Role of Private Law for Europe’s Digital Future

Tatjana Josipović

doi:10.47078/2022.2.27-53

Tatjana Josipović Faculty of Law, University of Zagreb

DOI: https://doi.org/10.47078/2022.2.27-53

Keywords: digital law, Digital Single Market, private law, digital transformation, digital rights, information duty, directives, regulations, harmonization

Abstract

The digital transformation of the EU single market actualizes numerous issues regarding the regulation of private law relations in the digital market. The key issue is whether the digital transformation requires a complex reform of the existing rules brought by the European legislator to provide for individual rights in various private law relations in the offline market (e.g., consumer contracts, labor contracts, and contracts on the provision of services in individual economic sectors), and if that is the case, how this reform must be implemented. An answer to this question mostly depends on whether, by the existing legal instruments in the digital market, namely efficient protection and enforcement of fundamental rights, EU market freedoms and individual rights can be ensured in the same way they are protected in the offline market. This paper deals with the changes in the regulation of EU private law relations caused by the establishment of the Digital Single Market. The main aim is to consider the perspectives of the EU private law in the digital transition, and whether a different approach to the regulation of private law relations in the digital market is necessary.

References

Basedow, J. (2021) EU Private Law – Anatomy of a Growing Legal Order. Cambridge: Intersentia; https://doi.org/10.1017/9781839701580.

Busch, Ch. (2019) ‘Towards Fairness and Transparency in the Platform Economy? A First Look at the P2B Regulation’ in De Franceschi, A., Schulze, R. (eds.) Digital Revolution – New Challenges for Law. München: C.H.Beck, pp. 57–74; https://doi.org/10.17104/9783406759048-57.

Busch, Ch. (2020) ‘The P2B regulation (EU) 2019/1150: Towards a “procedural turn” in EU platform regulation’, Journal of European Consumer and Market Law, 9(4), pp. 133–134.

Cauffmann, C. (2019) ‘New EU rules on business-to-consumer and platform-to-business relationship’, Maastricht Journal of European and Comparative Law, 26(4), pp. 469–479; https://doi.org/10.1177/1023263X19865835.

De Franceschi, A., Schulze, R. (2019) ‘Digital Revolution – New Challenges for Law: Introduction’ in De Franceschi, A., Schulze, R. (eds.) Digital Revolution – New Challenges for Law. München: C.H.Beck, pp. 1–18; https://doi.org/10.17104/9783406759048-1.

Ebers, M. (2021) ‘Liability for Artificial Intelligence and EU Consumer Law’, Journal of Intellectual Property, Information Technology and Electronic Commerce Law, 12(2), pp. 204–220.

Heiderhoff, B. (2016) Europäisches Privatrecht. Heidelberg: C.F. Müller.

Howells, G. (2020) ‘Protecting Consumers Protection Values in the Fourth Industrial Revolution’, Journal of Consumer Policy, 2020(43), pp. 145–175; https://doi.org/10.1007/s10603-019-09430-3.

Josipović, T. (2020) Privatno pravo Europske unije – opći dio. Zagreb: Narodne novine.

Landhanke, C., Schmidt-Kessel, M. (2015) ‘Consumer Data as Consideration’, Journal of European Consumer and Market Law, 6/2015, pp. 228–223

Metzger, A. (2020) ‘A Market Model for Personal Data: State of Play under the New Directive on Digital Content and Digital Services’ in Lohsee, S., Schulze, R., Staudenmayer, D. (eds.) Data as Counter-Performance-Contract Law 2.0? Baden-Baden: Nomos, pp. 23–46; https://doi.org/10.5771/9783748908531-23.

Mischau, L. (2020) ‘Daten als „Gegenleistung“ im neuen Verbrauchervertragsrecht’, Zeitschrift für Europäisches Privatrecht, 28(2), pp. 335–365.

Reich, N., Micklitz, H. W. (2014) ‘Economic Law, Consumer Interests, and EU Integration’, in Reich, N., Micklitz, H. W., Rott, P., Tonner, K. (eds.): European Consumer Law. 2nd edn. Cambridge: Intersentia.

Riesenhuber, K. (2013) EU–Vertragsrecht. Tübingen: Mohr Siebeck; https://doi.org/10.1628/978-3-16-153008-1.

Schmidt-Kessel, M. (2019) ‘Consent for the Processing of Personal Data and its Relationship to Contract’ in De Franceschi, A., Schulze, R. (eds.) Digital Revolution – New Challenges for Law. München: C.H.Beck, pp. 75–83; https://doi.org/10.17104/9783406759048-75.

Staudenmayer, D. (2020) ‘Towards a European Private Law of the Digital Economy? – Trends’ in Janssen, A., Schulte-Nölke, H. (eds.) Researches in European Private Law and Beyond. Baden-Baden: Nomos, pp. 65–90; https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845298467-65.

Twigg-Flesner, Ch. (2016) ‘Disruptive technology – Disrupted Law? How the Digital Revolution Affects (Contract) Law’ in De Franceschi, A. (ed.) European Contract Law and the Digital Single Market. Cambridge-Antwerp-Chicago: Intersentia.

Twigg-Flesner, Ch. (2020a) ‘Kom. Art. 15. Digital Content Directive’ in Schulze, R., Staudenmayer, D. (eds.) EU Digital Law – Article-by Article Commentary. Baden-Baden: Nomos, pp. 272–277; https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845291888-272.

Twigg-Flesner, Ch. (2020b) ‘Kom. Art. 16. Digital Content Directive’ in Schulze, R., Staudenmayer, D. (eds.) EU Digital Law – Article-by Article Commentary. Baden-Baden: Nomos, pp. 278–296; https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845291888-278.

Zoll. F. (2017) ‘Personal Data as Renumeration in the Proposal for a Directive on Supply of Digital Content’ in Schulze, R., Staudenmayer, D., Lohsee, S. (eds.) Contract for the Supply of Digital Content. Regulatory Challenges and Gaps. Baden-Baden, Nomos, pp. 179–188; https://doi.org/10.5771/9783845281391-179.