E-Commerce as a key facilitator for SME Competitiveness, Geneva, May 2008 Professor Ian Walden, Of Counsel, Baker & McKenzie & Head of the Institute of Computer and Communications Law, Queen Mary, University of London Building a legal framework for eCommerce

Fundamental changes resulting from Internet –intangible information assets, questions of identity & location, speed & mobility….. Policy –the promise of electronic commerce –‘digital divide’ issues Law and regulation –enabler & facilitator or constraints on behaviour Introductory remarks

Law –public law (e.g. criminal) and private law (contract) Norms –e.g. ‘netiquette’, ‘flaming’ The market –e.g. cost of access Architecture: ‘code as code’ –infinitely flexible - possibility of design Forms of regulation

Non-discrimination –e.g. US Internet Tax Nondiscrimination Act 2001 Emerging custom and practice –from Lex Mercatoria to Lex Informatica? Non-territorial treatment –international laws of space & the sea Media censor –e.g. Singapore, China Regulatory precedents

International aspects Questions of applicable law –“….. the principles of the international legal system cannot impose obligations on everyone to comply with all law” (David Post, 2004) As comparative advantage –or regulatory arbitrage? ‘Country of origin’ principle –mutual recognition

Who regulates? Law-making bodies –WTO, EU, WIPO..… formal, e.g. GATT, GATS, Copyright Treaty informal, e.g. Doha WTO Ministerial Declaration (Nov. 2001) Model-making bodies –UNCITRAL Model Laws and Convention (2005) –Commonwealth Model Law on Electronic Transactions (2003) Standards-making bodies –e.g. International Telecommunications Union (ITU), Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF)

Legal certainty –Validity, enforceability & admissibility Legal security –Digital signatures & data protection Legal protection –IPR Rights-holders & consumer protection Legal deterrents –Criminal law Regulatory topics

Political commitment –E.g. ASEAN member states Ownership by government ministry Technical and legal expertise Stakeholder review group –Public and private sector Parliamentary process The Law Reform Process

Concluding Remarks Law as an enabler and facilitator –as a tool of comparative advantage –at an infrastructure & service/product level Advantages of a regional approach –harmonisation –multiplier effect –sharing resource/experience