NEWS 25.11.98 Ecommerce took centre stage yesterday when the Queen's Speech to mark the opening of parliament promised a government bill to create laws to ease online trade.
The Queen's speech - drafted by Downing Street - read: "Legislation will be introduced to promote electronic commerce and start modernising the law; improving competitiveness by enabling the UK to compete in the new digital marketplace."
The Bill, expected some time next month, will recognise electronic signatures as legally binding - currently signatures accompanying transactions cannot be held legally accountable.
25.11.98 And so it was that the Queen uttered the word ecommerce. Of course, for the previous 18 months we'd guess ecommerce was often referred to by politicians and civil servants - after all, the UK was to become a leader in it and it would prove something of a panacea to economic woes.
But that sounds jaded. In truth, ecommerce has been neither a flop nor a runaway success. It is, if anything, just a normal, useful part of the business environment now and something even the Queen is comfortable with.
Haven't seen any websites 'By Royal Appointment' yet, though.
