Which State’s law should determine if a dispute is amenable to out-of-court settlement and consequently whether a dispute is arbitrable under Swedish law? Some legal scholars reason that general principles of private international law should solve the question as a conflict-of-laws issue, while others believe that Swedish mandatory law should apply directly. The Swedish Arbitration Act is unclear and both solutions find support in contradictory case law. It is thus not only debatable what the law should be, but also what it is. The Supreme Court recently had an opportunity to clarify this point of law (NJA 2012 s. 790), but left us with a ruling that is reminiscent of the words by the Swedish poet Esaias Tegnér (own translation): What you cannot say clearly, you do not know; with thought the word is conceived on the lips of man; words unclearly spoken are unclearly thought. This paper attempts to bring clarity to what the law is (de lege lata), as well as a proposition to what the law should be (de lege ferenda). The suggested solution aims to be consistent with a number of concepts. These include; the underlying rationale of non-arbitrability, the obligations under the New York Convention, general principles of private international law, international trends and Swedish law in general. First, it is held that non-arbitrability serves to protect the exclusive jurisdiction of the State’s own courts. There is therefore no need to investigate whether a dispute is amenable to out-of-court settlement, or apply the doctrine of non-arbitrability, in international disputes with little connection to Sweden. In these cases, there is no risk of collision with the exclusive jurisdiction of Swedish courts. Second, the requirement that disputes must be amenable to out-of-court-settlement should be interpreted in light of its context. No duty exists to consider foreign concepts under general principles of private international law. For this reason, and others presented in this paper, the question of whether the parties can settle their dispute by agreement should be examined under Swedish mandatory law. This should only be examined when there is a collision between the exclusive jurisdiction of Swedish courts and a tribunal. This solution is in line with the international trend of in favorem arbitrandum and the New York Convention. It is also the only practical solution since it would be unnecessarily complicated for Swedish courts to ex officio determine the content of foreign law. This would prolong the process and limit arbitration’s effectiveness.

Arbitrability of dispute and International Commercial Arbitration - Summary Bc. Martin Svatoš The objective of this thesis is to explain the issue of arbitrability of disputes in an international commercial arbitration, especially to compare the Czech and the foreign approach. The thesis consists of three chapters, each of them dealing with different aspects of arbitrability. Chapter One is introductory and defines basic terminology used in the thesis: especially the definition of arbitrability and the question of choice-law. It addresses the issue of the institution deciding the objection of arbitrability and the distinction between the subjective and objective arbitrability, too. Chapter Two concerns the subjective arbitrability. The approach of subjective arbitrability argues whether the State or state entities could be a part of arbitration agreement. However, this claim was questioned by some states and some authors. It examines relevant Czech and other legislations, especially the legislation of states with relatively hostile approach to subjective arbitrability, e.g. Iran. It concerns the old approach of Belgium, too. It presents the approach of denial of justice by several states. Finally, it provides an outline of relevant case law and illustrates the today's point of view by important award...

This thesis examines the treatment of tax in investor-state arbitration of expropriation and national treatment protection. The root of the study is the special characterisation of tax in the sovereignty of the state and the consequent sensitivity of states to have their tax policies being the subject of private adjudication. Tax has in the past been characterised as a non-arbitrable matter, but that is true only if states have purposefully deemed them so under the international investment treaties that they are party to. Tax is generally arbitrable under the expropriation provisions of international investment treaties, but states are seldom found liable for tax expropriation. National treatment, on the other hand, is generally not arbitrable under international investment treaties, but when an investment treaty permits the arbitration of alleged national treatment tax violations, violations are affirmed in more cases than not. The reason behind the comparable success rates is the difficulty in proving the existence of expropriation by taxation whereas national treatment tax violations are comparatively easier to substantiate. This thesis establishes what constitutes a tax expropriation, and how the success rate of claims for national treatment tax violations justifies the general exclusion of the application of national treatment protection to tax matters for sovereignty retention. In order to achieve the foregoing, this thesis examines sovereignty and the sovereign power to tax; the relinquishment of tax sovereignty under international investment treaties; the arbitrability of tax and the reasoning behind the reluctance of states to submit tax disputes to arbitration; the capability of tax to be expropriatory; the fundamentals of the expropriation standard under customary international law and international investment treaties and how they are applied by arbitral tribunals in tax expropriation claims; and the fundamentals of the national treatment protection and how they are applied by arbitral tribunals in claims for national treatment tax violations.

