Article 1 of the Saudi E-Commerce Law

This Article is the dictionary of the Law; it explains the meaning of the words that recur in its other Articles, and all later provisions are understood through it unless the context requires another meaning.

The main things it sets out:

• E-commerce: an economic activity carried out by the service provider and the consumer by electronic means, wholly or partly, to sell products or provide services, or to advertise or exchange data about them. It is enough that part of the dealing takes place electronically.
• Merchant: a person who engages in e-commerce and is registered in the commercial register, while a practitioner is one who engages in it without being registered in the commercial register. Both are called a service provider, so the Law is not limited to registered companies and establishments.
• Consumer: any natural or legal person who deals in e-commerce to obtain the service provider's products or services.
• E-store: any electronic platform that allows the service provider to display or sell a product, provide a service, or advertise it.
• Contract: the agreement concluded electronically between the parties to e-commerce.
• Electronic communication: any statement, notice, request or offer that the parties to the contract exchange electronically during negotiation or performance.
• Electronic advertisement: any electronic promotion by the service provider aimed at encouraging sales or the provision of the service, directly or indirectly.
• E-store authentication bodies: bodies licensed by the Ministry to authenticate e-stores.

The Article also defines the Ministry and the Minister as the Ministry of Commerce and Investment and its minister, and defines the electronic means broadly to include any communications and information technology. Article 2 uses these terms to determine who the Law applies to: the service provider inside the Kingdom, the practitioner outside it who offers products or services inside it, and the consumer.