{"id":3321,"date":"2019-01-09T11:32:33","date_gmt":"2019-01-09T03:32:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/zegal.com\/?p=3321"},"modified":"2023-01-18T13:32:50","modified_gmt":"2023-01-18T05:32:50","slug":"essential-legal-considerations-online-marketplaces","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zegal.com\/en-nz\/blog\/post\/essential-legal-considerations-online-marketplaces\/","title":{"rendered":"Top 3 Legal Considerations for Online Marketplaces"},"content":{"rendered":"

Are you an \u201conline marketplace\u201d? Online marketplaces are all the rage lately, with every startup aiming to be the next <\/span>unicorn<\/span><\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Online<\/a><\/p>\n

Online marketplaces serve as a platform for the buying and selling of a third-party vendor\u2019s goods. In other words, online marketplaces merely facilitate transactions and, most of the time, do not own any goods or services themselves. This means that legal considerations for online marketplaces can differ from that of a regular business.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are a few fundamental issues you must consider for your online marketplace:<\/span><\/p>\n

<\/span>1. Your role in the marketplace<\/b><\/span><\/h2>\n

How involved are you in the transactions that occur in your marketplace? <\/span><\/p>\n

\"AirBnB<\/p>\n

AirBnB\u2019s Terms of Service<\/span><\/a><\/span>, for example, states clearly that they are no party to agreements that are entered into between hosts and guests. This helps limit the scope of acts or omissions that you may be liable for.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is important to make clear that you are merely providing an<\/span> introductory service <\/b>to the parties that transact via your marketplace. As such, you have to make clear what role(s) you play and how that helps make transactions possible. You should think about:<\/span><\/p>\n