Non-Contractual Obligations in Private International Law This thesis deals with non-contractual obligations in private international law. The most important law in this area is the Rome II Regulation on the law applicable to non-contractual obligations that applies since 11 January 2009. The Regulation creates a common regime of conflict of law rules for most civil and commercial non-contractual obligations. The general rule is the law of the place of injury (lex loci damni). The rule is subject to two exceptions, the common habitual residence exception and a general escape clause based on the closer connection principle. Special rules are laid down for some non-contractual obligations, such as product liability, unfair competition and acts restricting free competition, environmental damages, infringement of intellectual property rights, unjust enrichment, negotiorum gestio and culpa in contrahendo. However, in most cases, the parties may agree on the law applicable to the non- contractual obligations between them. Post-tort agreements may be made between all parties whereas pre-tort agreements are allowed only where all the parties are pursuing commercial activity. Where the Rome II Regulation does not apply the courts will look to the relevant national legislation, which is the Private...

The topic of this thesis is the law applicable to obligations with an international aspect, which is an area that presents a complex and important part of private international law. Statutes dealing with obligations with an international aspect may be of national, international or EU origin and employ different methods to regulate such obligations. Therefore, in comparison with national legal disciplines, the determination of the appropriate legal statute may prove challenging. One of the questions this thesis deals with is the relationship between these statutes and the basic principles upon which the selection between them should be made. Obligations with an international aspect are at the present time dominated by two EU regulations, namely the Rome I Regulation which deals with contractual obligations and the Rome II Regulation which deals with non-contractual obligations. A large portion of this thesis is devoted to their analysis. Instead of a detailed description of their every provision, which for the purpose of this work is unnecessary, this thesis focuses on the scope of application of these Regulations, the conflict rules and the scope of the applicable law. Chapters two and three are a general outline of the issues that follow in this work. The second chapter explains the basic terms...

Jadis un phénomène inexistant, les fusions internationales de sociétés constituent désormais une réalité. Elles présentent des risques multiples pour différentes catégories de personnes, tels que les créanciers sociaux. Ces derniers sont en effet confrontés à des risques spécifiques lorsque leur société débitrice fusionne avec une ou plusieurs société(s) relevant d’une législation nationale différente. Leurs protection est donc nécessaire. Or, aucune protection internationale uniforme des créanciers sociaux n’est prévue et les protections existantes relèvent des différents droits nationaux. L’application des protections nationales aux fusions internationales de sociétés est à l’origine d’un cantonnement de la protection. Le recours au mécanisme conflictualiste constitue un facteur d’insécurité juridique et peut conduire à des pertes de protection. En outre, les droits nationaux ainsi désignés ignorent largement les risques spécifiques des fusions internationales et contiennent des protections variables. Dans le cadre d’un contentieux, la détermination de la compétence internationale n’est pas aisée. La fusion est susceptible de conduire à la modification du chef de compétence initiale et de confronter le créancier à une personne morale inexistante. Dès lors, un renforcement de la protection des créanciers sociaux s’impose. La contractualisation de la protection ainsi que l’adoption d’une nouvelle réglementation sont les deux voies pouvant permettre d’atteindre cet objectif. Si le recours aux règles matérielles doit être préconisé, il ne saurait être exclusif. En effet, une réglementation matérielle uniforme constitue une voie pouvant être qualifiée d’utopiste. Par conséquent, la combinaison des règles matérielles et des règles de conflit constitue une solution de substitution permettant de mieux concilier les besoins de protection des créanciers sociaux et de concentration de sociétés. Par ailleurs, la contractualisation de la protection permet d’adapter la protection aux besoins de chaque créancier. Elle constitue dès lors une méthode permettant de renforcer au cas par cas la protection de base instituée par la réglementation. / Once an inexistent phenomenon, international mergers are now a widespread reality. They present numerous risks for different categories of persons, such as corporate creditors. The creditors are confronted to specific risks when their corporate debtor merges with one or several corporations coming into the competences of different national laws. Their protection is therefore necessary. However, there is no international uniform protection of corporate creditors and the existing protections are depending on different national laws. The application of national regulations on international corporate mergers is at the origin of a limitation of the protection. The recourse to the conflict of laws mechanism is a factor of legal uncertainty and may lead to protection losses. Moreover, the designated national laws are ignoring to a large extent the specific risks of international mergers and contain variable protections. Within the framework of litigation, the determination of international jurisdiction is not easy. The merger is likely to lead to the modification of the initial jurisdiction and to confront the creditor to an inexistent corporate body. Therefore, a strengthening of corporate creditors’ protection has to be established. In order to reach that objective, the contractualisation of the protection or the enactment of a new regulation are two solutions. While the resort to material law rules has to be recommended, it cannot be exclusive. Indeed, a uniform material regulation is a way likely to be qualified as utopian. Consequently, the combination of material law rules and conflict of law rules is a substitute enabling to better conciliate the needs of creditor protection and corporate concentration. In addition, the contractualisation of the protection is enabling to adapt the protection to the needs of each creditor. It is consequently a method allowing to strenghthen the basic protection established by the regulation on a case by case basis.

