Chapman Tripp – New Zealand on Ground Floor of Digital Economy Agreement

Chapman Tripp – The Digital Economy Partnership Agreement (DEPA) concluded last week between New Zealand, Chile and Singapore will establish new international rules and best practice to support and promote digital commerce.

Digital trade is New Zealand’s third biggest revenue earner, having experienced faster growth here over the last ten years as a proportion of GDP than in any other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) country.

[adrotate banner=”90″

DEPA is a living document, meaning that other countries may join.

DEPA in detail

As well as building on existing rules on e-commerce, the DEPA negotiations considered a range of emerging digital economy issues, including cross-border data flows, digital identification, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and open data.

The World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules were predicated on identifying whether products are goods or services and the borders they cross but digital trade blurs these distinctions. The need for reform is recognised by the WTO, as evidenced in the WTO E-commerce Initiative whereby 76 WTO member states (including New Zealand) agreed earlier this year to work toward a new WTO e-commerce agreement.

DEPA complements and supports this process.

Before being ratified by the Government, DEPA will be subject to a National Interest Analysis, Cabinet review, and Select Committee examination.

For more information, check out the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade modules here.

What is digital trade?

The term ‘digital trade’ is an evolving concept, capturing not just internet shopping and the supply of online services (e-commerce), but also data flows that enable global value chains, services that enable smart manufacturing, and a myriad of other platforms and applications.

Why DEPA matters to New Zealand

New Zealand now has 29,000 tech firms with nearly 100,000 employees contributing $16.2b to GDP and producing $6.3b in exports.

This gives us a strong interest in ensuring that international trade rules dealing with the challenges created by digitalisation have a strong commercial basis, deal effectively with the social implications of increased data flows, and protect the Treaty of Waitangi, personal privacy and cybersecurity.

More on LawFuel

• Law Tribunal Baffled by Lawyer’s Unexplained Court Document Forgery Scheme
  The Strange Case of Auckland Lawyer Benjamin Wong Benjamin Wong has been struck off the rolls by the Lawyers and… Read more: Law Tribunal Baffled by Lawyer’s Unexplained Court Document Forgery Scheme
• Meet the Solicitor Who Built a Practice After Being Mocked for Kindness
  How One Lawyer Turned Mockery Into a Business Model Ben Thomson, LawFuel contributing editor In a profession where “aggressive representation”… Read more: Meet the Solicitor Who Built a Practice After Being Mocked for Kindness
• Paul Weiss Loses Pro Bono Chief After Trump Deal
   Pro Bono Leader Exits Following $40M Trump Settlement Steven Banks has stepped down as Paul Weiss’s pro bono practice leader… Read more: Paul Weiss Loses Pro Bono Chief After Trump Deal
• Cravath’s PE Star Jumps Ship
  Sidley Austin Scores Wall Street Heavyweight in Latest BigLaw Drama Tom Borman, LawFuel contributing editor When your firm has spent… Read more: Cravath’s PE Star Jumps Ship
• Casino GC’s “Panic” Call Highlights Star Entertainment’s Legal Meltdown
  The ASIC Blockbuster Hits Aussie Court When your company’s getting cozy with alleged crime bosses, maybe don’t leave the receipts?… Read more: Casino GC’s “Panic” Call Highlights Star Entertainment’s Legal Meltdown
• Who Are The Leading Lawyers Who Helped Pushback On The Trump Executive Orders?
  The opposition mounted by over 500 law firms against Donald Trump’s executive orders targeting law firms was a remarkable show of unity in a profession facing intense criticism for its compliance and genuflection before the President. The collective action, which culminated in the submission of an amicus brief supporting Perkins Coie’s lawsuit, was orchestrated by Munger Tolles & Olson, with former Solicitor General Donald Verrilli, Jr., leading the charge as counsel for the amici.
• One Lawyer’s Journey To Her Own Law Firm
  Self-Belief and Moving Beyond The Billable Hour Lani E Medina spent 15 years working in corporate law with global law… Read more: One Lawyer’s Journey To Her Own Law Firm
• The Lawyer Who Scored a Three Win Hat Trick
  Law Star Jeff Hammel’s Big Day Hammel described this occurrence as “wildly improbable,” noting that he had previously only heard… Read more: The Lawyer Who Scored a Three Win Hat Trick
• Stilettos & Subpoenas – Here Are The Law Firms Walking Fashion’s Legal Runway
  Fashion’s Legal Power Players Dressing Brands for Success (And Lawsuits) The fashion world isn’t all champagne flutes and runway shows—it’s… Read more: Stilettos & Subpoenas – Here Are The Law Firms Walking Fashion’s Legal Runway