Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / Includes bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is a general principle of the law of South Africa that an unassisted contract of a minor is unenforceable against the minor. Although it binds the other party, the minor is not bound. The minor will only be bound if the contract is enforced by his guardian, or if the contract is ratified by the child after attaining majority. This implies that the other party is in a rather unfortunate position, since the effectiveness of the contract will remain uncertain until the guardian of the minor decides to enforce or repudiate the contract, or until the minor ratifies it after attaining majority. The other party may not resile from the contract during this interim period. Should it be established that the contract has failed, the question arises to what extent the parties are obliged to return performances made in purported fulfilment of the contract. In terms of the law of South Africa, the prevailing view is that these claims are based on unjustified enrichment. However, the extent of these claims differs. In principle, both parties’ liability will be limited to the amount remaining in its estate, according to the defence of loss of enrichment. But the application of the defence is subject to an exception that does not apply equally to the parties. Had the other party known or should the other party have known that the enrichment was sine causa, yet continued to part with it, he will be held liable for the full enrichment. However, this exception does not apply to the enrichment liability of minors. In other words, whether the minor knew or should have known that the enrichment was sine causa, he would still be allowed to raise the defence of loss of enrichment. Furthermore, the rules applicable to minors’ enrichment liability applies to all minors, and no scope is left to consider the specific circumstances of each minor. It is accepted that there are two competing principles relating to minors’ unassisted contracts. On the one hand, the law must protect the minor from his immaturity and lack of experience. On the other hand, the law must protect the interests of the other party. It will be seen throughout this study that the determination of how to balance these competing principles is not an easy task. The key aim of this thesis is to investigate the principles governing the unwinding of unassisted minors’ contracts in South Africa. A comparison will be made with the principles applied in other legal systems, in order to identify similarities and differences in the approaches and, to establish what underlies the differences in the various approaches. Germany, England and Scotland have been chosen for comparison for various reasons. First, they share some historical roots, and they represent three major legal traditions, namely the civil law, common law and mixed legal systems, of which South Africa also forms part. Secondly, both England and Scotland have experienced recent legislative reform in this regard, which implies that their respective legal systems should be in line with modern tendencies, and consequently they may provide a valuable framework for possible reform in South Africa. In Germany, although mainly regulated by rather older legislation, there have been interesting developments in the determination of consequences of failed contracts. Hellwege has argued that the unwinding of all contracts should be treated similarly, regardless of the unwinding factor. He has also suggested that in order to prevent the accumulation of risk on one party, and to ensure that the risk is placed on the person who is in control of the object, the defence of loss of enrichment should not be available to any party. His reasoning and suggestions is dealt with in more detail in this thesis. This study argues that the current strict approach applied under South African law regarding minors’ unassisted contracts needs to be re-considered. The current approach is dated and is not in line with modern tendencies and legislation. No proper consideration is given to minors’ development into adulthood or personal circumstances of the parties. It is submitted that in the process of re-consideration, some form of acknowledgement must be given to minors’ development towards mature adults. It is submitted that this would be possible by introducing a more flexible approach to regulate the enforceability and unwinding of minors’ unassisted contracts. