IBL2017 Flashcards
What is PIL?
Private International Law
Designed to help resolve private law disputes which involve an international (foreign) element.
a) which court is competent to adjudicate their dispute;
b) which substantive legal rules should be applied by the competent court to resolve that dispute;
c) whether that decision will be recognised and enforced abroad.
What is ‘Tort’?
A civil wrong that unfairly causes someone else to suffer loss or harm resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act - non-contractual Erstatningsret
What is a tort case?
Erstatning udenfor kontrakt.
A non-contractual case between WD and WI
What does ‘Actor sequitur forum rei’ mean?
A judgment rendered in favour of the claimant in a case where the defendant has not taken any procedural steps to protect its interests by responding to the claimant’s written pleadings or by appearing before the court for a scheduled meeting
What is an important concept of PIL between jurisdiction and choice of law?
They are independent of each other, and governed by separate sets of rules. Even if e.g. a German court assumes jurisdiction, that court may find that the substance of the dispute between the parties is governed by French law
What is arbitration?
Means: Cutting Up. The concept whereby different issues within a particular case may be governed by the laws of different states
What is renvoi?
Means: Sending Back.
When a forum state is directed to consider the law of another state. If the judge choose to use the the choice of law of the new country, which might send it back to the forum state (which is renvoi). However, this is excluded in the Hague Convention, Rome Convention and Rome I, where the substantive law should be used when the forum state’s choice of law says you should use foreign law.
What is lex fori?
A legal term used in the conflict of laws used to refer to the laws of the jurisdiction in which a legal action is brought
How is the legal reasoning?
- Presentation of the legal issue
- Legal sources
- Legislation
- Statutes (national)
- Conventions (international)
- Regulations and directives (EU)
- Judgments and awards
- Stare decisis (to stand by the decision - precedent)
- Critical assessment of the law
How is the presentation of judgments / awards?
- Presentation of the legal issue
- The key facts of the case
- The key points of the claimant’s claim and reasoning
- The key points of the defendant’s claim and reasoning
- Analysis of the Court’s / tribunal’s decision and reasoning
- Critical assessment of the decision and the reasoning
What countries use the civil law and what is it based on?
Reciprocal recognition and enforcement - only accept another country’s laws if they accept your law.
Europe (not UK)
What countries use the common law and what is it based on?
Unilateral recognition and enforcement - can accept another country’s laws even if they do not accept your law.
US, UK, Australia
What is the ‘forum non conveniens’ principle?
The principle whereby a court which has jurisdiction may nonetheless elect to decline to exercise it and defer instead to another foreign court which will provide a more appropriate forum.
What are the three connections recognised as domicile for a legal person?
- statutory seat
- central administration
- principal place of business
What does the Brussels I Regulation govern?
It governs whether a Member State has jurisdiction, and the recognition and enforcement, in civil and commercial matters
What is general and specific bases of jurisdiction?
General: provides courts with the power to adjudicate any and all matters (domicile)
Specific: comprises situations where the assertion of power to adjudicate is limited to matters arising out of the affiliating circumstances on which the particular jurisdictional claim is based
What is ‘forum solutionis’?
The place of performance of the obligation in question
What is ‘forum delicti commissi’?
The forum of the commission of the tort/delict
What does the ‘appearance as implied consent of Brussels I mean?
That a non-resident defendant who voluntarily enters an ‘appearance’ in the foreign court will ordinarily be deemed to have given his/her implied consent to the jurisdiction of that court, provided that the appearance was not entered for the purpose of contesting such jurisdiction.
What does the Brussels I apply to?
Civil and commercial matters
What is excluded from the Brussels I?
Family law
Bankruptcy
Arbitration
What is the starting point regime in chapter 3 of Brussels I?
The simple starting point is that all judgements emanating from the court of the various EU Member States shall be recognised and enforced in all other Member States
What is lis pendens?
That the court seised second must of its own motion stay the proceedings until is has been determined whether the court first seised has jurisdiction. Once the jurisdiction of the court first seised has been established, the court second seised must decline jurisdiction.
What is the Tessili method?
A case-law
That for the purposes of Article 5(1) of Brussels I, the place of performance of the obligation in question must be determined in accordance with ‘the law which governs the obligation in question according to the rules of conflict of laws of the court before which the matter is brought’.
What is the ‘obligation in question’ for other contract?
De Bloos v Bouyer
The obligation is question referred to in article 5(1) of the convention is ‘the contractual obligation forming the basis of the legal proceedings’, i.e. the obligation ‘which corresponds to the contractual right on which the plaintiff’s claim is based’.
What does the Article 5/7(1)b of the Brussels I apply to?
Contracts regarding sales of goods and the provision of services.
What are the steps of the classic Article 5/7(1) method of the Brussels I?
Applies to contracts for other things that the sales of goods and provision of services
Step 1: Which obligation?
- De Bloos v. Bouyer: obligation in question is the obligation which corresponds to the contractual right on which the plaintiff’s claim is based
Step 2: Choice of law
- Which national law should be applied to determine the ‘place of performance’ of the obligation?
- Tessili method: choice of law rules applicable in the forum in order to determine substantive contract law
Step 3: Determine the place of performance
- E.g. illustration 2h: under French law, debts are generally to be paid at the debtor’s residence, which is in Sweden. This means that Sweden is the ‘place of performance’.
What is ‘accessorium sequitur principale?
Latin for: the accessory (obligation) follows the principal
What is defamation?
Æreskrænkelse/injurie: usand og æreskrænkende beskylding, som kan føre til en retssag og evt. til idømmelse af straf
What is the Bier and the Shevill ruling, and what is the difference?
Case-laws:
- Bier ruling: Courts for the place of the event giving rise to the damage have jurisdiction in respect to the entire damage
- Shevill ruling: Courts for the place where the damage occurred have jurisdiction solely in respect of harm caused in the state of the court seised
What are the formal requirements in article 25 New Brussels I?
a: the agreement must be in writing or evidence in writing
What is derogation?
To take away the competence of a court that would normally have jurisdiction
What is prorogation?
To give an incompetent court competence through a choice of court agreement
What is an exclusive choice of court agreement?
Only one court has jurisdiction
What is the purpose of choice of court agreement?
Predictability and protect against forum shopping
What are the two purpose of the ordinary lis pendens provision in Brussels I, art. 29?
Avoid parallel proceedings
Explain how the ordinary lis pendens mechanism works.
First come first served
When are court proceedings instituted under Brussels I?
When the writ is handed into the court, or, if, the writ is handed into the authority of the responsible service (France).
Do you think the Gasser judgment is good?
No, no, no
What is the purpose of the “Reverse” lis pendens provision in Brussels I, art. 31?
To protect the efficiency the of the exclusive choice of court agreement (exclude Italian torpedoes).
What are the steps in the adjudication (afgørelse) of a commercial dispute with an international element?
- Jurisdiction
- Choice of applicable law
When does the conflict-of-laws rule-sets apply?
It only applies in situations involving a conflict of laws (Rome I Article 1(1))
If both countries would give the same outcome, it does not matter if you use one over another (illustration 3b)
What is forum shopping?
When plaintiff A initiates litigation against defendant B in the courts of state X because A predicts that X-court will apply procedural or substantive rules more favourable to A.
What does delict mean?
A breach of criminal or civil law