{"id":24750,"date":"2013-12-18T16:40:49","date_gmt":"2013-12-18T14:40:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kpw-relaunch.wp1.visual4.com\/rechtsgebiete\/e-commerce\/"},"modified":"2026-05-01T15:46:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-01T13:46:35","slug":"e-commerce","status":"publish","type":"field-of-law","link":"https:\/\/kpw.law\/en\/fields-of-law\/e-commerce\/","title":{"rendered":"E-Commerce"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Compliant<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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E-commerce is a legal challenge for retailers. <\/strong>Trust our experienced lawyers to guide you safely through the jungle of legal challenges and avoid disputes from the outset, successfully enforce your own claims or defend against third-party claims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Lawyers for e-commerce<\/h2>\n\n

E-commerce refers to the sale of goods or services via the Internet. It offers enormous opportunities for online retailers as they can reach customers all over the world. At the same time, however, e-commerce also brings with it a wide range of legal obligations and challenges. Retailers must comply with numerous laws that stipulate numerous requirements – from consumer rights and information obligations to data protection regulations. Different requirements sometimes apply to sales to consumers (B2C) or commercial customers (B2B). <\/p>\n\n

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Every store operator – from small online retailers to large platforms – must fulfill legal obligations in order to avoid warnings, disputes or fines.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n\n

Differences between B2C and B2B<\/h2>\n\n

F\u00fcr das B2C-Gesch\u00e4ft<\/strong> (Business-to-Consumer) greift ein hoher gesetzlicher Verbraucherschutz. Beim Verkauf an Verbraucher m\u00fcssen Onlineh\u00e4ndler eine Reihe von Vorgaben des Fernabsatzrechts beachten. So haben Kunden ein 14-t\u00e4giges Widerrufsrecht<\/strong>. H\u00e4ndler sind verpflichtet, Kunden klar \u00fcber ihr Widerrufsrecht zu informieren. Au\u00dferdem gelten weitere Informationspflichten im Zusammenhang mit dem Verkauf. So muss der Verbraucher z.B. vor Abschluss der Bestellung \u00fcber wesentlichen Merkmale, Preise, Versandkosten und Zahlungs- und Lieferbedingungen informiert werden. Bei Verst\u00f6\u00dfen drohen sonst Abmahnungen durch Verb\u00e4nde oder Mitbewerber<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

Guarantees<\/strong> must also be communicated transparently – if there is a manufacturer’s or dealer’s guarantee, this must not lead to confusion on the part of the customer about the warranty that already exists. In particular, the impression must not be created that the guarantee is accompanied by a restriction of statutory warranty rights. <\/p>\n\n

In the B2B sector<\/strong> (business-to-business), retailers enjoy more freedom, as the consumer protection regulations do not apply here. For example, there is no statutory right of withdrawal for the buyer. GTCs<\/strong> for B2B customers offer more freedom, e.g. the warranty for new goods can be contractually restricted between entrepreneurs. However, there are also numerous requirements in the B2B area that retailers must observe. <\/p>\n\n

Labeling, information and registration obligations<\/h2>\n\n

Every online retailer must comply with numerous labeling, registration and information obligations. For example, every provider must provide a complete legal notice. In addition to the legal notice, a privacy policy is also required. Contract terms and mandatory information must also be provided. <\/p>\n\n

In addition, there are registration obligations in certain areas: Retailers who sell electrical appliances to end consumers must ensure that the products are registered in Germany with the EAR Foundation<\/a> in accordance with the ElektroG <\/a>, otherwise sales are prohibited. Anyone who sells batteries or rechargeable batteries must be registered in accordance with the Battery Act and provide information on the return and disposal of batteries. The same applies to packaging: According to the Packaging Act, online retailers who send goods to private end consumers must register with the packaging register LUCID <\/a>and ensure that they participate in a disposal system. These legal obligations for online retailers serve to protect the environment and consumers and can lead to high fines as well as warnings in the event of violations. <\/p>\n\n

Contract law issues in e-commerce<\/h2>\n\n

Although general terms and conditions (GTC) are not required by law for online stores, they are generally indispensable in practice. They regulate the details of the contract with the customer – from payment and delivery to liability and warranty. It is important that the GTCs are formulated clearly and comprehensibly. Particularly strict GTC legal requirements apply in the B2C sector, but there are also clear limits to the admissibility of GTC clauses in the B2B sector. The use of GTC that violate the legal requirements leads to the invalidity of the respective clause. Ineffective clauses also constitute an infringement of competition law, which can be prosecuted with cease and desist letters. <\/p>\n\n

Even seemingly harmless clauses can be problematic. For example, a severability clause, which provides that ineffective provisions are replaced by economically equivalent or analogous provisions, is inadmissible under German law. It is therefore advisable to have GTCs drawn up by experts and not to use third-party GTCs or sample texts that may not correspond to the current legal situation or may not be suitable for your own requirements. <\/p>\n\n

Legal risks in e-commerce<\/h2>\n\n

Nahezu jeder Onlineh\u00e4ndler kennt und f\u00fcrchtet sie: Abmahnungen. Schon kleine Rechtsverst\u00f6\u00dfe – etwa ein fehlendes Impressum, eine fehlerhafte Widerrufsbelehrung oder unzul\u00e4ssige Klauseln in den Allgemeinen Gesch\u00e4ftsbedingungen – k\u00f6nnen Konkurrenten oder Verbraucherschutzverb\u00e4nde auf den Plan rufen. Meist hat dies dann kostenpflichtige Abmahnungen wegen Verst\u00f6\u00dfen gegen das Wettbewerbsrecht<\/a>, in denen der H\u00e4ndler zur Unterlassung aufgefordert wird, zur Folge.<\/p>\n\n

Frequent reasons for warnings in e-commerce are<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n