Oxford Private International Law Series – serie

There is an emerging trend of private claims being brought against parent companies of transnational corporations for their alleged involvement in human rights and environmental abuses committed abroad. These cases form part of an international effort aimed at strengthening responsible business conduct, the success of which depends on the rules governing domestic courts' power to adjudicate disputes. However, in an increasingly globalised environment, the territorial focus of the adjudicative jurisdiction is often contrary to the transnational nature of the business activities.To address this puzzle, Tort Litigation against Transnational Corporations seeks to answer three questions: Firstly, to what extent can English courts, under existing rules, exercise jurisdiction over an English parent company and its foreign subsidiaries as co-defendants? Secondly, is England a suitable forum for deciding transnational human rights claims? And, finally, should the jurisdictional competence of the English courts be broadened through a new connecting factor derived from the 'economic enterprise' theory?While the book is written from the perspective of English law, it also draws on examples of similar claims in other jurisdictions to broaden the discussion. It offers a new angle to the business and human rights discourse by placing the discussion of parent company liability cases in the context of the topical debate about the changing role of private international law in a globalised world.

The first edition of this book offered a restatement of European and English Private International Law as it was applied in the English courts. The decision of the UK to withdraw from the EU, and of the EU to bar the UK from entry to the Lugano Convention, has meant that the broad structure of the book needed fundamental change to reflect the new - but in some ways, much more archaic - law. In working out and working through the complex consequences of the separation, it is apparent that the law has lost some of the coherence it had developed. Whether the rough edges of the new system can be smoothed, and how that can be achieved, is something which only time will tell. In this developing situation, this new edition endeavours to describe and explain how it all works (and sometimes does not work). The book provides critical analysis and guidance relevant both before and during litigation. Written by an academic and practising barrister with over 40 years of experience, this book offers an approach to private international law as it stands six years after the national referendum, in much the same way as the previous edition did with the hybrid system of English and European law before that event. Only by having understood the state, structure, and coherence of the law prior to Brexit, can one really comprehend the effect of the new legal reality.

The operation of conflict of law rules within the UK have changed drastically since the first edition of Conflict of Laws Within the UK published in 2007. Constitutional developments including the establishment of the UK Supreme Court, the UK's withdrawal from the European Union, and the growing relevance of the Hague Conventions, have intensified the need for an up-to-date resource on the theory and practice of intra-UK conflict issues. In this comprehensive new edition, Kirsty Hood explores how the UK's atypical constitutional arrangements effect the treatment of traditionally private international law issues when these arise intra-nationally in the UK. Restructured into easily navigated sections, this edition examines key issues including jurisdiction, the choice of law, the recognition and enforcement of judgments, the operation of public policy, and procedural matters. Offering practical guidance on the applicable rules in intra-UK conflicts, it also grounds this discussion within historical contexts. Additionally, it highlights the theoretical frameworks underpinning the treatment of issues which-in an international cross-border situation-would typically be resolved by way of conflict of law rules. This investigation is further enhanced by a comparative analysis of the response of Canada and Australia to, respectively, interprovincial and interstate conflicts, raising questions about whether solutions adopted by these countries could contribute to the conflict of laws within the UK and vice-versa. This new edition also incorporates recent case law and legislative changes, including modifications to the Scotland Act 1998, Government of Wales Act 2006, and Northern Ireland Act 1998, as well as post-Brexit constitutional developments such as the United Kingdom Internal Market Act 2020. It is an essential reference for practitioners engaged in litigation or constitutional law.

Declared a 'game-changer' by the Hague Conference Secretary General, the 2019 Hague Convention on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Judgments in Civil or Commercial Matters has introduced international obligations of unprecedented sweep and power. Now, this authoritative treatise provides the diplomatic background and the historical context for the Convention, discussing the law on judgments recognition in the absence of the Convention's ratification. After recounting the twenty-seven-year history of the negotiations leading to the Convention's conclusion, it offers an article-by-article discussion of each provision. It also considers paths not taken, advancing possible solutions to address future pressures and developments. Authored by experts directly involved in the Convention's drafting, this volume is designed to be an indispensable source for lawyers, judges, and legislators in the adoption, implementation, and use of the 2019 Hague Judgments Convention. Readers will be left with a clearer understanding of the purpose behind each provision, any differences that might have led to compromise in the Convention's language, and the positions stated by national delegations during the negotiations.

