How Amazon Dodges Responsibility for Unsafe Products: The Case of the Hoverboard
The Wall Street Journal takes a look at a specific product liability case and puts it into context in the larger question of how Amazon and other internet companies try to avoid a legal burden when the products they sell malfunction, causing injury and damage.
The article by Alexandra Berzon tells the story of malfunctioning hoverboards that caused millions of dollars in damages when they burst into flames.
“The cases are testing a longtime argument made by Amazon and other internet companies, one that underpins the modern tech industry,” she writes. “We are just operating a platform that connects buyers and sellers, the argument goes. It’s up to the sellers who use our site to make sure that they meet proper safety standards.”
