Jurisdiction for Consumer Contracts: European Union: Modified Rules of Jurisdiction for Electronic Consumer Contracts

The Brussels Convention on Jurisdiction and the Recognition of Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters (the Brussels Convention) is to be replaced in 2002 by a Community Instrument: The Council Regulation (EC) No 44/2001 of 22 December 2000 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil and commercial matters (the Regulation).¹ The Regulation is an important measure approved by the European Union to simplify rules of jurisdiction and recognition of judgments for the benefit of the Internal Market. Amongst other matters, the Regulation updates existing jurisdiction rules for a consumer contracts. The rules for consumer contracts apply where a consumer and a business are domiciled in a Member State or the business has a:“branch, agency or other establishment” in a Member State. Importantly, the Regulation clarifies jurisdiction rules for consumer contracts conducted over the World Wide Web (WWW). These rules are to be welcomed, as they provide guidance on what rules of jurisdiction apply to consumer contracts over the Web, albeit that they are limited to where the parties are domiciled in Europe. This article outlines the rules of jurisdiction for consumer contracts provided by the Regulation, and where appropriate, highlights some aspects of the new rules that will possibly require further discussion and clarification by the European Court of Justice once the new rules are in force.     

WTO外汇争端管辖安排:模糊性及其现实理性

《WTO协定》在外汇争端管辖安排方面的规定存在着相当程度的模糊性,这种模糊性并非立法疏漏或失误,而是寓含着深刻的现实理性。现行WTO关于外汇争端管辖安排的框架,为今后WTO扩张其外汇争端管辖权留下充分法律空间。透过这种制度安排以及目前汇率争端解决的政治化困境,我们可以预设未来WTO将不断扩张其外汇争端管辖权的发展趋势。     

论混合型海洋争端的管辖权问题

以"查戈斯群岛仲裁案"和"南海仲裁案"为代表,混合型海洋争端的管辖权问题从理论争议演变为现实困境。受制于特定的属物管辖权,《联合国海洋法公约》争端解决机制框架下的国际仲裁庭不能对混合型海洋争端整体实施管辖权。相关争端当事方为规避管辖权的障碍,故意将混合型海洋争端的局部提交强制仲裁机制。但是,由于领土主权和海洋权益争端之间的固有联系,这种人为的割裂难以使海洋争端纯粹化,相反给国际仲裁庭的裁决带来了更大程度的困扰。鉴于混合型海洋争端所引发的正当性、实效性和公正性危机,国际仲裁庭在裁决管辖权问题时不得不持谨慎态度。国际仲裁庭在"查戈斯群岛仲裁案"中所使用的"重心检验"方法能确保对混合型海洋争端进行相对准确的定性,并随之确定管辖权。而在"南海仲裁案"中,国际仲裁庭并没有沿用"重心检验"方法对菲律宾的仲裁请求逐项进行客观和全面的审查,致使其管辖权裁决出现重大瑕疵。     

区块链纠纷的民事管辖权配置:法理创新与立法应对

区块链的自动性与透明性特性使其具有增强交易主体彼此之间信任的功能,在民商事领域内被广泛推广,由此触发了越来越多的区块链纠纷。当前流行以区块链社区自治作为解决此类纠纷的管辖手段,其理论依据是区块链初创者主张的新主权主义。该理论过于强调区块链社区管辖,从而排除司法的管辖。需要重新审视区块链社区管辖权与司法管辖权之间的辩证统一关系,实现司法管辖为主、社区自治为辅的和谐统一。基于区块链自身的特性,一般法院管辖中的原告就被告原则难以适用,专属法院管辖于法无据,应通过修改相关法律来解决这些难题,包括拓展原告所在地管辖原则的适用和增加新的管辖连接点,以及在条件成熟之际建立区块链法院,实现区块链纠纷的专属管辖。     

