E-Commerce Structures, Digital Marketplaces & Online Service Delivery
“Build Trustworthy, Compliant and Scalable Digital Commerce Experiences”
The digital economy thrives on seamless user journeys, secure transactions and transparent platform governance. Whether you are launching an e-commerce marketplace, developing a niche vertical platform, or scaling an online service ecosystem, your legal architecture must be clear, compliant and commercially sound.
We assist clients in designing the legal frameworks that underpin robust digital commerce, including Terms of Use, Privacy Policies, merchant onboarding agreements, platform rules, fulfilment frameworks and digital delivery models. Our work ensures that online platforms meet stringent Malaysian regulatory requirements, align with consumer protection laws and minimise operational and reputational risks.
Our Approach
Our approach blends deep IP and commercial-contracting experience with strong sector awareness across payments, logistics, digital services and supply-chain ecosystems, allowing us to draft and negotiate platform agreements that:
- Clearly define roles, rights and liabilities between platform operators, merchants and end-users
- Address consumer protection standards, refund policies and dispute mechanisms
- Govern user-generated content, seller conduct, product listing rules and takedown procedures
- Establish data collection, usage and sharing practices that comply with PDPA and industry standards
- Allocate risks through indemnities, warranties and limitation-of-liability clauses
- Ensure lawful handling of online payments, escrow functions and digital wallet integration
- Support the commercial scalability of marketplace platforms, including B2B, B2C, C2C and hybrid models
We work with start-ups, enterprises, digital service providers, research institutions and local authorities to build legally compliant, operationally viable and commercially competitive digital platforms.
Our Strengths & Capabilities
Legal Documentation for E-Commerce & Digital Marketplace Ecosystems
We prepare and negotiate the entire suite of agreements needed to build, launch and scale online platforms, including:
- Terms of Use, Platform Rules & User Policies
- Merchant/ Seller Onboarding Agreements
- Marketplace Participation Agreements
- Digital Content & User-Generated Content (UGC) Policies
- Privacy Policies, PDPA Notices & Data Handling Addenda
- Fulfilment, logistics and delivery agreements
- Payment integration, escrow and settlement agreements
- White-label and platform development contracts
- API and third-party platform integration agreements
- Advertising, listing and promotional services agreements
2. IP Ownership, Commercial Rights & Digital Asset Governance
We help digital platforms strengthen ownership and monetisation of their digital assets through:
- Structuring IP ownership for platform technology, UI/UX elements and content
- Licensing arrangements for digital services, plug-ins, APIs and modules
- Protection of proprietary workflows, algorithms, product-matching logic and data
- IP clauses for collaborations, co-development and industry partnerships
- Rights relating to user-generated content, brand use and marketplace listings
3. Compliance With Malaysian Digital, E-Commerce & Consumer Laws
We ensure that your digital platform meets the requirements of:
- PDPA 2010 & PDPA (Amendment) Act 2024
- Consumer Protection Act & Consumer Protection (Electronic Trade Transactions) Regulations
- Communications & Multimedia Act
- Contract Act & Electronic Commerce Act
- Advertising, marketing and product-safety regulations
- Industry-specific regulatory requirements for digital business models
Our contracts embed PDPA compliance, consumer rights, refund obligations, data retention, vendor conduct and regulatory expectations into platform workflows and policies.
4. Sector-Specific Experience
We have practical experience across:
- Marketplace platforms
- Payment and digital wallet solutions
- Industry-vertical e-commerce (e.g., herbal, agriculture, automotive, education)
- Mobile apps & digital service platforms
- Local authority licensing platforms
- Research institutions and government-linked entities
- Start-ups launching emerging digital business models
This allows us to tailor platform structures to both regulatory expectations and real-world user behaviour.
Our Experience
Below are selected highlights showcasing the breadth of our work in e-commerce structures, digital marketplaces and online service delivery:
- Digital Marketplace Development – Our lawyer advised a local research institution on a tripartite collaboration agreement to develop an e-commerce platform focused on optimising the herbal industry supply chain, including structuring platform governance, IP ownership, data flows and revenue-sharing mechanisms.
- User Terms & Platform Policies – Our lawyer drafted User Terms of Use for multiple digital platforms, covering payment functionality, merchant rules, user rights, account termination and data handling.
- Mobile App Terms & Privacy Policies – Our lawyer prepared comprehensive Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policies for mobile applications, addressing user behaviour, in-app interactions, data processing, PDPA compliance and platform restrictions.
- Marketplace Enforcement & Brand Protection – Our lawyer advised various institutions on addressing unauthorised trademark use on online marketplaces such as Shopee, including preparing enforcement notices and takedown requests to protect brand integrity.
Why Clients Choose Us
- Holistic understanding of digital platforms
We address the entire platform ecosystem, users, merchants, payment providers, logistic partners, regulators and IP owners.
- Strong integration of IP, PDPA, consumer protection and platform governance
Few firms combine technology contracts with IP management and marketplace regulatory compliance. - Contracts aligned with real platform operations
We consider UX flows, customer support issues, dispute handling, refund policies, shipping risks and platform escalation processes. - Experience with both platform operators and content/merchant side
We understand issues from all angles, including merchants, app developers, institutions and regulators. - Support for specialised and niche marketplaces
We are experienced with industry-vertical platforms requiring deeper supply-chain, IP or licensing considerations.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Yes. These documents form the legal backbone of your platform. They define user behaviour, platform rules, refund policies, liability, data collection practices and termination rights. Without them, platforms face legal exposure and operational uncertainty.
Common risks include:
- Liability for defective products sold by merchants
- Consumer complaints and refund obligations
- Unauthorised or misleading product listings
- PDPA breaches involving user data
- IP infringement by merchants or users
- Platform misuse or fraudulent accounts
We help structure policies and agreements that minimise these risks.
The Consumer Protection (Electronic Trade Transactions) Regulations require transparency in key areas, including seller identity, pricing, refund policy, turnaround time and complaint-handling channels. Non-compliance can lead to regulatory scrutiny and reputational risk.
Yes. Properly drafted Merchant Agreements and Platform Rules can grant the platform operator strong control over:
- approved product categories
- listing requirements
- prohibited content
- takedown and suspension rights
- penalties for non-compliance
Key elements include:
- Clear Terms of Use and merchant onboarding policies
- PDPA-compliant Privacy Policy and data-handling structure
- Refund, return and dispute processes
- IP ownership and licensing frameworks
- Robust liability, indemnity and warranty clauses
- Compliance with local trade and consumer regulations
- Agreements with payment providers, logistics partners and developers
Speak to us to structure the right legal foundation for your e-commerce platform or digital marketplace.