French Auction Watchdog Takes EBay to Court
Published December 5th, 2007
France’s auction watchdog is taking eBay to court, arguing the Internet auctioneer does not do enough to protect consumers.
The regulatory authority, called the Council of Sales, said Monday that eBay’s French site should be held to the same standards as France’s auction houses, which need a special permit from authorities, partly to ensure consumers are protected.
In a statement, eBay’s French branch, eBay.fr, said the legal action was “totally unjust.” The French site has argued for years that it should not be subject to the same regulations as France’s auctioneers.
eBay.fr says it is merely an intermediary, not a traditional auction house, because customers put objects up for sale themselves, and because the site is not involved in negotiating contracts or in delivery and payment.
“eBay has invented a new way of buying and selling, which has been adopted by 10 million French people, and which is not at all the same as that of auction houses,” it said.
The Council of Sales, whose members are state-appointed, said it was not trying to crack down on online auctions.
eBay “has been an extraordinary success, which we recognize,” said Ariane Chausson, the Council’s spokeswoman. “We recommend that all auctioneers do sales on the Internet, because it’s a fabulous tool.”
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