Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Introduction

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Consumer Benchmarks in the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive

Part of the book series: Studies in European Economic Law and Regulation ((SEELR,volume 5))

  • 1198 Accesses

Abstract

This chapter introduces the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and the consumer benchmarks in the Directive. It presents the aim and the research question of the book, its general research design and structure as well as the method and scope of each part of the book.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 39.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Hardcover Book
USD 54.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    See also paragraph 2.2 of this book.

  2. 2.

    See Article 1 Directive.

  3. 3.

    This is not one of the formal goals as mentioned in Article 1 of the Directive, but it does follow from the Directive’s Preamble (e.g. Recital 8) and the EC Guidance to the Directive (SEC (2009) 1666, p. 6). See also paragraphs 2.3 and 11.4 of this book.

  4. 4.

    See also J Kabel, Rechter en publieksopvattingen: feit, fictie of ervaring? (Inaugural lecture University of Amsterdam) (Amsterdam, Vossiuspers UvA, 2006) 6.

  5. 5.

    See also S Niemöller, Das Verbraucherleitbild in der deutschen und europäischen Rechtsprechung (Munich, Beck, 1999) 5–6.

  6. 6.

    See also S Weatherill, ‘Who is the average consumer?’, in S Weatherill and U Bernitz (eds), The regulation of unfair commercial practices under EC Directive 2005/29 (Oxford, Hart, 2007) 115.

  7. 7.

    See also paragraph 2.4 of this book.

  8. 8.

    See also G Howells, H Micklitz and T Wilhelmsson, European fair trading law; the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2006) 5–6 and 111–112.

  9. 9.

    Formerly known as the European Court of Justice (ECJ). Throughout this book, the Court will be referred to as the CJEU.

  10. 10.

    CJEU 16 July 1998, Case C-210/96, ECR 1998, p. I-4657 ( Gut Springenheide). See also paragraph 3.2.8 of this book.

  11. 11.

    See also Chap. 2 of this book.

  12. 12.

    Article 5(2) Directive.

  13. 13.

    Article 5(3) Directive.

  14. 14.

    See, for example T Wilhelmsson, ‘The informed consumer v the vulnerable consumer in European unfair commercial practices law—a comment’, in G Howells et al (eds), The yearbook of consumer law 2007 (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2007) 217.

  15. 15.

    See, for example, G Howells, H Micklitz and T Wilhelmsson, European fair trading law; the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2006) 248–249, J Kabel, Rechter en publieksopvattingen: feit, fictie of ervaring? (Inaugural lecture University of Amsterdam) (Amsterdam, Vossiuspers UvA, 2006) 5, T Wilhelmsson, ‘The informed consumer v the vulnerable consumer in European unfair commercial practices law—a comment’, in G Howells et al (eds), The yearbook of consumer law 2007 (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2007) 219 and R Incardona and C Poncibò, ‘The average consumer, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, and the cognitive revolution’ (2007) Journal of consumer policy 21–38.

  16. 16.

    It is important to note that the focus is on the consumer benchmarks in the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and in the national legislation implementing the Directive. In particular, this means that the use of the consumer benchmarks in other areas of law are only discussed to the extent that it is relevant for the application of the benchmarks in unfair commercial practices law. It also means that the focus is on the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive and not on consumer law in general. Some short remarks on the possibility of broader application of the Directive’s consumer benchmarks are made in the epilogue of this book, see paragraph 12.4.

  17. 17.

    Important in this context is that the Directive fully harmonises national unfair commercial practices laws, see also paragraph 2.2 of this book.

  18. 18.

    See also paragraph 11.3.

  19. 19.

    This is especially important because of the limited number of cases in which the CJEU applies the consumer benchmarks, and because the CJEU generally limits itself to giving general guidelines to their application rather than applying the benchmarks to the facts of the case.

  20. 20.

    See also the more elaborate discussion on the Directive’s goals in Chap. 11 of this book.

  21. 21.

    SEC (2009) 1666.

  22. 22.

    See on the selection of cases also paragraph 3.1 of this book.

  23. 23.

    See on this approach M Oderkerk, ‘The CFR and the method(s) of comparative legal research’ (2007) European review of contract law 328 and L Constantinesco, Rechtsvergleichung (Band II): die rechtsvergleichende Methode (Köln, Heymann, 1972) 75.

  24. 24.

    For the purpose of this research, reference to English law includes the territory of Wales, but not Scotland and Northern Ireland. Some of the laws discussed are, however, also applicable in those territories.

  25. 25.

    See for comparative overviews A Hucke, Erforderlichkeit einer Harmonisierung des Wettbewerbsrecht in Europa (Baden-Baden, Nomos, 2001) and T Lettl, Der lauterkeitsrechtliche Schutz vor irreführender Werbung in Europa (Munich, Beck, 2004).

  26. 26.

