Legal Implications of E-Commerce: Basic Issues, Initiatives and Experiences in Asia

This paper gives a short overview on the major issues that have to be taken into account when formulating e-commerce-related laws and regulations and introduces two model laws relating to e-commerce and e-signatures which were created by the United Nations Commission of International trade Law. The paper has a closer look at e-commerce developments in Asia and the Pacific and gives an overview of the state of implementation of e-commerce laws. In conclusion, it discusses the e-ASEAN Reference Framework for electronic commerce legal infrastructure as example of a regional initiative to harmonize the legal basis for e-commerce.