Switzerland and the Hague Convention

Any suggestion that 2006 has been a quiet year in the internationaltrust world is likely to be quickly denied. Of course, the worldof international trusts never stops changing. A popular conferencetopic is ‘Challenges of the trust today’ or a similartitle which calls upon the speaker to present his views on whatis happening preferably with some crystal ball gazing of impendinglegislation. The source of change offers ample opportunity for discourse.First, case law produces its finely ground decisions to resolveindividual disputes laying down jurisprudence for future settlorsand their advisers to follow. Sometimes it is favourable. Therecent re-adoption and expansion of the Hastings-Bass principle(Re Hastings-Bass (Dec’d), Hastings v IRC [1974] 2 AllER 193), whereby trustees may make good an oversight, has beenfavourable to trustees, provided (naturally) liberties werenot taken with the rules.     

The New Hague Child Protection Convention

At the conclusion of the Eighteenth Session of the Hague Conferenceon Private International Law on 19 October 1996, the delegatesadopted a Draft Convention on Jurisdiction, Applicable Law,Recognition, Enforcement and Cooperation in Respect of ParentalResponsibility and Measures for the Protection of Children.This article examines in detail the clauses of the Conventionand compares the Convention with other conventions in this area,including the Convention on the Civil Aspects of Child Abductionof 1980.     

《海牙取证公约》在我国的实施分析

我国自1997年批准《海牙取证公约》以来,公约已经对我国生效12年。不过,从实践来看,《海牙取证公约》在我国的实施存在很多问题,如对公约实施的程序不清,实践不统一;我国法院及当事人对公约的利用不够等。为了改进《海牙取证公约》的实施,我国应该采取丰富域外取证的方式,制定公约的实施细则,合理利用信息技术等措施。     

论海牙《域外送达公约》的适用范围

域外送达(serviceabroad),是指一国司法机关依据有关国家的国内立法或国际条约的规定将司法文书和司法外文书送交给居住在国外的诉讼当事人或其他诉讼参与人的行为①。域外送达在国际民商事诉讼中有着极其重要的意义。它是法院对案件行使管辖权的前提,是当事人确定自己行使诉讼权利、承担诉讼义务的依据,是推动诉讼进程的必备条件。只有将司法文书合法、及时地送达给有关人员,才能有效地组织诉讼活动。此外,送达还可以起到防止平行诉讼产生的功效②。在国际民商事关系中,因为案件的涉外性,往往在主权国家之间需要跨国界的域外送达文书,但各…     

The Draft Hague Judgments Convention: Some Perspectives from Arbitration

Netherlands International Law Review -     

Switzerland: Switzerland ratifies the Hague Trust Convention on 20 December 2006

After running out of time on 19 December to debate the ratificationof the Hague Convention of 1 July 1985 on the Law Applicableto Trusts and on their Recognition (Convention No. 30), theLower House of the Swiss Federal Parliament     

The Hague Convention on Jurisdiction and Judgments: The Way Forward

This article analyses the proposed Hague Convention on Jurisdiction and Judgments, which has been the subject of lengthy and ongoing negotiations. The issues that continue to divide the parties centre on differences between approaches to jurisdiction broadly similar to those used in Europe, and the approach used in the United States. The most comprehensive draft of the Hague Convention starts from a European approach, but makes a number of concessions to the US approach. The United States has rejected this draft, and the parties appear to have accepted this rejection and are now discussing whether a narrower convention can be drafted upon which the parties can reach consensus.
The article argues that the broad draft convention was a sound one, that it made all of the concessions to the US approach that were warranted, and that the goal of harmonising world approaches to jurisdiction in civil cases would be better promoted by adopting the broader convention, if necessary without the participation of the United States.     

海牙《选择法院协议公约》之防御性机制研究

作为目标宏大的《民商事管辖权与判决公约》难产的情况下达成的最大共识的产物,《选择法院协议公约》包含了大量的排除公约适用的防御性条款,对此深入研究可以为我国批准和加入公约后更好地解决国际民事诉讼中管辖权的冲突,以及更好的保护我国的司法主权提供理论基础。     

海牙《选择法院协议公约》对国际商事仲裁的影响

历经十多年的艰苦努力,海牙《选择法院协议公约》终于缔结。公约的目的是制定一个公约从而使法院判决可以在全球范围内得到承认与执行,正如《纽约公约》之于国际商事仲裁一样。公约的缔结有利于该目标的实现,与此同时,该公约的缔结与生效,将会对国际商事仲裁造成相当的影响与冲击,因为该公约所产生的判决承认与执行的国际性效果,将使《纽约公约》对国际商事仲裁所形成的优势变得相当不明显。     

U.S. Judicial Implementation of the Hague Convention in Cases Alleging Domestic Violence

This qualitative study examined U.S. legal cases where battered mothers living abroad fled with their children to the United States. These women subsequently faced child abduction lawsuits brought by their batterer. The cases are governed by the Convention on Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction (the Hague Convention) which was ratified by the U.S. in 1988. Using content analysis, the study analyzed 47 published U.S. state and federal judicial opinions involving the Convention and allegations of domestic violence. It finds that U.S. courts are reluctant to employ Convention provisions that could prevent children from being returned to their mother's batterer.     

