Online Dispute Resolution as a Factor in the Development of Commercial Transactions: Models of Legal Regulation

The active development of the e-commerce market necessitates the timely improvement of mechanisms for interaction between parties to distance transactions. Both business (in terms of increasing competitiveness) and the state (in terms of economic development) have a stake in this. One particularly sought-after direction for modernizing distance interaction systems is ensuring a transparent and convenient mechanism for online dispute resolution at both the national and international levels. The paper analyzes approaches adopted in the APEC Cooperation Framework for Online Dispute Resolution of Cross-Border Commercial Disputes and the Model Law on Electronic Transactions of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA). It also examines the reasons for the discontinuation of the online consumer dispute resolution platform that operated within the European Union. An assessment is provided of the draft federal law «On Amendments to the Law of the Russian Federation ‘On the Protection of Consumer Rights’ and the Federal Law ‘On Alternative Dispute Resolution Procedures Involving a Mediator (Mediation Procedure)’” regarding the creation of a legal basis for the development of alternative online dispute resolution mechanisms. As part of the analysis of the feasibility of introducing a state platform for online dispute resolution, the paper examines the operation of similar mechanisms in Brazil and Kazakhstan. The author concludes that the development of the relevant regulatory framework must be based on a logically sound concept that arises from the needs of public authorities, private individuals, business structures, and public institutions, while taking into account modern economic, technological, and other realities, as well as both positive and negative international and foreign experience.

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