Research On The Civil Liability Of Group Buying Website Operators

As a new type of online transaction mode,online group purchase has quickly spread among Chinese consumers by virtue of its unique business model,large price concessions,perfect service system and convenient consumption experience,especially popular among young consumers such as "students" and "office workers".This novel consumption model of online group purchase has greatly stimulated consumers' purchase potential,enabled a wide variety of goods and services to be displayed and sold to consumers on online platforms,reduced the time and capital cost spent by merchants in the traditional business model,increased market activity,and brought benefits and convenience to both the buyer and the seller.Compared with the traditional commodity trading mode,the most significant difference of online group purchase lies in online website trading.Group purchase website operators play an important role in the whole transaction process,such as gathering consumers,promoting goods and services,and guaranteeing the normal market trade and capital transaction.When the rights and interests are damaged,the parties in trade often get into the dilemma of right relief because they are not sure about the legal subject status of group purchase website operators and what civil liability they should bear.Upon the promulgation of the E-Commerce Law of the People's Republic of China(hereinafter referred to as the "E-Commerce Law"),by studying the civil liability of group purchase website operators and combining with the provisions of current legislation on civil liability,this study sorted out the civil legal status and civil liability of group purchase website operators,thus facilitating merchants,consumers and third party rights subjects to clearly identify the civil liability subjects and the civil compensation claims to be claimed and resolving the legal disputes caused by online group purchase in a timely manner.