Following the European Parliament approval vote on 9 February, the so-called Barroso II Commission begun its term of office. Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso presented his new college of commissioners for the next five years, saying that it was "a perfect blend of experience and new thinking". On the policy side, eBay welcomes the Commission President\'s commitment to promote an EU Digital Agenda and the digital single market as pillars or European competitiveness.

Last fall, eBay Main Street conducted an essay competition asking contestants: how a law or other government regulation has impacted their eBay business - or how enactment of a proposed law could impact their business in the future. The prize? A free trip for four to Washington, D.C., including a private tour of the U.S. Capitol building.

eBay buyers and sellers are driving Internet commerce across the globe, including Southeast Asia. Steven Liew, senior director and legal counsel for eBay Asia Pacific Government Relations, recently sat down with Thailand’s Make Money magazine to talk about the state of e-commerce during challenging economic times.  In addition, they discussed how eBay is combating the sale of stolen and counterfeit goods online and why eBay’s global platforms are so important to Thai businesses and individuals.

This week, The European Commission adopted new rules governing selective distribution, including protections against unnecessary online sales restrictions. eBay has worked hard for our members to ensure favorable e-commerce legislation. With this latest passage, the e-commerce world takes a major step forward.  The new rules safeguard against the misuse of selective distribution, especially for everyday products, and include new measures that foster greater transparency.

In April 2009, PayPal and Bill Me Later purchased software licenses from EverFi, a Web-based platform that teaches and certifies students in the core concepts of financial literacy, for use by students in San Jose, Calif. and Baltimore County, Md.

Ann Whitley Wood, an eBay Platinum Power Seller, responds to an article in the Dallas Morning News about the potential harms caused by Internet taxes on small businesses.  Ms. Wood writes:

Today is Tax Day 2010.  We thought it would be the perfect day to get an update on the Internet sales tax issue from eBay\'s Brian Bieron, Senior Director, Federal Government Relations and Global Public Policy.  Below is the transcript of that interview:

The new PayPal iPhone application has been downloaded One Million times in only three weeks. The new PayPal application has a lot of new features including allowing users to "Bump" payments, spilt the check and of course send money, all from their phone. Click here to read the article from the PayPal Blog and Click Here to get the app for yourself.

Government Agencies all over the US have been adopting PayPal as a way to accept payments and save money. Click here to read about one county doing just that, and Click here to find out more information for your county. 

The U.S. Second Circuit Court of Appeal’s ruled that eBay is meeting its responsibilities in fighting counterfeiting under trademark law. This decision affirmed a lower court\'s ruling in favor of eBay. Michael R. Jacobson, eBay general counsel, was quoted, saying: