Title Consumer in Contracts Concluded on the Electronic Communications Market. Abstract This diploma thesis Consumer in Contracts Concluded on the Electronic Communications Market deals with issues that every consumer might be interested in. Its aim is to make the reader familiar with the de lege lata status focusing on the protection of the rights of the distance contracts participants being consumers. Further, the dissertation deals with its intended amendment having been initiated by the Czech government and the de lege ferenda status. There is also a consideration whether the current level of regulation in place resulted from the act, the regulator and the EU has not exceeded a certain rational limit - in which case it would mean that the regulation itself has become non-efficient and could be regarded as a large further development barrier. The dissertation also involves and mentions the most characteristic institutes which can be found in concluded contracts, e.g. contractual penalty, unilateral changes made by contract provider or withdrawal from the agreement. Such institutes - which cannot be construed as consumer friendly - are sometimes overused by the service providers and thus make the consumers unsatisfied and indignant. As a source for the thesis, I used both domestic and foreign legislation,...

The diploma thesis entitled "The Brussels I Regulation and Other Procedural Legislation of European Private International Law (with regard to consumer protection)" as presented focuses in details primarily on the consumer protection under the relevant civil procedural law of the EU. The main objective is to analyse certain provisions of relevant law dealing with the effective protection of the weaker contracting party - consumer. The European Union's consumer protection legislation tends to strenghten the legal position of a consumer. The thesis underscores the importance of these special provisions, presents the original purposes, which have led to the adoption of them and the deduced conclusions supports by practical examples and by relevant European case law. It might be concluded that these provisions have created a special branch of the European civil procedure law. The text is divided into seven main chapters. The introduction includes the scope of the topic covered by the thesis. The first chapter is dedicated to the europeanization process of civil procedure and is primarily supposed to introduce the reader into the relevant issues of the thesis. The second chapter is intended to provide basic information about the conception of consumer protection law within the European context. It deals...

The thesis analyses the concept ‘fairness’ in consumer contracts regulated by the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, mainly from the perspective of a freedom and fairness orientation. It discusses the evolution of ‘fairness’ as background to a more detailed discussion of the classification of fairness into substantive and procedural fairness. The thesis examines dimensions of fairness, factors which play a role in the determination of fairness, and fairness- oriented approaches in an attempt to formulate a framework for fairness in consumer contracts. The main aspects that should be taken into account to justify a finding of fairness, or to determine whether a contract is fair, are identified. This analysis addresses, too, the extent to which the fairness provisions of the Consumer Protection Act are appropriate (with reference to the law of South Africa, Europe, and England). / Mercantile Law / LL.D.

Since the Internet became available for commercial use in the early 90s, the way of doing business was changed forever. The Internet and electronic commerce have allowed people to carry out business by means of electronic communications, which makes it possible for them to do business and to conclude contracts with people situated within foreign jurisdictions. The need for consumer protection in electronic commerce has become necessary because of the misuse of aspects peculiar to electronic–commerce. Consumers have been cautious to make use of electroniccommerce, as they are uncertain about the consequences that their actions might have. Consumers will only utilise e–commerce if they have confidence in the legal system regulating it; therefore, legislation was needed to regulate their e–commerce activities. In 2002, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 was introduced into South African law as the first piece of legislation that would deal exclusively with electronic communications. Chapter VII of this particular act deals exclusively with consumer protection and seeks to remove certain uncertainties imposed by e–commerce. This is done by providing the South African consumer with statutory rights and obligations when engaging in electronic communications. The Consumer Protection Act, 68 of 2008 is the most recent piece of legislation that aims to promote a consistent legislative and enforcement framework relating to consumer transactions and agreements. South African legislation dealing with electronic commerce is relatively recent, and it is uncertain whether consumers are offered sufficient protection when they conclude contracts with suppliers or sellers from a foreign jurisdiction, that is, one that is situated outside South Africa. After looking at the protection mechanisms in place for South African consumers engaging in e–commerce, we have seen that there are certain problems that one might experience when trying to determine the applicability of some of the consumer protection measures to international electronic contracts. Most of the problems that we have identified are practical of nature. Consumers may, for instance, find it hard to execute their rights against foreign suppliers in a South African court, even if the court has jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter. Another problem that we identified is that some of the important terms in our legislation are too vaguely defined. Vague terms and definitions can lead to legal uncertainty, as consumers might find it hard to understand the ambit of the acts, and to determine the applicability thereof on their transactions. In order to look for possible solutions for South Africa, the author referred to the legal position with regards to consumer protections in the United Kingdom, and saw the important role that European Union legislation plays when determining the legal position regarding consumer protection in the UK. The legislation in the UK dealing with consumer protection is far more specific than the South African legislation dealing with same. There is definitely consumer protection legislation in place in South Africa but the ongoing technological changes in the electronic commerce milieu make it necessary for our legislators to review consumer protection legislation on a regular basis to ensure that it offers sufficient protection for South African consumers engaging in international electronic contracts. / Thesis (LL.M. (Import and Export Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