The subject of the conflict of laws and arbitration in intellectual property rights is a complicated topic to research, because the normal rules of private international law and arbitration can be affected by the special characteristics of patents and trademarks. Some rules of these subjects might need to be reformed and in some cases there are principles that should be created to successfully handle cross-border disputes concerning patents and trademarks. Establishment of a special court with supranational jurisdiction may be required to resolve these types of disputes. Recently, this subject has been given enormous attention around the world. While the academics, legislators and forums in developed states have broadly discussed the subject of conflict of laws and arbitration in intellectual property rights, in Saudi Arabia, it has not been given noticeable attention. This thesis intends to make a significant contribution to Saudi law and provide appropriate approaches on the subject of conflict of laws and arbitration in intellectual property rights. The topics which will be covered in this thesis are the rules of international jurisdiction, the rules of choice of law, the rules for enforcement of foreign judgments and the rules of arbitration. The modification and the enhancement of the rules of private international law and arbitration established in Saudi law will be recommended and the arguments for each suggested approach will be presented.

Proefschrift--Recht--Nijmegen--Katholieke Universiteit, 1995. / En annexe texte de la Convention. Notes bibliogr. Bibliogr. p. 439-443. Index.

O presente trabalho busca analisar as relações de consumo no âmbito do comércio eletrônico verificando a aplicabilidade do Código de Defesa do Consumidor e das normativas recentes.A inovação no meio de contratação eletrônica tem demonstrado novas circunstâncias que levam à diminuição da confiança. Neste meio, a dificuldade de identificação dos contratantes é grande, gerando uma desconfiança generalizada. Essa não se dá apenas pela despersonalização, mas também pela desmaterialização e desterritorialização das contratações. Assim, será analisada de que modo a proteção do consumidor pode ser alcançada através do princípio da confiança. As relações contratuais pela internet demonstram uma mobilidade e uma aproximação entre barreiras territoriais; neste sentido,analisa-se também a suficiência da legislação existente. / This study aims to analyze the relationships within the consumer electronic commerce by attempting to establish the law applicable to such relationships. The means of contracting have brought up new features that lead to reduced confidence. In this environment it is extremely difficult to identify the contractor, generating a widespread mistrust. It doesn’t just happen due to the depersonalization, but also because of the dematerialization and deterritorialization of the contracting. So it will be done a strong analysis of the consumer protection through the confidence principle. The contractual relationships over the Internet show mobility and a rapprochement between territorial barriers. In this sense there is the need for analysis of comparative law on consumer protection and electronic commerce, and thus applicable law will be examined through new rules of connection in private international law in order to increase confidence in between the contracting parties.

O presente trabalho busca analisar as relações de consumo no âmbito do comércio eletrônico verificando a aplicabilidade do Código de Defesa do Consumidor e das normativas recentes.A inovação no meio de contratação eletrônica tem demonstrado novas circunstâncias que levam à diminuição da confiança. Neste meio, a dificuldade de identificação dos contratantes é grande, gerando uma desconfiança generalizada. Essa não se dá apenas pela despersonalização, mas também pela desmaterialização e desterritorialização das contratações. Assim, será analisada de que modo a proteção do consumidor pode ser alcançada através do princípio da confiança. As relações contratuais pela internet demonstram uma mobilidade e uma aproximação entre barreiras territoriais; neste sentido,analisa-se também a suficiência da legislação existente. / This study aims to analyze the relationships within the consumer electronic commerce by attempting to establish the law applicable to such relationships. The means of contracting have brought up new features that lead to reduced confidence. In this environment it is extremely difficult to identify the contractor, generating a widespread mistrust. It doesn’t just happen due to the depersonalization, but also because of the dematerialization and deterritorialization of the contracting. So it will be done a strong analysis of the consumer protection through the confidence principle. The contractual relationships over the Internet show mobility and a rapprochement between territorial barriers. In this sense there is the need for analysis of comparative law on consumer protection and electronic commerce, and thus applicable law will be examined through new rules of connection in private international law in order to increase confidence in between the contracting parties.

