INTERNATIONAL SALES DISPUTE RESOLUTION ABSTRACT This dissertation deals with judicial resolution of disputes arising from cross-border commercial relationships, more precisely from international sales contract as their common representative. The introduction defines the term of international sales contract (chapter one) and the process of its formation (chapter two) under the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods ("CISG"). It addresses inter alia the gap filling of the CISG, uniform interpretation or commercial usages. Some comparative notes are also provided. Further, it examines a phenomenon called "battle of forms" that often occurs in practice when dealing with standard terms and conditions. The focal point of the thesis is the rules of jurisdiction set out in the Brussels I Regulation Recast ("Regulation") which are analysed from the perspective of an international commercial relationship. The emphasis is on the prorogation of jurisdiction under the Regulation. The third chapter deals with the territorial, temporal and material scope of application of the Regulation, as well as with its autonomous interpretation. It also discusses the role of the Regulation in arbitration. Chapter four reviews the rules of jurisdiction applicable when there is no valid choice of...

The essay focuses on the issue of the international regulation of international sales contracts. It analyses the United Nations Convention for the International Sale of Goods and documents published by the International Chamber of Commerce and by other organisations active in harmonisation and unification of instruments of regulation of international sales contracts. So, the goal of the essay is to decide whether the documents help to remove the barriers of the international trade and whether the documents do not overlap the Convention.

The legal nature of the bill of lading as a negotiable document of title has allowed it to provide the basis of a system in which bankers provide credit for the financing of international sales contracts on the strength of the security afforded by the goods represented in the bill. The sea waybill has appeared as a substitute for the bill of lading and, despite its nature as a nonnegotiable document, it can be employed in a manner which allows it to provide collateral security to banks. Multimodal transport documents which may be issued in negotiable or non-negotiable form assume the same legal role as the bill oflading or sea waybill respectively. The inclusion of specific articles in the 1993 Revision of the UCP relating to non-negotiable sea waybills and multimodal transport documents affirms their acceptability to banks financing international sales contracts under documentary letters of credit. / Law / LL.M.

La présente étude examine une des difficultés que soulève la résolution du contrat de vente en droit africain des affaires. L'Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires (OHADA) créée par le Traité du 17 octobre 1993 organise les règles communautaires relatives à la résolution du contrat de vente. Le Livre VIII de l’Acte uniforme OHADA portant sur le Droit commercial Général a été adopté le 15 décembre 2010 et a abrogé l’Acte du 17 avril 1997. Selon l’article 281 de l’Acte uniforme, la résolution du contrat de vente ne survient que lors de l’inexécution totale ou partielle de l’obligation du cocontractant. Notre étude visera à évaluer les conséquences dans le droit de la vente OHADA de la substitution du critère de privation substantielle par celui de la gravité du comportement du débiteur justifiant une résolution unilatérale du contrat. Cette nouvelle position du droit de la vente OHADA se démarque dans une certaine mesure du droit matériel uniforme et rejoint un courant adapté aux impératifs socioéconomiques du commerce tant régional qu’international. En outre la partie lésée devra déterminer la gravité du comportement du débiteur au risque de voir sa demande sanctionnée pour défaut de droit et donner lieu à des dommages intérêts à l’autre partie. En effet, avec pour optique la nécessité de sauvegarder le contrat au nom du principe favor contractus, comment le juge détermine a posteriori si la gravité du comportement du cocontractant est suffisante pour anéantir le contrat? Ce nouveau critère de la gravité du comportement du cocontractant en droit de la vente OHADA vient supplanter le critère de la privation substantielle et fait cohabiter la traditionnelle résolution judiciaire avec celle de la résolution unilatérale dont les contours demeurent incertains. Les cas d’ouvertures liés à la résolution du contrat de vente OHADA pour inexécution des obligations fondamentales ou accessoires seront passés au crible de même que leurs effets sur les parties. Dans une approche comparatiste avec la Convention de Vienne et les règles de codifications privés telles que les Principes UNIDROIT ou du Droit Européen des Contrats il y a lieu de s’interroger sur la mise en œuvre et les conséquences de la résolution du contrat de vente OHADA par l’inexécution de l’obligation d’une des parties due à un manquement essentiel d’une part et à la gravité du comportement du débiteur d’autre part. / The Treaty on Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa signed on October 17th, 1993 created the Organisation for Harmonisation of Business law in Africa (OHBLA).OHBLA organises common rules on resolution of sales contracts. The Book VIII of the Uniform act on General Commercial Law adopted on December 15th, 2010 replaces the previous act of April 17th, 1997. According to article 281 of this uniform act, contract resolution only occurs when there is a partial or total non execution of one party’s obligation. The present study is going to examine one of the difficulties that exist in the resolution of sales contracts in African business law. Our study will consist in evaluating the consequences of substitution of the substantial privation criteria by the seriousness of the debtor’s behaviour in OHBLA sales law. This substitution justifies a unilateral contract termination. This new OHBLA law position somehow distinguish itself from material uniform law and joins a new position socioeconomically more adapted to regional and even international business. Moreover, the prejudiced party will have to determine the gravity of the debtor’s behaviour risking to be punished for lack of motives and according damages to the other party. In fact, in order to save the contract by all means according to the favor contractus principle, how will the judge subsequently determine if the debtor’s behaviour gravity is enough to breach the contract? This new criterion of the gravity of a contracting party’s behaviour comes in replacement of the substantial privation criteria and enhances the cohabitation of the traditional judiciary termination and the unilateral cancellation which is still uncertainly defined. Cases related to contract resolution caused by non-execution of mandatory or accessory obligations in OHBLA law will be carefully examined as well as their effects on contracting parties. In a comparative approach with the Vienna Convention and private codifications such as UNIDROIT principles or European contract law, we will wonder about the use and the consequences of resolution of sales contract in OHBLA law caused by non-execution a mandatory obligation on one part and the gravity of one party’s behaviour on the other part.

Jan Kolář - International sales contract Abstract Topic of this master's thesis is international sales contract, more specifically remedies for the breach of international sales contract. As a substantive law by which remedies for the breach of international sales contract are judged is the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. Reason for choosing the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods as a substantive law for this thesis is that this convention represents one of the most successful and most widely used international legal norm used to govern international trade in today's world. This is mainly because of the Convention's well balanced and impartial approach and also the fact that the Convention has been ratified in 83 states which significantly contribute to the overall volume of an international trade. This thesis mostly uses analytical and descriptive legal research methods. This is given by the nature of its subject. However, the thesis does not only describe provisions of the Convention but aspires to point its reader to most salient and problematic features of the Convention. The thesis is divided into six chapter, introduction and conclusion. For better clarity chapters are further structured into two more levels. First...

<p>The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods 1980 (CISG) seeks to provide a standard uniform law for international sales contracts. This research paper analyses the rationale behind South Africa&rsquo / s delay in deciding whether to ratify the CISG, and its possible effect on trade with other nations. The CISG drafters hoped that uniformity would&nbsp / remove barriers to international sales thereby facilitating international trade. Ratification of the convention is only the beginning of uniformity / uniformity must then be extended to its application&nbsp / and interpretation. Not all countries have ratified the Convention yet they engage in international trade in goods: this state of affairs presents challenges since traders have to choose a national&nbsp / law that applies to their contract where CISG does not apply. This takes traders back to the undesirable pre-CISG era. On the other hand, those States that have ratified the convention face&nbsp / different challenges, the biggest one being a lack of uniformity in its interpretation. The problem of differing interpretations arises because some CISG Articles are vague leading to varied&nbsp / interpretations by national courts. Further, the CISG is still largely misunderstood and some traders from States that have ratified CISG exclude it from application. South Africa can only ratify an&nbsp / international instrument such as the CISG, after it has been tabled before Parliament, and debated upon in accordance with the Constitution. CISG&rsquo / s shortcomings, particularly regarding&nbsp / interpretation, make it far from certain that CISG would pass the rigorous&nbsp / legislative process. Nonetheless, the Constitution of South Africa requires the South African courts and legislature to promote principles of international law. The paper, therefore, examines, whether the Legislature has a constitutional obligation to ratify CISG. South Africa&rsquo / s membership of the WTO requires&nbsp / that it promote international trade by removing trade barriers. It is, therefore, vital for South Africa to be seen to be actively facilitating international trade. Even though the trade benefits which&nbsp / flow from ratification are not always visible in States that have ratified the CISG, there is some doubt whether South Africa can sustain its trade relations without ratifying the CISG. The paper shows that the formation&nbsp / of contracts under the South African common law is very similar to formation as set out under Part II of the CISG and if the CISG were to be adopted in South Africa, no major changes would be&nbsp / needed in this regard. International commercial&nbsp / principles as an alternative to the CISG still require a domestic law to govern the contract and would, therefore, leave South African traders in the&nbsp / same position they are in currently, where their trading relations are often governed by foreign laws. Ratifying CISG would certainly simplify contract negotiations particularly with regard to&nbsp / governing law provisions. Overall the advantages of ratification for South Africa far outweigh the shortcomings of the CISG, and ratification will assist in ensuring that South African traders get an&nbsp / opportunity to enter the international trade arena on an equal platform with traders from other nations. </p>

La présente étude examine une des difficultés que soulève la résolution du contrat de vente en droit africain des affaires. L'Organisation pour l'Harmonisation en Afrique du Droit des Affaires (OHADA) créée par le Traité du 17 octobre 1993 organise les règles communautaires relatives à la résolution du contrat de vente. Le Livre VIII de l’Acte uniforme OHADA portant sur le Droit commercial Général a été adopté le 15 décembre 2010 et a abrogé l’Acte du 17 avril 1997. Selon l’article 281 de l’Acte uniforme, la résolution du contrat de vente ne survient que lors de l’inexécution totale ou partielle de l’obligation du cocontractant. Notre étude visera à évaluer les conséquences dans le droit de la vente OHADA de la substitution du critère de privation substantielle par celui de la gravité du comportement du débiteur justifiant une résolution unilatérale du contrat. Cette nouvelle position du droit de la vente OHADA se démarque dans une certaine mesure du droit matériel uniforme et rejoint un courant adapté aux impératifs socioéconomiques du commerce tant régional qu’international. En outre la partie lésée devra déterminer la gravité du comportement du débiteur au risque de voir sa demande sanctionnée pour défaut de droit et donner lieu à des dommages intérêts à l’autre partie. En effet, avec pour optique la nécessité de sauvegarder le contrat au nom du principe favor contractus, comment le juge détermine a posteriori si la gravité du comportement du cocontractant est suffisante pour anéantir le contrat? Ce nouveau critère de la gravité du comportement du cocontractant en droit de la vente OHADA vient supplanter le critère de la privation substantielle et fait cohabiter la traditionnelle résolution judiciaire avec celle de la résolution unilatérale dont les contours demeurent incertains. Les cas d’ouvertures liés à la résolution du contrat de vente OHADA pour inexécution des obligations fondamentales ou accessoires seront passés au crible de même que leurs effets sur les parties. Dans une approche comparatiste avec la Convention de Vienne et les règles de codifications privés telles que les Principes UNIDROIT ou du Droit Européen des Contrats il y a lieu de s’interroger sur la mise en œuvre et les conséquences de la résolution du contrat de vente OHADA par l’inexécution de l’obligation d’une des parties due à un manquement essentiel d’une part et à la gravité du comportement du débiteur d’autre part. / The Treaty on Harmonisation of Business Law in Africa signed on October 17th, 1993 created the Organisation for Harmonisation of Business law in Africa (OHBLA).OHBLA organises common rules on resolution of sales contracts. The Book VIII of the Uniform act on General Commercial Law adopted on December 15th, 2010 replaces the previous act of April 17th, 1997. According to article 281 of this uniform act, contract resolution only occurs when there is a partial or total non execution of one party’s obligation. The present study is going to examine one of the difficulties that exist in the resolution of sales contracts in African business law. Our study will consist in evaluating the consequences of substitution of the substantial privation criteria by the seriousness of the debtor’s behaviour in OHBLA sales law. This substitution justifies a unilateral contract termination. This new OHBLA law position somehow distinguish itself from material uniform law and joins a new position socioeconomically more adapted to regional and even international business. Moreover, the prejudiced party will have to determine the gravity of the debtor’s behaviour risking to be punished for lack of motives and according damages to the other party. In fact, in order to save the contract by all means according to the favor contractus principle, how will the judge subsequently determine if the debtor’s behaviour gravity is enough to breach the contract? This new criterion of the gravity of a contracting party’s behaviour comes in replacement of the substantial privation criteria and enhances the cohabitation of the traditional judiciary termination and the unilateral cancellation which is still uncertainly defined. Cases related to contract resolution caused by non-execution of mandatory or accessory obligations in OHBLA law will be carefully examined as well as their effects on contracting parties. In a comparative approach with the Vienna Convention and private codifications such as UNIDROIT principles or European contract law, we will wonder about the use and the consequences of resolution of sales contract in OHBLA law caused by non-execution a mandatory obligation on one part and the gravity of one party’s behaviour on the other part.

