Part 2: URDTT, the Uniform Rules for Digital Trade Transactions

Part two of Havona’s three-part series on the frameworks behind digital trade and the transfer of electronic records.

The International Chamber of Commerce and the URDTT

The International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) is a non-profit body that helps businesses trade and invest across borders, supporting some 45 million businesses in over 100 countries. It gives businesses a place to share ideas, agree best practice, and advocate for policies that support global trade.

The ICC has made a significant contribution to the development of international trade law — for example, by producing the Uniform Rules for Digital Trade Transactions (URDTT), a set of rules governing how electronic documents and transactions can be used in international business.

How MLETR and URDTT relate

As covered in our previous post on the MLETR, UNCITRAL’s Model Law makes it easier to use electronic transferable records legally. The URDTT is closely aligned: it is built on the same principles, and aims to ensure that electronic documents and transactions in international trade are clear and legally certain, encouraging the adoption of electronic commerce.

One common rulebook for digital transactions

The URDTT is made up of 17 articles describing how electronic documents and transactions can be used in international trade — from what electronic records and signatures are, to how they are verified and whether they can be relied on.

Article 1 sets out the scope: any commercial transaction that uses electronic records and electronic signatures. Article 2 defines terms such as “electronic record” and “electronic signature”. Articles 3–7 explain the use and acceptance of electronic records, including authenticity, integrity, encryption, and electronic seals. Articles 8–10 cover their legal treatment. Articles 11–15 address transfer and assignment. Article 16 covers dispatch and receipt, and Article 17 addresses responsibility where records are not sent or received.

Together, the URDTT provides a complete set of rules for using electronic records and transactions in international trade — closely related to the MLETR, and designed to give the clarity and certainty that cross-border digital trade needs.