Résumé
Gratuitousness is a legal concept which characterizes generous gifts, legacies and free services, among other things. Nevertheless, this concept is mysterious. Indeed, it is not defined in the Code Civil. Besides, in the collective imaginative world, gratuitousness is linked to moral virtues which are awkward to grasp in a juridical sense. Gratuitousness has been enjoying an unprecedented boom for several years because of its constant implication in what has come to be called “New Economy,” which itself was born from the development of the New Information and Communication Technologies. Thus, the question about the way we can define gratuitousness and the way we can deal with it juridically, is worth asking.In this respect, gratuitousness appears to be a concept which is essentially technical, devoid of any moral connotation, and independent of the economical and social context in which it takes place. Yet traditionally, the very context dominates the juridical treatment of gratuitousness. Depending on when and where gratuitousness occurs, it can be encouraged or, on the contrary, discouraged, which testifies to its abnormality. However, the current development of gratuitousness, and the fact that it is essential in network economy, leads to a standardization of the juridical treatment of gratuitousness.