Cybertelecom Federal Internet Law & Policy An Educational Project

E-Commerce

Generally, eCommerce falls under the jurisdiction of the Federal Trade Commission. Ecommerce might also fall under the jurisdiction of a specific agency: The Food and Drug Administration; The Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms Bureau; the Department of Commerce, The Department of Justice, or perhaps the Securities and Exchange Commission.

The Federal Trade Commission has jurisdiction over fraudulent and deceptive practices. How do rules of commerce in the physical world translate to eCommerce in the cyber world? Fluently. What is bad, is bad the same here as there. A false claim in an advertisement is a false claim within the jurisdiction of the FTC regardless of whether that ad appeared on TV or on your favorite portal.

The FTC engages in consumer awareness, business awareness, and enforcement. There is a wealth of guidance at the FTC website concerning what the rules are and how one goes about complying with them. The FTC also has authority to bring actions against violators seeking injunctions and financial settlements. Every now and again the FTC engages in a Surf Day where the Agency will sweep the Net examining websites and whether they are up to snuff.

Proceedings

FTC Electronic Media Policy Statement Released May 6, 2000 FTC File No. P974102edia Policy

• Federal Register Notice May 6, 2000 PDF
• News Release (May 6, 1998)
• Public Comments
• FTC Electronic Media Webpage
   

Barriers to E-Commerce

"The Department of Commerce, on behalf of the Subgroup on Legal Barriers to Electronic Commerce ("Legal Barriers Subgroup") of the U.S. Government Working Group on Electronic Commerce, requests public comments and suggestions concerning policies, laws or regulations that need to be adapted in order to eliminate barriers to and promote electronic commerce, electronic services, and electronic transactions." Fed Reg. Notice | Comments Filed

White House

• Presidential Memo: Electronic Commerce (July 1, 1997)
• Presidential Memo: Electronic Commerce Successes and Further Work (November 30, 1998)
• Global Issues: Ecommerce USIA Electronic Journal, Vol. 2, No. 4, October 1997

Testimony & Hearings

• FTC “Surf” of 51 Internet Retailers Designed to Strengthen Consumer Confidence in Online Shopping, FTC 11/11/2003
• FTC Testifies on Implications of Recent E-commerce Study, FTC 10/31/2003
• Testimony before House Committee on Energy and Commerce, Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection hearing on "State Impediments to E-Commerce: Consumer Protection or Veiled Protectionism?", FTC 9/26/02
• FTC to Host Public Workshop to Explore Possible Anticompetitive Efforts to Restrict Competition on the Internet Oct 8-10, FTC 7/19/02
• Secretary of Commerce Don Evans Applauds Senate Passage of Export Administration Act as Modern-day Legislation for Modern-day Technology, DOC 9/7/01
• Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Science, Technology, and Space Subcommittee To hold hearings to examine security risks for the E-consumer 1pm SR-253, Cong 7/12/01
• May 22 The Subcommittee on Commerce, Trade, and Consumer Protection has scheduled a hearing: Impediments to Digital Trade. 2:00 p.m., in 2322 Rayburn House Office Building
• Jun. 29-30 FTC Workshop on B2B E-Commerce. Dept of Ag, Wash, D.C.
• Jun. 22 Sen Commerce Committee To hold hearings to examine issues dealing with  aviation and the internet, focusing on purchasing  airline tickets through the Internet, and whether  or not this benefits the consumer. SR-253 9:30 am.
• May 30 - Jun. 1 E-Commerce and the Digital Divide: Meeting the Challenge Conference Albuquerque, New Mexico

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Definition

•  Internet Tax Freedom Act Sec. 1101(3) " Electronic commerce.-The term 'electronic commerce' means any transaction conducted over the Internet or through Internet access, comprising the sale, lease, license, offer, or delivery of property, goods, services, or information, whether or not for consideration, and includes the provision of Internet access. "

Reports

• NTIA
  • Enabling Growth and Innovation in the Digital Economy, June 22, 2016
  • Clinton-Gore Administration Releases "Leadership for the New Millennium, Delivering on Digital Progress and Prosperity," Third Annual Report Of Electronic Commerce Working Group Jan 16
  • Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce Report to Congress 2000 "The Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce was created by Congress and tasked with producing what is arguably the most important policy initiative of the information age: recommendations on electronic commerce and tax policy, critical issues with global implications."
  • Understanding the Digital Economy: Data, Tools, and Research. U.S. Department of Commerce, 25-26 May 1999
• FTC
• FTC “Sharing Economy” Report Explores Evolving Internet And App-Based Services FTC Nov. 17, 2016
• FTC Finds Online Holiday Shopping Experience Improved For Consumers in 000, FTC 01/31/01
• Jan 30 FTC Seminar on Internet Marketing
• OECD
• OECD Workshops on the Economics of the Information Society [1995-1997]: A Synthesis of the Policy Implications, 1999
• OECD, The Economic and Social Impacts of Electronic Commerce: Preliminary Findings and Agenda, 1998
• E-Commerce and Development Report 2003, UNCTAD 11/21/2003
• UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce (1996)

