Open EDI and Law in Europe

Examining open EDI, an application of electronic commerce, this volume deals with its relationship with law. Electronic commerce applications all allow the transfer of electronic data from one point to another. Open EDI also allows for commercial transactions to take place in a fully-automated and highly-organized trading environment. Open EDI permits "ad hoc" open electronic transactions irrespective of geographical border and jurisdictions among trading partners with no prior trade relationship. By doing this open EDI limits the possibility of using up-front interchange agreements to address legal problems of the interchange. It is therefore necessary to use legal instruments supported by information technology to overcome legal problems. The book advocates the use of possible regulations to address the need of the users to act in such a trading environment uninhibited by basic legal concerns. It concludes that to respond to the challenge of open EDI it is necessary to work towards a new legal framework based on international law and supported by information technology.