ABSTRACT
The internet has become an important force in global commerce. Electronic commerce revenues in 2000 amounted to about $490 billion in United States online purchases. In 2004 the United States will transact online sales reaching an estimated $3.2 trillion. Potential for its future growth is immense as well. Industry consulting groups predict a doubling of e-commerce trade every 12 to 18 months, with one projection topping out at $4.6 trillion. The shift toward global e-commerce is forcing the legal infrastructure of commerce to change in order to keep up with technology. Around the world nations are building the legal infrastructure to succeed in the global digital economy. Worldwide, revisions in laws regarding online privacy, electronic contracting, digital signatures, and consumer protection have been enacted in order to provide the essential ‘e-confidence’ needed for electronic commerce to prosper.1