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING Dit is ‘n algemene beginsel van die Suid-Afrikaanse reg dat ‘n kontrak aangegaan deur ‘n minderjarige sonder die nodige bystand van sy ouer of voog onafdwingbaar is teenoor die minderjarige. Die minderjarige sal slegs gebonde wees indien die kontrak afgedwing word deur sy voog, of indien die minderjarige self die kontrak ratifiseer nadat hy meerderjarig word. Dit impliseer dat die ander party in ‘n ongunstige posisie is, aangesien die werking van die kontrak onseker is totdat die voog besluit om die kontrak af te dwing of te repudieer, of totdat die minderjarige dit ratifiseer nadat hy meerderjarig word. Gedurende hierdie interim periode mag die ander party nie terugtree uit hierdie kontrak nie. Sou dit bepaal word dat die kontrak misluk het, ontstaan die vraag tot watter mate die partye verplig word om prestasies wat reeds gemaak is, terug te gee. In terme van die Suid-Afrikaanse reg is die meerderheidsopinie dat hierdie eise gebaseer is op onregverdige verryking, maar die omvang van die partye se eise verskil. In beginsel is beide partye se aanspreeklikheid beperk tot die bedrag wat steeds in sy boedel beskikbaar is, weens die beskikbaarheid van die verweer van verlies van verryking. Maar die toepassing van die verweer is onderworpe aan ‘n uitsondering wat nie op beide partye geld nie. Indien die ander party geweet het of moes geweet het dat die verryking sine causa was, maar steeds afstand gedoen het van die verryking, sal hy aanspreeklik gehou word vir die volle verryking. Hierdie reel is egter nie van toepassing op die minderjarige se verrykingsaanspreeklikheid nie. Met ander woorde, indien die minderjarige geweet het of moes geweet het dat die verryking sine causa was, en steeds afstand gedoen het van die verryking, sal hy steeds die verweer van verlies van verryking kan opper. Bowendien, die reels van toepassing op minderjariges se verrykingsaanspreeklikheid is van toepassing op alle minderjariges, en geen ruimte word gelaat om die spesifieke omstandighede van elke minderjarige in ag te neem nie. Wanneer ons kontrakte aangegaan deur minderjariges sonder die nodige bystand, oorweeg, word dit algemeen aanvaar dat daar twee kompeterende beginsels van belang is. Aan die een kant moet die reg die minderjarige beskerm teen sy onvolwassenheid en gebrek aan ondervinding. Aan die ander kant moet die reg ook die belange van die ander party beskerm. Dit sal deurlopend in hierdie studie gesien word dat die behoorlike balansering van hierdie twee beginsels nie ‘n maklike taak is nie. Die hoofdoel van hierdie tesis is om die beginsels wat die afdwingbaarheid en ontbinding van minderjariges se kontrakte in Suid-Afrika, wat aangegaan is sonder die nodige bystand van ‘n voog, te ondersoek. ‘n Vergelyking sal getref word met die beginsels wat in ander regstelsels toegepas word, om sodoende die ooreenkomste en verskille te identifiseer, asook om te bepaal wat hierdie verskille onderlê. Duitsland, Engeland en Skotland is gekies as vergelykende jurisdiksies vir verskeie redes, naamlik hulle historiese gebondenheid en die feit dat hulle drie groot regstradisies (die kontinentale regstelsel, die gemenereg en die gemengde regstelsel) verteenwoordig. Bowendien het beide Engeland en Skotland onlangse wetgewende hervorming ondergaan in hierdie sfeer van die reg, wat impliseer dat hierdie regstelsels waarskynlik in lyn sal wees met moderne tendense. Gevolglik kan hulle ‘n waardevolle raamwerk skep waarbinne moontlike hervorming in Suid-Afrika mag plaasvind. Alhoewel Duitsland grotendeels nog deur ouer wetgewing gereguleer word, het dit ook ‘n reeks interessante verwikkelinge ondergaan in die bepaling van die gevolge van kontrakte wat misluk het. Hellwege argumenteer dat die ontbinding van alle kontrakte dieselfde hanteer moet word, ongeag die onderliggende ontbindende faktor. Hy stel ook voor dat om te verhoed dat die risiko op slegs een party geplaas word, en om te verseker dat dit eerder gedra word deur daardie party wat beheer het oor die voorwerp, die verweer van verlies van verryking nie vir enige party beskikbaar moet wees nie. Sy redenering en voorstelle word in meer besonderhede in hierdie studie bespreek. Hierdie studie argumenteer dat die huidige streng benadering wat in Suid-Afrika toegepas word met betrekking tot kontrakte aangegaan deur minderjariges sonder die nodige bystand van ‘n voog, heroorweeg moet word. Die huidige benadering is verouderd en is nie lyn met moderne tendense en wetgewing nie. Bowendien word geen behoorlike oorweging gegee aan minderjariges se ontwikkeling tot volwassenheid nie, en die partye se persoonlike omstandighede word ook nie in ag geneem nie. Daar word argumenteer dat in die proses van heroorweging, ‘n mate van erkenning gegee moet word aan minderjariges se persoonlike ontwikkeling. Daar word verder argumenteer dat ‘n meer buigsame benadering toegepas moet word ten opsigte van die regulering van die afdwingbaarheid en ontbinding van hierdie kontrakte.