传统管辖规则在网络背景下所面临的冲击与挑战

随着网络技术的应用与发展，确立在地域主权概念基础上的传统管辖规则，因为网络法律关系的超国界性和虚拟性等特征而面临着严峻的挑战。然而各国并未因网络技术的挑战而放弃根植于深厚历史法律文化背景下的传统管辖规则的可适用性。由此如何结合网络法律关系自身特性及其传统主权概念所面临的挑战，以实现网络案件的场所化需求为出发点，平衡多元价值需求，重构网络案件司法管辖规则，成为摆在当代理论研究和司法实践面前的一个时代性难题。     

Commentary on the Rules for the Consideration of Economic Disputes by State Arbitration Agencies

Under the order of the USSR Council of Ministers of July 23, 1959, "On Improving the Work of State Arbitration," enterprises, organizations, and institutions are required to present their claims to the other party and to take the necessary steps to settle controversies before submitting an action to a state arbitration agency. Heads of enterprises, organizations and institutions are required to consider claims against them, to meet valid demands, and to provide substantiated replies when claims are rejected. All this must be done promptly. The rules formerly in effect for the consideration and settlement of property controversies by state arbitration agencies, issued in 1934, did not in any way regulate the procedure for the settlement of disputes before they reach arbitration. They confined themselves merely to instructing that a statement of claim submitted to a state arbitration agency had to be accompanied by materials demonstrating that the claimant had taken steps to solve the dispute directly with the respondent.     

Commentary on the Rules for the Consideration of Economic Disputes by State Arbitration Agencies

The successful and rapid solution of a controversy depends to a certain degree upon the proper and complete formulation of the materials in the action, and adherence to the procedure for instituting an action. The new Rules give considerably greater attention to this than did the previous ones.     

商品房买卖合同纠纷及其仲裁解决之探讨

商品房买卖合同纠纷是房地产纠纷的一种重要类型,通过仲裁方式解决商品房买卖合同纠纷有其独特的优势。本文在归纳当前商品房买卖合同纠纷的主要类型及特点的基础上,对仲裁解决商品房买卖合同纠纷的优势、原则以及实践中碰到的几个争议问题进行了探讨。     

Play by the Rules: why States Should Adopt Uniform Court Rules for Forensic Psychologists in Child Custody Evaluations

It is not uncommon for children to fall victim to the stress and tension of a contentious custody dispute. If a party seeks a mental health evaluation and the opposing party challenges the results, the child then endures a series of evaluations until a valid report is produced. The court will often remedy this situation by appointing a neutral forensic psychologist to perform the evaluation independent from a previous party‐hired forensic psychologist. 1 This Note proposes that the court instead appoint the forensic psychologist first to conduct an evaluation and draft a report. Only at the judge's discretion may the parties hire a private forensic psychologist to challenge the report. Additionally, states should codify court rules that enumerate standards for forensic psychologists in child custody evaluations. These rules should set forth criteria that shall be required and highlighted throughout each mental health evaluator's report, allowing judges to compare and contrast each evaluation more effectively. This legislation will not only reduce the child's exposure to excessive testing, but will also provide a more efficient way of arriving at a just result.     

意大利新国际私法管辖权规则初探

意大利新国际私法关于管辖权的规则具有开放、务实、灵活、高效的特征。首先 ,新法顺应国际私法法典化的新趋势 ,将涉外民商事案件的管辖权规则纳入国际私法典 ;其次 ,新法满足经济全球化的要求 ,规定住所地原则为涉外民商事管辖权的基本根据 ;再次 ,新法从实际需要出发 ,在涉外婚姻、继承案件中保留国籍作为行使管辖权的根据 ;第四 ,新法在适用国际条约方面采取更加开放的态度 ,开创了扩展适用国际条约的新举措 ;第五 ,新法更尊重协议管辖原则 ,力求增加管辖规则的灵活性 ,提高涉外民商事诉讼效率 ;最后 ,新法引入了未决诉讼制度 ,强化了对管辖权冲突的协调     

新修订的《统一域名争议解决政策程序规则》评析

新修订的《统一域名争议解决政策程序规则》自2010年3月1日起施行。该规则主要修订内容有:对诉状形式和传送方式提出电子化、无纸化要求;将文件的互联网络传送方式放在优先地位;增加"书面通知"程序;明确规定"该规则与争议解决机构补充规则相冲突时,该规则效力优先"。这些修订内容体现了在保证程序公正的前提下进一步提高程序效率的目的,有利于域名争议的高效、公正解决。修订后的新规则对我国域名争议解决相关程序规则的修订与完善,具有借鉴参考价值。     