How foreign law is established, and whether it must be relied upon at all, are central issues in private international law, with important implications in principle and in practice. Whether litigants are free to ignore the foreign elements in a dispute goes to the heart of the conflicts process, and without effective means to establish the content of foreign law the object of that process is undermined. The cost and unpredictability of establishing foreign law also have an important impact on litigation, affecting the parties' choice of forum, and how cases are argued and decided.This book, the first detailed examination of the topic in English law, is an account of the pleading and proof of foreign law from an English perspective, which also places the law in a comparative context, and considers options for reform. It provides a practical guide to the subject, but also presents the conflicts process in a way which is both novel and illuminating. Recognized as the leading account of the subject, this book is the first point of reference for both scholars and practitioners. It is frequently cited with approval in the courts, in England and elsewhere, notably in leading cases such as MCC v Bishopsgate Investments (1998, Court of Appeal), Shaker v Al Bedrawi (Court of Appeal, 2002), and Neilson v Overseas Projects Corporation (High Court of Australia, 2005).

The subject of declining jurisdiction in private international law is one of enormous practical importance and academic interest. It is also a topic where a comparative approach is particularly revealing. This book contains the 17 national reports and the general report on the subject of `Rules for declining to exercise jurisdiction: Forum Non Conveniens, Lis Pendens'. The Reports were held in Athens/Delphi in August 1994. The list of nations for which a report has been prepared is as follows: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Quebec, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Israel, Italy, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, Switzerland, and USA.This book by bringing together all the reports on `Declining Jurisdiction' provides a unique insight into this topic, and, dealing as it does with a key aspect of private international law, fits very well into the Oxford series of monographs on private international law.

The Hague Child Abduction Convention has proved to be one of the most widely ratified treaties ever agreed at the Hague Conference on Private International Law. This book provides a much needed systematic analysis of the way in which the Convention has been applied in England and Scotland, with extensive reference to the case law of Australia, Canada, France, New Zealand and the United States. All the key provisions and terms of the Convention are thoroughly explored. The book also provides broader insights into the role of the Hague Conference and the use of habitual residence as a correcting factor. The aim of the Oxford Monographs in Private International Law series, edited by Peter Carter QC, is to publish works of quality and originality in a number of important areas of private international law. The series in intended for both scholarly and practitioner readers.

This book explores the source and extent of the right of parties to an international contract to make appropriate arrangements for the determination of their legal relationship, primarily by selecting the applicable law, but also by selecting the judicial or arbitral forum. The book focuses on the legal systems of the United States, the Commonwealth jurisdictions and the civil law countries of western and central Europe, taking as a starting point the provisions of the several Hague Conventions on the Choice of Law in Sales and other contracts, the Rome Convention of 1980 on the Law Applicable to International Contracts and the Mexico Convention of 1994 on the same topic, as well as modern legislation on conflicts of law. Nygh's aim is to discern a general consensus, where present, and to argue for a further development and extension of the principles of autonomy unhampered by historical notions of territoriality and sovereignty, which hitherto have sought to restrain it, with only such limitations as can be justified for the protection of weaker parties or genuine state interests. This fascinating analysis, written from the author's unique perspective, will be welcomed by practitioners and scholars alike. This book is part of the Oxford Monographs in Private International Law series, the aim of which is to publish work of high quality and originality in a number of important areas of private international law. The series is intended for both scholarly and practitioner readers.

