Published Paper Details:

The growth of a globally interconnected society that is accessible for use and manipulation at the click of a button is a fact that is well-known and debated in common parlance. This progress in networking through the use of cyberspace, a platform where the boundaries are fluid and exist virtually, has continued to attract the attention of legal scholars and lawmakers alike. While the advantages are countless, the associated exposure to an entirely new category of crime, "cybercrime", and anti-competitive market practices by businesses that float through these mediums cannot be ignored. The abuse of dominance is predated by the two-step formula used alike by every major online corporation, whereby they first and foremost, acquire a large audience that relies on the services provided by them. Second, these internet-based corporations figure out how to profit from the clientele by justifying breaking the customary laws of business and exploiting loopholes or just defying the law, all of which typically serve as the source of unparalleled growth. This study primarily attempts to scrutinize the functioning of e-commerce retail websites by analyzing how through the control of the internet, sometimes by a sizable portion of the marketplace or the inventions, an unfair advantage is being gained by particular businesses at the cost of the customers as well as other competitors. The paper makes use of a multi-disciplinary approach where the operations of e-commerce platforms are analyzed by looking into the provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000 in addition to laws regulating competition in the market. The application of anti-trust and other IT law regulations is becoming increasingly complicated as innovations are made every passing second. Therefore, the speed with which the legislative process works, the increasing susceptibility of consumers to fall prey to cyber frauds and search engine biases that redirect them to websites that already enjoy a competitively advantageous position.