Amazon has been found liable in multiple court rulings for defects in products sold by third—party merchants in its marketplace. This as legislation is being reviewed in California which would place liability on e-commerce retailers that provide platforms for these goods. Of note, that legislation is supported by Amazon, assuming the law applies to competitors who do not warehouse and ship products sold by third parties. Full link in the show notes.
Why do we care?
This one is of note to me because of the nature of so many small businesses building on top of other’s capabilities, particularly with the acceleration of ecommerce.
Of note to me is that the trend within the court is to apply the same rules to e-commerce that are being applied to physical stores. It’s not necessarily groundbreaking to think this way, but Court precedent is not known for being fast moving. That’s the trend I care about, and I’m noting it here.
Think about that as you consider security too – as I keep observing, gangs of criminals are breaking into businesses and holding hostages, I expect to see the courts and the legislature start seeing physical and virtual alike. All of the signs point to that.
Source: The Washington Post