Since the Internet became available for commercial use in the early 90s, the way of doing business was changed forever. The Internet and electronic commerce have allowed people to carry out business by means of electronic communications, which makes it possible for them to do business and to conclude contracts with people situated within foreign jurisdictions. The need for consumer protection in electronic commerce has become necessary because of the misuse of aspects peculiar to electronic–commerce. Consumers have been cautious to make use of electroniccommerce, as they are uncertain about the consequences that their actions might have. Consumers will only utilise e–commerce if they have confidence in the legal system regulating it; therefore, legislation was needed to regulate their e–commerce activities. In 2002, the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, 2002 was introduced into South African law as the first piece of legislation that would deal exclusively with electronic communications. Chapter VII of this particular act deals exclusively with consumer protection and seeks to remove certain uncertainties imposed by e–commerce. This is done by providing the South African consumer with statutory rights and obligations when engaging in electronic communications. The Consumer Protection Act, 68 of 2008 is the most recent piece of legislation that aims to promote a consistent legislative and enforcement framework relating to consumer transactions and agreements. South African legislation dealing with electronic commerce is relatively recent, and it is uncertain whether consumers are offered sufficient protection when they conclude contracts with suppliers or sellers from a foreign jurisdiction, that is, one that is situated outside South Africa. After looking at the protection mechanisms in place for South African consumers engaging in e–commerce, we have seen that there are certain problems that one might experience when trying to determine the applicability of some of the consumer protection measures to international electronic contracts. Most of the problems that we have identified are practical of nature. Consumers may, for instance, find it hard to execute their rights against foreign suppliers in a South African court, even if the court has jurisdiction to adjudicate the matter. Another problem that we identified is that some of the important terms in our legislation are too vaguely defined. Vague terms and definitions can lead to legal uncertainty, as consumers might find it hard to understand the ambit of the acts, and to determine the applicability thereof on their transactions. In order to look for possible solutions for South Africa, the author referred to the legal position with regards to consumer protections in the United Kingdom, and saw the important role that European Union legislation plays when determining the legal position regarding consumer protection in the UK. The legislation in the UK dealing with consumer protection is far more specific than the South African legislation dealing with same. There is definitely consumer protection legislation in place in South Africa but the ongoing technological changes in the electronic commerce milieu make it necessary for our legislators to review consumer protection legislation on a regular basis to ensure that it offers sufficient protection for South African consumers engaging in international electronic contracts. / Thesis (LL.M. (Import and Export Law))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2012.

The thesis analyses the concept ‘fairness’ in consumer contracts regulated by the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008, mainly from the perspective of a freedom and fairness orientation. It discusses the evolution of ‘fairness’ as background to a more detailed discussion of the classification of fairness into substantive and procedural fairness. The thesis examines dimensions of fairness, factors which play a role in the determination of fairness, and fairness- oriented approaches in an attempt to formulate a framework for fairness in consumer contracts. The main aspects that should be taken into account to justify a finding of fairness, or to determine whether a contract is fair, are identified. This analysis addresses, too, the extent to which the fairness provisions of the Consumer Protection Act are appropriate (with reference to the law of South Africa, Europe, and England). / Mercantile Law / LL.D.

Disputes involving emerging technology, often leave a grey area on applicable law, as it is unlocated in the physical world. The problem with crypto-assets is partly driven by their underlying technology, allowing for the assets to be distributed in an international, digital sphere, and making it hard to pinpoint their territorial location and solve legal issues. This thesis, therefore, aims to clarify the questions of qualification and connecting factors for the choice of law when dealing with disputes concerning crypto-assets under a cross-border contractual agreement. It particularly seeks to examine consumer protection and the predictability of the choice of law in cryptocurrency trading. The thesis concludes that, for some specifically listed contracts, the applicable law is determined through hard and fast rules, but for other more complex contracts, the applicable law is determined by primarily examining the habitual residence of the operator of the characteristic performance, and secondarily, the closest connection. As to consumer contracts, a special rule appoints the law of the country where the consumer has his habitual residence, but only when several requirements are met. The rules pose problems with predictability and finding a territorial connection when the location of the assets or parties cannot be located. It is particularly a problem in decentralized cryptocurrency exchanges. Regarding the qualification, the thesis concludes that the current rules and statements do not provide a definite answer to the characterization of crypto-assets and require technically complex interpretations. Crypto-assets are mainly categorized based on their purpose, and the parties’ expectations. Therefore, fictional objectification of cryptocurrencies as movable property is possible when accepted as such by the parties. Moreover, cryptocurrency trading does not fall within traditional financial regulations but can be categorized as a service where the coins constitute a means of payment. Although the views are divided, causing uncertainty in the market, the obligations of traders are expected to be clarified through upcoming regulations.