A Key Case in Platform-to-Seller Relations
We were recently tasked with translating from French into English a judgment of the Tribunal de commerce de Paris against a major global e-commerce player, specialized in logistics services and online intermediation.
The case concerned the contractual balance in the relationship between the platform and third-party sellers using its services. The court mainly addressed the issue of déséquilibre significatif (significant imbalance) created by certain contractual clauses to the detriment of sellers.
⚖️ A Structuring Decision for Marketplace Practices
The company offered standard-form contracts (contrats types) to its sellers within its online marketplaces (places de marché). The tribunal examined whether certain clauses—such as:
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unilateral modification of contractual terms,
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suspension or termination without justification,
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handling of customer disputes,
were likely to create a déséquilibre significatif dans les droits et obligations des parties (significant imbalance in the rights and obligations of the parties).
After deliberating (après délibéré), the tribunal issued a detailed 50-page judgment, ordering the modification of several clauses and imposing a substantial civil fine.
📋 A Translation Requiring High Contractual Precision
This translation demanded great terminological accuracy in:
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contract law (droit des contrats),
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commercial law (droit commercial),
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competition law applied to the digital economy (droit de la concurrence appliqué à l’économie numérique).
The challenge lay in faithfully rendering the French judge’s reasoning into English for foreign lawyers and compliance teams.
📌 Contextual Translations from This Project
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après délibéré → after deliberating
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objet du litige → subject of the dispute
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places de marché organisées sur des sites internet → internet marketplaces
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services d’intermédiation en ligne → online intermediation services
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rémunérées à la commission → that charge commissions
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intermédiaire entre des vendeurs et acheteurs → intermediary between sellers and buyers
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grand avantage concurrentiel → significant competitive advantage
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risque de fausser le jeu de la concurrence → risk of distorting competition
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déséquilibre significatif dans les droits et obligations des parties → significant imbalance in the rights and obligations of the parties
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clauses significativement déséquilibrées → significantly imbalanced clauses
