Sara Raquel Jorge Nogueira Silva

This course is available on the LLM (extended part-time), LLM (full-time), MSc in Law and Finance and University of Pennsylvania Law School LLM Visiting Students. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit. This course uses controlled access as part of the course selection process. For information on controlled access courses, including eligibility, application processes, deadlines, and departmental contact details, please refer to the Controlled Access Courses webpage.

How to apply: Priority will be given initially to LLM, MSc Regulation and MSc Law and Finance students on a first-come-first-served allocation.

Spaces permitting, requests from all other students will be processed on the same first-come-first-served allocation from 10am on Thursday 1 October 2026

By submitting an application, students are confirming that they meet any pre-requisites specified. Providing an additional written statement will not aid a student's chances of being accepted onto a course, and statements are not read.

Deadline for application: Not applicable

For queries contact: Law.llm@lse.ac.uk

This course has a limited number of places and demand is typically high. This may mean that you’re not able to get a place on this course.

This course provides a comprehensive and practice-oriented exploration of the legal framework governing e-commerce, with a strong emphasis on real-world application through the use of case studies. It is designed to equip students with the knowledge and analytical skills needed to advise e-commerce businesses operating in complex, cross-border digital environments.

The course begins by introducing the foundational elements of e-commerce, including electronic contracting, and the challenges of determining jurisdiction and applicable law in online transactions. It then moves into critical regulatory areas such as consumer protection, data protection, and the trade in data, examining how businesses navigate legal obligations under EU and other relevant international frameworks.

A central focus of the course is understanding how legal issues shape and constrain e-commerce business models. Through case-based learning, students will analyse how companies respond to challenges such as ensuring fair terms of service, managing cross-border data flows, protecting intellectual property, and maintaining compliance with evolving regulatory regimes. The course also explores enforcement mechanisms and platform responsibilities in the digital marketplace.

This is a rapidly evolving field, and each year students are encouraged to engage with the latest developments shaping and challenging e-commerce. For the 2025–2026 cohort, particular attention was given to emerging issues, including the growing role of agentic AI in transforming online marketplaces. Students critically assessed how autonomous consumer agents and AI-driven systems are reshaping commercial interactions and raising new legal and strategic considerations for e-commerce businesses. Students in the 2026–2027 cohort will be offered the same opportunity to explore cutting-edge developments in this area.

The final part of the course addresses the technological infrastructure underpinning e-commerce, including cloud computing and cybersecurity. Students will evaluate contractual practices, regulatory frameworks, and the practical implications of ensuring digital resilience.

Overall, the course adopts a problem-solving approach, using case studies throughout to bridge theory and practice. By the end of the course, students will be well-prepared to advise e-commerce businesses on key legal issues, including electronic contracting, jurisdiction and applicable law, consumer protection, data governance, intellectual property, and the regulatory challenges posed by emerging technologies such as agentic AI.

I look forward to our discussions!

Sara

20 hours of seminars in the Winter Term.

This course has a reading week in Week 6 of Winter Term.

Students will complete a practical drafting exercise, preparing Terms of Service (T&S) tailored to a specific e-commerce business model (maximum 2,000 words). The submission must include one annex outlining the student’s drafting plan and a working bibliography supporting their approach. All students are expected to complete this formative assessment, along with a series of seminar-based practical exercises.

Murray: Information Technology Law: The Law and Society 5ed (OUP, 2023)
Chris Reed & Andrew Murray, Rethinking the Jurisprudence of Cyberspace (Edward Elgar, November 2018)

Lodder & Andrew Murray (eds) EU Regulation of E-Commerce: A Commentary 2ed (Edward Elgar, 2022)

Millard: Cloud Computing Law (OUP, 2021).
 

Exam (100%), duration: 150 Minutes in the Spring exam period.