<p>The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods 1980 (CISG) seeks to provide a standard uniform law for international sales contracts. This research paper analyses the rationale behind South Africa&rsquo / s delay in deciding whether to ratify the CISG, and its possible effect on trade with other nations. The CISG drafters hoped that uniformity would&nbsp / remove barriers to international sales thereby facilitating international trade. Ratification of the convention is only the beginning of uniformity / uniformity must then be extended to its application&nbsp / and interpretation. Not all countries have ratified the Convention yet they engage in international trade in goods: this state of affairs presents challenges since traders have to choose a national&nbsp / law that applies to their contract where CISG does not apply. This takes traders back to the undesirable pre-CISG era. On the other hand, those States that have ratified the convention face&nbsp / different challenges, the biggest one being a lack of uniformity in its interpretation. The problem of differing interpretations arises because some CISG Articles are vague leading to varied&nbsp / interpretations by national courts. Further, the CISG is still largely misunderstood and some traders from States that have ratified CISG exclude it from application. South Africa can only ratify an&nbsp / international instrument such as the CISG, after it has been tabled before Parliament, and debated upon in accordance with the Constitution. CISG&rsquo / s shortcomings, particularly regarding&nbsp / interpretation, make it far from certain that CISG would pass the rigorous&nbsp / legislative process. Nonetheless, the Constitution of South Africa requires the South African courts and legislature to promote principles of international law. The paper, therefore, examines, whether the Legislature has a constitutional obligation to ratify CISG. South Africa&rsquo / s membership of the WTO requires&nbsp / that it promote international trade by removing trade barriers. It is, therefore, vital for South Africa to be seen to be actively facilitating international trade. Even though the trade benefits which&nbsp / flow from ratification are not always visible in States that have ratified the CISG, there is some doubt whether South Africa can sustain its trade relations without ratifying the CISG. The paper shows that the formation&nbsp / of contracts under the South African common law is very similar to formation as set out under Part II of the CISG and if the CISG were to be adopted in South Africa, no major changes would be&nbsp / needed in this regard. International commercial&nbsp / principles as an alternative to the CISG still require a domestic law to govern the contract and would, therefore, leave South African traders in the&nbsp / same position they are in currently, where their trading relations are often governed by foreign laws. Ratifying CISG would certainly simplify contract negotiations particularly with regard to&nbsp / governing law provisions. Overall the advantages of ratification for South Africa far outweigh the shortcomings of the CISG, and ratification will assist in ensuring that South African traders get an&nbsp / opportunity to enter the international trade arena on an equal platform with traders from other nations. </p>

The legal nature of the bill of lading as a negotiable document of title has allowed it to provide the basis of a system in which bankers provide credit for the financing of international sales contracts on the strength of the security afforded by the goods represented in the bill. The sea waybill has appeared as a substitute for the bill of lading and, despite its nature as a nonnegotiable document, it can be employed in a manner which allows it to provide collateral security to banks. Multimodal transport documents which may be issued in negotiable or non-negotiable form assume the same legal role as the bill oflading or sea waybill respectively. The inclusion of specific articles in the 1993 Revision of the UCP relating to non-negotiable sea waybills and multimodal transport documents affirms their acceptability to banks financing international sales contracts under documentary letters of credit. / Law / LL.M.

Magister Legum - LLM / The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods 1980 (CISG) seeks to provide a standard uniform law for international sales contracts. This research paper analyses the rationale behind South Africa’s delay in deciding whether to ratify the CISG, and its possible effect on trade with other nations. The CISG drafters hoped that uniformity would remove barriers to international sales thereby facilitating international trade. Ratification of the convention is only the beginning of uniformity; uniformity must then be extended to its application and interpretation. Not all countries have ratified the Convention yet they engage in international trade in goods: this state of affairs presents challenges since traders have to choose a national law that applies to their contract where CISG does not apply. This takes traders back to the undesirable pre-CISG era. On the other hand, those States that have ratified the convention face different challenges, the biggest one being a lack of uniformity in its interpretation. The problem of differing interpretations arises because some CISG Articles are vague leading to varied interpretations by national courts. Further, the CISG is still largely misunderstood and some traders from States that have ratified CISG exclude it from application. South Africa can only ratify an international instrument such as the CISG, after it has been tabled before Parliament, and debated upon in accordance with the Constitution. CISG’s shortcomings, particularly regarding interpretation, make it far from certain that CISG would pass the rigorous legislative process. Nonetheless, the Constitution of South Africa requires the South African courts and legislature to promote principles of international law. The paper, therefore, examines, whether the Legislature has a constitutional obligation to ratify CISG. South Africa’s membership of the WTO requires that it promote international trade by removing trade barriers. It is, therefore, vital for South Africa to be seen to be actively facilitating international trade. Even though the trade benefits which flow from ratification are not always visible in States that have ratified the CISG, there is some doubt whether South Africa can sustain its trade relations without ratifying the CISG. The paper shows that the formation of contracts under the South African common law is very similar to formation as set out under Part II of the CISG and if the CISG were to be adopted in South Africa, no major changes would be needed in this regard. International commercial principles as an alternative to the CISG still require a domestic law to govern the contract and would, therefore, leave South African traders in the same position they are in currently, where their trading relations are often governed by foreign laws. Ratifying CISG would certainly simplify contract negotiations particularly with regard to governing law provisions. Overall the advantages of ratification for South Africa far outweigh the shortcomings of the CISG, and ratification will assist in ensuring that South African traders get an opportunity to enter the international trade arena on an equal platform with traders from other nations. / South Africa