{
  "url": "https://openlegislation.uk/unfair-terms-in-consumer-contracts-regulations-1999/regulation-3",
  "json_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/unfair-terms-in-consumer-contracts-regulations-1999/regulation-3.json",
  "legislation": "uksi/1999/2083",
  "legislation_title": "The Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations 1999",
  "legislation_url": "https://openlegislation.uk/unfair-terms-in-consumer-contracts-regulations-1999",
  "path": "regulation/3",
  "kind": "regulation",
  "number": "3",
  "heading": "Interpretation",
  "text": "(1) In these Regulations–\n“the CMA” means the Competition and Markets Authority;\n“the Community” means the European Community;\n“complaint” means a complaint that any contract term drawn up for general use is unfair;\n“consumer” means any natural person who, in contracts covered by these Regulations, is acting for purposes which are outside his trade, business or profession;\n“court” in relation to England and Wales and Northern Ireland means a county court or the High Court, and in relation to Scotland, the Sheriff or the Court of Session;\n“DETINI” means the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment in Northern Ireland;\n...\n“EEA Agreement” means the Agreement on the European Economic Area signed at Oporto on 2nd May 1992 as adjusted by the protocol signed at Brussels on 17th March 1993;\n“a local weights and measures authority” means a local weights and measures authority in Great Britain (within the meaning of section 69 of the Weights and Measures Act 1985);\n“Member State” means a State which is a contracting party to the EEA Agreement;\n“notified” means notified in writing;\n“qualifying body” means a person specified in Schedule 1;\n“seller or supplier” means any natural or legal person who, in contracts covered by these Regulations, is acting for purposes relating to his trade, business or profession, whether publicly owned or privately owned;\n“unfair terms” means the contractual terms referred to in regulation 5.\n(1A) The references—\n(a) in regulation 4(1) to a seller or a supplier, and\n(b) in regulation 8(1) to a seller or supplier,\ninclude references to a distance supplier and to an intermediary.\n(1B) In paragraph (1A) and regulation 5(6)—\n“distance supplier” means—\n(a) a supplier under a distance contract within the meaning of the Financial Services (Distance Marketing) Regulations 2004, or\n(b) a supplier of unsolicited financial services within regulation 15 of those Regulations; and\n“intermediary” has the same meaning as in those Regulations.\n(2) In the application of these Regulations to Scotland for references to an “injunction” or an “interim injunction” there shall be substituted references to an “interdict” or “interim interdict” respectively.",
  "extent": "E+W+S",
  "status": null,
  "version": "current",
  "annotations": [
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F1",
      "text": "Regulations revoked (1.10.2015) by Consumer Rights Act 2015 (c. 15), s. 100(5), Sch. 4 para. 34; S.I. 2015/1630, art. 3(g) (with savings in art. 6(1))"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F2",
      "text": "Words in reg. 3(1) inserted (1.4.2014) by The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (Competition) (Consequential, Transitional and Saving Provisions) (No. 2) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/549), art. 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 26(2)(b) (with art. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F3",
      "text": "Words in reg. 3 inserted (28.3.2013) by The Public Bodies (The Office of Fair Trading Transfer of Consumer Advice Scheme Function and Modification of Enforcement Functions) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/783), arts. 1(2), 10(2)(a)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F4",
      "text": "Words in reg. 3 inserted (28.3.2013) by The Public Bodies (The Office of Fair Trading Transfer of Consumer Advice Scheme Function and Modification of Enforcement Functions) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/783), arts. 1(2), 10(2)(b)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F5",
      "text": "Word in reg. 3(1) omitted (1.4.2014) by virtue of The Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 (Competition) (Consequential, Transitional and Saving Provisions) (No. 2) Order 2014 (S.I. 2014/549), art. 1(1), Sch. 1 para. 26(2)(a) (with art. 3)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F6",
      "text": "Words in reg. 3 inserted (28.3.2013) by The Public Bodies (The Office of Fair Trading Transfer of Consumer Advice Scheme Function and Modification of Enforcement Functions) Order 2013 (S.I. 2013/783), arts. 1(2), 10(2)(c)"
    },
    {
      "type": "F",
      "label": "F7",
      "text": "Reg. 3(1A)(1B) inserted (31.10.2004) by The Financial Services (Distance Marketing) Regulations 2004 (S.I. 2004/2095), regs. 1, 24(2)"
    },
    {
      "type": "I",
      "label": "I1",
      "text": "Reg. 3 in force at 1.10.1999, see reg. 1"
    },
    {
      "type": "footnote",
      "label": "f1",
      "text": "Protocol 47 and certain Annexes to the EEA Agreement were amended by Decision No. 7/94 of the EEA Joint Committee which came into force on 1st July 1994, (O.J. No. L160, 28.6.94, p. 1). Council Directive 93/13/EEC was added to Annex XIX to the Agreement by Annex 17 to the said Decision No. 7/94."
    }
  ],
  "outstanding_effects": [],
  "provenance": {
    "source": "legislation.gov.uk",
    "source_url": "https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1999/2083/regulation/3",
    "retrieved_at": "2026-10-29T10:14:48.548738+00:00"
  },
  "licence": "Open Government Licence v3.0",
  "licence_url": "https://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3/",
  "attribution": "Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Source: legislation.gov.uk, The National Archives."
}