Marvie Frando

4F

Intellectual Property and ECommerce Regulatory Challenges and Opportunities

On January 30, 2018, Professor Emeritus Doris Estelle Long of The John Marshall Law
School (Chicago) gave the students of San Beda College of Law an insightful lecture about
Intelectual Property and E-Commerce Regulations.

She discussed the Three Different Entities Which Operate in E-Commerce n The ISP
(service provider, network operator) that provides the interconnectivity:

1. The website operator that provides the business platform through which sellers
operate
2. The Individual Sellers (businesses) that offer their goods through the platform or on
their own websites

With the advent of e-commerce and the perverse evolution of technology, itgets harder
and harder for people to protect our security. Prof Long made us aware that the internet despite
opening window of opportunities, may also create a breach of security and privacy.

We have to remember that e-commerce has its advantages and disadvantages. But Before
we jump into the advantages and disadvantages of ecommerce, let’s take a look at exactly what it
is. E-commerce is the business of buying and selling products and services online. The first
ecommerce retailers to gain popularity in the digital age were Amazon and eBay.

The Advantages of Ecommerce

Here are some of the things you should take into consideration when deciding whether or not to
launch an ecommerce presence.

1. You’ll Reach More Customers

A major advantage of ecommerce is the potential to reach thousands of new customers daily.
Traditional brick and mortar businesses are limited to the customer base that lives or works in the
vicinity of the store, or those that pass through while traveling. However, if you start an online
retail presence, you’ll never again be limited by geography. Essentially, if you can promote your
shop online and people are interested in your products, anyone in the world could be your
customer, provided you are willing to ship to them.

In a survey of store owners with a retail website, nearly half stated that they noticed a
significant increase in customers after hitting the digital arena, and 64 percent said they had a
measurable increase in revenue.

2.You’re Literally Always Open

The ability to have customers complete orders 24 hours a day is invaluable. A potential customer
can roll over in bed at 4 AM, think of something they want to buy, search for it on your site, and
make the purchase instantly. And you, the small business owner, doesn’t have to pay for the
resources to physically keep a store open 24 hours a day.Thus far, adding an ecommerce website
to your already successful retail establishment probably sounds like a great idea.

But just as it is important to explore the advantages of ecommerce, it is also important to explore
the disadvantages as well.

1. Customers Have Concerns About Privacy and Security

Many consumers are still wary about giving out personal information — especially credit and
debit cards — to online sources. The fact is, instances of fraud has grown with the growth of the
ecommerce sector, so online stores have to have secure systems, encrypted payment software,
and other safeguards against online fraud. We’re not saying that you won’t get orders purely
because of security concerns. But it’s something to keep in mind.

Thus, we have to be careful and be wary of what site we are venturing into. Remember to think
before you click.