The Law Applicable To Cross Border Contracts Involving Weaker Parties In Eu Private International Law

This book provides answers to the following questions: how do traditional principles of private international law relate to the requirements of the internal market for the realisation of the EUs objectives regarding the protection of weaker parties such as consumers and employees? When and how should private international law ensure the applicability of EU directives concerning the protection of weaker parties? Are the EUs current private international law, rules on conflict of laws, and private international law approach sufficient to ensure the realisation of its objectives regarding weaker contracting parties, or is a different approach to private international law called for? The book concludes with several proposed amendments, mainly regarding the Rome I Regulation on the law applicable to contractual obligations, as well as suggestions on the EUs current approach to private international law. This book is primarily intended for an academic audience and to help achieve better regulation in the future. It also seeks to dispel certain lingering doubts regarding the current practice of EU private international law.

The Rome I Regulation on the Law Applicable to Contractual Obligations has unified the conflict of laws rules of the Member States. The influence of the European Union upon Private International Law goes beyond positive harmonisation however. There is a certain tension between European law and PIL. European law is concerned with whether the imposition of a rule constitutes a restriction to the internal market whereas PIL does not seek to neutralise the disadvantages that result from differences between national laws but instead tries to locate the geographical centre of the legal relationship. The present book attempts to identify the methodological disharmony between the two legal disciplines in the regulation of cross border contracts and proposes suggestions to enhance their mutual understanding.

This book provides answers to the following questions: how do traditional principles of private international law relate to the requirements of the internal market for the realisation of the EU’s objectives regarding the protection of weaker parties such as consumers and employees? When and how should private international law ensure the applicability of EU directives concerning the protection of weaker parties? Are the EU’s current private international law, rules on conflict of laws, and private international law approach sufficient to ensure the realisation of its objectives regarding weaker contracting parties, or is a different approach to private international law called for? The book concludes with several proposed amendments, mainly regarding the Rome I Regulation on the law applicable to contractual obligations, as well as suggestions on the EU’s current approach to private international law. This book is primarily intended for an academic audience and to help achieve better regulation in the future. It also seeks to dispel certain lingering doubts regarding the current practice of EU private international law.

The enforcement of international contracts in the European Union is increasingly dependent on Community (rather than national) private international law. This book examines the present status and future prospects of Community private international law in the contractual area. It focuses in particular upon the joint analysis of the Rome Convention of 19 June 1980 on the law applicable to contractual obligations (which is likely to be converted in the near future into the Rome I-regulation) and the Brussels I-regulation. Rather than attempting a comprehensive study of Brussels I and Rome I, this book examines a number of key issues considered particularly pertinent from the point of view of the coherence between both instruments. This approach should contribute to the consistency of Community policy-making and legislation in the field of international contracts, to the benefit of market participants. This book is the culmination of a research project funded by the European Commission (DG Justice and Home Affairs, Framework programme for judicial co-operation in civil matters) and co-ordinated by the University of Antwerp Belgium. Eminent European experts have contributed to the book which should prove of interest to law makers, academics and practitioners concerned with the enforcement of contracts in a cross-border context.

In this thoroughly revised second edition, Pedro De Miguel Asensio presents a practical analysis of jurisdiction, choice of law, and recognition and enforcement of judgments in the context of online activities, examining areas where private legal relationships are most affected by the Internet. Addressing the tension between the ubiquity of the Internet and the territorial nature of national legal orders, the author sets out the latest developments across multiple jurisdictions in this dynamic field.

Research Handbook on EU Consumer and Contract Law takes stock of the evolution of this fascinating area of private law to date and identifies key themes for the future development of the law and research agendas. The Handbook is divided into three parts:

Blockchains and smart contracts are emerging technologies that pose unique challenges for legal systems. This book outlines the extent to which these new and innovative technologies could have potentially disruptive effects on contract law in Europe. It does so through a comparative, three-part analysis of the recognisability and effects of smart contracts in European legal systems. First of all, in light of the technologies’ transboundary nature, the book employs a comparative approach, considering French law, German law, English law, and Dutch law to analyse the impact on the different systems of contract law. While doing so, it also addresses the formation, interpretation, and vitiation of contracts. Secondly, it analyses the impact of these technologies on European laws regarding unfair terms in consumer contracts and argues that the existing rules should be applied to smart legal agreements in business-to-consumer relations. Lastly, it analyses the current European rules of private international law on the basis of which jurisdiction and applicable law are developed. In this respect, the book concludes that the vast majority of these European rules are “smart contract-proof”.

This perceptive book focuses on the interplay between the substantive provisions of intellectual property (IP) rights and the rules of enforcement. Featuring contributions from internationally recognised IP scholars, the book investigates different methods of ensuring that IP contractual and enforcement practices support the overall goals of the IP system.