Business Law

Consumer law

The last decades have seen an increasing number of regulations aiming at framing the practices of professionals towards consumers. Consumer law has thus become an essential field of law that economic actors must inevitably take into account in their commercial thinking and strategies relating to B to C relationships. 

Consumer law is a complex field of law and the rules applicable depending on the mode of sale (off-premises, e-commerce, etc.) or the sector concerned (alcoholic beverages, financial or credit services, food sector, etc.) are numerous and often difficult to grasp. The firm assists its clients to better understand and apply these rules in a way that is both pragmatic and in line with the reality of their operational constraints. 

The firm advises large digital companies as well as start-ups or scale-ups. More specifically, these companies may be matchmaking platforms, car manufacturers, wine and liquors distributors or fashion companies.

The Consumer Law team is led by Jean-Philippe Arroyo, Martine Karsenty-Ricard and Béatrice Moreau-Margotin. Jean-Philippe Arroyo is a member of the Executive Committee of the French Association for the Study of Competition (AFEC) and of the International Distribution Institute (IDI). The firm is a member of the International League of Competition Law (LIDC). 

The firm's Consumer Law team is recognized in numerous rankings for its expertise.

Ranking Décideurs magazine 2022 :

Advertising law and marketing – Highly Recommended
Internet – Recommended
IT, software & digital projects – Highly Recommended
Data protection law – Highly Recommended

Legal works in this area

  • Implementation of pre-contractual and contractual consumer information documentation (order/delivery notes, warranty booklets, product labeling, GTCs in BtoB and GTCs in BtoC, right of withdrawal, consumer credit, distance/off-premises sales)
  • Advertising and sales promotion (promotional operations, drafting and review of games rules, contests and lotteries, price advertising, comparative advertising, sales with a bonus, sponsorship, price reduction announcements, sales, Evin law)
  • Advice on after-sales relations (product recalls, after-sales service, legal guarantee of conformity, guarantee for hidden defects, liability for defective products, commercial guarantee, etc.)
  • Litigation in the area of after-sales relationships (litigation on the legal guarantee of conformity, guarantee of hidden defects, liability for defective products, commercial guarantee, etc.)
  • Assistance and representation before the DGCCRF and the courts regarding consumer practices (consumer credit, unfair and deceptive commercial practices, unfair terms, etc.)

Track records

  • Bringing the e-commerce website of a French subsidiary of an Italian fashion company into compliance with applicable French regulations.
  • Representation of a major American tech company in a dispute relating to allegedly unfair terms in consumer contracts.
  • Assistance of French companies in the wine and food industries in the context of investigations conducted by the DGCCRF (French consumer protection agency) regarding unfair and deceptive commercial practices.
  • Support and representation of a French company in a dispute concerning advertising for a consumer credit service.
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