Thesis (LLM)--University of Stellenbosch, 2000. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: International trade has increased tremendously in the last few decades. When parties
to a contract find themselves in different countries and each has its own legal
background, specific problems originate in connection with formation of the contract,
its execution, the breach thereof and so forth. The predominant theme of this work is
the question of how a diversity of legal rules should be approached in an international
context. The focus is on contract formation, and the rules of offer and acceptance are
therefore examined.
As a result of diverse legal cultures, different legal systems often have contradicting
rules pertaining to contract formation, which can lead to a variety of problems if the
contracting parties are not aware of the inconsistencies. According to international
private law's choice of law-rules, such a contract should be governed by the rules of
the legal system with which it has the closest connection. Connecting factors can be
for instance the domicile of particular persons at various times, the situs of property,
or the place where a juristic act was performed. One specific legal system will
therefore rule the contract.
There is however another possibility: that of a uniform substantive law. This
involves the unification of different legal rules into one set of rules to be applied to
contracts which are concluded in an international context.
Taking into account that many of the rules and doctrines applicable to contract law
have a common philosophical origin, the necessity of a convergence of these rules
may be questioned. However, most of the rules ended up being different in different
legal systems, and parties to an international transaction will probably not have the
same idea about questions such as the possibility to revoke an offer before acceptance,
or the precise moment of formation of the contract. A comparative study of the rules
of offer and acceptance illustrates this point. International efforts to unify the law in this regard are explored, in order to assess the
possibility of a uniform substantive law of contracts. Some of the international
instruments seem to be able to find a middle way between conflicting rules, although
it may not always be the best way to solve the problem. It is argued that harmony is
not necessarily advanced by a codification of existing rules, and that a common legal
culture which can lead to the incremental development of harmonious legal principles
may be an alternative solution for the problem of incompatible national legal systems
in an international context. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Internasionale handel het die afgelope paar dekades geweldig toegeneem. Wanneer
kontraktante hulle in verskillende lande bevind, elke party met sy eie regsagtergrond,
ontstaan eiesoortige probleme in verband met kontraksluiting, die uitvoering daarvan,
kontrakbreuk, en dies meer. Die oorheersende tema van hierdie werk is die vraag na
die hantering van 'n verskeidenheid regsreëls betrokke in 'n internasionale konteks.
Die fokus is op kontraksluiting, en die reëls aangaande aanbod en aanname word
derhalwe ondersoek.
As gevolg van die bestaan van uiteenlopende regskulture het verskillende regstelsels
dikwels teenstrydige reëls met betrekking tot kontraksluiting. Dit kan natuurlik
problematies wees, veral indien die partye tot die kontrak nie bewus is van die
teenstrydighede nie. Ooreenkomstig die choice of law-reëls van internasionale
privaatreg, word so 'n kontrak beheers deur die regstelsel waarmee dit die nouste
verbintenis het. Faktore wat dui op so 'n band kan byvoorbeeld die domisilie van
bepaalde persone op verskillende tye, die situs van eiendom, of die plek waar 'n
regshandeling verrig is wees. Een spesifieke regstelsel sal dus van toepassing wees
op die kontrak.
Daar is egter ook 'n ander moontlikheid: dié van 'n eenvormige substantiewe reg.
Dit behels die vereniging van verskillende regsreëls ten einde een stel reëls daar te stel
wat toegepas word op internasionale kontrakte.
lndien in ag geneem word dat heelparty reëls en leerstukke in die kontraktereg 'n
gemeenskaplike filosofiese oorsprong het, is die noodsaaklikheid van 'n vereniging
van die reëls nie 'n gegewe nie. Die meeste van dié reëls het egter verskillend
uitgekristalliseer in verskillende regstelsels, en partye tot 'n internasionale transaksie
sal heel waarskynlik nie dieselfde opinie hê oor kwessies soos die moontlikheid om 'n
aanbod voor aanname daarvan te herroep, of die presiese oomblik van totstandkoming van 'n kontrak nie. 'n Vergelykende studie van die reëls van aanbod en aanname
illustreer die punt.
Internasionale pogings om die reg in die verband te verenig word ondersoek, ten einde
die moontlikheid van 'n eenvormige substantiewe reg van toepassing op kontrakte te
beoordeel. Sekere van die internasionale instrumente blyk 'n middeweg tussen
uiteenlopende reëls te vind, alhoewel dit nie noodwendig die beste manier is om die
probleem voorhande op te los nie. Daar word geargumenteer dat harmonie nie
noodwendig bevorder word deur 'n kodifikasie van bestaande reëls nie, en dat 'n
gemeenskaplike regskultuur wat tot die geleidelike ontwikkeling van eenvormige
regsbeginsels kan lei, 'n alternatiewe oplossing vir die probleem van onversoenbare
nasionale regstelsels in 'n internasionale konteks kan wees.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:netd.ac.za/oai:union.ndltd.org:sun/oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/52046 |
| Date | 12 1900 |
| Creators | Bruwer, Elizabeth |
| Contributors | Lubbe, G., Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Law. Dept. of Mercantile Law. |
| Publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| Source Sets | South African National ETD Portal |
| Language | af_ZA |
| Detected Language | Unknown |
| Type | Thesis |
| Format | 125 p. |
| Rights | Stellenbosch University |
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