Could somebody translate this into English ?
>>PREPARATIONS FOR THE 1999 MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE
>>Electronic Commerce
>>Communication from Canada
>>
>> The following communication, dated 23 September 1999, has been
>> received
>>from the Permanent Mission of Canada.
>>
>>_______________
>>
>>
>>1. The following proposal is presented by Canada for consideration in
>>the preparatory processfor the Seattle Ministerial meeting. The
>>non-paper distributed by Canada at the Council for Trade in Services on
>>19 July 1999, entitled Global Electronic Commerce: A Canadian
>>Perspective, provides background material to this proposal.
>>
>>
>> Proposal
>>
>>2. That, as part of the recommendations on electronic commerce to the
>>Seattle Ministerial:
>>
>>- Members agree to extend their current practice of not imposing customs
>>duties on electronic transmissions; this commitment will be reviewed at
>>the next Ministerial meeting, taking into account the progress of
>>negotiating groups and/or WTO bodies.
>>
>>- Members agree that the electronic delivery of services falls within
>>the scope of the GATS, since the Agreement applies to all services
>>regardless of the means by which they are delivered. Measures affecting
>>services supplied by electronic means are measures affecting trade in
>>services and would therefore be covered by GATS obligations.
>>
>>- Members agree that the supply of services by electronic means is
>>permitted by specific commitments unless a Member's schedule states
>>otherwise.
>>
>>- Members agree that all GATS provisions, whether relating to general
>>obligations or specific commitments, are applicable to the supply of
>>services through electronic means.
>>
>>- Members agree that the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement apply to
>>electronic commerce, and that the effective implementation of this
>>Agreement will facilitate electronic commerce.
>>
>>- Members agree that the following issues should be included in the work
>>conducted in WTO bodies and negotiating groups in relation to electronic
>>commerce:
>>
>> - indefinite extension of the current practice of not
>> imposing customs
>>duties on electronic transmissions;
>>
>> - clarification of the distinction between the GATS modes
>> of supply in
>>situations where a service is being supplied by electronic means;
>>
>> - classification and scheduling of new services related to
>> electronic
>>commerce which are not already included in the Central Product
>>Classification (CPC);
>>
>> - classification of electronic transmissions with a physical
>>equivalent;
>>
>> - the adequate protection of intellectual property works in
>> the digital
>>world;
>>
>> - benefits of electronic commerce for developing countries
>> and ways of
>>enhancing their participation;
>>
>> - the application of the provisions of the Annex on
>>Telecommunicationsregarding access to and use of public
>>telecommunications transport networks and services to the supply of all
>>services included in a Member's schedule;
>>
>> - the application of the provisions of the GATS Reference
>> Paper on
>>Basic Telecommunications to basic telecoms services relevant to
>>e-commerce;
>>
>> - identification of specific issues arising from domestic
>> regulation
>>affecting electronic commerce.
>>
>> - Members agree to establish an Experts Committee on Electronic
>>Commerce, a horizontal non-negotiating group to advise and inform the
>>work conducted in WTO bodies and negotiating groups in relation to
>>electronic commerce.
>>
>>Background
>>
>>3. Electronic commerce is increasingly global and can reinforce the
>>trend towards tradeliberalization. It requires an open, predictable,
>>and transparent trading environment which operates across territorial
>>borders and jurisdictions. International cooperation is essential to
>>creating such a trading environment and to optimizing the social and
>>economic potential of electronic commerce, both by creating the enabling
>>conditions for electronic business to take place on a transnational
>>basis and by removing barriers or impediments to electronic commerce.
>>
>>4. The Work Programme on Electronic Commerce executed over the past year
>>has beensuccessful in bringing to the forefront the trade-related
>>aspects of electronic commerce, and highlighting the issues which must
>>be considered within each WTO body as part of ongoing work. For
>>example, Members have noted that while information technology in
>>general, and e-commerce in particular, could be instrumental in the
>>multilateral trading system, steps should be taken to ensure that
>>e-commerce does not remain beyond the reach of many developing
>>countries. Narrowing the gap between developing and developed countries
>>is both important and urgent and will be beneficial to all Members.
>>
>>5. The Work Programme has resulted in consensus on some issues, as
>>described above; it is evident however that further dialogue is
>>necessary to develop a fuller understanding of what is needed to both
>>enable global electronic commerce and reduce impediments to trade.
>>Given the varying stages of adoption of electronic commerce, its
>>underlying technologies, and the development of national approaches
>>among Members, the creation of a forum for the discussion of
>>trade-related aspects of electronic commerce in a non-negotiating
>>context will contribute to the development of truly global electronic
>>commerce.
>>
>>6. Given the nature of electronic commerce, including the rapidly
>>evolving technology associated with electronic commerce, a WTO Experts
>>Committee on Electronic Commerce, consisting of representatives from all
>>interested WTO Member governments, should consider ways in which it can
>>draw upon expertise from outside government using processes similar to
>>those of other WTO bodies.
>>
>>__________
>>--
>>James Love / Director, Consumer Project on Technology
>>http://www.cptech.org / [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>>P.O. Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
>>voice 202.387.8030 / fax 202.234.5176
>
>Respectfully,
>
>Jay Fenello,
>New Media Relations
>------------------------------------
>http://www.fenello.com 770-392-9480
>
>"We are creating the most significant new jurisdiction
>we've known since the Louisiana purchase, yet we are
>building it just outside the constitution's review."
> -- Larry Lessig, Harvard Law School, on ICANN
>
>
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