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keyboard_tab REGIS - Reg. Intermediation Services 2019/1150 EN

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2019/1150 EN cercato: 'meaning' . Output generated live by software developed by IusOnDemand srl
 

Article 2

Definitions

For the purposes of this Regulation, the following definitions apply:

(1)

‘business user’ means any private individual acting in a commercial or professional capacity who, or any legal person which, through online_intermediation_services offers goods or services to consumers for purposes relating to its trade, business, craft or profession;

(2)

‘online intermediation services’ means services which meet all of the following requirements:

(a)

they constitute information society services within the meaning of point (b) of Article 1(1) of Directive (EU) 2015/1535 of the European Parliament and of the Council (12);

(b)

they allow business_users to offer goods or services to consumers, with a view to facilitating the initiating of direct transactions between those business_users and consumers, irrespective of where those transactions are ultimately concluded;

(c)

they are provided to business_users on the basis of contractual relationships between the provider of those services and business_users which offer goods or services to consumers;

(3)

‘provider of online_intermediation_services’ means any natural or legal person which provides, or which offers to provide, online_intermediation_services to business_users;

(4)

‘consumer’ means any natural person who is acting for purposes which are outside this person’s trade, business, craft or profession;

(5)

‘online search engine’ means a digital service that allows users to input queries in order to perform searches of, in principle, all websites, or all websites in a particular language, on the basis of a query on any subject in the form of a keyword, voice request, phrase or other input, and returns results in any format in which information related to the requested content can be found;

(6)

‘provider of online_search_engine’ means any natural or legal person which provides, or which offers to provide, online_search_engines to consumers;

(7)

‘corporate website user’ means any natural or legal person which uses an online interface, meaning any software, including a website or a part thereof and applications, including mobile applications, to offer goods or services to consumers for purposes relating to its trade, business, craft or profession;

(8)

‘ranking’ means the relative prominence given to the goods or services offered through online_intermediation_services, or the relevance given to search results by online_search_engines, as presented, organised or communicated by the providers of online_intermediation_services or by providers of online_search_engines, respectively, irrespective of the technological means used for such presentation, organisation or communication;

(9)

‘control’ means ownership of, or the ability to exercise decisive influence over, an undertaking, within the meaning of Article 3(2) of Council Regulation (EC) No 139/2004 (13);

(10)

‘terms and conditions’ means all terms_and_conditions or specifications, irrespective of their name or form, which govern the contractual relationship between the provider of online_intermediation_services and its business_users and are unilaterally determined by the provider of online_intermediation_services, that unilateral determination being evaluated on the basis of an overall assessment, for which the relative size of the parties concerned, the fact that a negotiation took place, or that certain provisions thereof might have been subject to such a negotiation and determined together by the relevant provider and business_user is not, in itself, decisive;

(11)

‘ancillary goods and services’ means goods and services offered to the consumer prior to the completion of a transaction initiated on the online_intermediation_services in addition to and complementary to the primary good or service offered by the business_user through the online_intermediation_services;

(12)

‘mediation’ means any structured process as defined in point (a) of Article 3 of Directive 2008/52/EC;

(13)

‘durable medium’ means any instrument which enables business_users to store information addressed personally to them in a way accessible for future reference and for a period of time adequate for the purposes of the information and allows the unchanged reproduction of the information stored.

Article 11

Internal complaint-handling system

1.   Providers of online_intermediation_services shall provide for an internal system for handling the complaints of business_users.

That internal complaint-handling system shall be easily accessible and free of charge for business_users and shall ensure handling within a reasonable time frame. It shall be based on the principles of transparency and equal treatment applied to equivalent situations, and treating complaints in a manner which is proportionate to their importance and complexity. It shall allow business_users to lodge complaints directly with the provider concerned regarding any of the following issues:

(a)

alleged non-compliance by that provider with any obligations laid down in this Regulation which affects the business_user lodging the complaint (‘the complainant’);

(b)

technological issues which relate directly to the provision of online_intermediation_services, and which affect the complainant;

(c)

measures taken by, or behaviour of, that provider which relate directly to the provision of the online_intermediation_services, and which affect the complainant.

2.   As part of their internal complaint-handling system, providers of online_intermediation_services shall:

(a)

duly consider complaints lodged and the follow-up which they may need to give to the complaint in order to adequately address the issue raised;

(b)

process complaints swiftly and effectively, taking into account the importance and complexity of the issue raised;

(c)

communicate to the complainant the outcome of the internal complaint-handling process, in an individualised manner and drafted in plain and intelligible language.

3.   Providers of online_intermediation_services shall provide in their terms_and_conditions all relevant information relating to the access to and functioning of their internal complaint-handling system.

4.   Providers of online_intermediation_services shall establish and make easily available to the public information on the functioning and effectiveness of their internal complaint-handling system. They shall verify the information at least annually and where significant changes are needed, they shall update that information.

That information shall include the total number of complaints lodged, the main types of complaints, the average time period needed to process the complaints and aggregated information regarding the outcome of the complaints.

5.   The provisions of this Article shall not apply to providers of online_intermediation_services that are small enterprises within the meaning of the Annex to Recommendation 2003/361/EC.

Article 12

Mediation

1.   Providers of online_intermediation_services shall identify in their terms_and_conditions two or more mediators with which they are willing to engage to attempt to reach an agreement with business_users on the settlement, out of court, of any disputes between the provider and the business_user arising in relation to the provision of the online_intermediation_services concerned, including complaints that could not be resolved by means of the internal complaint-handling system referred to in Article 11.

Providers of online_intermediation_services may only identify mediators providing their mediation services from a location outside the Union where it is ensured that the business_users concerned are not effectively deprived of the benefit of any legal safeguards laid down in Union law or the law of the Member States as a consequence of the mediators providing those services from outside the Union.

2.   The mediators referred to in paragraph 1 shall meet the following requirements:

(a)

they are impartial and independent;

(b)

their mediation services are affordable for business_users of the online_intermediation_services concerned;

(c)

they are capable of providing their mediation services in the language of the terms_and_conditions which govern the contractual relationship between the provider of online_intermediation_services and the business_user concerned;

(d)

they are easily accessible either physically in the place of establishment or residence of the business_user, or remotely using communication technologies;

(e)

they are capable of providing their mediation services without undue delay;

(f)

they have a sufficient understanding of general business-to-business commercial relations, allowing them to contribute effectively to the attempt to settle the disputes.

3.   Notwithstanding the voluntary nature of mediation, providers of online_intermediation_services and business_users shall engage in good faith throughout any mediation attempts conducted pursuant to this Article.

4.   Providers of online_intermediation_services shall bear a reasonable proportion of the total costs of mediation in each individual case. A reasonable proportion of those total costs shall be determined, on the basis of a suggestion by the mediator, by taking into account all relevant elements of the case at hand, in particular the relative merits of the claims of the parties to the dispute, the conduct of the parties, as well as the size and financial strength of the parties relative to one another.

5.   Any attempt to reach an agreement through mediation on the settlement of a dispute in accordance with this Article shall not affect the rights of the providers of online_intermediation_services and of the business_users concerned to initiate judicial proceedings at any time before, during or after the mediation process.

6.   If requested by a business_user, before entering into or during mediation, the provider of online_intermediation_services shall make available, to the business_user, information on the functioning and effectiveness of mediation related to its activities.

7.   The obligation set out in paragraph 1 shall not apply to providers of online_intermediation_services that are small enterprises within the meaning of the Annex to Recommendation 2003/361/EC.


whereas









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