From its emergence to its expansion, intellectual property (IP) has not been isolated from trade. However, in the late 1970s, business interests in the United States (US) exerted powerful pressure, leading to IP norms becoming increasingly trade-centric. Hypothesis of this thesis is that such trade-centric IP norms, encouraged and formed by the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), and subsequent TRIPS-plus rules pursued by the two most active actors, the US and the European Union (EU), fail to achieve the intended purposes of IP protection. This normalization of tradecentric regulation also creates conflict with a range of economic, social and cultural values that have significant human rights implications. The goal of this thesis is to: (a) critically examine this predominance of trade in contemporary IP norms; and (b) provide a counter framework for IP policy reform. It seeks to do this by juxtaposing the theoretical and empirical aspects of IP norms against human rights. This study will pursue to prove the hypothesis by conducting case studies on two free trade agreements (FTAs) enacted by South Korea with the US and the EU. The thesis concludes that, on the whole, the context of human rights provides a just counter framework that can unify the diverse range of issues. This is more so given that human rights are strengthened by international consensual norms institutionalised by intergovernmental organisations and supported by transnational advocacy networks. Nevertheless, this thesis advocates that an overemphasis on state and individuals in the human rights discourse needs to be challenged by taking into account the dominance of global economic regulations, the prevailing role of non-state actors, and the culturally relative nature of IP.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Wollongong, 2004. / Typescript. Includes bibliographical references: leaf 375-423.

Univ., Diss.--Paris, 2004.

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-87).

Thesis (J.C.L.)--Catholic University of America, 2007. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 76-87).

Univ., Diss.--Freiburg, 2003.

Choses in action are valuable assets. This has compelled (and been facilitated by) the development of legal devices such as equitable assignment to allow holders of choses to deal with them, inter vivos. This thesis makes two claims. First, equitable assignments are best conceived as a composite of a bare trust and an atypical agency where the assignee is authorised to invoke the assignor's entitlements against the obligor to the chose assigned, as the assignee pleases. On this conception, equitable assignments merely entail generation of a new set of jural relations as between assignor and assignee. Though these affect how the jural relations between assignor and obligor are to be discharged, those jural relations are left intact and unchanged, unless the requirements for 'statutory' assignments have been satisfied. Second, 'statutory' assignments are regulatory in effect. Where a debt or other chose in action has been validly equitably assigned and the requirements in s 136(1) Law of Property Act 1925 are satisfied, the specific entitlements set out in sections 136(1)(a), (b) and (c) will be passed from the assignor and transferred to the assignee. But that is only true with regards entitlements falling within those provisions, and the set of entitlements listed therein is not exhaustive. The composite model of equitable assignment, and the clarification of the nature of 'statutory' assignment, reduces confusion over their operation and effects. Accordingly, this thesis tempers the urge towards legislative reform of the law of assignment: reform may not be needed since the law is not incoherent, though it is certainly complex. And if targeted law reform to simplify the law on assignment be thought desirable, it is as well to know what one is reforming.

This dissertation analyses the ability of Chinese lawyers to use administrative litigation to protect individuals and groups from an authoritarian state that frequently infringes on their rights. These plaintiffs fill administrative courts in China, opposing the overzealous tactics of police, challenging the expropriation of their land, and disputing the seizure and demolition of their homes. Empirically, it relies on several unique data sources in a mixed-methodological approach. Qualitative and small-n quantitative data from 126 interviews with a random sample of Chinese lawyers and 52 additional interviews are supplemented by documentary sources. These findings are then tested against official data and a large survey of Chinese lawyers. This research demonstrates that administrative litigation is part of a polycentric authoritarian system that helps the Chinese state to monitor its agents, allows limited political participation, and facilitates economic development (Chapter One). By giving ordinary Chinese a chance to hold their local governments accountable in court, administrative litigation represents a significant step towards rule of law, but its limited scope means that it has not been accompanied by dramatic liberalisation (Chapter Three). In part, this is because the most prolific and successful administrative litigators are politically embedded lawyers, insiders who challenge the state in court but eschew the most radical cases and tactics (Chapter Four). The tactics that allow politically embedded lawyers to successfully litigate administrative cases rely on and contribute to China’s polycentric authoritarianism by drawing in other state, quasi-state, and non-state actors (Chapter Five). Multinationals in China are largely failing to contribute to the development of China’s legal system because they readily accept preferential treatment from the Chinese state as an alternative to litigation (Chapter Six). While administrative litigation bolsters China’s polycentric authoritarianism in the short term, it offers tremendous potential for rationalisation, liberalisation, and even democratisation in the long term.

The topic of my diploma thesis is "Law regulating property of spouses". The diploma thesis concerning marital property law is focused mainly on community property. This institute comes into power as a result of entering into a marriage. The aim of the diploma thesis is to describe ways how to secure separate property of spouses in a marriage. The thesis consists of seven chapters, the first chapter is an introduction to this topic and the seventh chapter is a conclusion. The second chapter of my thesis is devoted mainly to the historical development of the community property since 1811 to the current legislation often called as the "new" Civil Code (no. 89/2012). The diploma thesis describes in its third chapter which property consists of community property and which property is excluded from community property. The fourth chapter is focused on a division of community property in case of dissolution of a marriage. Community property can be divided equally between spouses (a husband and a wife) or differently. Spouses can agree on the division of property or it could be decided by court ruling. If either of the spouses does not ask for court decision, the division of community property is achieved by legal presumption (the rules set in the Civil Code for the division of property used after certain...

The topic of this Master thesis is Matrimonial property law, that is encoded within the Act no. 89/2012 Sb., Civil Code. The aim of this thesis is to analyze and describe current matrimonial property law regime, mainly the community property regime. The focus is on defining the legal framework of the community property regime and its modification options, such as community property contract or court decision. It also provides a look at the possibilities of protection and defense of the so called debt- free spouse. The text of the thesis is divided into seven chapters, introduction and conclusion. The first chapter provides a definition of some basic terms, such as the matrimonial property law and community property regime. The second chapter focuses on the legal provisions of the community property regime, meaning the general regime. It describes the scope of the community property regime, the assets and liabilities within and out of the scope of the community property. It also introduces the asset management within the community property legal framework. The aim of the third chapter is the contractual community property, as set out by the legal provisions. The law allows for three, alternatively four types of contractual regimes, such as separate property, regime that reserves the moment of...