DiMatteo drafted for duty by world’s IB community

Gainesville, Fla. – Larry A. DiMatteo, Huber Hurst Professor of Contract Law & Legal Studies in the Department of Management, was recently issued two invitations to participate in major international business law projects. The first, from the Global Forum for International Consumer Law (GFICL), and the second, to join a group of global scholars in what is known as the “Enhanced Digest Project” that relates to the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG).

“It is gratifying that my research in international sales and contract law has become increasingly recognized internationally,” DiMatteo states. “In addition, work on these two projects will allow me to further network and collaborate with scholars throughout the world who seek to better understand and harmonize the law of international business transactions.”

DiMatteo was asked to join the GFICL in order to draft an international consumer law code entitled the “Global Principles of International Consumer Contracts” (GPICC). He is one of only two American members on the drafting committee. Other participants include academics and judges from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Japan, People’s Republic of China, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. The Forum’s goal is to have an initial draft written by Fall 2010. This project is being performed under the auspices of the Institute of International Commercial Law. Its purpose is to provide a model law that could be adopted by countries to harmonize international consumer contract law.

The second project involves the drafting of an Enhanced Digest of legal cases interpreting the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. This Convention has been ratified by the U.S. Congress (as the Federal Law of Sales) and 71 other countries to act as an international law for the sale of goods (exporting-importing transactions). Fewer than 10 CISG scholars from throughout the world are spearheading this project, and will analyze the leading international law cases and scholarly materials interpreting the Convention. Thomson-West is publishing the Digest in loose-leaf binder form so that it can be continuously updated and, as such, will make a major contribution to the literature by providing a comprehensive, timely source of interpretation of the Convention for scholars and practitioners of international business transactions.