For an investment treaty tribunal to proceed to adjudge the merits of claims arising out of an investment, it must have jurisdiction over the parties and the claims, and the claims submitted to the tribunal must be admissible. Inconsistent interpretations of substantive and procedural principles of international investment law that govern the existence and exercise of the arbitral tribunal’s supremacy to adjudge an investment dispute have caused incoherence in investment treaty arbitration. The thesis is an in-depth study of article 25 of the 1965 Washington Convention on the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID), which articulates the Material, Personal and Consensual requirements for establishing the existence of the adjudicative power (Jurisdiction) for dispute resolution and to exercise that adjudicative power (Admissibility) under the aegis of ICSID. The main findings of the research are as follows: 1) ICSID’s double-filtering nature, which has been largely overlooked in ICSID jurisprudence, is fundamental to correct decision-making by arbitral tribunals when deciding on admissibility and jurisdiction issues. 2) ‘Fraudulent intent’ criterion, which borrows its rationale from the concurrent themes in international law jurisprudence, is instrumental to test compliance as required in the upper jurisdictional threshold. 3) ‘Bona fide investor’ test used to measure compliance with the objective requirements of article 25 of the ICSID runs counter to the object and purpose of the Convention. 4) ‘Dynamic’ test, rather than plain ‘objective’ test, would be the adequate pattern to ensure compliance with article 25 of the ICSID Convention for the contemplated investment due to evolving meaning of such generic term. 5) ‘Lex Juridictio’ or set of rules, principals and mechanisms governing jurisdictional and admissibility issues is required as foundation for legal unification and harmonization.

The thesis explores the concept of International Arbitration, an alternative to litigation. It argues the benefits and the inherent limitations parties are likely to face while resorting to this instrument to resolve Transfer of Technology and Intellectual Property related disputes. The paper further explains how Arbitrability limitations can be taken care of in relation to transfer of technology disputes. Emphasis is placed on the institutional role of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Arbitration and Mediation Center as an appropriate arbitration forum to deal with complex technological and Intellectual Property related disputes.

The thesis explores the concept of International Arbitration, an alternative to litigation. It argues the benefits and the inherent limitations parties are likely to face while resorting to this instrument to resolve Transfer of Technology and Intellectual Property related disputes. The paper further explains how Arbitrability limitations can be taken care of in relation to transfer of technology disputes. Emphasis is placed on the institutional role of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Arbitration and Mediation Center as an appropriate arbitration forum to deal with complex technological and Intellectual Property related disputes.

Šis magistro darbas skirtas nuosekliai arbitruotinumo koncepcijos analizei ir pasaulinių tendencijų, susijusių su šiuo arbitrų jurisdikcijos ribojimo statusu bei kaita įvairiose pripažintų teisinių tradicijų valstybėse, nustatymui bei palyginimui su Lietuvoje esančiu reglamentavimu ir praktika. Remiantis bene daugiausia patirties nagrinėjamu klausimu turinčių valstybių (JAV, Prancūzijos, Belgijos) teismų sprendimais teisės aktais bei doktrina yra išgryninama arbitruotinumo sąvoka bei pagrindžiamas išskyrimas į subjektyvųjį ir objektyvųjį arbitruotinumą. Autorius taip pat apžvelgia arbitruotinumo ir viešosios tvarkos santykį bei dėl šio santykio neapibrėžtumo kylančias problemas. Kitas svarbus klausimas – arbitruotinumo nustatymo teismuose bei arbitražo institucijose specifika. Priklausomai nuo to, kokie subjektai ir kokiame etape sprendžia klausimą dėl arbitruotinumo šiam klausimui spręsti gali būti skirtingų valstybių teisės normos. Galiausiai apžvelgiamos pagal Lietuvos teisės aktus ir teismų praktiką daugiausiai probleminių klausimų keliančios ginčų rūšys (su bankrotu, intelektine nuosavybe, konkurencine teise susiję ginčai bei ginčai kylantys iš vartojimo sutarčių ar darbo teisinių santykių) ir nustatoma kaip jų vertinimas skiriasi nuo to, kuris egzistuoja lyginamose užsienio valstybėse. / This master thesis is aimed at defining concepts of arbitrability and performing extensive analysis of global trends and changing contents of this legal institution, while comparing its current status in foreign states (the U.S., France, Belgium) to one in Lithuania. Author provides the definition of arbitrability within the scope of legal systems of mentioned foreign countries and also reveals existing different concepts. The grounds for division into subjective and objective arbitrability are also provided. The relation of arbitrability and public order is also discussed and covered in this work. The specifics of defining arbitrability in national courts as well as in arbitration institutions are analyzed as a substantive criteria for applying legal rules of different countries. Finally an overview of the most problematic issues under Lithuanian legal acts is provided (arbitrability of disputes related to bankruptcy, intellectual property, competition law, disputes arising from the consumer contracts and employment law disputes), while comparing how other foreign countries deals with the same questions and how they are being resolved.

