My brother's keeper the genesis and ethical basis of consumer law (notes from a Maltese perspective)

Abstract

Consumer law may be loosely described as the various laws and regulations which through private and public law mechanisms provide some safeguards to ordinary consumers in their daily transactions and relationships with traders. Consumer protection legislation seeks to prevent the abuse and exploitation of consumers, viewed as the weaker party in the business transaction. This objective necessarily implies that consumer legislation also regulates certain aspects of business practices and commercial conduct. It guards against unjustified enrichment through unacceptable and unfair trading practices. Directly or indirectly, consumer legislation establishes minimum standards of conduct which business operators have to respect in their relationship with their customers.