Freedom of contract: prerequisites for development in the conditions of digitalization of the economy

Анотація

Digital technologies influenced the development of civil-law relations in the field of trade, financial, educational, consulting services, entertainment, etc., leading to the emergence of remote forms of offer and acceptance. The development of "business on the network" initiated the practice of applying the principle of freedom of contract by participants in civil-law relations in this renewed capacity. The acquired experience needs to be studied and understood in order to take into account in the legislation the needs of participants in civil-law relations in the world of Internet technologies. The purpose of the paper is to study the prerequisites for the development of the principle of freedom of contract in the digitalized economy. Based on the research materials, it was determined that the main prerequisites for the development of the principle of freedom of contract in the conditions of digitalization of the economy are: 1) increasing the availability of goods, works and services that are ordered (provided) through network technologies; 2) individualization of the provisions of the public offer by e-commerce entities in order to achieve more favorable conditions; 3) provision of timely and complete information to the counterparty before accepting the offer. The results of research into the activities of e-commerce entities show that there is a widespread practice of individualizing essential conditions for categories of unregistered users, which differ based on the frequency of visits to the entity's website, their geolocation, or other technological parameters. Considering the fact that the subjects act on the basis of a public offer (public contract), this practice contradicts the requirements of civil legislation. However, taking into account the requirements of reasonableness and justice, which are the basis of the principle of freedom of contract, we consider it appropriate to consider such a practice (if such an entity operate in a competitive market) as appropriate. We consider it justified to place on the side of the contract developer of the public offer an additional duty to assist the other party in conscious participation in contractual relations. Such an obligation as a legal means of ensuring freedom of will is necessary to ensure the good faith of counterparties in the digital economy.

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