The thesis is dedicated to the issue of the legal status of arbitrator in international commercial arbitration. Arbitration is not a new phenomenon, much of its development has taken place in the 19th century, when alongside with arbitration ad hoc an institutional arbitration has also been created and permanent arbitration courts were established. The best known permanent arbitration court is undoubtedly the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce in Paris. The first chapter focuses on the insight into the history of arbitration. Certain terms relating to arbitration are defined in the first chapter in particular the concept of international commercial arbitration. The question of arbitrability, ie. admissibility of arbitration, is also addressed there. In the second chapter the types of arbitration are analyzed - ad hoc and institutional arbitration, facultative and obligatory arbitration, traditional and online arbitration, international and domestic arbitration; as well as different types of arbitration agreements - agreement on an arbitrator, the arbitration clause, unlimited compromise, asymmetric, pathological and combined arbitration clause. The third chapter is dedicated to the advantages and disadvantages of arbitration compared to proceedings in...

Darbe yra nagrinėjama sporto ginčų sprendimo Tarptautiniame sporto arbitraže (CAS) procedūra bei visi su ja susiję klausimai. Pirmoje darbo dalyje yra analizuojama, kas yra sporto teisė bei kokie ginčai gali būti sprendžiami CAS. Tuo tarpu antrojoje – pagrindinėje darbo dalyje, nagrinėjami visi su ginčų sprendimu arbitraže susiję klausimai: arbitruotinumas bei arbitražinės išlygos, ginčo sprendimui taikytina materialinė bei procesinė teisė, arbitrai, ginčo nagrinėjimo arbitraže principai, ginčo nagrinėjimo vieta, kalba, terminai, dalyviai, laikinosios apsaugos priemonės, pati ginčo sprendimo procedūra, CAS priimtų sprendimų panaikinimas bei jų pripažinimas ir vykdymas. Taip pat, siekiant geriau atskleisti bei suprasti nagrinėjamą temą, darbo pradžioje yra pateikiama CAS istorija, bei ginčų sprendimo arbitraže privalumai ir trūkumai. O darbo pabaigoje labai trumpai aptariami ir kiti sporto ginčus sprendžiantys arbitražai bei svarstoma galimybė sporto arbitražą turėti ir Lietuvoje. / In this work the procedure of sport disputes resolution in Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and other questions, connected to this subject are analyzed. In the first part of this work is examined the definition of sports law and sport disputes, which are able for procedures in CAS. Meanwhile the main, second, part of the work is devoted for all questions, connected with resolution of sport disputes in CAS. This includes: arbitrability, arbitration agreements, material and procedural law, which is applied for disputes’ resolution, arbitrators, principles, seat (place) of arbitration, its language, time limits, participants, provisional meausures, the procedure of resolution itself, challenging the awards of CAS and recognition and enforcement of CAS awards. In order to better explain the subject, there are parts of this work about history of CAS and advantages and disadvantages of arbitration. At the end of this work is shortly presented other arbitration bodies, which solve sport disputes. The is also discussed about the possibility to have arbitration body of sport disputes in Lithuania.

This thesis posed the question whether foreign arbitral awards are enforced in accordance with the demands of the New York Convention in the UAE and Bahrain and moreover whether the conditions for enforcement compel the conclusion that these two nations are enforcement-friendly in the same manner as leading arbitral nations such as the UK, France, Hong-Kong and NYC. On the basis of legislative and judicial practice in the UAE and Bahrain it was found that Bahrain and all UAE emirates, with the exception of Dubai, are enforcement friendly and more importantly place few constraints on the enforcement of foreign awards. Dubai is also enforcement-friendly but a small number of decisions, particularly Bechtel, leave significant latitude to foreign investors to consider Dubai courts, and particularly its court of Cassation, as dubious when it comes to enforcement. It was also found that Islamic law per se is not an obstacle in the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards and very few constraints were found from the perspective of public policy and arbitrability in particular. In fact, the courts of Bahrain and the UAE have applied a rather liberal interpretation of Islamic law in order to accommodate arbitral practices that have been sustained in other jurisdictions and under the lex mercatoria with a view to assisting the commercial vision of the two nations. Hence, it was found that Islamic law is an enabling vehicle in the enforcement of foreign arbitral awards in the UAE and Bahrain, rather than an obstacle.