Frauke Henning-Bodewig - Böcker

Written by a worldwide team of experts, this new work surveys and comments on the unfair competition laws of the world's leading economic powers. Following a standard pattern, each chapter introduces the reader to the latest developments in each jurisdiction, highlighting the ways in which the basic legislation and case law relates to enforcement issues, and how unfair competition laws fit with wider considerations of consumer protection and within prevailing intellectual property and competition law frameworks. Each of the country reports follows the same standard structure:I. Background and General Approach to Unfair Competition Law. II. Legal Basis of Unfair Competition Law and Relations to Neighbouring Areas of LawIII. General ConsiderationsIV. General Clause Against Unfair Competition V. MarketingV. Protection of Competitors Against Unfair Trade PracticesVI. Specific Protection of Consumers Against Unfair Trade PracticesVII. EnforcementCountry Reports§ 1 Australia § 2 Austria § 3 Brazil § 4 Canada § 5 China § 6 France § 7 Germany § 8 Hungary § 9 India § 10 Italy § 11 Japan§ 12 Lithuania § 13 Netherlands § 14 Poland § 15 Spain § 16 South Africa § 17 Sweden § 18 Switzerland § 19 Turkey § 20 UK§ 21 USA

Unfair competition law is concerned with fair play in commerce. It is generally regarded as necessary – together with antitrust law – in order to steer competition along an orderly course, and thereby to contribute to promoting an efficient market system that serves the interests of all participants. Nevertheless the significance of unfair competition law varies from one country to another. Whereas in some countries, such as Germany, it is seen as one of the most effective commercial laws, in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, it leads rather a shadowy existence. From the outset, this discrepancy laid in the differences in national legal s- tems. Whilst those continental European countries that possessed a written civil law when instances of unfair competition emerged, more or less successfully attempted to incorporate them in the existing tort law system, protection in the common law countries was restricted to some narrowly defined torts, in particular “passing off”. At this stage one of the few shared convictions was, that the protection of “honest entrepreneurs” was at issue; on this basis, in 1900, the only regulation at the int- bis national level until now was enacted, Art. 10 of the Paris Convention.

Das Recht zur Bekämpfung unlauteren Wettbewerbs stellt in Ländern wie Deutschland, Österreich, Schweden und Belgien ein wichtiges eigenes Rechtsgebiet dar. Aus dem genuin nationalen Recht ist jedoch im Laufe der Zeit zunehmend europäisches Recht geworden. Andererseits ist es auf Gemeinschaftsebene bisher nicht gelungen, ein einheitliches europäisches Lauterkeitsrecht zu schaffen. Die europäischen Vorgaben erschöpfen sich vielmehr in einer Vielzahl von Richtlinien und Verordnungen zu jeweils einzelnen Problemkreisen. Da sich diese Regelungswerke zunehmend überlappen und unterschiedlichen Zielsetzungen folgen, droht eine empfindliche Störung der nationalen Lauterkeitsrechte. Die Autoren dieses Buches, ausgewiesene Fachleute des Europa-, Wirtschafts- und IP-Rechts, zeigen die Gründe für die bisherige Entwicklung auf und beleuchten spezielle Fragen in rechtlicher und wirtschaftlicher Hinsicht. Eine systematische und kohärente Ausrichtung des europäischen Lauterkeitsrechts für die Zukunft ist das Ziel der Diskussion.

Unfair competition law is concerned with fair play in commerce. It is generally regarded as necessary – together with antitrust law – in order to steer competition along an orderly course, and thereby to contribute to promoting an efficient market system that serves the interests of all participants. Nevertheless the significance of unfair competition law varies from one country to another. Whereas in some countries, such as Germany, it is seen as one of the most effective commercial laws, in other countries, such as the United Kingdom, it leads rather a shadowy existence. From the outset, this discrepancy laid in the differences in national legal s- tems. Whilst those continental European countries that possessed a written civil law when instances of unfair competition emerged, more or less successfully attempted to incorporate them in the existing tort law system, protection in the common law countries was restricted to some narrowly defined torts, in particular “passing off”. At this stage one of the few shared convictions was, that the protection of “honest entrepreneurs” was at issue; on this basis, in 1900, the only regulation at the int- bis national level until now was enacted, Art. 10 of the Paris Convention.

Sie diskutieren auf der Grundlage rechtstatsächlicher Erkenntnisse alle mit der wettbewerbsrechtlichen Beurteilung von CSR zusammenhängenden Fragen, insbesondere unter Berücksichtigung der Rolle, die CSR für Unternehmen, Abnehmer und die Gesamtwirtschaft spielt.Auch die Vorstellungen anderer Rechtsordnungen und Kulturkreise sind einbezogen.