Abstract:
Internet is a driving force of the contemporary economy because it creates opportunities for development
and internationalization of the companies. Intensive development of web technologies, gradual improvement
of ITC connections and growth of new media for accessing the Internet can be witnessed in the present
context. This attracts a growing number of Internet users. Technologies like electronic communication have
changed the structure and profile of businesses and promoted the development of e-commerce. E-commerce
is regulated by a number of laws defining rules of running the business and norms for protecting customers
using e-commerce. This study investigates the basic laws and their scope, which determine the operation of
businesses in the e-commerce market. The findings suggest that the state needs to support the development
of the e-commerce through mechanisms like latest directives and through mitigating attempts to abuse the
competitive position on the market. Further the companies on the Polish e-commerce market use the Internet
as an additional sales channel. Moreover it was observed that the Polish e-commerce is moving from
the phase of rapid growth to maturity phase. Underdevelopment of e-government services, limited impact
of strategic documents on interoperability on business activity, delays in dissemination of functional and
cost-effective technological solutions, possible breach of privacy can be identified as some of the bottlenecks
in the Polish e-commerce industry.
