Guides: International and Foreign Cyberspace Law Research Guide: EU Digital Single Market

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The EU's Digital Single Market

The European Union's Digital Single Market Strategy consists of a series of initiatives intended to promote e-commerce and the digital economy through the harmonization of national laws and the development of uniform technical standards to facilitate interoperability. For a brief overview of the Digital Single Market (DSM), download this factsheet. For additional information, visit the European Commission's website.

EU Legislation on the Digital Single Market

Listed below are some of the key pieces of EU legislation related to the Digital Single Market that have been enacted to date. Visit the European Commission's website to view public consultation materials on proposed DSM legislation.

Directive on e-Commerce
Directive on the Harmonization of Copyright
Directive on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights
Regulation on the Enforcement of Consumer Protection Laws
Directive on Services in the Internal Market
Directive on Consumer Rights
Regulation on Consumer Online Dispute Resolution
Regulation on e-ID & Trust Services for Electronic Transactions
Directive on Electronic Payments

Explanatory Notes on EU Legislation

For those unfamiliar with the different types of EU legislation, the following definitions are provided:

A Regulation is a binding legislative act of general application that must be complied with upon entry into force by each member state. It supersedes any conflicting national laws.
A Directive is binding legislative act of general application that establishes a goal or objective. Member states must enact legislation to implement a directive by a specified date, a process known as "transposition."

EU Case Law

EU courts are generating a growing body of case law involving legislation related to the Digital Single Market. To search by keyword for EU case law, use the EUR-Lex database and select "EU Case Law" from the menu at the top of the homepage. Searchable databases of EU case law also are available on Lexis and Westlaw.

Secondary Sources on the EU's Digital Single Market

Copyright in the EU Digital Single Market
Call Number: KJE2655 .M39 2013
This report by the Centre for European Policy Studies offers specific policy recommendations for the reform of copyright laws in furtherance of the EU's Digital Single Market.
EU Regulation of E-Commerce: A Commentary
Call Number: KJE2045 .E97 2017 Electronic
This book offers article-by-article analysis and commentary on EU legislation related to e-commerce and the Single Digital Market. It also provides detailed summaries of relevant case law from the European Court of Justice and decisions issued by the European Commission.
European Contract Law and the Digital Single Market
Call Number: KJE1640 .E972 2016
This collection of essays analyzes the impact of digital technology on European contract law, taking into account recent EU initiatives on the use personal information as a tradeable commodity, the protection of consumers' and users' rights in contracts for the supply of digital content, the cross-border portability of online content services, and issues related to the emergence of the so-called platform economy.
Law of Electronic Commercial Transactions: Contemporary issues in the EU, the U.S. and China
Call Number: INTL K1005 .W35 2014
This book compares the legislative and regulatory frameworks for e-commerce in the US, the EU, and China, focusing on the legal challenges posed by the growth in cross-border transactions and cloud-based services. It also emphasizes the need to modernize and harmonize laws at the national, regional, and international levels to keep pace with technological innovations.
Regulation of Cloud Services under U.S. and EU Antitrust, Competition and Privacy Laws
Call Number: K564.C6 H644 2017
The author analyzes the challenges in applying current antitrust and privacy laws in the EU and the US to cloud-based computing services. She concludes that lawmakers can achieve more balanced outcomes by better understanding the technology that underlies cloud-based services.

International and Foreign Cyberspace Law Research Guide