[Federal Register Volume 61, Number 93 (Monday, May 13, 1996)]
[Notices]
[Page 22078]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 96-11831]



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DEPARTMENT OF STATE
[Public Notice No. 2384]


Advisory Committee on Private International Law; Meeting of Study 
Group on Electronic Commerce

    The Study Group on Electronic Commerce will hold its next meeting 
from 1:00-5:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 21 in Washington, DC at the 
International Law Institute. The meeting will review proposed general 
rules on use of computer and related electronic messaging in 
international commercial transactions, which are expected to be 
finalized at the upcoming Plenary session of the United Nations 
Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) in June, and to 
discuss U.S. positions as to future work on electronic commerce which 
will also be considered at that session.
    The meeting of the Advisory Committee Study group is open to the 
public, and members of the public who cannot attend are welcome to 
comment on the proposed rules for electronic commerce and the future 
work program. The proposed rules are currently in the form of a model 
national law. The principal background documents, which are available 
from the Office of the Legal Adviser at the address indicated below, 
include (1) the report by UNCITRAL on its 28th plenary session held in 
May 1995, which considered and revised certain of the proposed rules, 
UN Doc. A/50/Supp. 17; (2) The report of the UNCITRAL Working Group on 
Electronic Data Interchange (EDI), which met during February-March, 
1996, and which considered new draft rules on transport documents, 
primarily electronic maritime bills of lading, as well as proposals for 
future work, UN Doc. A/CN.9/421; and (3) a draft ``guide to enactment'' 
of the UNCITRAL model law, UN Doc. A/CN.9/426, April 1996, which will 
also be considered by the Commission at the June plenary session.
    The proposed rules will apply to commercial activities, and will 
include inter alia legal recognition of data messages; electronic 
equivalents of ``writing'', ``signature'', and ``original''; 
admissibility and evidential weight; obligation to retain; attribution; 
acknowledgement; time and place of dispatch and receipt; formation and 
validity of contracts; electronic maritime bills of lading, and other 
matters. The rules will not apply to consumer transactions.
    The March 1996 Working Group recommended that future work include 
digital signatures, electronic registries and consideration of rules 
applicable to information service providers. U.S. positions on those 
recommendations will be considered at the May 21st Study Group meeting; 
recommendations for alternate future work topics can also be 
considered.
    The International Law Institute (ILI) is located at 1615 New 
Hampshire Avenue, NW. Members of the public may attend up to the 
capacity of the meeting room and subject to direction of the Chair. 
Persons planning to attend should advise the Office of the Legal 
Adviser or the Institute in advance. Requests for attendance or 
background documents can be made to the Office of the Legal Adviser (L/
PIL) by fax to (202) 776-8482 or by mail to Suite 203, South Building, 
2430 E Street, NW., Washington, DC 20037-2800, Attention: Harold S. 
Burman. Questions concerning meeting arrangements should be directed to 
ILI Executive Director, Stuart Kerr, (202) 483-8036.

    Dated: May 6, 1996.
Peter H. Pfund,
Assistant Legal Adviser for Private International Law.
[FR Doc. 96-11831 Filed 5-10-96; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4710-08-M