For this discussion forum, please read about the case Lim v. The.TV Corporation International below and respond to the following Should the UCC rules governing auctions apply to items sold on online auctions such as e-Bay? Why or why not?
Under the Uniform Commercial Code, or UCC (see Chapter 18), a bid at an auction constitutes an offer. The offer (the highest bid) is accepted when the auctioneer's hammer falls. The UCC also states that auctions are "with reserve" unless the seller specifies otherwise. As noted elsewhere, in an auction with reserve, the seller reserves the right not to sell the goods to the highest bidder. Hence, even after the hammer falls, the contract for sale remains conditioned on the seller's approval. The question of how these rules should be applied to an online auction of a domain name, in which no hammer falls, came before a California court.