Repolarization alternans, i.e. beat-to-beat variation of repolarization of action potential, is proposed as a predictor of life-threatening arrhythmias. Restitution relates repolarization duration with its previous relaxation time, i.e. diatstolic interval (DI), and is considered a dominant mechanism for alternans. Previously, we observed that different repolarization durations at the same DI during decelerating and accelerating pacing, i.e. restitution displays hysteresis, which is a measure of “cardiac memory”. Objective of the current study was to investigate in the pig 1) the mechanism for a previously observed hysteresis type phenomenon, where alternans, once started at higher heart rate, persists even when heart rate decreases below its initiating rate, 2) regional differences in expression of hysteresis, i.e. memory in restitution in the heart, and 3) changes in restitution and memory during manipulation of an important repolarization current, the slow delayed rectifier, IKs. Action potentials were recorded in pig ventricular tissues using microelectrodes. Regional differences were explored in endocardial and epicardial tissues from both ventricles. DIs were explicitly controlled in real time to separate restitution mechanism from non-restitution related effects. Stepwise protocols were used to explore the existence in hysteresis in alternans threshold, where DIs were held constant for each step and progressively decreased and then increased. Quantification of cardiac memory was achieved by sinusoidally changing DI protocols, which were used to investigate memory changes among myocytes from different regions of the heart and during IKs manipulation. Results show that during stepwise protocol, hysteresis in alternans still existed, which indicates that restitution is not the only mechanism underlying the hysteresis. When comparing hysteresis obtained from sinusoidally oscillatory DIs among different regions, results show memory is expressed differently with endocardium expressing the most and epicardium the least memory. This provides important implications about the location where arrhythmia would initiate. Results also show that measures for hysteresis loops obtained by sinusoidal DI protocols decreased (increased) after enhancement (attenuation) of IKs, suggesting decreased (increased) hysteresis, i.e. memory in restitution. This effect needs to be considered during drug development.

L'activité de documentation du patrimoine archéologique évolue avec le développement des Nouvelles Technologies de l'Information et de la Communication (NTIC). Traditionnellement associée à de l'archivage, la documentation d'un site archéologique peut aujourd'hui également être synonyme de publication, puisqu'elle peut être diffusée en ligne aussi bien à d'autres professionnels qu'au grand public. Cette thèse propose un modèle de Système d'Information dédié à la documentation sur Internet de sites patrimoniaux. Il permet de conserver, gérer et représenter des documents traditionnels, des données issues de relevés bi- et tridimensionnels, mais aussi des résultats de travaux de restitution et d'imagerie. Dans un premier temps, l'étude établit un état de l'art qui permet d'appréhender les moyens actuels et les besoins des professionnels du patrimoine en termes de conservation, visualisation et publication de leurs données. Puis, notre approche considère ces préoccupations pour définir les fonctionnalités du Système d'Information que nous proposons. Sur la base d'exemples issus du patrimoine luxembourgeois (le Château de Vianden et la Villa d'Echternach), nous décrivons la manière dont nous conservons les données et les métadonnées associées, ainsi que les outils développés pour la représentation de ces informations. Nous présentons aussi nos principes de gestion des données, basés sur les liaisons spatio-temporelles qui peuvent exister entre les différents documents. Ces liaisons nous permettent de proposer l'utilisation de graphiques bidimensionnels ou de modèles tridimensionnels comme des supports privilégiés de navigation et d'interaction avec tous les autres documents conservés. Une modélisation globale du Système d'Information, pouvant servir de métamodèle de système de documentation en ligne, nous permet finalement d'ouvrir notre champ d'application à d'autres domaines comme l'architecture ou le génie civil.