This book systematically examines claims for contribution and reimbursement in an international context. As such claims are often made in third party proceedings, particularly detailed analyses are given to the conflict-of-laws dimensions of third party procedure. The issues considered include: * Which courts have jurisdiction over a contribution claim? * What choice-of-law rules apply where contribution is sought under the English Civil Liability (Contribution) Act 1978 or by way of subrogation? * What procedural requirements and jurisdictional requirements have to be satisfied to bring a contribution claim in third party proceedings? * Can a contribution claim be brought in third party proceedings if there is an arbitration agreement or a foreign jurisdiction agreement between the defendant and the third party? * Is it possible to obtain an antisuit injunction to restrain foreign proceedings corresponding to the domestic proceedings which form part of third party procedure? * Where the party to two adjacent contracts in a chain transaction has an expectation that his liability under one contract will be covered back-to-back by his right of reimbursement under the other contract, to what extent is it possible to argue that the reimbursement claim is governed by the same law as the governing law of the original claim so as to ensure the correspondence of liability and the right of reimbursement? In addressing these issues, the lawyers must be able to unravel the complexity of the situation from which the claim for contribution or reimbursement arises - the complexity created by the involvement of at least three parties (the original claimant, the contribution claimant and the respondent to the contribution claim) and exacerbated by the international elements which may embrace multiple jurisdictions and legal systems. This book provides a valuable guide to this complex area for practitioners advising clients who wish to bring, or are being threatened with, a claim for contribution or reimbursement in an international context. Its scholarly approach will also stimulate academic interest.

The idea of a European Judicial Area has gathered force since the negotiation of the Amsterdam Treaty amending the TEU and conferring competence on the European Community in relation to measures of 'judicial cooperation'. One of the areas targeted for rapid attention is improvement in the recognition and enforcement of civil judgments in Europe - with plans for the mutual recognition of judgments.This book (i) explains the significance of the fact that judicial cooperation now falls within the EC Treaty; (ii) sets out the background of measures and proposals which will form the basis for further work by the European Commission in developing legislative proposals; (iii) compares the enforcement frameworks of selected national laws (England, Germany, France, Sweden, Spain); (iv) examines in detail the existing position in relation to key enforcement issues (obtaining information about a debtor's assets, provisional and protective measures, service of documents, exequatur, transfrontier garnishee orders and the transfrontier enforcement of injunctions) under the selected national laws and European/international instruments; and (v) assesses the scope for improvements in collaboration between Member States and the obstacles that may impede harmonisation. The book will provide an invaluable source of reference for practitioners and policy-makers, and will also be of assistance as a starting point for those who want to engage in further comparative research on the topics covered.

This book provides a much-needed analysis of this very important subject for company lawyers, including discussion of the principle of freedom of establishment, and focusing upon the key issue of determining where a corporation has its "seat" for legal purposes. A survey is given of current EC law and of private international law developments in three 'incorporation' countries (Netherlands, England and Switzerland) and three 'real seat' countries (Germany, France and Italy). Following on from entry into force of the Treaty of Amsterdam, an integrated approach of EC law and private international law is advocated in order to develop instruments to facilitate cross-border company migration. Special attention is given to the 1998 EC Draft Proposal for a Fourteenth Company Law Directive on Cross-border Company Transfers.

Questions relating to anti-suit injunctions arise frequently in commercial practice, as commercial litigation is often disputed in several jurisdictions simultaneously. In these circumstances, a party preferring to conduct its litigation in England would need to determine whether it might be possible and effective to obtain an anti-suit injunction to restrain the other party from conducting its proceedings in another jurisdiction. The second edition of The Anti-Suit Injunction provides a comprehensive update on all relevant changes in the law since the publication of the first edition. The book presents a thorough analysis of the anti-suit injunction in practice and principle, digesting all the case law and explaining the theoretical issues arising from it. Its scope is now extended to include an analysis of Commonwealth case law, which casts a new light on English law. This dedicated and in-depth analysis continues to be the only work to examine in detail the treatment of anti-suit injunctions, examine in detail those effects, and evaluate the case law as it has developed.

Arbitration is the dispute resolution method of choice in international commerce, but it rests on a complex legal foundation. In many international commercial contracts, the parties will choose the law governing any future disputes. However, where the parties do not choose a governing law, the prevailing approach in arbitration is to afford arbitrators broad and largely unfettered discretion to choose the law considered most appropriate or most applicable. The uncertainty resulting from this discretion potentially affects the parties' rights and obligations, the performance of their contract, the presentation of their cases, and negotiations undertaken to settle their disputes.In this text, Dr Benjamin Hayward critically reviews the prevailing approach to the conflict of laws in international commercial arbitration. The text adopts a focused and detail-oriented analysis - being based on a study of more than 130 sets of arbitral laws and rules from around the world, and drawing heavily on arbitral case law. Nevertheless, it remains both practical and accessible, taking as its focus the needs and expectations of commercial parties, who are the ultimate users of international commercial arbitration.This text identifies the difficulties that result from resolving conflicts of laws through broad and unconstrained arbitral discretions. It establishes that a bright-line test would be a preferable way to resolve arbitral conflicts of laws. Specifically, it recommends a modified Art. 4 Rome Convention rule as the ideal basis for law reform in this area of arbitral procedure.