自由裁量管辖权及其行使——《美国最高法院受案议程表的形成》导读

关于美国联邦最高法院的研究可谓浩如烟海,但关于该院程序或过程(process)的研究作品却凤毛麟角。在获悉经典作品《最高法院实务》一书     

Stalemate in the States: Agenda Control Rules and Policy Output in American Legislatures

This article examines how the power of majority‐party leaders to set the legislative voting calendar influences policy change in American state legislatures. By generating an opportunity for party leaders to exercise gatekeeping or negative agenda control, such rules introduce an additional partisan veto player into a system of governance. This addition typically increases the size of the core or gridlock interval, which drives policy change downward. Using both traditional data on bill passage counts and new data on Affordable Care Act compliance, I find strong support for these claims. More specifically, when I calculate core sizes that are sensitive to agenda rules, I find that agenda‐control‐adjusted core size is negatively correlated with policy change, as expected. Moreover, even when I match states on their overall preference dispersion or polarization, the ability of party leaders to exercise negative agenda control is strongly negatively associated with policy change.     

The New Rules for Consideration of Economic Disputes by State Arbitration Agencies

A proper and prompt resolution of disagreements and disputes arising in the conclusion and fulfillment of contracts, and for other reasons, is of great importance for the regulation of economic relationships among enterprises, organizations and institutions, and for maintenance of plan, contractual, and financial discipline.     

论买卖合同风险负担规则——《合同法》第142条释评

风险负担乃对不可归责于合同双方当事人事由所引起的损失进行责任分配的制度,以不适用违约责任为前提.传统民法理论对风险负担规则所理解的“交付主义”模式与“所有权主义”模式均存在一定缺陷,我国《合同法》第142条所确立的风险负担规则应解释为“准所有权主义”模式,即“交付”指“转移所有权或以转移所有权为最终目的转移占有”,且在“交付”本身并不导致所有权转移的情形下,买受人承担风险的前提在于其所有权转移的债权请求权在法律上尚可实现.     

疫情对建设工程施工合同纠纷案件审理的影响及对策

新冠肺炎疫情暴发对建筑房地产市场产生较大影响,如复工日被迫延期,人材机费价格普遍上涨等。反映在司法领域,体现为疫情具有何种法律属性,工期能否及如何顺延,合同能否以及在何种情况下可以变更或解除,相关费用或损失如何负担等等,需要及时研究应对。本文分析后认为,疫情需结合个案及当事人诉请判定,构成不可抗力时可顺延工期,并对顺延工期具体认定作出分析;疫情构成情势变更的,承包人可得主张合同变更或解除;因疫情引起的赶工费、消毒防疫措施费、必要看护费等应由发包人承担,其他人工机械等停工损失可由双方协商确定,协商不成的应各自承担;疫情一般不影响工程(进度)款的支付,未按期支付应当承担违约责任。     

从一起购销合同纠纷案谈定金罚则的适用

定金的设立是为债的履行而确定的一种担保形式,它是违约金的预付.定金的法律关系的成立依靠定金的实际交付而确立.其标的只能界定为货币,并以最后实际交付时的定金数额来应用定金罚则,它和预付款有着根本的不同.     

我国涉外民商事诉讼管辖权制度的完善

我国现行民事诉讼法有关涉外民商事诉讼管辖权的规定实施已15个春秋,面对新形势下日趋复杂的涉外民商事法律关系以及轰轰烈烈的民事司法改革大潮显然已捉襟见肘。鉴于十届全国人大常委会已将民事诉讼法的修改纳入本届人大立法规划内,这无疑为完善我国涉外民商事诉讼管辖权制度提供了难得的契机。对该制度作一全方位的扫描,着重分析其亟需弥补的缺陷与不足,推动我国国际私法学界对这些问题的深入研究,并对民事诉讼法的修改工作产生持续、有效的影响,是极为必要的。