• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.24
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• pp.3-23
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• 2004

It is our common understanding that the carrier is bound to deliver the goods to the consignee named in a non-negotiable straight bill of lading without its presentation. But recently Court of Appeal, Singapore, held that "where a straight bill of lading is issued it is necessary for the bill of lading to be presented by the consignee to the carrier by sea in order to obtain delivery of the goods. A straight bill of lading, just like a bill of lading to order, confers title including the right to receive the goods mentioned on the bill of lading. Only the possibility of negotiation is excluded. The carrier by sea is liable where he delivers the goods to the consignee named in the straight bill of lading without delivering the bill of lading itself."

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.12
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• pp.377-401
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• 1999

This study is focused on the privity of the contract of carriage of goods by sea, so to speak, privity between B/L holder and carrier by transfer of bill of lading, privity by attornment to delivery order and conflict between bills of lading and charterparty terms. Under a CIF contract, possession of the bill of lading is equivalent to possession of the goods, and delivery of the bill of lading to the buyer or to a third party may be effective to pass the property in the goods to such person. The bill of lading is a document of title enabling the holder to obtain credit from banks before the arrival of the goods, for the transfer of the bill of lading can operate as a pledge of the goods themselves. In addition, it is by virtue of the bill of lading that the buyer or his assignee can obtain redress against the carrier for any breach of its terms and of the contract of carriage that it evidences. In other words the bill of lading creates a privity between its holder and the carrier as if the contract was made between them. The use of delivery orders in overseas sales is commen where bulk cargoes are split into more parcels than there are bills of lading, and this practice gives rise to considerable difficulties. For example, where the holder of a bill of lading transferred one of the delivery orders to the buyer who presented it to the carrier and paid the freight of the goods to which the order related, it was held that there was a contract between the buyer and the carrier under which the carrier could be made liable in repect of damage to the goods. The contract was on the same terms as that evidenced by, or contained in, the bill of lading, which was expressly incorporated by reference in the delivery order. If the transferee of the delivery order presents it and claims the goods, he may also be taken to have offered to enter into an implied contract incorporating some of the terms of the contract of carriage ; and he will, on the carrier's acceptance of that offer, not only acquire rights, but also incur liabilities under that contract. Where the terms of the charterparties conflict with those of the bills of lading, it is interpreted as below. First, goods may be shipped in a ship chartered by the shipper directly from the shipowner. In that case any bill of lading issued by the shipowner operates, as between shipowner and charterer, as a mere receipt. But if the bill of lading has been indorsed to a third party, between that third party and carrier, the bill of lading will normally be the contract of carriage. Secondly, goods may be shipped by a seller on a ship chartered by the buyer for taking delivery of the goods under the contract of sale. If the seller takes a bill of lading in his own name and to his own order, the terms of that bill of lading would govern the contractual relations between seller and carrier. Thirdly, a ship may be chartered by her owner to a charterer and then subchartered by the chaterer to a shipper, to whom a bill of lading may later be issued by the shipowner. In such a case, the bill of lading is regarded as evidencing a contract of carriage between the shipowner and cargo-owners.

• International Commerce and Information Review
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• v.7 no.1
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• pp.171-194
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• 2005

The CMI Rules for Electronic Bills of Lading were drafted by the Comite Maritime International(CMI) and related specifically to EDI transfers of negotiable bills of lading. The CMI Rules are contractual in nature and the application of the CMI Rules is strictly voluntary. The method adopted in the CMI Rules to enable negotiation of the rights to cargo in a controlled method is based on the introduction of the ‘Private Key’. The Bolero service will be governed by a multilateral contract called the Bolero Rule Book which specifies the rights and responsibilities of Bolero and its users. The Title Registry and Bolero Bill of Lading provide a fully functional equivalent to the paper bill of lading. The Bolero Bill of Lading can be created, transferred, amended, and surrendered by way of designating to order party, blank endorsement, refusal by the transferee etc. In Japan, through TEDI Project, the RSP Model is introduced as e-trade solution like Bolero's Solution. The RSP Model Solution will be furnished through TC(Trade Chain) Server and RSP(Repository Service Provider) Server. The purpose of this paper is to analyze comparatively the CMI Rules and Bolero Bill of Lading and RSP Model of TEDI and to find the implications in this case study for quick introduction of electronic Bill of Lading.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.30
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• pp.27-58
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• 2006

