[Random-bits] UNCITRAL on electronic signatures

[James Love]

UNCITRAL is the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law. 
Among other things, it has developed model laws on ecommerce and
specifically, for digital signatures.  This is rather technical stuff,
and not a casual read, but important for those who follow these things. 
One related topic that UNCITRAL and other global bodies will be dealing
with are the legal effect of contracts of adhesion in business to
consumer contracts, executed over the Internet.  This is an ongoing work
program.

 Jamie

-------------------------------
Subject: UNCITRAL & electronic signatures
   Date: Thu, 12 Oct 2000 08:45:09 -0400
   From: Houston Putnam Lowry <HPLowry@brownwelsh.com>
 Organization: Brown & Welsh, P.C.
        To: INTPIL@MAIL.ABANET.ORG

In case anyone is interested in the recent preliminary work done by
UNCITRAL on electronic signatures, the reports can be found at:
 
http://www.uncitral.org/english/sessions/unc/UNC-33/acn9-465.pdf
http://www.uncitral.org/english/sessions/unc/UNC-33/acn9-467.pdf
 
I would appreciate any comments anyone would be interested in sharing
with me...

Houston Putnam Lowry, Esq.
Brown & Welsh, P.C.
Phone: +1 (203) 235-1651
Fax: +1 (203) 235-9600
http://www.BrownWelsh.com
My PGP public key is available on PGP's server.
 

A few interesting quotes from
http://www.uncitral.org/english/sessions/unc/UNC-33/acn9-465.pdf

             Article 1.  Sphere of application
36.    The text of draft article 1 as considered by the Working Group
was as follows: "These Rules apply to electronic signatures used in the
context of commercial* relationships and do not override any law
intended for the protection of consumers.

    41.    A suggestion was made that uses of electronic signatures
involving consumers should be excluded from the scope of the Uniform
Rules.  It was recalled that the matter of consumers had been considered
by the Working Group at its previous session (see A/CN.9/457, paras. 20,
56 and 70).  After discussion, the Working Group reaffirmed the decision
made at that session not to displace any law intended for the protection
of consumers.  However, under that same decision, consumers should not
be excluded from the scope of the Uniform Rules since there might be
cases where the Uniform Rules might prove useful to consumers.

-----------------------

Subject: UNCITRAL Commission work status
   Date:  Thu, 12 Oct 2000 08:27:35 -0400
  From:   Houston Putnam Lowry <HPLowry@brownwelsh.com>
    To:  INTPIL@MAIL.ABANET.ORG


The following is a summary of what happened at UNCITRAL this past
summer.

Houston Putnam Lowry
203-235-1651

http://www.uncitral.org/english/news/exec-rpt.htm


-- 
James Love  mailto:love@cptech.org http://www.cptech.org
Consumer Project on Technology, P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
voice 1.202.387.8030  fax  1.202.234.5176