Investigations

• Bogus Domain Name Seller Settles FTC Charges, FTC 12/4/02
• Companies That Billed Consumers for Adult "Videotext" Internet Services Settle FTC Charges, FTC 12/2/02
• FTC 'Surf' of 63 Internet Retailers Designed to Bolster Consumer Confidence During the Holiday Season, FTC 12/2/02
• FTC Files Amicus Brief Opposing Barriers to Internet Casket Sales, FTC 9/10/02
• Internet Casino Developers Settle FTC Charges More Than $550,000 for Investor Redress; $2 Million Bond Required Nov 15, 2000 ftc
• Seven Internet Retailers Settle FTC Charges Over Shipping Delays During 1999 Holiday Season July 26, 2000 ftc
• FTC Press Release: FTC Terminates HSR Waiting Period for Covisint B2B Venture 9/11
• Jun. 9 US Dept of Comm and FTC Workshop on ADR for Consumers in an Online Marketplace [comments due 4/19
• U.S. Calls for Global E-Commerce Rules Oct 24, 2000 ecommercetimes

Press Releases

• Press Release U.S. SECRETARY OF COMMERCE DALEY AND COLOMBIAN MINISTER OR FOREIGN TRADE RAMíREZ DE RíNCóN SIGN INITIATIVE TO FOSTER E-COMMERCE GROWTH 5/17/00

Papers

• John Horrigan, The Internet and Consumer Choice, Pew Internet (May 18, 2008)
• Don Tapscott and Anthony D. Williams, Wikinomics: How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything (Penguin Group 2008)
• George Christou, Seamus Simpson, Emerging Patterns of E-Commerce Governance in Europe: the European Union's Directive on E-Commerce, TPRC 10/2/2004
• Zhangxi Li, Dahui Li, Balaji Janamanchi, and Wayne Huang, Reputation distribution and consumer-to-consumer online auction Market Structure: An Exploratory Study (2004)
• Peter Swire, " No Cop on the Beat: Under enforcement in E-Commerce and Cybercrime ," J. Telecomm. & High Technology L. (forthcoming, 2008)
• Yochai Benkler, The Wealth of Networks: How Social Production Transforms Markets and Freedom (Yale University Press 2006).
• Seamus Simpson, Rorden Wilkinson , Governing E-Commerce - Prospects and Problems, TPRC 9/13/03
• Mikhail I Melnik and James Alm, Does a Sellers eCommerce Reputation Matter? Evidence from eBay Auctions, GSU
• Long Tail
  • Chris Anderson, The Long Tail , Wired Magazine (October 2004) (first writing about the Long Tail the context of online music inventories);
  • Chris Anderson, The Long Tail Blog ;
  • The Long Tail , NPR (Nov. 5, 2004)
  • Chris Anderson, The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business Is Selling Less of More (Hyperion 2006).
  • Bin Gu, Lorin M. Hitt, Eric Clemons, Does Online Product Information Increase Consumer Demand: An Empirical Study (Sept. 2002),
• FTC Papers
  • How to be Web Ready
  • Advertising and Marketing on the Internet: The Rules of the Road [TEXT] [PDF]
  • BBB-Online: Code of Online Business Practices [TEXT]
  • Dot Com Disclosures: Information About Online Advertising [TEXT] [PDF]
  • Electronic Commerce: Selling Internationally. A Guide for Business [TEXT] [PDF]
  • Internet Auctions: A Guide for Buyer and Sellers [TEXT] [PDF]
  • "Remove Me" Responses and Responsibilities: Email Marketers Must Honor "Unsubscribe" Claims [TEXT] [PDF]
  • Selling on the Internet: Prompt Delivery Rules [TEXT] [PDF
  • Site-Seeing On The Internet: A Consumer's Guide to Travel in Cyberspace [TXT]
  • A Consumer's Guide to E-Payments [TXT] [PDF]
  • Shop Safely Online [TXT] [PDF]
  • Going Shopping? Go Global! A Guide for E-Consumers [TXT] [PDF]
  • When Your Computer Calls Overseas ...Without Your Okay [TXT] [PDF]
  • Holiday Shopping Online? FTC Offers Tips to Help Consumers Decide How to Wrap Up a Good Buy!, FTC 11/7/2003
• Odonnell, An Economic Map of the Internet, TPRC 9/18/02
• State Regulation of Electronic Commerce, SSRN 1/9/02
• E-Commerce and the Multilateral Framework, SSRN 1/9/02
• WITSA:  Digital Planet 2000: The Global Information Economy
• Jean Camp, Trust & Risk in Internet Commerce, MIT Press, Winter (Cambridge, MA) 2000.
• Bailey, Joseph P. "Internet Price Discrimination, Self-Regulation, Public Policy and Global Electronic Commerce." TPRC 1998
• McKnight, Lee W. and Joseph P. Bailey. "Global Internet Economics." Brazilian Electronic Journal of Economics, December 1997.
• McKnight, Lee W. and Joseph P. Bailey. "Internet Economics: What Happens When Constituencies Collide in Cyberspace?" IEEE Internet Computing, Vol. 1, No. 6, November/December 1997.
• McKnight, Lee W. and Joseph P. Bailey, Eds. Internet Economics. Cambridge, Mass.: MIT Press, 1997.
• Jean Camp, M. Sirbu & J. D. Tygar, "Token and notational money in electronic commerce", Usenix Workshop on Electronic Commerce, July 1995

