To agree or not to agree: Legal issues in online contracting

E-commerce for merchants and consumers is more than just establishing or visiting an attractive Web site to conduct business over the Internet. For companies and consumers alike, conducting business in cyberspace entails not only the traditional risks of sales and contracting, but also a new set of risks related to the electronic environment. For entities of all sizes, important components of those risks involve legal issues: jurisdiction, contract formation, contract validity, contract changes and errors, authentication and attribution, message integrity, and non-repudiation. Becoming familiar with these issues can help avoid costly disputes in e-business.