In this new book, Hayk Kupelyants examines sovereign debt litigation before the English and New York courts. The book sets out parties' litigation choices at various stages of proceedings and provides the legal background against which parties to a sovereign bond may wish to negotiate.The book offers an exhaustive account of litigation tactics available to bondholders and sovereign debtors alike. The book is unique in the breadth of its coverage. It examines issues of jurisdiction and choice of law at the preliminary stages of litigation, substantive challenges of various sorts to sovereign debt restructurings and to the repayment of bonds on merits, and enforcement of final judgments against the state and its assets in the post-judgment phase. This is a systematic explanation and critical evaluation of a difficult area of law, with regard to the current state of the law and key provisions of sovereign bond documents.

For centuries, bills of exchange, cheques, and promissory notes ('negotiable instruments') have played a vital role in the smooth operation of domestic and international commerce. The payment mechanisms have been subject to rapid technological progress and law has needed to adapt and respond to ensure that the legal framework remains relevant and effective.This book provides a comprehensive and thorough analysis of the question of applicable law to negotiable instruments. Given significant differences in the treatment of important issues under the laws governing negotiable instruments of the various jurisdictions, the question of applicable law plays a key role in contemporary commerce. Resolution of such issues frequently has cross-border dimensions, affecting residents from different countries, and meeting the needs of commerce as it rapidly moves towards an online mode of communication and documentation. To such ends, the book elaborates on the conceptual underpinnings of negotiable instruments law, provides an overview of the key differences between the systems in this area of law and contemplates the question of applicable law.The book provides a systematic inquiry into the relevant principles of law, statutes, and international conventions, and analyses the underlying rationale for both applicable and negotiable instruments laws' rules. In this way, it aims to identify and resolve some of the existing uncertainties in the case law and literature with respect to one of the central aspects of commerce.Specifically, the authors challenge the conventional view according to which the fundamentals of negotiable instruments law are excluded from the scope and insights of general contract and property law doctrines and as such not subject to the general conflict of laws rules governing them. The authors make concrete suggestions for reform and contemplate on the nature of the legal rules that can also be applied in the digital age of communication.

There has been significant reform in Singapore private international law in recent years. Developments such as the establishment of the Singapore International Commercial Court, the incorporation of the Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements into Singapore law, and the enactment of the Insolvency, Restructuring and Dissolution Act 2018, have all thrown the country into a period of rapid growth.Singapore Private International Law: Commercial Issues and Practice provides a roadmap to assist readers in navigating this changing landscape. In it, Chong and Yip offer an overview of Singapore's legal system, exploring how governmental and judicial efforts have capitalised on Singapore's location at the heart of Asia, its status as a leading financial centre globally, and its modern infrastructure, to make it the hub of choice for cross-border disputes and insolvency and restructuring efforts. Practical guidance is given to matters such as changes to jurisdiction, protective measures, the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments, general choice of law issues, and issues specific to contract, tort, unjust enrichment, equitable obligations, trusts, property, corporations, and international insolvency and corporate restructuring. The book also looks at how the English common law principles have been implemented and developed in Singapore, with relevant cases, legislation, and foreign sources used to offer a comparative perspective.

Although the possibility of making a choice of law in respect of international commercial contracts has become widely accepted, national law still diverges in many respects with regard to the scope and relevance of, and the limitations on, party autonomy, leading to uncertainty in international commercial relations. This book compares the Hague Principles on Choice of Law in International Commercial Contracts (2015) with national, regional, supranational, and international rules on choice of law around the world in order to chronicle the divergent approaches which exist today. The work is introduced by a comprehensive comparative report which sets out the similarities and differences between the featured national, regional, supranational, and international rules, comparing such rules with those of the Hague Principles, thereby initiating a discussion on further harmonization in the field. Another report focuses on the application of the Hague Principles in the context of international commercial arbitration. Dedicated chapters analyse the Hague Principles from a historical, theoretical, and international organizational point of view. Finally, examining each jurisdiction in detail, the book presents sixty national and regional article-by-article commentaries on the Hague Principles written by experts from all parts of the world. This dedicated and in-depth global comparative study of national, regional, supranational, and international rules provides a definitive reference guide to the key principles in respect of choice of law for international commercial contracts.