Statistics

News

• Internet Economy: OECD high-level meeting on generating innovation and growth, OECD 6/17/2011
• FTC looking into Apple's in-app purchasing policy, CNET 2/23/2011
• FTC Eyes Apple In-App Purchases By Children, Gigaom 2/23/2011
• Commerce Dept. Forms Office for Online ID, Internet News 1/12/2011
• Obama to hand Commerce Dept. authority over cybersecurity ID, CNET 1/12/2011
• International Organization for Standardization (ISO) Proposes Voluntary E-commerce Standards, ITA 4/19/2005
• 2004 Internet ad revenue tops dot-com boom levels, CW 4/29/2005
• EU rules on electronic communications - Commission launches infringement proceedings against ten Member States, Europa 4/15/2005
• Report: Internet Commerce Growing Despite Fraud Concerns, Ecom times 3/2/2005
• Online Holiday Purchases to Grow Despite Growing Security Concerns, Clickz 12/3/2004
• Bush Picks Kellogg CEO for Commerce Post, Ecommerce 11/30/2004
• The Holidays Are Here Again: FTC Offers Tips to Help Consumers Shop Safely Online, FTC 11/23/2004
• Online Shopping Boomed This Holiday Season, Internet news 1/4/2005
• Amazon trumpets record Christmas, BBC 1/4/2005
• Holiday Shopping Surge is On, InternetNews 12/21/2004
• PayPal to Impose Fines for Breaking Bans, AP 9/14/2004
• Soldiers in Iraq go online for holiday shopping, USA Today 12/9/2003
• Bumper Christmas for online shops, BBC 11/25/2003
• FTC To E-tailers: Don't Be Naughty!, Internet News 11/11/2003
• FTC Commissioner on the Future of E- Commerce, Newsfactor 10/3/03
• FTC: E-commerce Lowers Prices, Increases Choices in Wine Market, FTC 7/8/03
• E-commerce record shattered, CNN 6/24/03
• USDA launches online grocery, FCW 6/20/03
• A New Starring Role for E-Commerce, Newsfactor 1/29/03
• Thanksgiving weekend pushes online sales, NUA 12/4/02
• Report: Net, e-commerce boom continues, CNN 11/25/02
• E-commerce strong in third quarter, CNET 11/25/02
• U.N.: Worldwide use of Internet, e-commerce still growing, NWFusion 11/25/02
• Ecommerce activity in Canada on the rise, NUA 9/20/02
• US online consumer sales still rising, NUA 9/10/02
• FTC Worried About E-Commerce, Internet News 7/19/02
• Why E-Commerce Law Enforcement Is an Oxymoron, Newsfactor 7/3/02
• History Of The Dot-Com Era, Internet News 6/26/02
• Survey: Net users don't trust e-commerce sites, USA Today 4/17/02
• Addressing Disputes In Electronic Commerce , ABA 4/8/02
• Nov.'s E-Commerce Rise Smallest Of 2001, Newsbytes 12/14/01
• Online Ad Spending Falls 9 Percent, Reuters 12/5/01
• Study: Internet Likely to Power U.S. Economy Over Next Decade, Newsfactor 12/4/01
• E-Commerce Shows No Lasting Effect, Cyberatlas 10/30/01
• Electronic financial networks: How safe are they?, USAToday 10/30/01
• Online sales soar in Canada, CNEws 10/25/01
• E-tail May Reign In $11 Billion, Ecom Times 10/18/01
• Rise in online holiday shopping expected in aftermath of attacks, Nando 10/16/01
• E-Commerce Shows Signs Of Waking, Cyberatlas 8/24/01
• E-Commerce Is Strong And Healthy, Cyberatlas 6/28/01
• Tech Accounts For More Of Economy, Teledotcom 6/8/01
• US Govt Out E-Tails Even Amazon, Newsbytes 5/29/01
• Ecommerce to Grow, Newsbytes 06/010/01
• Signs of an E-Commerce Comeback, Newsfactor 5/25/01
• Congress eyes foreign e-commerce barriers, CW 5/23/01
• Online purchases down in first quarter, USAToday 5/16/01
