Unfair Contract Terms,Unfair Prices and Bank Charges

This note considers how the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Directive 1993 draws the line between the review of unfair contract terms and the review of unfair contracts (and, in particular, unfair prices) in the context of two cases concerning bank charges: Abbey Life plc v The Office of Fair Trading (2009) (the Bank Charges case) in the UK Supreme Court and Case 484/08 Caja de Madrid (2010) in the European Court of Justice. The note explains the proper question to be addressed by a court for this purpose under article 4(2) of the Directive and criticises the Supreme Court's approach to the interpretation of article 4(2) and its application of the UK regulation implementing this article to the circumstances in the Bank Charges case.     

合同法上的默示条款制度研究

在英关法系国家，默示条款制度是填补合同漏洞的相应制度。根据添加默示条款的依据可以将其分为三类：事实上的默示条款、法律上的默示条款、习惯上的默示条款。其中，法律上的默示条款又可以分为判例法上的默示条款与成文法上的默示条款。通过考察事实上的默示条款、法律上的默示条款以及习惯上的默示条款，可以看出，主导着法院添加默示条款的实质性思维方式是法律经济学的。沿着法律经济学的进路，传统的规范性默示条款理论不仅被简化了，而且人们的思考也被节省了。从实证的角度考察，无可否认我国合同法律体系中存在着实质意义上的默示条款制度，但是欠缺体系化的研究与整饰。     

格式条款内容规制的规范体系

在规制合同内容的规范群内部存在着体系化的分工。格式条款内容规制规范不能适用于核心给付条款。其根本原因在于,市场机制通常虽不能作用于附随条款但却能作用于核心给付条款。这并不意味着核心给付条款就不受法律秩序的规制。对于不当合同的介入,通常需要合意度低下和均衡度不足两个要件的合力。合同法第40条的意义,在于将所有利用格式条款之情形的合意推定为程度较低的合意。如此一来,在对格式条款作内容规制时,便不再需要举证合意度的低下。     

礼貌原则在法庭审理用语中的体现

法庭审理既是司法机关行使司法权力的重要手段,同时也是上诉人行使诉权的重要阶段。整个法庭审理过程都基于语言形式,这就要求双方在特定的情景下掌握一定的语言策略和技巧。礼貌原则存在于不同的社会、文化和语言环境中。本文拟从语言学的角度出发,探讨礼貌原则如何在法庭审理中得到体现。     

论法人的独立人格及判断标准

本文对法人的独立人格及取得条件进行了深入研究,剖析了法人责任能力的基本内涵,指出现行立法和相关理论将法人独立责任能力等同于投资人有限责任,从而使法人概念限于投资人负有限责任的团体,不能正确体现法人独立人格的内涵,并导致法人理论的混乱。因此,应当摒弃现行理论,赋予法人正确的法律定位,以适应市场体制建设的发展需要。     

Staggered Terms for the US Senate: Origins and Irony

This article provides the first detailed study of the origins of staggered Senate terms, which typically have been interpreted as part of the framers’ intent to create an insulated, stable, and conservative Senate. I draw upon three sources of evidence—the meaning and application of “rotation” in revolutionary America, the deliberations and decisions at the Constitutional Convention, and the arguments during Ratification—to show that the origins of and intentions behind staggered terms offer little support for the dominant interpretation. Instead, staggered terms, a mechanism to promote “rotation” or turnover of membership, were added to the Constitution as a compromise to offset, not augment, the Senate's longer terms by exposing a legislative chamber with long individual tenure to more frequent electoral influence and change.     

关于几个欧洲文学术语的翻译

在民族文学发展过程中,许多国家都出现了自己独特的文学样式。翻译这些为某国或某一文化圈所独具的文学事象时,我们不应牵强地“套用”译文所在国类似的或近似的文学术语,而应另铸新词,从而最大限度地保留原文的异域性和独特性的本色。     

Creating Legal Terms: A Linguistic Perspective

Legal terms have a special status at the interface between language and law. Adopting the general framework developed by Jackendoff and the concepts competence and performance as developed by Chomsky, it is shown that legal terms cannot be fully accounted for unless we set up a category of abstract objects. This idea corresponds largely to the classical view of terminology, which has been confronted with some challenges recently. It is shown that for legal terms, arguments against abstract objects are not pertinent. As abstract objects are not natural, it is important to consider their creation. Two types of creation are distinguished and illustrated, one for new concepts and one for terms corresponding to existing general language concepts. In the latter case, it is important for the abstract object to remain close enough to the intuitive prototype. At the same time, legal terms as abstract objects are shown to have a natural place in relation to legal theory.     

抵充制度的起源、术语及体系研究

抵充制度在我国民事立法中有明显的缺漏,现有的<民法通则>和<合同法>对它都没有明确规定,这使得当一个债务人时一个债权人负欠数个债务时,若前者给付不足清偿全部债务时,如何决定清偿次序处于无法可依的状况.与之相伴,我国在对各大陆法系国家的民法典中的此项制度进行翻译时,中译名也五花八门,其实在原始术语上,西方多使用"清偿指定"的表达,"抵充"这种表达是我国清末民初学者在引进西方制度时的意译.我国未来民法典应采"清偿的抵虎"的术语表达,并且应将之置于"债的消灭-清偿-清偿的抵充"的体系结构之中.     