Competition between trade rivals in a marketplace operating within a common law-based legal system is regulated primarily by two fairly distinct branches of the law: the prohibitions against anti-competitive conduct imposed by the competition law framework, and the common law restraints against acts of “unfair competition” that attract liability under the economic torts. This dissertation aims to critically examine both these legal frameworks and provide an integrated account of how these branches of the law distinguish between lawful and unlawful modes of competitive conduct. By scrutinising the doctrinal and policy foundations that underlie each of these legal frameworks, common thematic strands that may not be immediately apparent to lawyers working exclusively in either field will be exposed, while fundamental differences between their respective inner workings will also be uncovered in the process. Engaging in such a comparative exercise will facilitate a deeper understanding of the contrasting objectives and jurisprudential approaches associated with each legal framework which, in turn, sheds some light on the nature of their relationship with each other and the extent to which legal developments in one field ought to influence, or be influenced by, the other. Besides evaluating how and why the common law economic torts operate differently from the competition law prohibitions in circumscribing the liberty of individual competitors to inflict economic harm upon their trade rivals, this dissertation will also analyse selected types of commercial conduct which are regarded as lawful under one framework but unlawful by the other, and contrast them with scenarios which could attract overlapping legal liability under both legal frameworks. In addition, this dissertation will explore a selection of legal issues arising from the doctrinal interaction between these areas of the law that may confront the courts as these two legal frameworks continue to develop in tandem with each other.

Legal systems around the world vary widely in how they deal with the assignment of receivables. This legal variety makes it difficult for financiers to conduct their international receivables financing business. This thesis suggests an International Registration System for the Assignment and Security Interest of Receivables (‘IRSAR’) and proposes a model international convention for the IRSAR (‘proposed IRSAR Convention’), which could help financiers to overcome the obstacles they currently encounter. Under the proposed IRSAR Convention, the international assignment of receivables would be regulated by a unified legal system with respect to priority and perfection. The IRSAR would facilitate international project financing. Furthermore, the IRSAR would enable companies to raise finance from greater ranges of investors around the world through international receivables financing and to dispose of non-performing loans more easily. The proposed IRSAR Convention would succeed the UN Convention on the Assignment of Receivables in International Trade in the attempt of establishing a registration system for international assignments of receivables. The proposed IRSAR Convention confines its scope of application by defining the assignor (or the security provider), inventing the concept of ‘Vehicle for the International Registration System’ (‘VIRS’). The proposed IRSAR Convention applies where the assignor or security provider is a VIRS. An assignment of a receivable where the assignor is a VIRS and a security interest in a receivable where the security provider is a VIRS could be registered in the IRSAR. Under the proposed IRSAR Convention, priority of assignments of and security interests in receivables is determined by the order of registration in the IRSAR. The proposed IRSAR Convention would be a receivables version of the Cape Town Convention. With respect to the contents and effect of registration, it would prescribe a notice-filing system along the lines of that adopted in the UCC Article 9. With respect to the operation of the registration, it would adopt an automatic online registration system operating 24 hours a day, 365 days a year like the International Registry under the Cape Town Convention.

Cultural heritage is fundamentally important to humanity. Societies around the world have recognized this for centuries. However, in the context of war, damage to cultural heritage goes unnoticed until it is too late. Palestinian cultural heritage is disappearing at a rate of 12,000 pieces per year. If this destruction continues, there may not be any cultural heritage left for future generations. This paper examines the current legal framework in place for the protection of Palestinian cultural heritage in light of the biggest threats to it, in order to determine if there is an adequate legal framework in place for the protection of Palestinian cultural heritage. Then, considering how many cultural heritage pieces have already been illicitly exported from the Palestinian territories, I examine the legal duties of the Palestinian government, Israeli government, and International governments that may aid in the restitution of Palestinian cultural heritage.

