Question

The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) adopted the Model Law on e-commerce in

• A. 1997
• B. 1998
• C. 1996
• D. 2013

Hint:

Associate the UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce with the year 1996. This was a foundational document for cyber law globally, and understanding its adoption year helps place subsequent national laws, like India's IT Act 2000, in their proper context.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
UNCITRAL is a subsidiary body of the UN General Assembly responsible for helping to facilitate international trade and investment. It does this by preparing and promoting the use and adoption of legislative and non-legislative instruments in a number of key areas of commercial law. The Model Law on Electronic Commerce was a pioneering effort to provide a legal framework for the then-emerging field of e-commerce.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
The UNCITRAL Model Law on Electronic Commerce was adopted by the Commission on 12 June 1996.
The primary purpose of this Model Law was to offer national legislators a set of internationally acceptable rules designed to remove legal obstacles and create a more secure legal environment for electronic commerce.
Key principles of the Model Law include:
- Non-discrimination against the use of electronic means: Information should not be denied legal effect, validity, or enforceability solely on the grounds that it is in electronic form.
- Functional equivalence: This principle aims to provide criteria under which electronic communications can be considered equivalent to traditional paper-based communications (e.g., what constitutes a "writing" or an "original" or a "signature" in the electronic world).
India's Information Technology Act, 2000, is largely based on this UNCITRAL Model Law.