Selected issues of private international law and of contracts on the internet

The thesis deals with the rules governing questions of jurisdiction and choice of law on the Internet. First, European Union law will be presented followed by the law of England and that of Germany. Second, the law of the United States and that of the two Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec will be discussed.While business-to-business contracts will easily retain the biggest volume share of international trade, the number of international business-to-individuals contracts will increase manifold thanks to the Internet. It is therefore important to take into account what impact consumer protection rules have on the private international law of contracts on the Internet.In this paper, relevant law of North American and European jurisdictions will be examined with regards to issues of contract formation, choice of jurisdiction and choice of law. On the basis of the findings, the thesis will finish with some suggestions as to what commercial entities have to pay attention to when they want to sell on the Internet. (Abstract shortened by UMI.