默示条款法律问题探析

默示条款法律制度,虽为英美法系所特有,但究其实质,乃一种合同解释的有效路径,更确切地说,是一种合同漏洞的补充方法。故大陆法系虽没有这样明确的制度,但其相关的漏洞补充的合同解释方法却毫不逊色,可谓虽无默示条款之"名",但却有默示条款之"实",二者实有异曲同工之妙。本文拟以此为出发点,联系大陆法系的合同解释(漏洞补充)方法,探析英美法默示条款制度有关法律问题,以资完善我国合同法上合同解释制度之借鉴。     

犯罪信息管理术语规范化刍议

目前公安工作中使用的《违法犯罪信息管理代码》在一定程度上规范了信息管理工作，提高了息管理工作的实效。但从工作实践看，信息代码中的一些术语已不适应当前形势，造成了犯罪信息管理工作的不便，如：术语本身存在问题或缺陷；定义（对术语的解释性说明）不清或用语错误；在不同的数据元素代码中，相同所指的术语名称前后不一致；信息代码的某些内容与案件实际情况不够吻合等，使犯罪信息在公安工作中的作用受到制约。     

高校毕业生就业协议书中的违约金条款的适用性探讨——比较视角下的就业协议与劳动合同中的违约金问题

通过对高校毕业生就业协议的性质及其他与劳动合同中违约佥馨款的内涵分析．认为就业协议作为民事预约合同,其违约责任不同于劳动合同中的违约责任。实践中对就业协议及劳动合同关系的误读是毕业生与用人单位发生纠纷的原因之一。通过相应的比较分析．对高校毕业生就业协议所涉问题提出几点建议。     

Coming to Terms with the Supranational: Translating for the European Court of Human Rights

Translators at the European Court of Human Rights, as at other international courts, have to deal with two different types of legal terminology in judgments and decisions: on the one hand, terms that would be used by a national practitioner in the relevant language, and on the other, the supranational language that has evolved in general international law or that is specific to the Court itself, being enshrined in its basic texts or case-law. The choice of translation will often be imposed by the source text, which may be a constraint; extensive knowledge of the Court’s autonomous terms and other “linguistic precedent” is vital if they are to be used accurately and consistently. The task of devising and using supranational terms to encompass domestic realities in as many as 47 States is not only that of the drafter; the linguist also has a crucial role to play in conveying the Court’s message in a culture-neutral manner.     

正当程序的规则导向:DSB专家组职权范围确定的实证考察——以中国影响出版物案为视角

中国影响出版物案中,中国作为应诉方提出了DSB专家组职权范围的异议。专家组程序中,设立专家组申请的具体要求是正当程序在WTO争端解决机制中的适用。考察专家组报告对中国异议的具体审查确立了正当程序应用的具体规则。DSU第6.2条是设立专家组正当程序的法律基础;"陈述"与"充分通知"逻辑关系的判断是专家组职权范围确定正当程序的保障。中国要提高WTO争端解决机制规则运用能力必须适应普通法的程序规则。     

Certainty of Terms and Leases: Curiouser and Curiouser

The common law rule that requires leases to have a fixed terminus from the outset is one that has been much criticised. In Berrisford v Mexfield Housing Co‐operative Ltd, the Supreme Court managed to blunt its effect by suggesting that most leases of uncertain duration can be transformed into 90‐year tenancies. However, it is suggested that their Lordships have possibly misunderstood and overstretched an ancient common law ‘rule’ and have not fully considered some of the implications of their decision.     

Guide to Soviet Legal and Political Terms

The investigation of the case of the assassination attempt on Pope John Paul II, which began in Rome on May 27, 1985, is still far from completed: in September, the court resumed its sessions after an interruption for "summer holidays." Although it is still too early to speak about the results of this judicial inquiry, nonetheless we can examine and evaluate the course and the results of its first phase and call attention to some of the trends that have emerged.     

The Development of the Implied Terms on Quantity in the Law of Sale of Goods

The history of the development of the implied terms on short delivery is a complex story of judicial and academic ignorance of law and facts. Sir Mackenzie Chalmers' statutory formulation of the right to correct delivery was the same as that provided in Judah Benjamin's 1868 work on sales. However, Benjamin's formulation was flawed, which led to a highly unsatisfactory rule of law. This article considers the history of the case law on short delivery, leading up to the 1893 codification. The operation of the statutory rule further illustrates the depth of confusion which remained following codification. A comparison with the history of short delivery in the United States demonstrates that the confusion within the English system could easily have been avoided.     

Common Law Implied Terms and Behavioural Standards at Work

This article identifies disjunction between, on the one hand,recognition by the common law of the contract of employmentof implied duties of trust, confidence and care, and, on theother hand, the liability and remedial rules that surround theseobligations. The analysis suggests a need for legislative intervention,which it is argued should entail innovation in remedial design,the better to translate the standards set into changes in workplaceconduct.