The rapidly developing field of intellectual property and private international law could be difficult to navigate for practitioners and researchers because of the complex interface of the two legal disciplines. Intellectual Property and Private International Law sets out the main concepts with a comprehensive analysis of issues arising from the relationship between the two disciplines from common law, European Union and international perspectives.This highly regarded work examines how jurisdiction is established in intellectual property disputes, how one identifies the applicable law and how to secure the recognition and enforcement of foreign judgments. This new edition encompasses the numerous, and in some cases major, legal developments seen over the past twelve years. It deals with the private international law aspects of the introduction of mandatory exemptions to the Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market; discusses the new Court of Justice of the European Union case law on article 7.2 Brussels I Regulations and its divergent approach to European Union intellectual property rights; covers recent EU directives and national case law, including the fundamental change in patent law that will result from the introduction of the European Patent with Unitary Effect and the Unified Patent Court; as well as elucidating the implications of Britain's departure from the European Union.

With employment contracts increasingly involving international elements, cases involving any international aspect require the application of rules of private international law to determine which court or tribunal can hear the case, and what law will be applied to determine the dispute. The Rome I and Rome II Regulations, and the Brussels I Regulation (BIR) all contain special regimes of rules for employment contracts, which have remained applicable in the UK following Brexit. This new edition includes an updated treatment of both the Rome Regulations, and a detailed chapter analysing the rules contained in the BIR recast, which replaced the Brussels I Regulation in 2015. Employment Contracts in Private International Law offers an exposition of the substantive law background, covering the jurisdictional and the choice of law rules to identify commonality and overlaps, and explore their rationale in order to provide a better understanding of each. It deals with the common law rules on jurisdiction, and emphasises how those rules are likely to apply in an employment context. The scope of the book includes coverage of the difficult overlapping provisions which apply to posted workers, as well as other claims which might arise out of the employment relationship such as claims in tort or for breach of statutory duty.Chapters tackle topics including the meaning of employment in national law and private international law; private international law issues involving international employment contracts; jurisdiction under the BIR and substantive changes following the recast; national jurisdiction rules; choice of law, mandatory rules particularly focusing on territorial scope; posted workers; and cross-border enforcement of restrictive covenants. Problematic areas of private international law - such as the difficult-to-negotiate role of tort law and its interaction with contract - are given special attention, and restrictive covenants are also addressed in a dedicated chapter. Each chapter is also usefully concluded in sections which summarise the analysis and scope of the coverage. The UK's withdrawal from the EU saw this country's legal system cease judicial co-operation with Member States in jurisdiction and the recognition of judgments. While the Brexit transition has been smoother for applicable law, with both the Rome I and Rome II Regulations being carried across into the body of 'retained EU law', and provisions relating to individual employment contracts being imported from the BIR recast into national law, the jurisdictional landscape for employees looks very different now. Employment Contracts in Private International Law is a timely new edition in view of the twin challenges of the post-Brexit legal landscape, and the rapid evolution of our understanding of the workplace as a result of technological advances and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Private International Law Online is a dedicated analysis of the private international law framework in the European Union as it applies to online activities such as content publishing, selling and advertising goods through internet marketplaces, or offering services that are performed online. It provides an insight into the history of internet regulation, and examines the interplay between substantive regulation and private international law in a transaction space that is inherently independent from physical borders. Lutzi investigates the current legal framework of the European Union from two angles: first questioning how the rules of private international law affect the effectiveness of substantive legislation, and then considering how the resulting legal framework affects individual internet users. The book addresses recent judgments like the Court of Justice's controversial decision in Glawischnig-Piesczek v Facebook, and the potential consequences of global injunctions, including the adverse effects on freedom of speech and the challenges of coordinating different national laws with regard to online platforms. It also considers the European Union's new Copyright Directive, and the way private international law affects the ability of instruments such as this to create a coherent legal framework for online activities in the European Union.Based on this discussion, Lutzi advocates an alternative approach and sets out how reform might provide a more effective framework, and develops individual elements of the approach to propose new rules and how those rules might adapt to accommodate more recent phenomena and technologies.

