John A Rothchild (ed), Research Handbook on Electronic Commerce Law
| Published date | 01 May 2019 |
| Date | 01 May 2019 |
| Pages | 288-289 |
| DOI | 10.3366/elr.2019.0562 |
This is the first volume in the Elgar
The editorial description of the common thread in the works in the series is “the impact of information law on the world in which we live” and this ambitious statement of intended coverage is reflected in the overall structure and composition of the work. There are twenty-three chapters contained in fifteen sections which are in turn grouped into three parts. Twenty-eight contributing authors provide 597 pages of substantive text and they cover a wide range of topics related generally to e-commerce law. Many of the authors are from the United States of America and that understandably shapes and informs the content and focus of a number of the chapters. The book is not intended to be consumed as a single work and the breadth of coverage is such that an individual reader's engagement with the material provided is likely to vary in terms of interest and enthusiasm. That said, the breadth and diversity of the content is one of the attractions of this book as well as one of its weaknesses. There is likely to be something of interest for most who engage with the book but perhaps also some frustration at those issues which are not addressed. The less successful chapters, while still interesting, are shaped by and focussed on national issues which are primarily reflective of issues and concerns in one jurisdiction, while the more successful develop wider perspectives and make good use of both national and international examples to support and inform more widely focused analyses.
The structure of the book is a little curious. The editorial rightly starts with a discussion of what is meant by e-commerce. This is an entirely suitable and predictable starting point for any work on e-commerce as definitional issues are, and always have been, topical when any attempt is made to discuss whether this area of law can be considered to form a coherent body of law. The editorial discussion of definition and boundaries is interesting but all too brief and at least one or more substantive chapters could have been devoted to this discussion. The ordering of the three main parts of the book is unusual. Part one, “Engaging with Online Resources” deals with...
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