FDI policy for e commerce, Consumer Protection (E Commerce) Rules, marketplace versus inventory model compliance, platform liability and digital commerce regulatory advisory.
Short, direct, on the record.
No. The FDI policy (Press Note 2 of 2018) prohibits FDI in inventory based e commerce. Foreign owned or controlled entities can only operate marketplace model e commerce platforms. The distinction between marketplace and inventory models is strictly enforced.
The CCPA issued Guidelines for Prevention and Regulation of Dark Patterns in 2023, identifying 13 prohibited dark patterns including false urgency, basket sneaking, confirm shaming, forced action, subscription traps, interface interference, bait and switch, drip pricing, disguised advertisement, nagging, trick question, saas billing and rogue malware.
E commerce entities must appoint a grievance officer (Indian resident), acknowledge complaints within 48 hours, resolve within one month, display contact details prominently and establish a consumer grievance redressal mechanism accessible through the platform.
Yes. All e commerce operators must register under GST regardless of turnover. Sellers on e commerce platforms must also register unless eligible for the composition scheme. TCS (Tax Collected at Source) obligations apply to the e commerce operator at 1% of net taxable supplies.
Share the business model, platform type and the compliance or regulatory need for a preliminary assessment.