Asymmetric jurisdiction clauses, giving one party a right to choose the forum for litigation after a dispute has already arisen, are widespread in international commercial contracting. And yet for close to a decade their enforceability and effects under EU law have been uncertain, with seven different competing decisions from France's highest court progressively contributing to the murky waters. From the interpretation of material changes to the Brussels I Recast Regulation, to obiter comments by English judges as to whether the 2005 Hague Choice of Court Convention on 'exclusive' jurisdiction clauses applies to asymmetric clauses, how can lawyers balance certainty, flexibility, and risk in this difficult legal landscape?This book explores this conundrum and aims to bring clarity to the current law on asymmetric jurisdiction clauses in the EU, England, and Contracting States to the Hague Convention 2005. It seeks to prompt practitioners and scholars to reflect carefully and critically on how and why asymmetric clauses are used, whether courts will -and should- hold businesses to them, and how both the law and the clauses themselves could be better designed in the future.

Can English courts hear tortious claims for wrongs allegedly committed by British armed forces and security services during their overseas operations? Should English courts hear such claims? What law governs issues raised by such claims? Can foreign judgments given on such claims be recognised and enforced in the UK?Many questions such as these have arisen in relation to cases dealing with the tortious liability of the UK government and its officials for extraterritorial public acts committed during the conflicts in Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and the 'war on terror'. Torts in UK Foreign Relations examines the English courts' treatment of such issues and offers a better understanding of this contested area of private international law. It shows that a defining characteristic of such tortious claims is that they are often subjected to the choice-of-law process and lead to the application of foreign law. Further, the author clarifies the nature of the doctrines operating in this field, maps out the relationship between different jurisdictions and rules that are engaged, and criticises the current approach to choice-of-law, while arguing that English tort law should play a more prominent role.Comprehensive and methodological, Torts in UK Foreign Relations will appeal widely to academics, practitioners, and students in the fields of private international law, foreign relations law, tort law, and public law.

Examining jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in Europe, Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments in Europe: The Brussels I Regulation, the Lugano Convention, and the Hague Choice of Court Convention provides a practical explanation of how these three legal instruments interact to form a coherent system. Trevor Hartley identifies the legal principles that lie behind the individual provisions of the instruments and provides a systematic explanation of how the instruments operate, focusing on real-life litigation problems, and including extensive reference to the case-law of the CJEU. The pace of development is rapid in the field of civil jurisdiction. Since the book was first published in 2017, the UK has withdrawn from the EU and the CJEU has handed down judgments that have changed how the different policies and principles are interpreted together. In this new edition, Hartley continues to examine the extensive case-law of the CJEU and considers the wider applicability of the principles that the Court has articulated. He also illustrates how the Hague Choice of Court Convention will continue to apply in the UK as a means of upholding exclusive choice-of-court clauses between the EU and the UK.The focus of this book is European and international, and explanation of how the three instruments harmonise remains relevant to practitioners and academics based on the Continent and in the UK.

This is the first major treatment of the conflict of laws within the UK, a subject often dealt with only incidentally in the main texts on private international law. In particular, the book examines the effect of the UK's changing constitutional arrangements on questions of jurisdiction, choice of law and issues of recognition and enforcement which arise within the UK. The book offers practical guidance on the applicable rules in intra-UK conflicts situations with sections devoted to forum shopping within the UK, and other procedural matters. A chapter is also included on the impact of EU legislation on intra-UK conflicts, concluding with a discussion on how "Europeanization" might affect the conflict of laws in the UK. There is also coverage of how public policy functions in the conflict of laws. The book's approach to the treatment of intra-UK conflicts is enhanced by a comparative analysis of the recent response of Canada and Australia to, respectively, interprovincial and interstate conflicts.