The purpose of this study is to identify key obstacles to the adoption of electronic bill of lading and to suggest an effective way to promote the utilization of electronic bill of lading in international trade field. This study finds that all the respondants have not used 'true' electronic bill of lading that is issued and distributed electronically, and most of them agreed the needs of e-B/L adoption, but their intentions to adopt e-B/L remain very low in the present situation. Five obstacles to the adoption of e-B/L were derived from an explanatory factor analysis: 'integration' factor, 'law institution' factor, 'usability' factor, 'economic efficiency' factor, and 'security' factor. Solutions to promote the utilization of e-B/L in international trade field are as follows; Firstly, to endow e-B/L with the legal force through amending relevant laws including the commercial law. Secondly, to conclude the relevant international agreement, and to carry out joint projects between nations are needed. Thirdly, to conduct publicity campaigns is required to increase the understanding of the concepts and benefits of e-B/L to all concerned parties. Fourthly, stable and reliable system must be constructed with high level security. Fifthly, to readjust the service fee of e-B/L system to a realistic level is to be needed in order for user companies to use e-B/L service.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.37
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• pp.61-85
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• 2008

Bills of lading are crucial in international sales on shipment terms since they guard buyers against loss of or damage to the goods in transit by giving them the rights against carriers. A bill of lading, as document of title, gives the buyer the right to demand physical possession of the goods from the carrier and enables the buyer who is in possession of damaged or short-delivered goods to sue the carrier. In this context the buyer in sales on CIF or CFR terms or FOB terms with additional services benefits from the bill of lading which functions as a receipt of goods and a evidence of the terms of the contract of carriage. Protection of such buyer's interests can be provided in the sale contract through appropriate express or implied terms on the seller's documentary obligations: Which transport document, a bill of lading or a sea waybill, is required? Who should be named as the consignee in the transport document and, in case of bill of lading, by whom should the bill be endorsed? What should be stated in the bill of lading for the quantity of the goods? How about a bill of lading that contains so called "unknown clause"? How many bills of lading for the entire contract goods should be tendered? Can a bill of lading stating that the goods have been shipped in apparent good order and condition also state that the goods were damaged after shipment? This paper seeks to provide answers for these particular questions.

• Korea Trade Review
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• v.46 no.6
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• pp.93-107
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• 2021

The bill of lading serves to link imports and exports. It is the last document issued in the export process and is the most important document before import and export as it is the first document required for importers to take over goods. Transfer the right to the goods to be transported to another person through endorsement. The role and importance of the bill of lading has already been suggested in many previous studies and the trading partners are fully aware of it. In addition, all countries and international organizations recognized the importance and enacted various laws and systems in relation to possible legal problems and they have become customary in practice. However, trade fraud that exploits the characteristics of the bill of lading may occur. In order to solve this problem, various attempts related to the electronic rights transfer of the bill of lading began to be carried out, and many institutions and companies are still trying to develop a new system. As a result of these efforts, electronic bills of lading, such as bolero, appeared, and electronic bills of lading, which can transfer rights in an electronic way, appeared. Therefore, this study intends to present the feasibility of the introduction of smart bills of lading after examining the current status of electronic bills of lading and the introduction of block chain technology-based bills of lading.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.14
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• pp.177-218
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• 2000

