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

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.