This publication analyses the main legal issues arising out of the use of electronic signatures and authentication methods in international transactions. It provides an overview of methods used for electronic signature and authentication and their legal treatment in various jurisdictions. The study considers the use of these methods in international transactions and identifies the main legal issues related to cross-border recognition of such methods, with a special attention to international use of digital signatures under a Public Key Infrastructure.

The use of electronic commerce in international trade is growing by leaps and bounds. No one can dispute the need for a system of rules to guide countries as well as private commercial parties through the many new developments and issues that arise. The United Nations Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts (ECC), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in December 2005 and currently undergoing the ratification process, provides such a system. This book is a guide and resource on the Convention: its evolution, interpretation, and relationship to domestic laws throughout the world.The book represents the outcome of a conference held at the Leibniz University of Hannover in September 2007. It consists of an introduction to the drafting of the Convention, expert commentary on each article, and perspectives in the context of domestic and substantive law. A distinguished panel of authorities representatives of governments, international organizations, transnational companies, and universities, as well as practising attorneys, all of whom have been active domestically and internationally in confronting the legal issues of electronic commerce discuss such aspects of the ECC as the following: timing of dispatch and receipt of electronic communications; transactions related to the financial sector; altering the scope of the Convention by contract; 'opting in' and 'opting out'; 'choice of law' versus 'party autonomy'; use of foreign case law to interpret the Convention; legal information requirements; writing and signature requirements; error in electronic communications; and problems of identity and data integrity.Several authors provide in-depth analysis of the interaction between ECC provisions and other relevant legal regimes (including the United States, ASEAN, the EU, Sri Lanka, India, and China), as well as the interrelations between the ECC and ICC rules, rules under the CISG, and the trade usages of the lex mercatoria.The various contributors highlight issues arising from each ECC provision, and provide well-informed insight into how remaining problems are likely to be resolved as the Convention enters into force. Stakeholders from all concerned sectors of the legal community businesspersons and their counsel, IGO and government officials, and academics will benefit greatly from the detailed information, analysis, and guidance offered here.

Worldwide interest in the recognition and enforcement of arbitral awards has never been higher, and the New York Convention of 1958, currently adhered to by 159 States including the major trading nations, remains the most successful treaty in this area of commercial law. This incomparable book, marking the Convention’s 60th anniversary, provides a fully updated analysis of the Convention’s application from international, comparative, and national perspectives. Drawing on a global conference held in Seville in April 2018 that was actively supported by UNCITRAL, the book’s 27 chapters, by highly qualified international practitioners and academics from different jurisdictions, address the subject with critical eyes, well aware of current developments and future challenges in the field of arbitration. Among the issues and topics covered are the following: Multi-tiered dispute resolution clauses. Applicability of the UN Convention on the Use of Electronic Communications in International Contracts. Complexities of enforcing orders determined by software. Enforcement of annulled awards. European Union law and the New York Convention. Enforcing awards against States and State entities. Sovereign immunity as a ground to refuse compliance with investor-State awards; Enforcement against non-signatories. Public policy exception. Arbitrating and enforcing foreign awards in specific countries and regions, including China, sub-Saharan Africa, and the ASEAN countries. Ample reference is made throughout to leading cases and practice. Familiarity with the intricacies of the New York Convention, as the most universally acknowledged framework in which cross-border economic exchanges can flourish, is essential for judges, practitioners, legal staff, business people, and scholars working with or applying international commercial arbitration anywhere in the world. This book’s combination of highly thought-provoking topics and the depth with which they are addressed will prove invaluable to all interested parties

Error in electronic communications; and problems of identity and data integrity. Several authors provide in-depth analysis of the interaction between ECC provisions and other relevant legal regimes (including the United States, ASEAN, the EU, Sri Lanka, India, and China), as well as the interrelations between the ECC and ICC rules, rules under the CISG, and the trade usages of the lex mercatoria. The various contributors highlight issues arising from each ECC provision, and provide well-informed insight into how remaining problems are likely to be resolved as the Convention enters into force. Stakeholders from all concerned sectors of the legal community businesspersons and their counsel, IGO and government officials, and academics will benefit greatly from the detailed information, analysis, and guidance offered here.

This book presents a comprehensive and systematic study of the principal aspects of the modern law of international commercial transactions. Based on diverse sources, including legislative texts, case law, international conventions, and a variety of soft-law instruments, it highlights key topics such as the international sale of goods, international transport, marine insurance, international finance and payments, electronic commerce, international commercial arbitration, standard trade terms, and international harmonization of trade laws. In focusing on the private law aspects of international trade, the book closely analyzes the relevant statutes, case law and the European Union (EU) and international uniform law instruments like the Rome I Regulation, the UN Convention on the Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), UNCITRAL Model Laws; non-legislative instruments including restatements such as the UNIDROIT Principles on International Commercial Contracts, and rules of business practices codified by the ICC such as the Arbitration Rules, UCP 600 and different versions of the INCOTERMS. The book clearly explains the key concepts and nuances of the subject, offering incisive and vivid analyses of the major issues and developments. It also traces the evolution of the law of international trade and explores the connection between the lex mercatoria and the modern law. Comprehensively examining the issue of international harmonization of trade laws from a variety of perspectives, it provides a detailed account of the work of major players in the field, including UNCITRAL, UNIDROIT, ICC, and the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH). Adopting the comparative law method, this book offers a critical analysis of the laws of two key jurisdictions—India and England—in the context of export trade. In order to stimulate discussion on law reform, it explains the similarities and differences not only between laws of the two countries, but also between the laws of India and England on the one hand, and the uniform law instruments on the other. Given its breadth of coverage, this book is a valuable reference resource not only for students in the fields of law, international trade, and commercial law, but also for researchers, practitioners and policymakers.

Electronic Commerce in international trade, is fast becoming a means of business communication. Guidelines and laws of operation are becoming a great necessity to ensure security and uniformity. This publication presents the Model Laws with the hope that countries will consider it when enacting or revising their laws on electronic commerce.