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[FYI] Lex: German e-commerce (Wer den Schaden hat, braucht fuer Gespoett nicht mehr zu sorgen)
- To: debate@fitug.de
- Subject: [FYI] Lex: German e-commerce (Wer den Schaden hat, braucht fuer Gespoett nicht mehr zu sorgen)
- From: "Axel H Horns" <horns@ipjur.com>
- Date: Tue, 17 Oct 2000 20:25:09 +0200
- Comment: This message comes from the debate mailing list.
- Organization: NONE
- Sender: owner-debate@fitug.de
http://news.ft.com/ft/gx.cgi/ftc?pagename=View&c=Article&cid=FT32ZDSKE
EC&live=true
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Lex: German e-commerce
Published: October 16 2000 20:08GMT | Last Updated: October 16 2000
20:19GMT
As if making shops close at 8pm on weekdays and from 4pm on Saturdays
through to Monday mornings were not enough, Germany's antiquated
retail regulations risk driving e-commerce groups out of the country.
Two recent rulings highlight the regulations' eccentricity.
Hamburg's district court upheld a competitor's complaint that online
retailer Letsbuyit was breaking two laws. Letsbuyit's "co-buying"
business model - cutting the price of goods the more people apply to
buy them - broke the 1933 Rabattgesetz because it meant some
customers paid lower prices than others. It contravened the 1909
Gesetz gegen unlauteren Wettbewerb since it "exploited the thrill of
gambling". A Cologne court said Germany's PrimusPowerShopping,
another co-buying site, contravened the latter law because its sales
methods were "excessively alluring" and encouraged customers to make
unplanned purchases. Isn't that the whole point?
[...]
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