Arab, African meeting on digital trade opens in Rabat

An Arab-African regional meeting on digital trade opened in Rabat this Tuesday to debate the issue of digital trade as an inevitable path of international transactions.

The two-day encounter, co-sponsored by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Moroccan government, will also examine issues germane to intellectual property. The meeting is also meant to prepare for an international conference on digital trade and intellectual property, to be held in Geneva next September 14-16.

The meeting, attended by delegates from several Arab and African countries, aims to foster the awareness of economic operators as to the impact of digital trade on intellectual property. The delegates will also set a clear joint vision for an active participation in the Geneva conference.

Digital trade is a component of the globalization process, eased by the technological breakthroughs achieved in the past years.

According to experts, world digital trade volume posted $10 billion in 1997 and exceed $300 billion in year 2002.

The Internet, through which sales and purchases are made, imposed itself as an easy, rapid and practically inevitable tool in international trade.

However, the new method raises technical and legal problems regarding the guarantee of digital transactions in such a way to avoid fraud and swindling.

Debate has already been engaged in developed nations which took their position regarding digital trade, while the developing countries are still arming themselves to face up the new reality.