    See, for example, G Howells, H Micklitz and T Wilhelmsson, European fair trading law; the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2006) 5 and N Reich and H Micklitz, Europäisches Verbraucherrecht (Baden-Baden, Nomos, 2003) 297. The discussion in Germany on the type of consumer to be taken as a standard in the determination of unfair advertising was in fact the cause of the introduction of the notion of the average consumer.

  27. 27.

    See, for example, G Schricker, ‘Die Bekämpfung der irreführenden Werbung in dem Mitgliedstaaten der EG’ (1990) GRUR Int. 118–119, T Lettl, ‘Der lauterkeitsrechtliche Schutz vor irreführender Werbung in Europa’ (2004) GRUR Int. 90, G Howells, H Micklitz and T Wilhelmsson, European fair trading law; the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2006) 5–6 and C van Dam, ‘De gemiddelde euroconsument – een pluriform fenomeen’ (2009) Tijdschrift voor Europees en economisch recht 10. See also I Ramsay, Consumer law and policy (Oxford, Hart, 2012) 136.

  28. 28.

    G Schricker, Italien (Munich, Beck, 1965) 204. See also T Lettl, Der lauterkeitsrechtliche Schutz vor irreführender Werbung in Europa (Munich, Beck, 2004) 242–243 and A Hucke, Erforderlichkeit einer Harmonisierung des Wettbewerbsrecht in Europa (Baden-Baden, Nomos, 2001) 329–331.

  29. 29.

    In this sense German law was particularly indispensable due to the ongoing discussion in both academic literature and case law on the issue of consumer benchmarks. At a more practical level, these legal systems were also selected for accessibility in terms of the author’s language ability.

  30. 30.

    Unlike in Germany and Italy, travaux préparatoires are in principle excluded as a source of law in English law. However, they can provide insight into how the law will be applied and into how the new law is expected to bring a change compared to prior law.

  31. 31.

    See the introductory paragraphs of Chaps. 5, 6 and 7 of this book.

  32. 32.

    See on different approaches in consumer behaviour also J Peter and J Olson, Consumer behavior & marketing strategy (9th international edition) (Boston, McGraw-Hill, 2010) 9–10.

References

  • Constantinesco, L, Rechtsvergleichung (Band II): die rechtsvergleichende Methode (Köln, Heymann, 1972).

    Google Scholar 

  • Howells, G, Micklitz, H and Wilhelmsson, T, European fair trading law; the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2006).

    Google Scholar 

  • Hucke, A, Erforderlichkeit einer Harmonisierung des Wettbewerbsrecht in Europa (Baden-Baden, Nomos, 2001).

    Google Scholar 

  • Incardona, R, and Poncibò, C, ‘The average consumer, the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive, and the cognitive revolution’ (2007) Journal of consumer policy 21.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kabel, J, Rechter en publieksopvattingen: feit, fictie of ervaring? (Inaugural lecture University of Amsterdam) (Amsterdam, Vossiuspers UvA, 2006).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lettl, T, Der lauterkeitsrechtliche Schutz vor irreführender Werbung in Europa (Munich, Beck, 2004).

    Google Scholar 

  • Lettl, T, ‘Der lauterkeitsrechtliche Schutz vor irreführender Werbung in Europa’ (2004) GRUR Int. 85.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niemöller, S, Das Verbraucherleitbild in der deutschen und europäischen Rechtsprechung (Munich, Beck, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  • Oderkerk, M, ‘The CFR and the method(s) of comparative legal research’ (2007) European review of contract law 315.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ramsay, I, Consumer law and policy (Oxford, Hart, 2012).

    Google Scholar 

  • Reich, N and Micklitz, H, Europäisches Verbraucherrecht (Baden-Baden, Nomos, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  • Schricker, G, Italien, (Munich, Beck, 1965).

    Google Scholar 

  • Schricker, G, ‘Die Bekämpfung der irreführenden Werbung in dem Mitgliedstaaten der EG’ (1990) GRUR Int. 112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weatherill, S, ‘Who is the average consumer?’, in S Weatherill and U Bernitz (eds), The regulation of unfair commercial practices under EC Directive 2005/29 (Oxford, Hart, 2007) 115–138.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilhelmsson, T, ‘The informed consumer v the vulnerable consumer in European unfair commercial practices law—a comment’, in Howells, G et al (eds), The yearbook of consumer law 2007 (Aldershot, Ashgate, 2007).

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hoogenraad & Haak advertising + IP advocaten / University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

    Bram B. Duivenvoorde

Authors
  1. Bram B. Duivenvoorde
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Bram B. Duivenvoorde .

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2015 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Duivenvoorde, B. (2015). Introduction. In: The Consumer Benchmarks in the Unfair Commercial Practices Directive. Studies in European Economic Law and Regulation, vol 5. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-13924-1_1

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation