Project No.: 5003-045316 01.05.96 - 31.12.99

Project leader: Dr. Otto Müller, Zurich Chamber of Commerce,
e-mail: omueller@zurichcci.ch

Name of project: The Swiss chambers of commerce as trusted third parties in world-wide electronic markets

Partners: -

Funding: Sfr 240,000.-

Summary:
The main object of the project is to put in place an international registration and certification infrastructure for electronic business relations. As a rule, electronic business does not require a specific contractual form, but the problem of proving that the contract has been concluded remains. Borrowing from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) rules, which are recognized worldwide, attempts are now being made to draw up supplementary rules for electronic business relations, focussing on the following main points:

• legal validity of electronically transmitted documents;
• digital signature;
• unambiguous identification of the business partner;
• the role of trusted third parties.

The goal of the project was at first limited to Switzerland, individual protocols (UN/EDIFACT/WWW) and specific business transactions (value-added tax refunds, payment transfers with EDI); in a second phase, the aim is to extend the infrastructure now in place to international relations. This will be done within the ICC (International Chamber of Commerce) framework.

The G-7 group of industrialized countries has created various project groups to launch the Global Information Highway. Other countries outside the G-7 will be invited to participate. Project Group 10 deals with "A Global Marketplace for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs)". Switzerland’s Federal Office for Industry, Trade and Labour (BIGA) is represented in this project team. Upon the invitation of and in association with BIGA, the Zurich Chamber of Commerce is working on three projects to be embedded in the G-7 test-bed:

• world-wide unique identification of Electronic Data Interchange partners;
• international certification of the identity of participants in an electronic market;
• offering and demanding of business opportunities on an electronic platform accessible by Internet protocol.

In addition, the following SPP ICS projects must be able to rely on a trustworthy registration and certification infrastructure - see the Schmid "Virtual Software House" and "Auction-based distributed resource allocation" projects, both of the University of St. Gallen. In the medium to long term, the aim of the project is to integrate the Swiss certification chain for the electronic exchange of VAT documents and payments and to define internationally accepted terms of electronic commerce.

Cooperation:
The lead applicant is operating the above-mentioned project on behalf of the Zurich Chamber of Commerce. The project will strengthen the international position of Switzerland in this area. This project is embedded in a series of market-oriented actions. At the end of December 1997, DigiSigna (an association of the Swiss chambers of commerce, Swisscom and Telekurs AG) founded the Swisskey company to setup a public key infrastructure. DigiSigna will take on the role of a policy certificate authority, while Swisskey runs the operational side.