With the massive explosion of e-commerce, and especially the use of the Internet as a transnational and instant medium for business transactions, has come a whole range of new laws and regulations - and, inevitably, a minefield of accompanying uncertainties and potential pitfalls. So what exactly are the legal issues companies need to address, and what are their implications in real terms for the business world?Find the answers in this groundbreaking study undertaken for the European Commission within the framework of the ECLIP project.With a brief to provide practical help for businesses and e-commerce initiatives, this series of cutting-edge reviews examines and evaluates the special rules designed to regulate the Internet - both at a European and at national level in the Member States. It also explains the relevant technological developments and evaluates them against the legal background.This is an essential guide for legal and corporate practitioners alike, as well as software developers and the consultancy community internationally.A publication of the ECLIP network

Electronic commerce and law; How to regulate the internet; Contract law; The content of web contracts; Intellectual property - Copyright; Law and technology convergence; Trademark law; Reference tools; Intermediaries - Liability for online intermediaries: Comparing EU and US legal frameworks; The European directive; Data protection - Determining applicable law pursuant to European data protection legislation; Electronic threats; Protection of data under European law; Consumer protection; Electronic payment; Law and technology convergence; Taxation - Tax aspects of international electronic commerce; Law and technology convergence: Electronic commerce taxation; Private international law; The identification of applicable law and liability with regard to the use of protected material in the digital context.