信托制度的国际协调——介绍《关于信托的法律适用及其承认的公约》

本文从普通法系和大陆法系对信托的不同理解入手，介绍了《关于信托的法律适用及其承认的公约》的立法背景和立法原则，评析公约在信托的法律管辖、信托的法律适用和信托的承认等方面所发挥的国际协调作用。     

Police use of force: a transactional approach

Drawing on Tedeschi and Felson’s () theory of coercive actions for conceptual guidance as well as principles underlying the notion of a force continuum structure (i.e., proportionality and incrementalism), this research examines 3,544 police–suspect encounters from an observational study of the police in an attempt to better understand the transactional process of the police–suspect encounter. Results indicate, within the context of a force continuum structure, that officers escalated the level of force in about one of five encounters involving nonresistant suspects, and de‐escalated the level of force in three of four encounters involving resistant suspects. A series of logistic and multinomial regression models show that a number of factors differentially affect the manner in which officers apply force. The results suggest that before one can begin to judge the appropriateness of police force, one should measure and consider the extent to which force is applied proportionately and incrementally.     

The Impact of the Hague Conference's Proposed Judgments Convention for Electronic Commerce and Intellectual Property Disputes

Since the OECD and other organizations issued model conventions and guidelines on various aspects of electronic commerce, the quest for harmonization and global agreement for electronic commerce laws and procedures has intensified. International private law has become one of the most contentious issues where the legislative development and practical application of electronic commerce is concerned. When an e-commerce contract (a contract concluded by electronic means) is disputed, questions of jurisdiction and choice of law have arisen with increasing frequency. Indeed, questions of jurisdiction and choice of law are even more pertinent when the parties to the contract are domiciled in different jurisdictions. Equally, when one party acquires an intellectual property right in one country and the infringement of this right is alleged in another country, the question of which jurisdiction the holder of the IP right should be entitled to raise proceedings.     

《承认和执行外国判决公约》(草案)中知识产权条款研究

《承认和执行外国判决公约》草案的备选条款要求承认和执行知识产权有效性、归属和存续判决以及知识产权侵权判决。为了避免对地域性法理的违反及对我国知识产权保护机制产生负面影响,应当将以知识产权有效性、归属和存续为诉争对象的判决排除出承认和执行的范围,只承认和执行以这些问题为先决条件的民商事判决。我国在知识产权法保护的客体数量、保护水平以及国民的知识产权意识等方面均处于劣势,承认和执行外国的知识产权侵权判决可能导致国家之间的利益失衡,应力争在《公约》中允许各国对知识产权侵权判决的承认和执行声明保留。     

国际证券抵押物权关系法律适用原则初探--兼评《关于由中间人持有证券若干权利的法律适用公约》

随着国际金融市场的日益繁荣和跨国融资规模的逐步扩大,跨国证券转让协议和证券抵押协议数量不断增加,如何确定经中间人持有证券物权关系准据法,以保护相关当事人合法权益,尤其是抵押证券合同当事人的合法权益,及跨国有价证券交易安全越来越引起国际社会的关注.考虑到国际证券的特殊性,强调适用证券的中间持有人所在地的法律为准据法(the Place of Relevant Intermediary Approach简称PRIMA)兼顾意思自治原则,以维护相关当事人的合法权益,谋求更进一步的国际合作无疑是问题的关键所在.这种"中间人所在地法原则"取代传统"证券所在地法原则"的趋势已体现在海牙国际私法会议的最新成果--2003年12月13日海牙<关于由中间人持有证券若干权利的法律适用公约>之中.     

《海牙民商事司法文书与司法外文书域外送达公约》述评

域外送达(service abroad),是指一国司法机关依据有关国家的国内立法或国际条约的规定将司法文书和司法外文书送交给居住在国外的诉讼当事人或其他诉讼参与人的行为.[1]送达在国际民事诉讼中具有十分重要的意义,对一国法院而言,只有依法完成了有关文书的送达,才能行使司法管辖权,在一般情况下,是不允许对没有见到或知悉传票和其他司法文书的当事人进行缺席判决的.此外,许多诉讼期间的计算都是从文书的送达之日起开始起算的.     

2005年《选择法院协议公约》拒绝承认与执行外国判决的理由

2005年<选择法院协议公约>中的拒绝承认与执行规则是迄今为止最为详尽的关于间接管辖权的国际统一规则,其中的拒绝承认与执行的理由是间接管辖权规则的核心问题.起草者希望公约能与1958年纽约公约处理国际仲裁一样成功,新公约有可能成为国际民商事诉讼领域第一部全球性的多边条约.公约的间接管辖权规则虽然仅适用于协议管辖权依据,但是对于因其他管辖权依据引起的判决承认与执行,也具有非常重要的参考作用.     

Intersecting Issues Involving Asylum in the United States and Cases Arising Under the 1980 Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction

The issue of immigration status has become the focal point in some cases arising under the 1980 Hague Convention on Child Abduction. Asylum claims affect both substantive and procedural issues that are presented to state and federal courts. A nexus has developed between undocumented immigrants who are parties to a Hague case, and issues of habitual residence, acclimatization, and grave risk. Asylum claims have forced courts to consider the viability of such claims, requests for stay of Hague cases pending the outcome of asylum claims, the likelihood of deportation, and the effect of grants of asylum on the particular issues in the case. Where asylum has been granted to either a parent or child, substantial consideration has been given to the asylum determination by the court hearing the Hague case.     

海牙国际法庭对日本捕鲸说不

日本商业捕鲸活动的前世今生 甲板上所射出的锋利钢叉,准确地扎入了一头巨鲸的脊背。伴之波涛汹涌的海浪,巨鲸也在海面上奋力挣扎。不过这一切的一切,在大功率的绞盘面前,却显得是那么的苍凉与无助。巨鲸被拖至甲板后,随着宰杀人员的长刀刺入,无数鲜血随即喷涌而出,染红了甲板,也印染了海面…与此同时,失去了生命的巨鲸也被旋即切割、肢解为各类肉块,并成为了餐桌上或生吃、或油炸的美味佳肴。