• Va. Official In Line for Federal Post (UnderSec of Tech), WashTech 4/27/01
• Bush's Slow Dance With E-Commerce, E Com Times 4/14/01
• Internet Sales See Uptick In February, InternetNews 3/30/01
• Report: Global E-Commerce To Hit $550B in 2001, Ecom Times 3/21/01
• Lieberman Pleads Case For Stronger Global E-Commerce Focus, Newsbytes 3/16/01
• Census Bureau Releases E-Commerce Figures, AP 3/7/01
• Commerce Secretary Promises Hands-Off Approach to Techs, Washtech 3/9/01
• E-Commerce Enhancement Bill Introduced, WashTech 2/12/01
• House Approves E-Commerce Bill, AP 2/15/01
• House OK's E-Commerce Promotion Bill - Update, WashTech 2/15/01
• Clinton's E-Commerce Legacy Jan 19 ecommercetimes
• FTC Says E-tailers Kept Promises Jan 16 localbusiness
• FTC Warns ETailers About Over Promising Dec 12 internetnews
• EU Gives Green Light On E-Commerce Legislation Dec 1, 2000 washtech
• EU OKs E-Commerce Dispute Law Dec 1, 2000 EcommerceTimes
• Europe Passes Stiff E-Commerce Law Dec 1, 2000 thestandard
• FTC Conducts Surf Of Dot-Com Holiday Shipping Promises Nov 17, 2000 newsbytes
• 24/7 Gets Restraining Order Against MAPS Nov 17, 2000 internetnews
• FTC To E-tail: You'd Better Deliver Nov 17, 2000 zdnet
• FTC Exposes Top 10 Web Scams Oct 31, 2000 cnn
• Feds warn of Net scams Oct 31, 2000 usatoday
• Federal regulators warn consumers about Internet scams Oct 31, 2000 nandotimes
• Joint task force cracks down on "dot-cons" Oct 31, 2000 cnet
• Law Enforcers Target "Top 10" Online Scams Oct 31, 2000 ftc
• FTC Staff Issues Report on Competition Policy in the World of B2B Electronic Marketplaces Oct 26, 2000 ftc
• FTC Using Forum To Mull E-Commerce Regulation Oct 26, 2000 cnet
• FBI Urges E-Companies To Trust Feds Oct 19, 2000 infoworld
• U.S. Takes Aim at Illegal Net Pharmacies 19-Oct-00 Oct 19, 2000 ecommercetimes
• Law Banning Net Tobacco Sales Challenged Oct 20, 2000 nytimes
• Senate OKs bill to restrict Net alcohol sales Oct 12, 2000 cnet
• House OKs Bill With Net Alcohol Rules - Update Oct 8, 2000 newsbytes
• FTC Demands Dot-com Christmas Delivery Sept 29, 2000 forbes
• FTC Gives Green Light to Covisint  InternetNews 9/11
• FTC Expected To Approve Car Makers' B2B Network MSNBC 9/11
• United States And Philippines Sign Joint Statement On Electronic Commerce July 27, 2000 Aug 1, 2000 ecommerce
• FTC Seeks More Info On Auto Web Exchange July 27, 2000 latimes
• U.S. Fines E-Tailers $1.5M for Late Holiday Deliveries July 27, 2000 ecommercetimes
• Net Provisions Removed From Drug Bill July 26, 2000 newsbytes
• House Slows Down Speed Bill July 26, 2000 wired
• E-Commerce Promotion Bill Moves To Senate July 20, 2000 newsbytes
• Online drugstores shut down to settle FTC claims July 12, 2000 nandotimes
• FTC clamps down on Web pharmacies July 12, 2000 cnet
• FTC Testifies on Identity Theft July 12, 2000 ftc
• Online Pharmacies Settle FTC Charges Viagra, Propecia Prescriptions Promoted With False Medical Claims Consumers' Medical and Financial Data Collected With False Privacy Assurances July 12, 2000 ftc
• G-7 finance ministers to discuss Japan's recovery, e-commerce July 7, 2000 mercurycenter
• FTC keeping an eye on B-to-B markets July 5, 2000 computerworld
• U.S. E-Commerce Sets New Record ECommerce Times 6/6
• FTC, Commerce to Host Online Dispute Resolution Workshop 6/6