Christoph Brunner – författare

''Anfang'' und ''Ende'' sind in den letzten Jahren sowohl in den Wissenschaften als auch den Künsten zunehmend prekäre Kategorien geworden: Einerseits werden Handlungen ausgehend von Konzepten der Kontinuität und Wiederholung gedacht, die auf keinen ursprünglichen Grund zurückzuführen sind. Andererseits stehen wir immer wieder den Anforderungen, Problemen und Herausforderungen des Anfangens gegenüber: Wie beginnen? Wie einen Anfang produzieren? Künstler*innen, Wissenschaftler*innen und Aktionist*innen suchen in ihren Projekten vielfach nach Möglichkeiten, dem Handeln neue Wendungen zu geben, "etwas" zu beginnen, ohne sich zugleich den Produktionszwängen eines "Regimes des Anfangens" zu unterwerfen. Welche Fragen und Probleme ergeben sich somit, wenn die Dramaturgien des Anfangens nicht gegen, sondern ausgehend von Konzepten der Differenz und Wiederholung gedacht und konzeptualisiert werden? Wie lässt sich der Begriff des Anfangs produktiv wenden und als Beschreibungskategorie für soziales, künstlerisches und wissenschaftliches Handeln diskutieren? Der vorliegende Sammelband beleuchtet Figurationen des Anfangs aus der Perspektive der Philosophie, Kunstgeschichte, Theater-, Film-, Medien- und Kulturwissenschaft.

Lawyers involved in international commercial transactions know well that unforeseen events affecting the performance of a party often arise. Not surprisingly, exemptions for non-performance are dealt with in a significant number of arbitral awards. This very useful book thoroughly analyzes contemporary approaches, particularly as manifested in case law, to the scope and content of the principles of exemption for non-performance which are commonly referred to as ‘force majeure’ and ‘hardship.’ The author shows that the ‘general principles of law’ approach addresses this concern most effectively. Generally accepted and understood by the business world at large, this approach encompasses principles of international commercial contracts derived from a variety of legal systems. It’s most important ‘restatements’ are found in the 1980 United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (UPICC). Establishing specific standards and “case groups” for the exemptions under review, the analysis treats such recurring elements as the following: contractual risk allocations; unforeseeability of an impediment; impediments beyond the typical sphere of risk and control of the obligor; responsibility for third parties (subcontractors, suppliers); legal impediments (acts of public authority) and effect of mandatory rules; involvement of states or state enterprises; interpretation of force majeure and hardship clauses; hardship threshold test; frustration of purpose; irreconcilable differences; comparison with exemptions under domestic legal systems (impossibility of performance, frustration of contract, impracticability) The book is a major contribution to the development of the use of general principles of law in international commercial arbitration. It may be used as a comprehensive commentary on the force majeure and hardship provisions of the UPICC, as well as on Art. 79 of the CISG. In addition, as an insightful investigation into the fundamental question of the limits of the principle of sanctity of contracts, this book is sure to capture the attention of business lawyers and interested academics everywhere.

Buyers and sellers engaging in the cross-border sale of goods are well-advised to be conversant with the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), which governs international sales contracts. The CISG has been ratified by 89 states, which together account for over three-quarters of all world trade. This practically-oriented, article-by-article commentary on the CISG will be useful to legal practitioners, counsel and arbitrators dealing with international sales contracts.

The in-depth annotations deal extensively with the legal issues likely to arise under each CISG article. The annotations include up-to-date analyses of state court and arbitral decisions, the legal doctrines derived from these decisions, and relevant scholarship to date. Among the issues and topics discussed are the following:

interface with national laws; scope of application; obligations of seller and buyer; non-conforming goods and duty to notify; breach of contract and remedies; damages; force majeure exemption; and termination of contract and its consequences.

This book is an updated translation of the second German edition of a valued resource in Germany, Switzerland, and Austria, and an authority regularly cited by the Swiss Supreme Court. The commentary is influenced by legal authorities from both civil law and common law backgrounds. Throughout, the contributors refer to the cisg-online.ch database, enabling users to locate decisions easily.

User-friendly, focused on practical questions, concise but comprehensive, this article-by-article commentary provides a quick and trenchant overview of existing legal opinions and court/arbitral decisions. It will prove immensely valuable to legal practitioners, facilitating their formulation of reliable solutions to legal problems involving the CISG.