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Comment by mxfh | Hacker News Reader

Just look at how the EU consumer protection directives are working over here. You're simply not allowed to waive your guaranteed rights as a customer in some sort of EULA or TOS. And if you are forced to, the whole contract is void in it's entirety and you're free to walk away from it.

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Although bear in mind that class-action law suits, which are the focus of this article, are typically not a right you have in the EU in the first place (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_action#Class_actions_out...).

At least in Europe a court of law can judge their dispute.

One caveat you typically have with them, is that you forfeit your right to file a lawsuit for individual damages.

So I see hardly any advantage for the individual customer who got some individual issue of magnitude and is forced to choose between this or arbitration outside of the juidical system.

IANAL, but I don't think it's possible to forfeit your right to sue. Maybe under some conditions, but never in the generic way.

That would defeat the purpose, since it's usually not possible to go against EULA's or TOS. If you're forced to sign a contract the contract is void, but when a specific line in a contract (or similar) is not correct according to law, not the entire contract is void, just the lines which are wrong.

One can never be forced to sign a contract.

F.I, in the Netherlands it's often stated in rent agreements that pets are not allowed, but this is not permitted to be in the contract by a judge, since such statements are too generic and restrictive.

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