Résumé
The advent of digital technology led to the rise of a new so-called sharing economy which is, nevertheless, an extension of old practices. Initiatives allowing people to find solutions that reflect their needs, such as travelling, accommodating, eating, within a community of individuals, are not new. All areas of daily living can be subject to collaborative practices. But because such practices are coordinated by digital platforms, they are taking on an unprecedented scale. Thanks to this sector anyone can offer goods or services online, through an advertisement placed on a platform. This legal model is, as such, based on a tripartite contractual relationship between a digital operator, the platform, a private individual provider and a buyer of these goods or services. Growing exponentially in different activity sectors, these platforms challenge the traditional direct relationships between suppliers and end users therefore raising new legal issues. The legislator intervened by developing a tailor-made legal regime for certain collaborative practices. Thus, instead of writing a new law dedicated to the sharing economy, the legislator preferred adapting the existing laws to better fit the new requirements the sharing economy brought. But, even if the adaptation of the law is necessary to regulate some particularities of the platforms’ activities, the French common law already offers a wide variety of legal instruments.
Source: http://www.theses.fr/2022ASSA0017
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