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Abstract
Every time you click “Add to cart,” scroll through a social media feed or stream a song or movie, you’re entering a maze of unseen legal rules. The digital marketplace isn’t just a tech marvel: it’s a legal battlefield, where trillion-dollar antitrust cases play out alongside the fine print you probably skip by not reading terms of service. In 2024 alone, Americans spent over $1 trillion online, as e-commerce now accounts for more than 16% of all U.S. retail sales. But that boom has triggered growing scrutiny, from lawsuits against Big Tech to new regulations reshaping how we shop, speak and share online. This chapter unpacks the biggest legal issues of online business: how courts handle accessibility, how influencers get fined for hidden ads and why your shopping cart now includes sales tax. Whether you’re a consumer, creator or entrepreneur, understanding these rules is key to navigating—and thriving in—the digital economy.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Digitalization
Law
and Regulation
Diverse Legal and Medical Studies
Intellectual Property Rights and Media
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Routledge eBooks
- Pages
- 205–231
- Publication date
- 6 February 2026
- Language
- EN
- Document type
- Book chapter