Global Electronic Trading means that trading partners trade each other via Global Electronic Trading Network, that is, global business to business electronic commerce. Recently, where the cargo arrives ahead of the B/L, the importer cannot take delivery of the cargo without the B/L. This situation is referred to as the B/L dilemma. But the BOLERO system will resolve this B/L dilemma. Bolero Project is developing a cross industry utility platform for the secure, electronic transfer of commercial trade information world wide. After the successful testing of an original pilot project, The Bolero Association was formed in 1995 by a group of interested cross industry companies. As a joint venture between SWIFT and TT Club, bolero.net is changing the way the world trades by providing a web-based, paperless mode of commerce that is designed to become a global standard. Bolero International Limited published the first edition of Bolero Rulebook in 1999. The Bolero Rulebook as amended from time to time, governing the relationship between Users and their rights and obligations arising from the Bolero system. The Bolero service will be governed by a multilateral contract called the Bolero Rule Book which specifies the rights and responsibilities of Bolero and its users. The Title Registry and Bolero Bill of Lading provide a fully functional equivalent to the paper bill of lading. The Bolero Bill of Lading can be created, transferred, amended, and surrendered by way of designating to order party, blank endorsement, refusal by the transferee etc. Thus, this study deals with the functions of Bolero Bill of Lading and the problems and solutions in the Bolero Bill of Lading in point of definitions and operation under the Bolero Rulebook.

• Journal of Korea Port Economic Association
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.169-190
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• 2009

In order to establish whether any charterparty terms are incorporated into the bill of lading, the first necessity is to specify the charterparty alluded to the incorporation clause in the bill of lading. However, this becomes a potential problem where the date of a charterparty is not inserted on the face of the bill of lading in case a vessel is in operation under a number of charterparties. Over many years this issue has frequently been raised before the English courts, but it is still causing problems. The purpose of this study is to examines the several English authorities which dealt with the issue relating to the specification of charterparty incorporated into the bill of lading and to present some interpretation rules and the order of priority. As a result, the comparative analysis of English authorities shows that they failed to give dear guidance on this issue. This article therefore suggests four interpretation rules such as the precedence of a B/L's face, the rule of appositeness, surrounding circumstances, the contra proferentem rule and shows that the precedence of a B/L's face is most applicable for all parties.

• Journal of Arbitration Studies
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• v.28 no.4
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• pp.153-172
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• 2018

In solving international commercial disputes, arbitration has a unique advantage. Therefore, when most parties sign a charter party, they contain arbitration clauses. Whether the arbitration clause in the charter party can be effectively incorporated into the bill of lading and bind to the third party-bill holder becomes an important issue. Based on the problem above, this paper compares the arbitration system between Korea and China, and discusses the composition of the Chinese Maritime Court and the Chinese court's adjudication of arbitration for foreign countries, which are recognized and enforced in China. What is most important in this study is observing the Chinese case from the beginning of 2000 to the present in order to rule whether the Chinese court can effectively incorporate the arbitration clause in the charter party into the bill of lading, as well as whether it constitutes an effective binding force for third parties and changes in standard of recognition. Finally, through comparative analysis, the study concludes that in China, the arbitration clause in the charter party can be effectively incorporated into the bill of lading, and that the conditions for the third parties can be effectively restrained. There must be several points to be noted when recording the bill of lading. This would then help reduce the legal risks and promote the sustainable development of international transactions.

• THE INTERNATIONAL COMMERCE & LAW REVIEW
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• v.47
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• pp.49-78
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• 2010

The seller has to deliver goods and hand over documents as required by the contract. It is very important that ownership of goods shall be transferred by the documents from the seller to the buyer. Where terms of payments is made under documentary payment such as negotiable order Bill of lading or any transport documents for symbolic delivery of goods shall be more important between the parties concerned. The buyer may withdraw or cancel the contract where the buyer accept the foul Bill of Lading and demand damages where the buyer accept the other documents which are not in accordance with requirements by the buyer. Withdraw or cancel of contract can be made where discrepancy of documents comes into fundamental breach of contract. In conclusion transport documents by the seller will be used to determine appropriation of transport document to the contract. Therefore the seller has to deliver the proper shipping documents to the buyer. Where the breach of the seller's obligations to deliver documents the buyer has the right of requiring performance, contract avoided, claiming damage to recover the contract under CISG. The significance of transport documents has been focused in this study and careful examination of documents shall be needed to prevent any dispute or differences between the parties.