O objetivo da dissertação é investigar os Pressupostos da Obrigação de Restituir o Enriquecimento sem Causa no Código Civil Brasileiro. O enriquecimento sem causa, que tem antecedentes romanos, é reconhecido no Brasil independente desde os tempos do Império, passou por uma rejeição quando do advento do Código Civil de 1916, que não o previu expressamente, porém retomou sua força ao longo do século XX, ao fim do qual já era corrente a opinião de que se tratava de fonte de obrigações autônoma. Na vigência do Código Civil de 1916 não havia unanimidade quanto à enumeração e ao preenchimento de sentido dos pressupostos da obrigação restituitória. Uma minoria dispensava os requisitos do empobrecimento e da correlação entre o enriquecimento e o empobrecimento em favor de um novo pressuposto, qual seja, o de que o enriquecimento se dê à custa de outrem. O Código Civil de 2002, nos arts. 884 a 886, regulou expressamente o enriquecimento sem causa como fonte de obrigação, sendo que os autores atuais têm em geral indicado como seus pressupostos a existência de um (i) enriquecimento que ocorra (ii) à custa de outrem sem (iii) justa causa e que (iv) não concorra com outro remédio jurídico (i.e., subsidiariedade), não sendo essenciais os requisitos do empobrecimento e da correlação. O estudo dos principais paradigmas cristalizados na doutrina estrangeira, especialmente na portuguesa e na alemã, permitiu a conclusão de que deve ser adotado o paradigma da divisão do instituto do enriquecimento sem causa, pelo qual se investigam os pressupostos da obrigação de acordo com as suas diversas categorias, a saber, no Brasil, o enriquecimento por prestação, o enriquecimento por intervenção e o enriquecimento por despesas efetuadas por outrem. O enriquecimento por prestação tem por pressupostos o (i) enriquecimento em sentido real que (ii) ocorre por prestação (iii) sem justa causa, entendida esta última como a frustração do fim da prestação. O enriquecimento por intervenção tem por pressupostos (i) o enriquecimento (ii) obtido à custa de outrem (iii) sem causa jurídica ou, mais analiticamente, o (i) enriquecimento em sentido patrimonial (ii) obtido pela intromissão em direitos de outrem, quando na verdade (iii) é reservado pela ordem jurídica ao titular da posição jurídica afetada. Já o enriquecimento por despesas efetuadas por outrem tem por pressupostos o (i) enriquecimento em sentido patrimonial cuja (ii) conservação seja vedada pelo ordenamento jurídico e que decorra de uma (iii) despesa efetuada por outrem, sendo a restituição limitada, na circunstância de o beneficio ser imposto, ao que resultar de dispêndios de necessários. A regra da subsidiariedade não consubstancia um pressuposto propriamente dito, pois não integra o suporte fático da obrigação restituitória, funcionando mais como uma norma de sobredireito que fixa o caráter especialíssimo dos arts. 884 e 885 do Código Civil, e tem um sentido concreto, ou seja, somente obsta a pretensão restituitória o meio jurídico alternativo que concretamente forneça a mesma solução que é garantida pelo instituto do enriquecimento sem causa. Por fim, pela análise de dois grupos de casos comuns na jurisprudência, concluiu-se que, por falta de familiaridade com a lei, os tribunais brasileiros, ao menos quanto aos casos pesquisados, ainda não deram efetividade ao enriquecimento sem causa como fonte de obrigação. / The purpose of the present thesis is to unveil the requisites of the obligation based on the law of restitution according to the Brazilian Civil Code. The law of restitution, which has its roots in the Roman law, has been acknowledged in independent Brazil since the 19th century. In spite of the fact that it has not been expressly stated in the Brazilian Civil Code of 1916, the authors throughout the 20th century have recognized the unjust enrichment as an obligation-creating event. Nevertheless, the doctrine under the Civil Code of 1916 was not unanimous regarding the enumeration and the content of the requirements of the restitutionary obligation. In fact, there was a minority that downplayed the requisites of both impoverishment and correlation between the enrichment and the impoverishment in favor of others, i.e., that the enrichment occurs at the plaintiffs expense. The rise of the unjust enrichment as an obligation-creating event had its climax with the publication of the 2002 Brazilian Civil Code. Specifically, its articles 884, 885 and 886 included the phenomenon amidst the source of obligations. Under the new Code, it has been generally assumed that the requisites underlying the unjust enrichment are the presence of an (i) unjust (ii) enrichment (iii) at the plaintiffs expense that (iv) does not compete with an alternative legal remedy (i.e., rule of subsidiarity). The requirements of impoverishment and correlation aforementioned were abandoned by most authors. An adequate answer to the questions regarding the requisites of the restitutionary obligation, however, demands the analysis of the paradigms crystallized in the foreign doctrine, especially of the German and Portuguese legislation. It has been concluded that the paradigm of the categorization of the unjust enrichment has to be adopted. In compliance with this perspective, the requisites underlying the restitutionary obligation have to be investigated pursuant to the different categories, namely the enrichment through transfers, the enrichment through interference and the enrichment through expenditures made by the plaintiff. The requisites of the restitution based on enrichment through transfers are (i) the enrichment in its objective sense that (ii) occurs through the performance of a conscious and goal oriented patrimonial increment in which it is evident (iii) the failure of this particular goal. Importantly, this goal is sought to be assessed objectively from the unilateral manifestation of the performer, in conformity to the good-faith principle. The restitution based on enrichment through interference has as requirements (i) the enrichment in its subjective sense (ii) obtained through the interference with the rights (iii) legally reserved to the plaintiff. Finally, the requirements of the restitution based on enrichment through expenditures made by the plaintiff are (i) the subjective enrichment (ii) that the law forbids and that is originated from (iii) an expense effectuated by the plaintiff. In the particular case of an imposed enrichment, the restitution is constrained to the incontrovertible benefits resulting from the act of the plaintiff. Because the subsidiarity rule does not integrate the fattispecie of the restitutionary obligation, it does not substantiate a requisite by itself. The subsidiarity rule functions rather as a secondary norm that determines the character of lex specialis of the articles 884 and 885 of the Civil Code. Additionally, the subsidiarity rule has a concrete character, i.e., the restitutionary pretensions are only prevented by an alternative legal remedy that offers an effective solution that is identical to the one ensured by the law of restitution.

