Advocacy Group Fights eBay Ban on Class Action Lawsuits
By Kenneth Corbin
EcommerceBytes.com
October 05, 2012

Alarmed at what it sees as a significant rollback of the rights of eBay users, a public-interest group plans to launch a campaign on Friday to encourage buyers and sellers to opt out of a new provision in the company's user agreement waiving their ability to join in any class-action litigation against the ecommerce giant in the event of a dispute, EcommerceBytes has learned.

The campaign, led by Public Citizen, aims to shine a spotlight on the implications of the arbitration clause, which stipulates that users must submit a written notice in the mail opting to retain their right to civil litigation as a member of a class. Those notices must be postmarked by Nov. 9.

Users who do not submit opt-out notices will be prohibited from pursuing claims against eBay in civil court as a member of a class, leaving their only recourse arbitration or individual action.

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