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While the court's decision could have huge ramifications for current state motor vehicle laws, it could also decide whether auto manufacturers will face resistance throughout the United States. Joseph Marino, an analyst for Sterling, Virginia-based Current Analysis, told the E-Commerce Times that no matter how the court rules, automakers like Ford will not be eliminating dealers anytime soon. "Old habits won't change, because there are no incentives or dynamics to change them," Marino explained. "People still need to see a car before they buy it." Meanwhile, Texas officials contend that Ford breached state regulations when it decided 18 months ago to sell used cars directly to consumers through www.fordpreowned.com, its used car Web site. Ford trucks and cars with expired leases are listed for sale on the site. Dealers Handled Sale However, Ford claims that it did not violate Texas regulations, because it sent cars directly to a local dealer to close deals. Once the sale was consummated, Ford then paid the participating dealer a percentage of the purchase price of the vehicle sold. Still, the Texas Motor Vehicle Division maintains that even though the local dealer got a piece of the action, Ford was acting as a car dealer by soliciting consumers via the Internet. Dealers Told To Stop Ford sent a letter to its dealers in November, informing them that participating in the online program was illegal. Dealers were told to stop immediately or face a possible penalty of as much as $10,000 (US$) per day. Ford has shut down the site, but is seeking an injunction in the U.S. district court in Austin to overturn the agency's edict. According to Automotive News, Ford's request is scheduled for a January 6th hearing. Earlier this year, a Texas law designed to keep manufacturers out of the retail car business forced Ford to nix a plan it had to consolidate dealerships in the Fort Worth area. While the court's decision could have huge ramifications for current state motor vehicle laws, it could also decide whether auto manufacturers will face resistance throughout the United States.

While e-commerce is turning white hot and dot-com IPOs continue to soar out of the box, cooler heads like Yale School of Management's Jeffrey E. Garten are taking it all in with a note of caution ...

In an effort to beef up its online customer service offerings, Kana Communications, Inc. announced yesterday that it will pay $230 million (US$) in stock to acquire Business Evolution, Inc. and NetDialog, Inc ...

Depending on whom you talk with, at what hour of the day, you'll get a different picture about the '99 holiday sales season and the future of e-commerce in general ...

Sun Microsystems, Inc. and AOL subsidiary Netscape announced today that they are joining forces with three top U.S. banks to create a new online bill-paying service ...

In what some observers see as an ominous sign for Microsoft, the Justice Department announced last week that it has hired a veteran Wall Street investment banker as an advisor in its antitrust case against the software giant ...

AT&T Corp. has reached an agreement that will eventually allow rival online services to use its cable lines to provide high-speed Internet access ...

AT&T Corp. has reached an agreement that will eventually allow rival online services to use its cable lines to provide high-speed Internet access ...

In what some observers see as an ominous sign for Microsoft, the Justice Department announced last week that it has hired a veteran Wall Street investment banker as an advisor in its antitrust case against the software giant ...

It has been eight months since toy giant Mattel, Inc. put on a dog and pony show for stock analysts, touting ambitious plans to storm cyberspace ...

Number one UK Internet service provider Freeserve PLC announced plans yesterday to develop mobile Internet services with BT Cellnet, a mobile network owned by British Telecommunications PLC ...

Amazon.com announced today that a U.S. federal district judge has granted a preliminary injunction against barnesandnoble.com in a patent battle between the rival online book sellers ...

According to a new report by Forrester Research, Inc., pressure from consumer advocates will force lawmakers to pursue a privacy bill of rights in 12 to 18 months ...

Online music company Launch Media, Inc. has inked a deal with EMI Recorded Music to showcase EMI's vast inventory of music videos ...

If the negative things that Circuit City Stores, Inc. has been saying about e-tailers are any indication, the giant brick-and-mortar electronics chain must really be feeling the pressure from online merchants this holiday season ...

Leading online PC retailer Dell Computer Corp. unveiled its new Webpc product today, a computer that is designed to allow users to access the Web with a minimum of installation and configuration hassles ...

The whole world will be watching today as lawyers for Microsoft Corp. and the government resume talks with a federal appeals judge in Chicago, Illinois ...

Spanish-language e-tailer Espanol.com announced today that it is making bilingual customer service available to its users in time for the holiday season ...

By all accounts, e-tailers are poised to experience the first of many monster holiday seasons and sell more goods and services online than anyone would have ever thought possible ...

According to a new study by Benchmarking Partners, a majority of leaders of consumer and industrial market companies believe that e-commerce is critical to their ongoing success but do not have funded strategies or a decision maker in place ...