Part III Electronic Documents: Emerging Practices, 9 Removing Obstacles on the Road to Transition

Subject(s):

Electronic commerce and choice of law — Documents

This chapter studies certain ground-breaking initiatives that are being taken to facilitate the issuance of electronic documentation and its transition down the supply chain. The successful transition from relying on paper documentation to using electronic alternatives depends upon the will to instigate change of the parties to international sale contracts themselves and, more specifically, of those among them with the clout to bring on board their suppliers, customers, and service providers. The transition to paperless trade in cross-border business-to-business transactions has been a gradual and incremental process that is likely to continue for a number of years yet. Significant progress has been made in recent years and a number of obstacles that still remain are gradually being removed, opening the door to further progress in this area.