Table Of ContentSutatip Yuthayotin
Access to Justice
in Transnational
B2C E-Commerce
A Multidimensional Analysis of
Consumer Protection Mechanisms
Access to Justice in Transnational B2C
E-Commerce
ThiSisaFMBlankPage
Sutatip Yuthayotin
Access to Justice in
Transnational B2C
E-Commerce
A Multidimensional Analysis of Consumer
Protection Mechanisms
SutatipYuthayotin
CentralIntellectualPropertyandInternationalTradeCourt
Bangkok
Thailand
ISBN978-3-319-11130-8 ISBN978-3-319-11131-5(eBook)
DOI10.1007/978-3-319-11131-5
SpringerChamHeidelbergNewYorkDordrechtLondon
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Acknowledgements
FirstandforemostIwouldliketothanktheJapaneseGovernment,withoutwhose
financial support through the Monbukagakusho Scholarship, this Ph.D. research
wouldnotbepossible.Mygreatestdebtsofgratitudegotomyprincipalsupervisor,
ProfessorKonoToshiyuki;withouthiskindheartedness,professionalandvaluable
criticismswiththeforesightofhisextensiveexperience,itwouldnotbepossiblefor
metocompletethisdissertation.
I was also influenced by my second supervisor, Professor Mark Fenwick, who
alwayskindlylistenstomyideasandfromwhomIreceivednumeroussuggestions
during the development of this dissertation. The thought of pursuing the doctoral
research was first brought to my attention by Professor Caslav Pejovic, who has
alwaysbelievedinmeandkindlyintroducedthePh.D.researchopportunitytome
4 year ago and from whom I always receive gentle support. I have also been
particularly fortunate tohave benefited from the invaluable guidance of Professor
Han Sang Hee, without his advice and suggestions for overcoming all the chal-
lenges along the way this thesis would never be completed. I am also grateful to
Professor Steven Van Uytsel, who gives me valuable advice and nudges towards
writingallitdownduringthefirst2yearsofmyresearch.Thisallowsmetofinish
this project in a respective timeframe. Also I would like to thank Mr. Anand
Venkatachalam, SPi Global, India, Professors of Kyushu University, School of
Law (i.e. Professor Ago Shin-ichi, Professor Teramoto Shinto, Professor Stefan
Wrbka,etc.)fortheirkindcommentsonmyannualpresentationduringmythree-
yearresearch.
Many thanksgotomyfriendsandcolleagues;Paulius Jurcyswho has contrib-
utedtomythoughtsandwhoseadviceandsupportwereindispensableincomple-
tion of this dissertation. I also wish to deeply thank Sean McGinty for his review
and comment on the first draft of this work. Finally and most importantly, I must
thankmyfamily,withouttheirencouragement,moralsupportandlove,Iwouldnot
beabletoundertakeandcompletethisproject.
v
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Abbreviations and Constructed Terms
BBB BetterBusinessBureau
CIArb UKCharteredInstitutionofArbitrators
CRD Directive2011/83/EUoftheEuropeanParliamentandofthe
Councilof25October2011onconsumerrights
DPD Directive95/46/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandofthe
Councilof24October1995ontheprotectionofindividualswith
regardtotheprocessingofpersonaldataandonthefreemovement
ofsuchdata
ECD Directive2000/31/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandofthe
Councilof8June2000oncertainlegalaspectsofinformation
societyservices,inparticularelectroniccommerce,intheInternal
Market
ECJ EuropeanCourtofJustice
ESCP Regulation(EC)No861/2007oftheEuropeanParliamentandof
theCouncilof11July2007establishingaEuropeanSmallClaims
Procedure
GNI GlobalNetworkInitiative
GPA GroupProceedingsActof2002ofSweden
ICPEN InternationalConsumerProtectionEnforcementNetwork
ODR OnlineDisputeResolution
OECD OrganizationforEconomicCooperationandDevelopment
OFT UKOfficeofFairTrading
SCP SmallClaimProcedure
UCC USUniformCommercialCode
UCITA USUniformComputerInformationTransactionsAct
UTD CouncilDirective93/13/EECof5April1993onunfairtermsin
consumercontracts
Brussels CouncilRegulation(EC)No.44/2001onjurisdictionandthe
Regulation recognitionandenforcementofjudgmentsincivilandcommercial
matters
vii
viii AbbreviationsandConstructedTerms
Cooperation Regulation(EC)No2006/2004oftheEuropeanParliament
Regulation andoftheCouncilof27October2004oncooperationbetween
nationalauthoritiesresponsiblefortheenforcementofconsumer
protectionlaws
Injunction Directive98/27/ECoftheEuropeanParliamentandofthe
Directive Councilof19May1998oninjunctionsfortheprotectionof
consumers’interests
RomeI CouncilRegulation(EC)No.593/2008onthelawapplicableto
Regulation contractualobligation
Second USSecondRestatementofConflictofLaws
Restatement
Contents
1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.1 Background. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
1.2 AimandStructureofResearch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
1.3 ContributiontotheExistingAcademicDebates. . . . . . . . . . . . 6
1.4 Methodology. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.5 ScopeofResearch. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
2 ConsumerProtectioninB2CE-Commerce:EnhancingConsumer
Confidence. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.1 Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2 TransnationalB2CE-Commerce,EconomicGrowth,
andEmergingMarkets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.2.1 ABriefHistoryofB2CE-Commerce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.2.2 DistinctiveFeaturesofB2C“E-Transactions”. . . . . . . . 14
2.2.3 B2CE-CommerceandGlobalEconomicGrowth. . . . . 17
2.2.4 B2CE-CommerceandEconomicGrowthinEmerging
Markets. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
2.2.5 B2CE-CommerceandConsumerConfidence. . . . . . . . 22
2.3 CompetingRationalesforConsumerProtection. . . . . . . . . . . . 26
2.3.1 TraditionalRationaleI:LackofKnowledge
andInformationAsymmetries. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
2.3.2 TraditionalRationaleII:LackofBargainingPowerand
StandardTerms. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
2.3.3 TraditionalRationaleIII:BehavioralEconomic
Problems. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
2.3.4 TraditionalRationaleIV:FailuresofTraditionalForms
ofLitigation. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
2.3.5 TheEmergenceof“ConsumerConfidence”inGlobal
DebatesonB2CE-Commerce. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
2.4 InterimConclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
ix
