The Call for papers can be downloaded here or read in the viewer at the bottom of this page.

OPEN CALL FOR PAPERS

The JLMI welcomes submissions on any of its areas of interest (for details,  see https://www.ojs.unito.it/index.php/JLMI/about).

THEMATIC CALL FOR PAPERS

Contracts of Adhesion and the Platform Economy

This thematic call concerns the third Issue of Volume 3. It is to be published at the end of November 2024 on Contracts of Adhesion and the Platform Economy . The Call invites contributions that explore the legal regime of contracts of adhesion (standard contracts terms in the European Union legal terminology) in the platform economy.

From a European Union law perspective, the recent 30th anniversary of the Council Directive 93/13/EEC on unfair terms in consumer contracts (UCTD) justifies an inquiry into whether statutory regulations on unfair contract terms such as the UCTD are suitable as a regulatory framework applicable to transactions in the digital environment shaped by platform operators. Further, the EU Platform to Business Regulation 2019/1150 (the P2B) addresses issues of fairness in relation to contracts of adhesion between platform operators and business users, providing an interesting extension of the EU regulatory framework regarding contractual fairness with a specific focus on the platform economy. A related question is what regulatory measures should be applied to strike a sound balance between encouraging healthy innovation and ensuring a safe digital transactional environment for all classes of users contracting with platform operators.

Specific topics within the general theme include but are not limited to:

• Regional, international and global approaches toward regulating contracts of adhesion with digital platforms’ operators – comparisons of both regulatory strategies and statutory/judicial developments
• Sector-specific regulation of online products and services versus ‘general’ consumer law EU style – normative and empirical justifications and efficacy
• Private ordering in the platform economy – normative assessment and empirical evaluations of benefits and harms for parties involved
• The function of competition law in regulating contracts of adhesion in the platform economy

The list of topics is merely illustrative and by no means exhaustive. We are soliciting submissions from scholars, policymakers, consumer advocates, legal practitioners, industry professionals from different sectors, and researchers.

The authors are invited to address questions and issues arising from the specific area of law relating to their topic. All types of legal approaches will be considered for publication. However, please note that any analysis solely limited to a national legal system will fall outside the scope of the Journal. An international, supranational or transnational legal dimension is imperative. The Board of Editors will select articles based on the quality of research and writing, diversity, and relevance of topic. The novelty of the academic contribution is also an essential requirement.

Prospective articles should be submitted in the form of abstracts (around 800 words) or draft articles (see below) to submissions.jlmi@iuse.it by 7 March 2024. Perspective authors will be notified by 15 March 2024.

Final articles shall be delivered by 10 June 2024 and should conform to the journal style guide that is based on OSCOLA (link here; short version here). It is the Authors’ responsibility to carefully align their paper to OSCOLA’s criteria. Also, each accepted Author must guarantee English proof reading of their paper. Typically, the JLMI accepts contributions within the range of 10,000 to 15,000 words, including footnotes, but both shorter and longer articles will be considered. Pre-selected articles will be subject to single-blind peer review. For further information, or for consultation on a potential submission, you can contact us by email at editors.jlmi@iuse.it