Reporting of the DOCDEX decisions
We have in the past, and will do so again in the future, commented on a number of DOCDEX decisions.
With this in mind, it is worth re-capping where the DOCDEX rules and decisions may be found.
The most recent version of the DOCDEX (Documentary Instruments Dispute Resolution Expertise) rules, ICC Publication 872, came into force on 1 May 2015.
DOCDEX was first introduced in 1997. Published decisions can be found in ICC Publications No. 665 (1997-2003), No. 696 (2004-2008) No. 739 (2009-2012), and No. 786 (2013-2016, edited by Gary Collyer and David Meynell).
In view of the timeframe since the introduction of the DOCDEX rules, various versions of ICC rules have been covered: UCP 222/400/500/600, URR 525/725, URC 522, URDG 458/758 and ISBP 645/681/745.
An analysis of the UCP articles that have attracted the most queries reveals that issues surrounding discrepant documents predominate, followed closely by the standard for examination of documents. It is clear that it is in this area that a lack of knowledge of key procedures can cause problems and disputes between parties.
A significant development that has been introduced in the most recent publication (no. 786) is the inclusion of an abstract for all decisions. This approach allows for an encapsulation of key information and summarises each conclusion.
Two important indices are also available: