A Genealogical Approach to the Incoterms Rules and Revised Incoterms 2010

Incoterms have provided a set of rules that the global trade community can use for the interpretation of shipping terms. Always viewed from the perspective of the seller’s delivery obligation, Incoterms focus on the responsibility for the risk of loss or damage to the goods sold, division of transportation and customs‐related costs between the seller and buyer, and the obligation to execute certain functional activities related to the movement of the goods. The ICC has consistently attempted to update Incoterms in a way that keeps pace with the evolution of business practices. The ICC recently published the new listing of terms, which hints at some of the significant changes ahead in the new publication. It is not certain how the Incoterms 2010 have been used in practice, so it is difficult to find out related problems. Therefore, those who are unwilling to use Incoterms 2010 are free to choose Incoterms 2000 or other trade terms. However, this kind of practice can cause a conflict because of differences in the interpretation of trade terms in international trade. It would be desirable to use Incoterms 2010 based on the revised Incoterms 2000. It is still unclear how predominantly Incoterms 2010 will be used in international trade. Of course, it is necessary to keep updating trade terms based on a deeper analysis on the matters associated with the Incoterms rules, and maintain an understanding of contemporary changes. In this context, this thesis aimed to investigate the historical background of the Incoterms rules and find out how t