Some Internet and E-commerce Legal Perspectives Impacting the End User

INTRODUCTION Not too many years ago, hardly anyone had heard the terms “Web browser,” “Web,” or “electronic commerce.” Today, the World Wide Web, often referred to as simply the Web and as the Internet, offers almost limitless opportunities for end users to do research, obtain comparative information on different products or services, and conduct business online. Many users today, for example, have experienced the opportunity to visit competing web travel sites, e.g., Travelocity.com and Expedia.com, to price airline fares, obtain car rental information, and make a hotel reservation. More often than not, it seems, end users are also intrigued by the fact that prices for the same flight or car are not necessarily the same at the sites searched; in a way, users have become much more savvy in their selection of products and services. In general, end users can become much more efficient and effective as they conduct business online, and both consumers and businesses can participate in unrestricted buying and selling. Consequently, the Web is changing the way businesses do business, and, of course, it is changing the way many end users conduct their business as well. Electronic commerce (e-commerce) mainly consists of business-to-business (B2B) and business-to-consumer (B2C) types of transactions. According to an ecommerce survey (Survey E-Commerce, 2000) B2B transactions accounted for 80% of all e-commerce and added up to $150 billion in 1999. Further, B2C