Minimum information to be provided
Service providers, whether involved in e-commerce or not, should provide the following minimum information, which must be easily, directly and permanently accessible:
- the name of the service provider must be given somewhere easily accessible on the site. This might differ from the trading name and any such difference should be explained e.g. "XYZ.com is the trading name of XYZ Enterprises Limited";
- the geographic address of the service provider must be given;
- the details of the service provider including his or her email address, so long as it allows rapid contact and direct and effective communication. The CJEU in Bundesverband v Deutsche Internet Versicherung (2008) confirmed that in order to be able to respond to consumers promptly, a company may need to provide other methods of communication beyond its postal and email address. A 'contact us' form without also providing an email address in not sufficient;
- details of a register, including any registration number, should be provided;
- if the business is a member of a trade or similar register available to the public, confirmation of that. For example, if a company, the company's registration number should be given;
- the particulars of the relevant supervisory authority if the services are subject to an authorisation scheme;
- details of any professional body or similar institution with which the service provider is registered, his or her professional title and the Member State where that title has been granted besides reference to the applicable professional rules where the service provider exercises a regulated profession;
- a VAT number, if a business has one should be stated even if the website is not being used for e-commerce transactions; and
- prices on the website must be clear and unambiguous and, in particular, state whether prices are inclusive of tax and delivery costs.