European Fair Trading Law: The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Markets and the Law) (Markets and the Law)

Contents......Page 6
Preface......Page 14
List of Directives with Abbreviations......Page 16
b. The Traditions of Fair Trade Regulation within the Member States......Page 18
(i) Special regime for consumers?......Page 19
(ii) Use of general clause?......Page 21
(iii) Consumer typology......Page 22
(iv) Strict liability?......Page 23
(vi) Sanctions......Page 24
(vii) Soft law......Page 25
(i) Negative harmonisation......Page 26
(ii) Legislative competence......Page 29
(iii) Positive regulation before the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive......Page 30
(iv) Community policy......Page 33
d. The Preparation of the Directive and Major Points of Debate......Page 36
(i) Unfairness standard......Page 37
(ii) Maximum harmonisation......Page 38
(iii) Blacklist......Page 39
e. Outline of the Directive......Page 40
(ii) Transposition......Page 41
(iv) Revision......Page 42
a. Introduction to the Debate......Page 44
(i) Background of the minimum–maximum debate......Page 45
(ii) Background of the country of origin principle......Page 47
(iii) Background for combining maximum harmonisation and the country of origin principle......Page 49
(i) The principle and its justification......Page 52
(ii) The transition period, Articles 3(5) and (6)......Page 53
d. The Relationship Between the Directive and the Proposed Regulation on Sales Promotions......Page 56
(i) The internal market clause in the legislative process......Page 57
(ii) The possible scenario of conflict......Page 59
(iii) The correct interpretation of the internal market clause in the Directive......Page 60
(iii) Article 4 in the harmonised field of the Directive......Page 61
(v) Article 4 and the deferring effect of full harmonisation......Page 64
a. Introduction......Page 66
b. Collective Protection......Page 68
(i) Content of the definition......Page 70
(ii) Before and after the transaction......Page 73
(i) Economic interests......Page 75
(ii) Taste and decency......Page 76
(iii) Protection of other societal interests......Page 79
(i) Introduction......Page 80
(ii) Definition of consumer......Page 81
(iii) Definition of trader......Page 84
(iv) Business-to-consumer practice......Page 86
(i) Introduction......Page 87
(iii) Contract law......Page 88
(iv) Health and safety......Page 91
(v) Other Community rules......Page 93
(vii) Jurisdiction......Page 94
(viii) Regulated professions......Page 95
(x) Precious metal......Page 97
a. Fair Trading de lege lata – References in Secondary Law......Page 100
b. The Structure of the General Clause in the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive......Page 101
(i) Threefold structure......Page 102
(i) The challenge – fairness, national morals, taste and decency, national cultures – how are they interrelated?......Page 103
(ii) European fairness as an autonomous concept......Page 105
(iii) European fairness and national morals......Page 108
(iv) Taste and decency......Page 112
(v) National cultures......Page 113
d. Requirements of Professional Diligence......Page 114
(i) Criticism of the conceptual approach......Page 115
(ii) National, European and international professional diligence......Page 117
(iii) The significance of professional diligence for misleading and aggressive commercial practices......Page 118
e. Material Distortion of the Economic Behaviour of the Consumer......Page 119
(i) Economic behaviour, informed and transactional decisions......Page 120
(ii) The objective side of the distortion: the autonomy of the consumer......Page 121
(iii) The subjective side of the distortion – intent and fault......Page 122
(iv) The relevance of the materiality criterion......Page 123
(v) The practical significance of the materiality threshold......Page 124
(vi) Actual or potential distortion......Page 126
(vii) Causality between the distortion and the process of taking the decision......Page 127
(i) The average consumer as a standard model......Page 128
(ii) Particularly vulnerable consumer groups as a special provision......Page 129
(iii) Children, the elderly, disabled and credulous people......Page 130
(iv) The purpose of the commercial practices......Page 132
(v) The abolition of statistical evidence?......Page 133
(i) Concept and practical significance......Page 134
