But in 2005, the EU introduced the Unfair Consumer Practices Directive, which was incorporated in British law in 2008.
The consumer rights directive, to be in place before the end of 2012, will require any "fees that exceed the cost borne by the trader" to be banned.
As laid out in EA's terms of sale, purchasers in the US are denied refunds outright, while customers in Europe are somewhat protected by an EU consumer rights directive, which gives consumers a 14-day cooling off period during which they can ask for a refund.
The EU consumer credit directive, due to be approved by MEPs tomorrow, will provide standardised information, including about annual percentage rates, for all borrowers to enable them to switch from a lender in their home country to one in any of the EU's 26 other countries, even if they cannot speak the language.
As governments around Europe grapple with the best way to implement the directive, consumers wanting more transparency on how advertisers are using their data are likely to be disappointed, thinks Mr Reid.
Negotiated after three years of lobbying battles involving music producers, publishes, broadcasters and consumer groups, the new directive would essentially extend existing copyrights in traditional media to those based on the Internet and computer technology.
But it's waiting until mid-2019 before issuing AI-related guidance on the interpretation of the EU's Product Liability Directive — leaving consumers without legal clarity in the case of defective products for at least another year.
We will be rendering a service to both economic operators and to consumers by adopting this directive.
This code mandates that "Every consumer may use an advance directive in accordance with the common law".