O presente trabalho busca analisar as relações de consumo no âmbito do comércio eletrônico verificando a aplicabilidade do Código de Defesa do Consumidor e das normativas recentes.A inovação no meio de contratação eletrônica tem demonstrado novas circunstâncias que levam à diminuição da confiança. Neste meio, a dificuldade de identificação dos contratantes é grande, gerando uma desconfiança generalizada. Essa não se dá apenas pela despersonalização, mas também pela desmaterialização e desterritorialização das contratações. Assim, será analisada de que modo a proteção do consumidor pode ser alcançada através do princípio da confiança. As relações contratuais pela internet demonstram uma mobilidade e uma aproximação entre barreiras territoriais; neste sentido,analisa-se também a suficiência da legislação existente. / This study aims to analyze the relationships within the consumer electronic commerce by attempting to establish the law applicable to such relationships. The means of contracting have brought up new features that lead to reduced confidence. In this environment it is extremely difficult to identify the contractor, generating a widespread mistrust. It doesn’t just happen due to the depersonalization, but also because of the dematerialization and deterritorialization of the contracting. So it will be done a strong analysis of the consumer protection through the confidence principle. The contractual relationships over the Internet show mobility and a rapprochement between territorial barriers. In this sense there is the need for analysis of comparative law on consumer protection and electronic commerce, and thus applicable law will be examined through new rules of connection in private international law in order to increase confidence in between the contracting parties.

1 The law governing obligations with an international element Abstract The legal regulation of obligations with an international element constitutes an extensive issue which forms a significant part of private international law. It is also the area with the most frequent appearance of an international element which is particularly important in international business. This thesis firstly deals with the distinction of legal norms which regulate contractual relationships with an international element according to their origin and methods that govern these relationships. Such distinction of legal norms is essential for the comprehension of their mutual relations and therefore for the application of a correct norm to the particular obligation. The thesis also defines basic concepts which are necessary for orientation in this part of private international law. The main content of the thesis is represented with an analysis of legal norms, which, from the perspective of the Czech legal system, govern relationships with an international element. The thesis contains a basic analysis of legal regulations contained in international treaties concerning mainly international trade and types of contracts which are used in international trade, i.e. purchase and transport contracts. The core of this thesis is represented by...

Le rôle que joue le tribunal arbitral dans l'établissement du contenu du droit applicable n'est pas déterminé dans la plupart des législations d'arbitrage. Cette défaillance du cadre légal conduit à l'interprétation du principe jura novit curia en matière d'arbitrage international. Certes, une transposition pure et simple dans cette matière dudit principe, tel qu'il est appliqué devant les tribunaux étatiques, n'est pas sans difficulté. Néanmoins, en vue de consolider la confiance des parties dans la justice arbitrale et améliorer sa qualité, le tribunal arbitral doit avoir un rôle prépondérant vis-à-vis du droit applicable. En outre, l'office de l'arbitre doit intégrer l'emprise croissante des principes procéduraux fondamentaux. L'administration de la preuve juridique durant l'instance arbitrale s'accomplit à travers différents outils et méthodes. Ces derniers sont, de nos jours, très harmonisés dans les différentes législations et ce grâce à l'effort considérable déployé par les différentes institutions d'arbitrage. Néanmoins, en dépit de leur utilisation fréquente, de leur évolution croissante et leurs avantages indéniables, certains inconvénients persistent et contredisent parfois les besoins d'efficacité et de célérité recherchés par les compromettants. D'autres méthodes, spécifiques pour la preuve juridique, devraient émerger pour une meilleure administration de la justice. Il ne faut toutefois pas privilégier simplement une solution rapide du litige. Il faut qu'elle soit également acceptable et juste aux yeux des parties. Un outil de contrôle de la phase post-arbitrale, qui vise à vérifier si le contenu «censé» établi du droit applicable est correctement appliqué par l'arbitre aux faits de l'espèce, doit pouvoir exister et être efficace. Une telle mesure doit cependant être respectueuse du principe de non révision au fond des sentences. / The role of the arbital tribunal in the establishment of the content of the applicable law on the merits is not envisaged in most of the arbitration statutes. This brings us to examine the principle ''jura novit curia" and the opportunity of its application to international arbitration. Applying this principle in the same way it is applied before state courts to international arbitration has led to several difficulties. However in order to encourage the parties to resort to arbitration and to increase their trust in this conflict resolution mechanism, the arbitrator must be actively involved in the establishment of the content of the applicable law. Moreover, the "ex officia" attributions of the arbitrator should always comply with the due process principles. The administration of the proof of the applicable law during an arbitration procedure is nowadays standardized in most of the different law systems, due to the continuous efforts of the arbitration institutions. However, and despite the numerous advantages of the current methods of establishment of the applicable law, many difficulties are still encountered, which is diminishing the efficiency and the celerity expected by the parties from the arbitration process. Therefore, news methods should be developed, without however compromising the quality of the justice rendered: a post arbitral control must be implemented in order to verify whether the arbitrator has correctly applied the law on the merits "as previously established" to the case at hand, while respecting the principle of non review of the award on the merits.