English version:

RELEVANT JURISPRUDENTIAL CRITERIA REGARDING THE CONSENT OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR E-COMMERCE TRANSACTIONS.

The First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation in Mexico, has adjudicated that the mere publication of the purchase and delivery policies within a section of a vendor’s digital platform does not suffice to establish that a consumer has manifested consent to said policies upon executing an online transaction.

Now, as per the complete analysis of the final sentencing through which said judicial criterion was developed, the First Chamber evaluates aspects of contracts, including: (A) consent as a constitutive element of contractual validity, (B) asymmetries inherent in juridical relationships between consumers and service providers, and (C) the requisite legibility and visibility of terms and conditions within adhesion contracts. The First Chamber bases its reasoning primarily on the following:

• Constitutive Elements of Contractual Validity: Pursuant to Article 1794 of the Federal Civil Code, the existence of a contract requires mutual consent of the contracting parties. The determination of such consent requires two acceptance acts in order to consummate the contract: (i) an offer directed to a specific party, encapsulating the essential elements of the proposed contractual arrangement, and (ii) the acceptance thereof. In the absence of acceptance, the response shall be rendered as a counteroffer, which may be either express or implied. The constitutive elements of a contract are thus delineated as consent and a lawful object.

• Asymmetries in Consumer-Service Provider Relationships: The inherent disparities between the consumer and the service provider dynamics frequently arise from the organizational sophistication of the provider holds against the consumer’s typical lack of comparable organization and expertise. In such regard, Article 28 of the Mexican Constitution protects consumer rights as a fundamental entitlement and therefore the asymmetries in consumer transactions must be mitigated by granting consumers with legal protections and mechanisms to balance their organizational capacity and safeguard their interests against potential disadvantages.

• Legibility and Visibility of Contractual Terms in Adhesion Contracts: The Supreme Court’s First Chamber has stipulated that, for a contract to be deemed perfected, the consenting party must have had a reasonable opportunity to comprehend the content and implications of the contractual obligations, as mandated by Article 1796, Federal Civil Code. Furthermore, pursuant to Article 85 of the Federal Consumer Protection Law, adhesion contracts must contain terms that are legible, implying that the consumer must have immediate and clear access to the contractual provisions. The latter, since the term “legible,” as defined by the Royal Spanish Academy, it establishes “readability” as one of the core elements of said definition.

Consequently, the First Chamber concluded that the mere publication of purchase and delivery policies on a vendor’s digital platform does not fulfill the vendor’s obligation to inform the consumer clearly and unequivocally of the terms and conditions governing the service provision. To establish consumer consent to such policies, it must be demonstrably certain that, at the time of the transaction, the consumer had direct and perceptible access to the relevant policies.

It is further noted that the First Chamber acknowledged the utility of adhesion contracts for enhancing transactional efficiency, reducing costs, and streamlining interactions between consumers and service providers. While such contractual mechanisms are indispensable for fostering an agile and efficient marketplace, the Supreme Court emphasized the necessity of implementing measures to ensure that consumer rights are adequately protected, thereby counterbalancing the inherent inequalities between contracting parties and safeguarding the integrity of both commercial transactions and the parties thereto.

This jurisprudential thesis was promulgated on July 4, 2025, in the Federal Judicial Weekly under digital registration number 2030673.

For further inquiries or legal counsel concerning e-commerce transactions, please direct correspondence to admin@gplaw.mx

Versión en español:

CRITERIO RELEVANTE SOBRE EL CONSENTIMIENTO DE LAS POLÍTICAS DE COMPRA Y ENTREGA EN COMPRAS POR INTERNET.

La Primera Sala de la Suprema Corte de Justicia de la Nación determinó que la sola publicación de las políticas de compra y entrega en alguna sección de la página de internet del vendedor no resulta suficiente para considerar que el consumidor expresó su conformidad con ellas al realizar una compra por internet.

Ahora bien, en la ejecutoria de la que se deriva este criterio, la Primera Sala estudia diversos aspectos de los contratos, como son los siguientes (A) el consentimiento como elemento de existencia, (B) las asimetrías en las relaciones jurídicas entre consumidores y prestadores de servicios, y (C) el elemento de la legibilidad y visibilidad de los términos y condiciones de los contratos de adhesión. Dicho lo anterior, la Primera Sala basó su justificación primordialmente en lo siguiente:

• Elementos de existencia de los contratos: Debe de existir el consentimiento de los contratantes para determinar la existencia del contrato, conforme al artículo 1794 del Código Civil Federal, y para determinar el consentimiento se requiere de dos emisiones de voluntad sucesivas para perfeccionarse: (i) una oferta dirigida a una persona determinada, con los elementos esenciales del contrato que se propone celebrar, y (ii) una aceptación lisa y llana, ya que en caso contrario, la aceptación hace las veces de una contraoferta, la cual podrá ser expresa o tácita.

• Relación entre consumidores y prestadores de servicios: La desventaja que presentan las partes en una relación de consumidor-prestador de servicio, suelen ser por factores relativos a la organización del prestador en contraste con la falta de organización y conocimiento con la que el consumidor generalmente actúa. Por lo cual, el Artículo 28 Constitucional consagra a los derechos del consumidor como un derecho fundamental, y se pretende contrarrestar las asimetrías que puedan presentarse entre las partes involucradas en las relaciones de consumo de bienes y servicios, dando al consumidor los medios y la protección legal necesarias para propiciar su organización y procurar el mejor cuidado de sus intereses ante posibles situaciones de desventaja a las que puedan enfrentarse.

