In response to the increasing number of e-commerce-related complaints filed by consumers, a new division of the Civil Court called the Online Trade Division was established on 27 January 2022. Pursuant to the Announcement of the Court of Justice Management Committee published in the Thai Government Gazette on 20 December 2021, the Online Trade Division is intended to hear disputes involving "online trade cases". The key requirement is that, in order to constitute an online trade, the trade or service agreement must be made via an online platform.
Without appointing an attorney, consumers are able to file their own complaints using either an online court filing system or the standard procedure for complaint-filing in the Civil Court. There is no need to have full details of the defendant, with only the profile of the defendant on the platform (e.g. account/username) being sufficient. All proceedings will be conducted online, with paperless pleading, online hearings and e-signatures on pleadings available. The court's judgement may also be made in electronic form.
With this amendment, it is expected that the number of court cases relating to online trading will substantially increase.
