Electronic Commerce Laws In India

Electronic commerce is the buzz word these days. Many national and international players are exploring e-commerce field. While e-commerce is well known and widely used in western countries, it is still at the infancy stage in India. Further, we have no dedicated electronic commerce laws in India.

E-commerce regulations and laws in India can be found under the information technology act (IT Act 2000) that is the cyber law of India. It prescribes basic level legal requirements for undertaking e-commerce in India. However, besides the IT Act, 2000 we have no dedicated e-commerce laws in India.

So what does techno legal experts of India think about e-commerce environment and regulatory aspects of the same? According to Praveen Dalal, managing partner of New Delhi based ICT law firm Perry4Law and leading techno legal expert of Asia, E-Commerce in India requires compliance with various Statutory Laws of India. The chief among them are the Cyber Law of India, Indian Contract Act, Privacy and Data Protection Regulations, Cyber Security Regulations, Foreign Investments Regulations, etc.

Although E-Commerce in India has great potentials yet Legal Aspects of E-Commerce in India must be taken care of before launching an E-Commerce Project or Website, suggests Praveen Dalal.

With growing establishment of e-commerce websites and platforms in India, disputes are also bound to arise. E-commerce lawyers and law firms in India have been suggesting active use of information technology for e-commerce dispute resolution in India. For instance, online dispute resolution (ODR) in India can be used for resolving transborder e-commerce disputes. Similarly, e-courts and ODR in India can also be used for resolving various e-commerce related disputes in India.

Perry4Law and Perry4Law Techno Legal Base (PTLB) have been providing the exclusive techno legal ODR services in India for resolving e-commerce and various technology related dispute resolutions in India.

Keeping in mind the future and growth of e-commerce in India, it would be a good idea to formulate a dedicated e-commerce law for India. It may cover all the abovementioned aspects to make it holistic and comprehensive.