The Legal Challenges of Determining the Applicable Law in International Electronic Contracts: A Comparative Analytical Study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35516/Law.2025.12018Keywords:
Electronic Contracts, Conflict of Laws, Party Autonomy, International E-Commerce, Consumer ProtectionAbstract
Objectives: This research aims to analyze the legal issues related to determining the applicable law in international electronic contracts, highlighting the shortcomings of traditional conflict-of-laws rules, and proposing legislative reforms that consider the unique nature of the digital environment.
Methods: The study adopts a descriptive, analytical, and comparative approach by examining relevant international and Arab legal texts, reviewing judicial precedents and scholarly opinions, and presenting practical models from cross-border e-commerce contracts.
Results: The findings show that electronic contracts are legally valid when they meet the essential elements of consent, capacity, and legality. The “characteristic performance” criterion appears to be the most appropriate for determining the applicable law when no explicit agreement exists between the parties, provided adequate consumer protection is ensured in business-to-consumer (B2C) transactions.
Conclusion: The research addresses the challenge of identifying the governing law for international electronic contracts and proposes Arab legislative reforms characterized by technological neutrality, strengthened party autonomy, enhanced consumer protection, and harmonized legal frameworks in line with the evolving digital environment.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Dirasat: Shari'a and Law Sciences
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Accepted 2025-09-22
Published 2025-12-07
