Re: Is a choreography a contract

Assaf Arkin:
> Probably you would sue someone because they didn't send you the
product
> or in turn their payment didn't clear your bank, not because they
failed
> to send an advance shipping notice or an invoice. What are the
> requirements for you to prove that a product was not delivered or a
> payment was not made? Can you use the same rule to prove for example
> that a message was not sent or is there something extra we need to do?

You can't prove a negative. You can claim that goods or money
was not received and the respondent can rebut with message logs.
You can claim that a payment was late, especially if it was electronic
and you have a good timestamp.

Or say that an economic contract contains two commitments:
1. a commitment to deliver some goods by a particular time, and
2. a commitment to pay a penalty for late delivery.
Evidence that the supplier agreed to both of those commitments
would be necessary to claim the penalty.

Probably the more business protocols get automated,
and good evidence is available, the less people will sue,
and the more they will fulfill their commitments.

A public record of commitment-fulfillment could also become
a basis for a reputation system.

Received on Tuesday, 3 June 2003 16:28:34 UTC