Japan: Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry published revised interpretative guidelines on electronic commerce and information property trading

On 12 February 2025, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) published the revised version of the interpretative guidelines on electronic commerce and information property trading. The guidelines aim to clarify how relevant laws are applied to various legal issues related to electronic commerce and information property trading while facilitating e-commerce transactions. It contains revisions pertaining to the legal interpretation of electronic transactions, digital platforms, and blockchain-based value transfer. Key updates include the applicability of website terms of use to standard contract terms and rules on modifying website terms after a contract is concluded. It also focuses on business regulations for platform operators regarding user transactions, the right to terminate contracts on digital platforms, and legal relations surrounding non-fungible tokens, and sections on copyrighted works in e-learning were removed.