[FILECOpyI UNITED NATIONSlnfltENCE ANDTERM.IN.OlOGY ,,*,I·r l.' ,.1.;'5.,returntoroom....,...'_._...._...._-.----•• GENERAL ASSEMBLYDistr: GENERAL A/CN.9/333 18May1990 ORIGINAL: ENGLISH J. UNITED NATIONS COMMISSION ON INTERNATIONAL TRADE LAW Twenty-third session NewYork,25June- 6July1990 ELECTRONIC DATAINTERCHANGE Preliminary studyoflegalissuesrelated to theformation ofcontracts byelectronic means ReportoftheSecretary-General CONTENTS INTRODUCTION . . • . A.General remarksTHEREQUIREMENT OFAWRITING 1.Therequirement todraw,deliver, sendor storedocuments onsignedpapersParagraphs Page 1 -9 3 10 -47 5 10 - 14 5 15 - 19 6 20 -28 8 21 - 25 8 26 - 28 9 29 - 41 9 30 35 9 3637 11 3841 11Evidence(a)Application tocontracts (b)Extenttowhichitisanobstacle toEDI (a)Evidence incivillawcountries (b)Evidence incommonlawcountries (c)Evidence inaccounting andtaxlaw2.B. Acomparative surveyofEuropean legislation: TheTEDISstudy • • . • . • • . . . •1. 5369T V.90-84622A/CN.9/333 English Page2 Paragraphs Page C.ThereportoftheAmerican BarAssociation 11.OTHERLEGALISSUES RELATED TOTHEFORMATION OFCONTRACTS •.••• . . . . .42 - 47 48 - 7612 13 A. B. C. D. E. F.Acknowledgement ofreceipt ofmessages Authentication ofmessages Consent, offerandacceptance General conditions Timeandplaceofformation ofthecontract Riskoffailure ofcommunication48 - 49 50 - 59 60 - 64 65 - 68 69 - 75 7613 13 16 17 17 19 Ill.COMMUNICATION RULESANDAGREEMENTS 77 - 89 19 A. B.TheUNCIDRules Modelcommunication agreements82 - 86 87 - 8920 21 CONCLUSION . • • • • . • • • . • . . . • . 90 22 • •• • "A/CN.9/333 English Page3 INTRODUCTION 1.TheCommission atitsseventeenth session in1984decided toplacethe subject ofthelegalimplications ofautomatic dataprocessing totheflowof international tradeonitsprogramme ofworkasapriority item.1/Itdidso afterconsideration ofareportoftheSecretary-General ontheLegalAspects ofAutomatic DataProcessing ~/whichidentified several legalissues, namely thoseofthelegalvalueofcomputer records, therequirement ofawriting, authentication, general conditions, liability andbillsoflading. 2.Atitseighteenth session in1985,theCommission hadbeforeitareport bytheSecretariat ontheLegalValueofComputer Records (hereinafter referred toas"the1985report").:J./ Thisreport cametotheconclusion that,on agloballevel,therewerefewerproblems intheuseofdatastored incomputers asevidence inlitigation thanmighthavebeenexpected. It notedthatamoreserious legalobstacle totheuseofcomputers and computer-to-computer telecommunications ininternational tradearoseoutof requirements thatdocuments besignedorthatdocuments beinpaperform. Afterdiscussion ofthereport, theCommission adopted thefollowing recommendation: "TheUnitedNations Commission onInternational TradeLaw, "Noting thattheuseofautomatic dataprocessing (ADP)isaboutto becomefirmlyestablished throughout theworldinmanyphasesofdomestic
**Analysis**
The text appears to be a report on the legal implications of electronic data interchange (EDI) in international trade, specifically focusing on the formation of contracts through electronic means. It discusses the requirements of writing, evidence, and authentication in EDI transactions, as well as the need for standard communication rules and agreements. The report also mentions the legal value of computer records and the obstacles that paper-based documentation requirements pose to EDI.

**Category**
International trade, Science and technology