Digital Technologies and the Law of Obligations critically examines the emergence of new digital technologies and the challenges they pose to the traditional law of obligations, and discusses the extent to which existing contract and tort law rules and doctrines are equipped to meet these new challenges. This book covers various contract and tort law issues raised by emerging technologies – including distributed ledger technology, blockchain-based smart contracts, and artificial intelligence – as well as by the evolution of the internet into a participative web fuelled by user-generated content, and by the rise of the modern-day collaborative economy facilitated by digital technologies. Chapters address these topics from the perspective of both the common law and the civil law tradition. While mostly focused on the current state of affairs and recent debates and initiatives within the European Union regulatory framework, contributors also discuss the central themes from the perspective of the national law of obligations, examining the adaptability of existing legal doctrines to contemporary challenges, addressing the occasional legislative attempts to deal with the private law aspects of these challenges, and pointing to issues where legislative interventions would be most welcomed. Case studies are drawn from the United States, Singapore, and other parts of the common law world. Digital Technologies and the Law of Obligations will be of interest to legal scholars and researchers in the fields of contract law, tort law, and digital law, as well as to legal practitioners and members of law reform bodies.

Digital Technologies and the Law of Obligations critically examines the emergence of new digital technologies and the challenges they pose to the traditional law of obligations, and discusses the extent to which existing contract and tort law rules and doctrines are equipped to meet these new challenges. This book covers various contract and tort law issues raised by emerging technologies – including distributed ledger technology, blockchain-based smart contracts, and artificial intelligence – as well as by the evolution of the internet into a participative web fuelled by user-generated content, and by the rise of the modern-day collaborative economy facilitated by digital technologies. Chapters address these topics from the perspective of both the common law and the civil law tradition. While mostly focused on the current state of affairs and recent debates and initiatives within the European Union regulatory framework, contributors also discuss the central themes from the perspective of the national law of obligations, examining the adaptability of existing legal doctrines to contemporary challenges, addressing the occasional legislative attempts to deal with the private law aspects of these challenges, and pointing to issues where legislative interventions would be most welcomed. Case studies are drawn from the United States, Singapore, and other parts of the common law world. Digital Technologies and the Law of Obligations will be of interest to legal scholars and researchers in the fields of contract law, tort law, and digital law, as well as to legal practitioners and members of law reform bodies.

This note explores the interactions between new technologies with key areas of commercial law and potential legal changes to respond to new developments in technology and businesses. Inspired by the Bali Fintech Agenda, this note argues that country authorities need to closely examine the adequacy of their legal frameworks to accommodate the use of new technologies and implement necessary legal reform so as to reap the benefits of fintech while mitigating risks. Given the cross-border nature of new technologies, international cooperation among all relevant stakeholders is critical. The note is structured as follows: Section II describes the relations between technology, business, and law, Section III discusses the nature and functions of commercial law; Section IV provides a brief overview of developments in fintech; Section V examines the interaction between technology and commercial law; and Section VI concludes with a preliminary agenda for legal reform to accommodate the use of new technologies.

How will law, regulation and ethics govern a future of fast-changing technologies? Bringing together cutting-edge authors from academia, legal practice and the technology industry, Future Law explores and leverages the power of human imagination in understanding, critiquing and improving the legal responses to technological change. It focuses on the practical difficulties of applying law, policy and ethical structures to emergent technologies both now and in the future. It covers crucial current issues such as big data ethics, ubiquitous surveillance and the Internet of Things, and disruptive technologies such as autonomous vehicles, DIY genetics and robot agents. By using examples from popular culture such as books, films, TV and Instagram - including 'Black Mirror', 'Disney Princesses', 'Star Wars', 'Doctor Who' and 'Rick and Morty' - it brings hypothetical examples to life. And it asks where law might go next and to regulate new-phase technology such as artificial intelligence, 'smart homes' and automated emotion recognition.

The ever-increasing use of technology is challenging the current status of the law, bringing about new problems and questions. The book addresses this trend from the perspective of International law and European Union law and is divided into three main thematic sections. The first section focuses on the legal implications of the use of technology either for law enforcement purposes or in the context of military activities, and examines how this use adds a new dimension to perennial issues, such as the uneasy balance between security concerns and the protection of individual rights, and defining the exact scope of certain State obligations. In so doing, it takes into account a range of current and potential scenarios at the international, regional and domestic level, including the use of killer robots, databases, drones and technology in general to patrol borders, exchange information on criminal suspects, maintain public order, target suspected terrorists and conduct military activities. In turn, the second section examines the role of institutional and non-institutional actors in establishing substantive normative standards for the use of high-tech applications. In this respect, it focuses both on the role that European courts have played so far, and on how other actors’ initiatives can contribute to the construction of a new legal framework for technology-related activities. Lastly, the third section has a two-fold focus: the first part investigates how the increasing reliance on technology is affecting traditional rules on international responsibility, and is challenging, in particular, the attribution of wrongful conduct to States and international organizations. The second part addresses issues of jurisdiction and justiciability. Given the scope of its coverage, this timely book addresses an important lacuna in the current legal scholarship, exploring some of the most recent applications of technology and the legal issues arising as a result. Readers will gain novel insights into the challenges posed to International law and European law by the growing reliance on technology, taking into account both its uses and misuses.

It is a matter of fact that technological innovation is deeply impacting on our culture, society, economy and labour market. The massive and widespread use of Artificial Intelligence and the strengthening of the collaborative economy (also known as ‘gig’ or ‘platform’ economy) are blurring the traditional legal categories and creating new requirements for protection for employed and self-employed workers. This book represents a tool to understand where we are and where we are going, focusing on old and new legal categories and labour market policies. The chapters included in this volume cover different disciplines, such as legal informatics, labour law, social security law, civil law, and tort law, in order to offer scholars and legal specialists an overall view of ongoing changes, challenges and opportunities from a European Union law perspective.