Hi Friends,

Even as I launch this today ( my 80th Birthday ), I realize that there is yet so much to say and do. There is just no time to look back, no time to wonder,"Will anyone read these pages?"

With regards,
Hemen Parekh
27 June 2013

Now as I approach my 90th birthday ( 27 June 2023 ) , I invite you to visit my Digital Avatar ( www.hemenparekh.ai ) – and continue chatting with me , even when I am no more here physically

Friday, 10 February 2023

Law on Digital Markets = Law on E – Commerce ?

 


 

Context :

Government Sets Up Panel On Digital Competition Law  /  BQ Prime  / 06 Feb 2023

Extract :

The government has set up a panel on digital competition law to examine various regulatory aspects in dealing with challenges emerging from the digital economy. Chaired by corporate affairs secretary Manoj Govil, the panel will also examine the need for an ex-ante regulatory mechanism for digital markets through a separate legislation, according to an official order.

The panel has been set up less than two months after a Parliamentary panel proposed having a new digital competition law to curb anti-competitive practices in the digital markets. According to the order issued by the corporate affairs ministry on Monday, Competition Commission of India chairperson will be part of the panel apart from experts in different fields.

There will also be representatives from NITI Aayog, Department of Commerce, Department of Economic Affairs, Department of Consumer Affairs, Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade, and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The panel will review whether existing provisions in the Competition Act, 2022, and the rules and regulations framed thereunder are sufficient to deal with the challenges that have emerged from the digital economy.

Further, it will study the international best practices on regulation in the field of the digital markets as well as other regulatory regimes/ institutional mechanisms/government policies regarding competition in the digital markets.

 As per the order, the practices of leading players/ Systemically Important Digital Intermediaries which limit or have the potential to cuase harm in the digital markets will also be looked into by the committee

Other members of the committee are Nasscom co-Founder and Indian Angel Network chairman Saurabh Srivastava, Professor of Economics (Retd.) from Delhi School of Economics Aditya Bhattacharjea, Khaitan & Co's Haigreve Khaitan, IKDHVAJ Advisers LLP's Harsha Vardhana Singh, Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co.'s Pallavi Shardul Shroff, P&A Law Offices' Anand S Pathak, Axiom5 Law Chamber's Rahul Rai and a corporate affairs ministry's joint secretary.

As per the order, the panel's chairperson can co-opt any other person as a member/special invitee as and when required.


My  Take :

 

Ø  Missing the Woods for the Tree ? …………………………….[ 12 Aug 2016 ]

 

Extract :

Ø  It is no different when it comes to the Laws governing ECONOMY

 

 

            " E- Commerce and Foreign Direct Investment " are the " Special Theory


              of ECONOMY " , whereas

 

            " Commerce and Investment " are the " General Theory of ECONOMY "

 

 

Ø  And at this very moment , the Super-Ordinate Goal of our ECONOMY is :

 

 

#  Create millions of Self Employed ( 400 million to start with and 12 million


    per year , thereafter )

 

While debating the issues ,the Committee may want to keep in mind how following technologies will change the Commerce Landscape , within the next 2 years :

 

 

#  Everything ( Goods and Services ) will be marketed / sold online

 

 

#  No business / industry will , solely remain OFFLINE

 

 

#  When goods are not being delivered at your doorstep using Drones, your table-

    top 3D Printers will print out  all kinds of Consumables ( including Food ! ), by

    downloading Designs from internet . Houses will be 3D printed

    

 

 

#  Services of all kinds ( Patient-care / Health care / Psychological / Consulting /

    Coding / Remotely operating Devices and Machineries / Teaching / Curating /

   Controlling Riots etc ) , will be carried out ( hopefully, by Indians  if Committee

   takes the right , far-reaching decisions ), remotely from 10,000 Km away using

   Virtual Reality / Augmented Reality / Holographic Tele-presence / Hepatic gloves

   etc

 

     

#  Entire cycle of Designing / Manufacturing / Marketing / Selling / Order-taking /

   Delivering / After-sales Servicing  / Logistics / Collecting Payments / etc , will

   get spread so thinly across Countries / Continents / Companies / Individuals ,

   that it will become next to impossible to keep track of " WHO " is adding

   " WHAT " value to the process , and " WHEN " , and from " WHERE " !  No one

     will be able to unravel this GORDIAN KNOT !