• Legibilidad y visibilidad de los términos y condiciones al momento de la compra: La Primera Sala estableció que para estimar que se perfeccionó el contrato, es necesario que quien lo expresa haya estado en posibilidad de conocer el contenido y alcance de las obligaciones contractuales, en términos del diverso artículo 1796 del Código Civil Federal. Lo anterior, aunado a que dentro de los requisitos de validez de los contratos de adhesión conforme al artículo 85 de la Ley Federal de Protección al Consumidor, su contenido deberá ser legible a simple vista, lo que supone que el consumidor debe tener a la vista el contenido de dicho contrato. Lo anterior, ya que, de acuerdo con el Diccionario de la Real Academia Española de la Lengua, una de las acepciones del término “legible”, es que sea “leíble”.

Por lo anterior, concluyó la Primera Sala que, el solo hecho de que las referidas políticas de compra estén publicadas en la página de internet, no satisface la obligación del proveedor hacia el consumidor de informarle de manera clara y precisa el contenido y las condiciones de la prestación del servicio. Por lo que, se deberá entender que para llegar a considerar que el consumidor consintió las políticas de compra publicadas en la página de internet del vendedor, es necesario tener certeza de que al momento de realizar la compra, estuvo en posibilidad de tener a la vista dichas políticas.

Cabe recalcar que, la Primera Sala además reconoció que los contratos de adhesión existen para la eficiencia, reducción de costos y simplificación de procesos y transacciones entre los consumidores y los prestadores de servicios. Dicho lo anterior, se reconoce que las herramientas legales como los contratos de adhesión, son necesarios para promover un mercado ágil y eficiente; sin embargo, se deberán implementar las medidas necesarias para que, manteniendo dicha agilidad, sean tutelados los derechos del consumidor para generar un contrapeso en la desigualdad entre las partes, y así, proteger tanto al comercio, como a las partes que lo conforman.

La tesis de jurisprudencia fue publicada el pasado 04 de julio de 2025 en el Semanario Judicial de la Federación bajo el registro digital 2030673.

Para cualquier duda o asistencia legal al respecto a las compras por internet, por favor contactar a admin@gplaw.mx

English version:

RELEVANT JURISPRUDENTIAL CRITERIA REGARDING THE CONSENT OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS FOR E-COMMERCE TRANSACTIONS.

The First Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation in Mexico, has adjudicated that the mere publication of the purchase and delivery policies within a section of a vendor’s digital platform does not suffice to establish that a consumer has manifested consent to said policies upon executing an online transaction.

Now, as per the complete analysis of the final sentencing through which said judicial criterion was developed, the First Chamber evaluates aspects of contracts, including: (A) consent as a constitutive element of contractual validity, (B) asymmetries inherent in juridical relationships between consumers and service providers, and (C) the requisite legibility and visibility of terms and conditions within adhesion contracts. The First Chamber bases its reasoning primarily on the following:

• Constitutive Elements of Contractual Validity: Pursuant to Article 1794 of the Federal Civil Code, the existence of a contract requires mutual consent of the contracting parties. The determination of such consent requires two acceptance acts in order to consummate the contract: (i) an offer directed to a specific party, encapsulating the essential elements of the proposed contractual arrangement, and (ii) the acceptance thereof. In the absence of acceptance, the response shall be rendered as a counteroffer, which may be either express or implied. The constitutive elements of a contract are thus delineated as consent and a lawful object.

• Asymmetries in Consumer-Service Provider Relationships: The inherent disparities between the consumer and the service provider dynamics frequently arise from the organizational sophistication of the provider holds against the consumer’s typical lack of comparable organization and expertise. In such regard, Article 28 of the Mexican Constitution protects consumer rights as a fundamental entitlement and therefore the asymmetries in consumer transactions must be mitigated by granting consumers with legal protections and mechanisms to balance their organizational capacity and safeguard their interests against potential disadvantages.

• Legibility and Visibility of Contractual Terms in Adhesion Contracts: The Supreme Court’s First Chamber has stipulated that, for a contract to be deemed perfected, the consenting party must have had a reasonable opportunity to comprehend the content and implications of the contractual obligations, as mandated by Article 1796, Federal Civil Code. Furthermore, pursuant to Article 85 of the Federal Consumer Protection Law, adhesion contracts must contain terms that are legible, implying that the consumer must have immediate and clear access to the contractual provisions. The latter, since the term “legible,” as defined by the Royal Spanish Academy, it establishes “readability” as one of the core elements of said definition.

Consequently, the First Chamber concluded that the mere publication of purchase and delivery policies on a vendor’s digital platform does not fulfill the vendor’s obligation to inform the consumer clearly and unequivocally of the terms and conditions governing the service provision. To establish consumer consent to such policies, it must be demonstrably certain that, at the time of the transaction, the consumer had direct and perceptible access to the relevant policies.

It is further noted that the First Chamber acknowledged the utility of adhesion contracts for enhancing transactional efficiency, reducing costs, and streamlining interactions between consumers and service providers. While such contractual mechanisms are indispensable for fostering an agile and efficient marketplace, the Supreme Court emphasized the necessity of implementing measures to ensure that consumer rights are adequately protected, thereby counterbalancing the inherent inequalities between contracting parties and safeguarding the integrity of both commercial transactions and the parties thereto.

This jurisprudential thesis was promulgated on July 4, 2025, in the Federal Judicial Weekly under digital registration number 2030673.

For further inquiries or legal counsel concerning e-commerce transactions, please direct correspondence to admin@gplaw.mx