Evaluation of Legal Risks for E-Commerce in Construction
Publication: Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 132, Issue 4
Abstract
E-commerce is steadily becoming a reality in the construction industry. However, despite the increasing rate of utilization by owners and contractors alike, the legal implications of using e-commerce in construction have not been studied in depth. This paper fills this gap in literature. It identifies and analyzes the different types of legal risks involved in the use of e-commerce in construction. It also outlines the risk that contractors and professionals may face in their e-commerce implementations. A classification of e-commerce legal risks is also introduced. The legal risks discussed include agency, jurisdiction, contract formation, validity and errors, authentication, attribution, nonrepudiation, privacy, conflict of laws, and conflict between law and technology.
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Acknowledgments
The presented work has been partially supported by the National Science Foundation (NSF) through Grant No. NSFCMS-0408538. The writers gratefully acknowledge this support. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, and recommendations expressed in this paper are those of the writers and do not necessarily reflect the views of the NSF.
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Information & Authors
Information
Published In
Journal of Professional Issues in Engineering Education and Practice
Volume 132 • Issue 4 • October 2006
Pages: 355 - 360
Copyright
© 2006 ASCE.
History
Received: Dec 14, 2005
Accepted: Feb 21, 2006
Published online: Oct 1, 2006
Published in print: Oct 2006
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