Data Protection: An Opening Door?

Swedish public law has incorporated a general rule of public access to documents, and to information in the wider sense, since the Freedom of the Press Act of 1766. On the Community level, the relationship between Regulation (EC) 45/2001 on data protection and Regulation (EC) 1049/2001 on public access to documents exemplifies the tension between the public's interest in scrutinising the administration carried on in its name, and the integrity of the individual. However, a similar tension exists between Sweden's Personal Data Act of 1998, implementing Directive 95/46, and the Freedom of the Press Act. A misuse model of data protection law, by seeking to concentrate on serious rather than technical infringements of privacy, might serve to ease the tension. The views expressed in this article are solely those of the author and are not attributable to any Community institution. This revised version was published online in August 2006 with corrections to the Cover Date.     

论植物人的法律人格及权利行使和保护

Although human vegetables lose their capacities of will and do not have the intrinsic attribute of civil subjects, they still have legal personalities and the status of civil subjects. The law has not provided for defects of their legal personalities, and thus civil law shall include human vegetables as objects of guardianship. The system of adult guardianship shall be constructed to supplement and correct the legal personalities of human vegetables. When human vegetables enter into a permanent vegetative state or state of brain death, law may declare the termination of legal personalities of the human vegetable. Due to the unique life state and capacity of act of human vegetables, the exercise of their civil rights faces a series of legal difficulties and challenges, mainly involving important issues such as the right of treatment for life rescue, marital right and reproductive right. The civil law shall ensure that the civil right of human vegetables can be fully enjoyed and effectively protected. Zhang Li, associate professor in civil and business law at Fujian Normal University, and also an invited researcher on civil law, international economic law and international private law, co-operated with Law School of Renmin University of China. Till now, she’s already released 23 theses in law journals and a monograph of the Survey of International Private Law. In addition, she was a member in doing studies (2006) on the legislation of Chinese tort law and presides over the researching (2007) of the legal personality and rights of disabled persons.     

Democracy, rule of law and human rights protection under gradually developed constitutionalism

With the shifting of the economic pattern and the developing of administrative law, the modern constitutionalism of China has adopted a progressive development process. Over 20 years, the development of democracy, the rule of law and the human rights protection clearly illustrate this point. For the gradually developing constitutionalism, the theory of limited rational is a theoretical basis, the stability of society is a social basis, the changing economic system is a economic basis, and Confucianism is a cultural basis. Constitutionalism of China should continue to go in such an active, steady and gradual way. Wang Zhuojun, Professor and Director of Administrative Affairs of Soochow University (till now) and as a visiting scholar in the Department of Government & Politics, University of Maryland, USA (1996.1–1997.1), whose research focuses on culture, politics and science of law. So far, his publications are “The Political System in the Perspective of Culture”, “A History of Epistemology”, “A Study of the External Economy of China’s Universities”, and his translations include “Introduction to Culture and Anthropology”, “Challenge to Culture from Science and Technology”, etc. Moreover, He has presided several research projects sponsored by The Ministry of Science and Technology of China and the Education Department of Jiangsu Province, China.     

刑事自由裁量权基本问题

刑事自由裁量权是指在刑事法适用过程中,涉及刑事法适用的官方人员在所适用的刑事法规则内容允许的范围内,有权在可以采取的多种行为中作出选择。刑事自由裁量权具有绝对性,同时也具有相对性。绝对性是指裁量行为是任意的,不受限制。相对性是指刑事自由裁量权仅仅是一种弱式自由裁量权。行使刑事自由裁量权的主体涉及公安人员、检察官和法官。公安人员和检察官行使的自由裁量权主要是依据刑事诉讼法的程序性权力。法官行使的自由裁量权除程序性权力之外,主要是依据刑法的实体性权力。     

Managing commercial risks in open source software licensing

Legal context: The article reviews the commercial risk allocation clauses intypical open source licence terms and discusses their enforceabilityand implications. Key points: The enforceability of warranty disclaimers and limitation ofliability clauses in common open source licence terms is questionable,particularly in a cross-border context, and commercial licensorsshould take additional steps to protect themselves from down-streamrisks. Practical significance: Open source software presents a number of unusual commercialissues, because it is available free of charge and the providerstry to disclaim warranties and liabilities. End users and resellershave to adjust their own in- and out-licensing models to accommodatethis situation.     

知识产权公权化理论的解读和反思

知识产权的权利属性是知识产权研究的基本理论问题.因传统的视知识产权为私权的观点在面对知识产权相较于其他私权的特殊性及其领域内层出不穷的新问题时常常遭遇无法解释的困境,所以,有些学者提出了"知识产权公权化"理论,即在承认知识产权私权本质属性的前提下,指出知识产权是公权化的私权,试图以此来寻到新的"突破口".但事实上,该理论因其立论依据本身就存在疑问,是经不起推敲的,它是在社会思潮运动影响下对知识产权权利客体特殊性的一种误读.知识产权作为私权的根本属性不应该因为知识产权所呈现出的某些独特性而被改变,在当前承认并且强调知识产权的私权属性具有重大意义.     

文化多样性的弘扬与知识产权保护

保护和弘扬文化多样性对于人类社会的发展具有极为重要的作用.文化多样性与知识产权保护存在着密切的联系.适度的知识产权保护会促进文化多样性的形成,片面的知识产权保护则会破坏文化多样性.反过来,文化多样性为知识产品的创作提供了源泉,为知识产权的产生提供了客观的物质基础.我们应当充分认识到二者之间的密切关系,通过改革现有的知识产权制度来维持和弘扬文化的多样性,以促进我国社会的和谐发展.     

Four Lessons for Developing Countries from the Trade Negotiations Over Access to Medicines

After the Agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) came into operation in 1995 developing countries have found themselves in a process of continual negotiation over intellectual property rights and access to medicines. These negotiations have taken place in the World Trade Organization and in the context of free trade agreements. The paper suggests that the only real win for developing countries has been the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health in 2001. What have been the lessons for developing countries in a decade of negotiations over access to medicines? Drawing on themes of rule complexity and regulatory ritualism the paper discusses four key lessons for developing countries. It concludes by arguing that developing countries will do better if they adopt a networked governance approach to negotiation rather than continuing to rely on traditional coalition formation.     

区域性人权保护制度对全球性国际人权保护的启示

尽管目前已存在为数不少的国际人权公约,国际社会成员也越来越多地加入这些公约,但全球范围内国际人权保护的效果并不明显。相比而言,区域性人权保护制度更具可行性。区域性人权保护制度在人权保护中取得了显著成绩,对全球性国际人权保护有重大启迪作用。     

论我国现行立法背景下的物权变动模式

物权的变动模式作为物权法的重要内容,一直是学界讨论的热点。如何正确认识我国现行立法背景下的物权变动模式,对于未来物权立法能否选择一个既与国际接轨又适合我国国情的物权变动模式,有着重要的意义。笔者认为,我国现行法规定的物权变动模式,虽非债权意思主义,但也绝不是学界通说的债权形式主义,而是一种特有的模式——物权意思主义。