The waning distinction between business and consumer
Recently I had the chance to attend a conference celebrating (in a weird, lawyery sense of the word) the tenth birthday of the EU Directive…
The waning distinction between business and consumer
Recently I had the chance to attend a conference celebrating (in a weird, lawyery sense of the word) the tenth birthday of the EU Directive 2005/29 EG. Said piece of secondary EU legislation had a profound impact on the field of consumer protection throughout Europe. It harmonizes national regulations on unfair competition with regards to consumer protection across all European member states. Therein, also lies the problem: the Directive distinguishes clearly between consumers and businesses and excludes the latter from its regulatory scope. In return, a different set of rules apply depending on certain characteristics of the market participants we address.
I keep wondering, whether such a distinction will continue to make sense in the long run. Will consumer protection in its current treatment still serve a valid goal in the future, or will current trends render it into a roadblock to economic developments?
In certain economic sectors, at least, the difference between consumers and businesses is waning.
**Startups and Entrepreneurs
**In the domain of competition law startups are mostly treated as “Small and Medium-size Businesses” short SMB. It has been recognized by scholars in the field for some time now, that at this level of economic activity the distinction between consumers and businesses is breaking down. If someone starts to transform gradually from a consumer to a business, when does the need for consumer-level protection stop?
**
Private Venture Capital
**Auch GSG Bank -> private Kapitalströme notwendig
Kunstförderung
Miss brauch consumer protection um Kapitalströme klein zu halten?
Sharing Economy
Internet of Things
Exported from Medium on January 3, 2025.