live Auto Auction Rules Easier to Follow

2006-01-23T18:01:00.000Z

for the full story on Yahoo! News...

Need a holiday in the Sun? Buy it at an online auction!

2006-01-11T17:32:00.000Z

"Seven nights in Corfu for a pound? No, it isn't a joke. It doesn't happen very often, but if you buy your holiday at an online auction, you might just find yourself going, going, gone...for the price of a cup of coffee", explains By Karen Rockett from the Sunday Mirror...

02/01/05 A review of the Online Auction World in 2005

2006-01-06T19:42:00.000Z

See the article "Online Auctions 2005: Google and eBay Compete for Headlines", by Ina & David Steiner, published on AuctionBytes for a review of some of the developments that occured in 2005 including the failed attempt by Google to rival eBay and the Asian battle opposing Yahoo and eBay...

03/01/2006 Back to the high street?

2006-01-03T08:54:00.000Z

Is this new year set to see high street businesses providing online auction services flourish? The trend is well under way in the USA and for those still shy of the Internet or unsure about how to conduct a sale or without time to deal with all the little things that need doing, those Trading Assistants offer a useful service. See for example, the Press release from PR web concerning Planet Auction.

29/12/2005 Xmas unwanted gifts bonanza on online auction sites

2005-12-29T21:13:00.000Z

Several articles cover how Christmas unwanted gifts end up being sold on online auction sites...
See for example:
the FT article from 26/12/2005
The Webpronews coverage from 28/12/2005
Two stories published on Auction Bytes, "eBay Survey Shows Americans Re-Gift During the Holidays" from 27/12/2005 and "Tis the Season for Re-Gifting on Online Auction Sites" from 28/12/2005
Yahoo! Finance story on 29/12/2005

20/12/2005 - Last Minute Christmas Shopping on eBay

2005-12-21T02:19:00.000Z

(PRWEB) December 20, 2005 -- As Christmas quickly approaches so does the shipping deadline of most online stores. For last minute shoppers using eBay the window closes even sooner as buyers rely inexperienced sellers trying to ship the item on time. mapBid at http://www.mapbid.com solves this problem by providing a local eBay search. By using a local search the customer can quickly find eBay items in close proximity to their home. This gives the customer an option to simply drive down to the item location and pick it up themselves. Picking up the item in person also gives the added benefit of getting exactly what you paid for... Read the full article on Yahoo! News. Unfortunately, the service is only in use in the United States!

18/12/2005 - eBay launches new policy to combat digital piracy

2005-12-19T10:08:00.000Z

A PR Web Press Release indicates that eBay is changing the rules for the sale of e-goods on the online auction site requiring sellers to identify the digital goods and provide more information with regards to file formats, system requirements, etc. In addition, sellers will be required to declare that they are "legally authorised" to sell the product, in other words that they possess all the required IP rights. The full story on Yahoo! News.

15/12/2005 eBay has admitted an "extreme growth" in the number of personal accounts being hijacked by fraudsters.

2005-12-16T15:20:00.000Z

The BBC reports that the fraud problem is rising and that eBay is now forced to face up to many criticisms, with regards to the high levels of criminal activity and the lack of cooperation with Trading Standards.
For the full details, see the BBC News webpages... click here. Radio Five Live will broadcast on Sunday 18th December 2005 at 7.30, a programme on "Policing eBay".

12/12/2005 Polish programmer creates eBay compatible automatic bidding program

2005-12-12T17:18:00.000Z

Is the way users bid on online auction sites about to change? The full story on Yahoo! Finance.

09/12/2005 Microsoft tackles pirate software firm

2005-12-12T17:13:00.000Z

The Register reports that an investigation into the sale of counterfeit software on eBay has led to the closure of an online operation responsible for the sale of over $3 million worth of fake Microsoft software. For the full story click here.

08/12/2005 Ebay - it's Xmas for the UK online retail market

2005-12-09T10:41:00.000Z

Startups.co.uk reports that eBay sellers drive online growth.According to new figures from Hitwise, sellers on the internet auction site eBay are dominating the UK's online retail sector, claiming over a third of total visits to online shopping sites last week...

08/12/2005 Attention golf club enthusiasts - more online auctions now available...

2005-12-09T10:32:00.000Z

A press release published on Yahoo! Financial News announces a new partnership between Golf Galaxy,an interactive golf superstore, and Golf Club Exchange. Through this partnership, Golf Galaxy is now able offer over 2,000 pre-owned golf clubs on three different auction exchanges, including eBay, Golf Club Exchange, and Golf Galaxy Auctions.

05/12/2005 Online Auctions are a global obsession apparently!

2005-12-06T20:08:00.000Z

Well some prefer to be bidding rather than dating. Do we really have to worry? See the short report published in The Mercury and available online on the IOL web pages.

05/12/2005 New Web Site: Auctionbang.com Now Booming With Free Auctions

2005-12-06T20:04:00.000Z

A new born in the online auction world. See the news reported on Yahoo! News and the PR WEB press release by following this link.

25/11/2005 Community term for eBay fraudster

2005-11-28T11:52:00.000Z

A teenager has escaped a second spell behind bars for repeating a con on the auction website eBay. For the full story see the BBC News website.

15/11/2005 SquareTrade Offers New Buyer Protection Package for Smarter, Safer and Easier Holiday Shopping on eBay

2005-11-22T14:08:00.000Z

SquareTrade, the leading provider of smart, protective shopping services for online consumers, today announced the SquareTrade Protection Package, available only when buying from SquareTrade Seal Member merchants on eBay. Source: Yahoo! Finance

Academic funding for reserach project on the protection of consumers on online auction sites

2005-11-09T20:55:00.000Z

Dr Christine Riefa, Lecturer at Brunel University has been awarded funding for her project on "the protection of consumers on online auction sites". The project will investigate the laws applicable and potential necessary reforms in the field not only in the UK, but also in Europe and further afield. This international survey will start with visits to Belgium, France, Canada and the USA. Dr Riefa is in the process of applying for further funding to expand the research to South America, Asia, Australia and New Zealand.