    

       

#  Industrial Robots will play ever-increasing role at each step of this process ,

    connected through IoT

 

 

The best that the Committee can recommend is adoption of the following ,

Parekh's , " 3  Laws of E-Commerce Economy " - to be incorporated as 123rd

Constitutional Amendment

 

( with apologies to Isaac Asimov's 3 Laws of Robotics ! ) :

 

 

LAW  #  1 :

 

Asimov :

 

     A robot may not injure a human being or, through inaction, allow a human being to come to harm.

 

 

Parekh :

 

Rules / Regulations of E-Commerce shall not come in the way of unfettered

creation of SELF EMPLOYMENT

    

 Any existing Law / Rule / Regulation that hinders a person to become Self

Employed, shall be treated as ultravires

  

 

Further , any Law / Regulation of " E-Commerce / FDI " which slows down

Investment ( Foreign or Local / Official or through channeling of BLACK MONEY ),

shall be treated as " bad in law " and struck down

 

 

LAW  # 2

   

 Asimov :

 

     A robot must obey the orders given it by human beings, except where such

     orders would conflict with the First  Law.

      

 

 

      Parekh :

 

      Laws / Regulations governing " E-Commerce / FDI " shall be subservient to Laws

      / Regulations governing   " Commerce / Investment " .

   

     Whenever any Public Authority / Court finds conflict between the two , laws /

     regulations governing " Commerce/  Investments " , shall prevail under all

     circumstances , and in favor of the self employed

 

     

     LAW  #  3

 

     Asimov :   

 

     A robot must protect its own existence as long as such protection does not

     conflict with the First or Second Laws.

 

 

    Parekh :

 

   Laws / Regulations of " E-Commerce / FDI " which get over-ruled under LAW # 2 ,

    shall immediately " Self Destruct "

 

   in favor of unobstructed progress of TECHNOLOGIAL ADVANCES

 

 

 

 

     Before drafting its recommendations , the Committee may want to look up my

     specific suggestions at :

 

#     In defense of FDI in Defense

 

  
#     Start-Up Eco-Systems / USA vs INDIA

 

 

#     A NEW ECONOMIC ORDER ? aka " Start Up Act - 2015 " 

 

 

#      WHO WILL OBSOLETE WHOM ?  

 

 

#      In  Wonderland  of  Start Ups

 


#     Defining E - Commerce

 

      
#     FDI : By any other name ?
 

 

 

#     Making India a Tax Haven ? 

 

  
#     E - Commerce is Easy Commerce !
  

 

 

#      FDI in India Post ? 

 

 

#       50Million  New  Jobs in  5  Months ? 

 

 

#        Level  Playing Field  ? 

 

 

#        3D  Printed Office 

 

 

#        Rejoice, You  Self  Employed ! 

 

 

#       How  to stop  the  Start Ups ! 

 

 

#       Hire  when you  Need :  Fire when  you  don't 

 

 

#       Create  Self Employment 

 

 

#       Robots, Robots Everywhere , Not a Soul  to  See  !  

 

 

#       Age  of Automation  

 

 

#      Tech  World turning  Imagination  Real 

 

 

#      Second  Industrial Revolution 

 

 

#      Back  Factory of  the  World 

 

 

#     Competitive  Advantages are  Transient 

 

 

#      A  Virtuous Circle 

 

 

Dear Committee Members :

 

 

Please , overlook  the TREE   /   focus on the WOODS !

 

 

With Regards,

Hemen Parekh

www.hemenparekh.ai   /  11 Feb 2023

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