International commercial law from a South African perspective

The three authors take a look at selected topics of International Commercial Law like the efforts to harmonize national laws in a borderless world of trade, E-Government with regard to spamming and the CISG as a multi-national Sales Convention ratified by 62 states which are reflecting more than two-thirds of total world trade. International Commercial Arbitration as the preferable means of resolution for disputes involving various parties from very different countries and the taxation of cross-border e-commerce transactions in the new digital age are discussed further. The analysis always centres around the legal situation in South Africa comparing the South African legislation with unifying Model Laws and new legal developments abroad, specifically both in some common law jurisdictions and in Germany regarding matters which spread over national bounderies. South Africa is the economic engine of the African continent and after apartheid has rejoined the world's trading community and is nowadays also seeking and attracting various inverstors from overseas. The analysis sometimes leads to a general recommendation or to a recommendation with specific emphasis to South Africa. A detailed description of the contents of the five parts of this book is given in the Preface. The book is written for academics, attorneys, in-house counsel and students of law and of commerce both in Germany and South Africa to learn about an other jurisdiction but global problems. The different topics in this book are always fitted in an international context. The general need for harmonization of laws and joined multi-national efforts is continously stressed by the authors