(ii) The general clause as safety net......Page 136
(iii) The system of Annex I......Page 138
a. Introduction......Page 140
(i) Definition......Page 142
(ii) The untruthfulness/deceptiveness condition......Page 144
(iii) The average consumer test......Page 148
(iv) The materiality condition......Page 153
(v) What information?......Page 155
(vi) Imitative marketing......Page 162
(vii) Non-compliance with codes of conduct......Page 163
(i) An indirect duty to inform......Page 164
(ii) Omission and withholding of information......Page 167
(iii) The consumers’ informational needs test......Page 169
(iv) Material information in invitation to purchase......Page 171
(v) Established information requirements......Page 174
(i) Nature of the Annex......Page 175
(ii) The cases......Page 177
e. Understanding Misleading Practices......Page 181
(i) Beyond misleading practice......Page 184
(ii) How far beyond misleading practices?......Page 185
(iii) Aggressive practices – elements of an underdeveloped concept......Page 187
b. Aggressive Practices......Page 188
(i) Harassment, coercion, or undue influence......Page 189
(ii) Impairment of the consumer’s freedom of choice or conduct......Page 191
(iii) Taking a transactional decision that he would not otherwise have taken......Page 194
(i) Protection of private sphere......Page 195
(iii) Objective or subjective test......Page 196
(iv) General harassment laws......Page 197
(v) Particular practices......Page 198
(ii) Physical and psychological......Page 201
(iv) Borderline with legitimate pressure......Page 202
(iii) Position of power......Page 204
(iv) Exploitation of position of power......Page 206
f. Relevant Factors......Page 207
g. Practices Considered Aggressive in all Circumstances......Page 209
h. Towards an Understanding of Aggressive Practices......Page 210
a. Codes, Soft Law, Self-Regulation and Co-Regulation......Page 212
b. A ‘Win-Win-Win’ Solution......Page 213
c. Varying Attitudes to Codes......Page 214
d. Support for Codes in EU Policy......Page 216
e. Codes in EU Legal Instruments......Page 217
f. Code of Conduct – the Definition......Page 219
(i) Agreement or set of rules......Page 220
(iii) Commercial practice or business sectors......Page 222
h. Non-Compliance With a Code as Misleading Conduct......Page 223
(ii) Firm......Page 225
(iii) Verifiable......Page 226
(iv) Indication in a commercial practice......Page 227
j. Encouraging Reliance on Codes......Page 228
k. Codes and Standards of Fairness......Page 229
l. Policy......Page 232
(i) The rules under the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive......Page 234
(ii) The unanswered questions on enforcement......Page 235
(iv) A connected issue: cross-border litigation and cross-border enforcement......Page 236
b. Individual Legal Redress......Page 237
(ii) Individual legal redress for the consumer......Page 238
(i) Freedom of choice or limited choice?......Page 239
(iii) Other Directives containing provisions on legal actions taken by associations......Page 240
(iv) Standing to sue as an EC obligation......Page 243
(v) Minimum requirements for enforcement bodies......Page 244
(i) Prior consultation......Page 245
(iii) Injunction......Page 246
(iv) Penalties, sanctions and compensation for damages......Page 247
(v) Substantiation of claims......Page 248
(i) Problems and experiences with legal enforcement across national borders......Page 249
(iii) The right to take action and the legitimate interest to take legal action......Page 250
(iv) The determination of the law applicable under EC private international law......Page 252
(v) Execution of a judgment......Page 253
f. The Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 on Consumer Protection Cooperation......Page 254
(i) The objective and contents of the Regulation......Page 255
(ii) The significance of the Regulation with regard to the organisation of law enforcement......Page 256
a. A Directive of Legal and Practical Importance......Page 258
b. The Measure of Assessment: The Purposes of the Directive......Page 259
c. Consumer Confidence......Page 261
d. The Level of Protection......Page 264
e. Traders’ Costs and Risks......Page 267
f. Legal Certainty......Page 271
g. United in Diversity......Page 273
Appendix......Page 278
C......Page 306
F......Page 308
M......Page 309
T......Page 310
U......Page 311
Z......Page 312