Classification of E-products Under the WTO System
| dc.contributor.author | Calcano, Maria A. | |
| dc.contributor.copyright-release | Not Applicable | en_US |
| dc.contributor.degree | Master of Electronic Commerce | en_US |
| dc.contributor.department | Faculty of Computer Science | en_US |
| dc.contributor.ethics-approval | Not Applicable | en_US |
| dc.contributor.external-examiner | n/a | en_US |
| dc.contributor.graduate-coordinator | Vlado Keselj | en_US |
| dc.contributor.manuscripts | Not Applicable | en_US |
| dc.contributor.thesis-reader | Teresa Cyrus | en_US |
| dc.contributor.thesis-reader | Vlado Keselj | en_US |
| dc.contributor.thesis-supervisor | Gilbert R. Winham & Robert Curie | en_US |
| dc.date.accessioned | 2013-06-10T17:50:47Z | |
| dc.date.available | 2013-06-10T17:50:47Z | |
| dc.date.defence | 2013-05-23 | |
| dc.date.issued | 2013-06-10 | |
| dc.description | The World Trade Organization (WTO) established the Work Program in Electronic Commerce in 1998 to address the implications of E-commerce on trade in the context of the WTO Agreements. In 1999 the Work Program members reached a consensus that the WTO-treaties with all their rights, obligations, and members’ specific commitments are applicable to E-commerce. However, many issues were not addressed and continue to be unresolved, one of those is the classification dilemma of E-products. Are they goods subject to GATT or services subject to GATS? In the meantime, in 1998, some WTO members agreed to a temporary Moratorium on the imposition of customs duties on electronic transmissions for a period of time. This Moratorium however is not permanent. | en_US |
| dc.description.abstract | The WTO Work Programme on Electronic Commerce was established to deal with the implications of E-commerce in trade in the context of the WTO Agreements. One outstanding issue within the Work Programme is the disagreement among members regarding the classification of electronically delivered products (E-products). Are they goods subject to GATT or services subject to GATS? This has significant consequences because trade liberalization in GATT and GATS works differently and the relatively free trade E-products currently enjoy could be affected depending on whether they are classified as goods or services. However, a negotiated solution among WTO members that acknowledges that these are complex products that share characteristics of both goods and services could resolve the disagreement on classification. Furthermore, a service classification consensus, provided the current trade liberalization is maintained, would be the most suitable option to ensure that trade barriers do not compromise trade in E-products. | en_US |
| dc.identifier.uri | http://hdl.handle.net/10222/22215 | |
| dc.language.iso | en | en_US |
| dc.subject | International Trade | en_US |
| dc.subject | WTO System | en_US |
| dc.subject | E-products | en_US |
| dc.title | Classification of E-products Under the WTO System | en_US |