This thesis is an ethnography of the practice of property restitution in post-war Kosovo. The site of the largest European Union rule of law mission (EULEX) outside its member states, Kosovo is a paradigmatic case of liberal interventionism and state building under the banner of human rights. The thesis is based on 14 months (May 2012 to July 2013) of multi-sited, ethnographic fieldwork in and around the Kosovo Property Agency (KPA), the administrative, mass claims mechanism put in place by the UN to adjudicate war-related property claims between 2006 and 2016. Working with claimants and respondents, administrative clerks, national and international lawyers, commissioners and Supreme Court judges, this study presents novel insights into the everyday workings of the law from within an institution that remained largely closed to the public eye. I investigate the ways in which property, and property rights were reconfigured in post-war Kosovo through the processing of claims at the KPA. To understand how restitution worked, I probe the practices of technical-legal knowledge production by examining key moments of mass claims adjudication: the reframing of grievances in the language of the law, the making of institutional, legal knowledge, the legal analysis of files, and the implementation of decisions. Through this, I look at the consequences of the juridification of normative ideals (human rights and the rule of law) on the restitution process, its protagonists, and the law itself. My ethnographic material suggests rethinking the value of binary analyses of victims and perpetrators, the universal and the vernacularised, 'law of the books' and 'law in action', the extraordinary and the ordinary, and traces the everyday production of 'rough justice'. Building on current debates in anthropology of law on the bureaucratisation of human rights, transitional justice, and legal practice, my research reveals the tensions between the ideals of human rights that underpin the process of property restitution and the legal and political realities of transition.

The aim of this thesis is to analyze the transformation and privatization process in the Czech Republic since 1989 to period when Czech Republic is the member of European Union. It also aims to verify the validity of theorems formulated in an introduction and called "First Transformation Law" and "First Privatization Law". The privatization process in the Czech Republic is unique in terms of volume of assets privatized and the privatization methods used. The text is focused on different methods of privatization (small privatization, large privatization, restitution). A separate section is devoted to voucher privatization and the closely related issue of privatization investment funds. The process of privatization of banks carried out in 1999-2001 is also analyzed. Particular attention is paid to less known facts which had a major impact on the transformation and privatization process.

The thesis maps and analyzes the development of landed property on the territory of the contemporary Czech Republic since 1918 until the beginning of the 21st century. A special attention is devoted to the role and interference of the state into the development of this field. An essential part of the text comprises an introduction to the proprietary rights. The thesis presents a structural insight into the landed property system and its significance not just for the actual legal development on the territory of the contemporary Czech Republic but also for the ability to meet the basic existential needs of people living on this territory during particular, more or less historically important time periods. In more detail, it deals with the development of landed property after 1918, 1948 and 1989. It examines the issues of land reforms, socialization period and agrarian collectivization as well as the more recent ones. These include the process of restitution and privatization of landed property. Besides analyzing the contemporary legislation de lege lata, the author also addresses the proposals de lege ferenda. Simultaneously, the author devotes attention to the state land ownership; therefore, in the broader context, the question of the contemporary role of the state as the land owner is analyzed,...