The Cisg S Attempt To Unify International Sales Law An Assessment Of Its Successfulness

Seminar paper from the year 2015 in the subject Law - European and International Law, Intellectual Properties, grade: 1,3, Maastricht University, course: International Commercial Law, language: English, abstract: One of the main constraints on cross-border commerce has always been diverging national legal regimes. With the emergence of globalization starting in the last century it became evident that there is a need to approximate the existing rules to foster international trade. In theory, this should allow all participating actors to benefit more than ever leading in the long run to greater wealth for everyone. In 1980, 42 countries agreed on the CISG to address hindrances to the growing international trade by adopting a default uniform international framework for the sales of goods. The preamble specifies that “the adoption of uniform rules which govern contracts for the international sale of goods and take into account the different social, economic and legal systems would contribute to the removal of legal barriers in international trade and promote the development of international trade”. At the time of writing, the CISG has been in force for 27 years and it is time to evaluate whether the goals the drafters had in mind have been achieved. In order to assess the successfulness of the CISG to promote a unified international sales law a multitude of factors can be taken into account. To not unduly exceed the limits of this paper the author determined three key criteria on whose basis the successfulness will be evaluated. Firstly, the acceptance of the CISG in the international community will be evaluated. Secondly, the influence of the CISG on subsequent international, regional and domestic legislation and initiatives relating to sales and contract law will be addressed. Lastly, after determining the scope of application the paper focuses on the CISG’s capacity to safeguard and foster its uniform application.

The Convention on the International Sale of Goods is one of the most successful attempts to unify parts of the law of international commerce. The Convention is now in force in more than 60 states, and there are thousands of decisions by courts and arbitral tribunals that apply the rules of theConvention, numerous books and innumerable contributions by scholars and practitioners on the Convention and its various topics and problems. Moreover, the CISG has had a great influence on modern domestic laws, such as the Scandinavian Sales Law, the Netherlands Wetboek, the Commercial Code ofCzechia, the new German Law of Obligations and the new codifications in former Socialist states as well as on projects to unify the law, for example the UNIDROIT Principles for International Commercial Contracts and the European Principles of Contract Law. This is the second edition of the Commentary on the UN Convention on the International Sale of Goods (CISG), first published in 1998. It is based on a broad comparative analysis of decisions and scholarly contributions from all states which has enacted the Convention. The contributors to this book,all being experts in their respective fields, based their analysis on the conviction that in order to do justice to the directive of Art. 7(1) CISG that "in the interpretation of this Convention regard is to be had to its international character and to the need to promote uniformity in itsapplication", understanding and interpretation of the Convention in the light of one domestic legal system alone would be inadequate, and that, therefore, it were required to closely follow, report and compare judicial and scholarly views from all jurisdictions accessible to the contributors. Thefirst edition of this Commentary has become an important source for the reading and explanation of the Convention, and it is frequently cited by legal writers, courts and tribunals from all over the world.

This book brings together the top international sales law scholars from twenty-three countries to review the Convention on Contracts for International Sale of Goods (CISG) and its role in the unification of global sales law. It reviews the substance of CISG rules and analyzes alternative interpretations. A comparative analysis is given of how countries have accepted, interpreted, and applied the CISG. Theoretical insights are offered into the problems of uniform laws, the CISG's role in bridging the gap between the common and civil legal traditions, and the debate over good faith in CISG jurisprudence. The book reviews case law relating to the interpretation and application of the provisions of the CISG; analyzes how it has been recognized and implemented by national courts and arbitral tribunals; offers insights into problems of uniformity of application of an international sales convention; compares the CISG with the English Sale of Goods Act and places it in the context of other texts of UNCITRAL; and analyzes the CISG from the practitioner's perspective.

"Collection of essays on the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)"--Foreword.

Written for international trade lawyers, practitioners and students from common and civil law countries, this casebook is an excellent starting point for learning about the CISG, providing an article-by-article analysis of the Convention. The commentary on each article is accompanied by extracts from cases and associated comparative materials, as well as references to important trade usages such as the INCOTERMS® 2010. The book features a selection of the most significant cases, each of which has been abridged to enable the reader to focus on its essential features and the relevant questions arising from it. The case extracts are accompanied by a comprehensive overview of parallel provisions in other international instruments, uniform projects and domestic laws. The analyses, cases, texts and questions are intended to aid readers in their comparative law and international sales law studies. They are designed to draw attention to the particular issues surrounding specific CISG provisions and to provoke careful consideration of possible solutions. The book is a reference work as well as an introduction to the individual problem areas. In particular, it acts as a preparatory work for the Willem C Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot. The inclusion of sample questions and answers also makes it particularly helpful for self-study purposes.

This publication contains a presentation of case laws rendered in jurisdictions having enacted the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. In light of the large number of cases collected, the Commission requested a tool specifically designed to present selected information on the interpretation and application of the Model Law in a clear, concise and objective manner. This request originated the UNCITRAL Digest of Case Law on the UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration. The purpose of the digest is to assist in the dissemination of information on the Model Law and further promote its adoption as well as its uniform interpretation and application. In addition, the digest is meant to help judges, government officials, arbitrators, practitioners and academics use more efficiently the case law relating to the UNCITRAL text.

Part I. The Role of Consent: 1. Transatlantic perspectives: fundamental themes and debates Larry A. DiMatteo, Qi Zhou and Séverine Saintier 2. Competing theories of contract: an emerging consensus? Martin A. Hogg 3. Contracts, courts and the construction of consent Tom W. Joo 4. Are mortgage contracts promises? Curtis Bridgeman Part II. Normative Views of Contract: 5. Naturalistic contract Peter A. Alces 6. Contract in a networked world Roger Brownsword 7. Contract, transactions, and equity T.T. Arvind Part III. Contract Design and Good Faith: 8. Reasonability in contract design Nancy S. Kim 9. Managing change in uncertain times: relational view of good faith Zoe Ollerenshaw Part IV. Implied Terms and Interpretation: 10. Implied terms in English contract law Richard Austen-Baker 11. Contract interpretation: judicial rule, not party choice Juliet Kostritsky Part V. Policing Contracting Behavior: 12. The paradox of the French method of calculating the compensation of commercial agents and the importance of conceptualising the remedial scheme under Directive 86/653 Séverine Saintier 13. Unconscionability in American contract law Chuck Knapp 14. Unfair terms in comparative perspective: software contracts Jean Braucher 15. (D)CFR initiative and consumer unfair terms Mel Kenny Part VI. Misrepresentation, Breach and Remedies: 16. Remedies for misrepresentation: an integrated system David Capper 17. Re-examining damages for fraudulent misrepresentation James Devenney 18. Remedies for documentary breaches: English law and the CISG Djakhongir Saidov Part VII. Harmonizing Contract Law: 19. Harmonisation European contract law: default and mandatory rules Qi Zhou 20. Harmonization and its discontents: a critique of the transaction cost argument for a European contract law David Campbell and Roger Halson 21. Europeanisation of contract law and the proposed common European sales law Hector MacQueen 22. Harmonization of international sales law Larry A. DiMatteo.