This is the first text to address all the instruments that will govern choice-of-court agreements in Europe and to engage in a practical discussion of their mutual relationship. The existing common law, which has dominated discussion of this subject for so long, will become less significant as European and international instruments become more widely applicable. The consequences of this, both for practitioners and business persons engaging in international transactions, are explained by thematic chapters covering all major issues affected. The work opens with an introduction to the components of a choice-of-court agreement and to the origins, principles, and status of the various instruments, making the text accessible to a broad practitioner audience. The scope of the instruments - territorial application, international application and subject-matter application - as well as conflicts between them, are addressed in Part II, which is devoted to guidance on deciding which instrument applies. Validity (substantive and formal), effects, remedies, and procedure are discussed in Part III, while Part IV tackles a range of more specialist areas, including insurance, consumer contracts, employment contracts, companies, and intellectual property. Comprehensive appendices follow, including the Hague Convention 2005 in its entirety, alongside extracts from Brussels I and Lugano, making this a standalone support for any practitioner facing unfamiliar questions in the area.

Over the past few years the European Community has been active in establishing rules of civil jurisdiction. This book provides a comprehensive treatment of the three main instruments for implementing these rules: Brussels I (covering jurisdiction in civil and commercial matters), Brussels IIbis (jurisdiction in matters of divorce and parental responsibility) and the Insolvency Regulation. The Regulations were drawn up from the point of view of the European Community and the facilitation of co-operation between the Member States. However, legal practice shows that disputes, whether of a commercial or family nature, are not always neatly restricted to being either within the competence of the EU, or entirely outside the EU. When a single dispute might fall into the jurisdiction of either EU Member States or third States, the exact scope of application of the Regulations is uncertain.This book covers the background and development of civil jurisdiction rules in the European Union, analysing the three main regulations on civil jurisdiction, and the effect that the application of these rules has on parties domiciled or habitually resident outside the EU, particularly with regard to the recognition and enforcement of judgments made within the EU in external jurisdictions. There is analysis of case law and practical problems which have arisen, or might arise, in disputes where there is a conflict of laws between an EU Member State and a third State, for example involving the rules of the domicile of the defendant, exclusive jurisdiction, forum clauses, and procedural rules such as forum non conveniens and lis pendens. It will also examine the external competences of the European Community in the field of civil jurisdiction with regard to the ECJ Lugano Opinion and the far-reaching implications of this ruling for possible future conventions, both for the EU and for third states who will now have to negotiate with the European Community as a whole, and not with a collection of states.

This clear and original book provides a much-needed analysis of the doctrines of res judicata and abuse of process as applied to foreign judgments recognized in England for their preclusive effect. In particular, it examines the four preclusive pleas which are encountered in practice, namely: (i) cause of action estoppel; (ii) issue estoppel; (iii) former recovery per section 34 of the Civil Jurisdiction and Judgments Act 1982; and (iv) the rule in Henderson v Henderson. So far as foreign judgments are concerned, the book examines separately the preclusive effects of foreign judgments recognized according to the English common law and related statutory rules, and foreign judgments which the English courts are obliged to recognize under the Brussels and Lugano Conventions. It also includes a discussion of the preclusive effects of judgments recognized under the proposed Hague Convention on Jurisdiction and Foreign Judgments in civil and commercial matters.Although the complex and technical doctrines of res judicata and abuse of process are well known in the context of domestic judicial decisions, little has hitherto been written analysing how these doctrines apply when the judgment emanates from a foreign court. It is not surprising, therefore, that this area of law has been frequently confused and mis-applied. And yet the recognition of foreign judgments for preclusive purposes is an increasingly important area for practitioners and academics - especially for those interested in international commercial litigation, and not least given the important treaty developments that are occurring. For these reasons, this book is a very timely work. Written with a practitioner focus, it includes extensive references to res judicata authorities in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada.

This book is the first one in English to focus in depth upon the private international law problems raised by the sale of goods. It begins with the substantive law and practice, and uses this as the basis for a comparative and critical discussion of the private international law issues. Examples of the typical obligations of the buyer and seller are also provided. International Sale of Goods in the Conflict of Laws is a strong new addition to the Oxford Private International Law Series and covers everything from torts to e-commerce.Contracts of sale with a cross-border element are an everyday occurrence and one which is becoming ever more common with the advent of modern communications technology. For example, where, for jurisdictional purposes, is the place or performance of the obligation to pay for goods? Where software is sold over the Internet, is this a sale of goods contract and, if so, where are the goods delivered? Foreign judgments as to title raise complex questions as to enforcement, recognition and res judicata. As regards choice of law, sales-specific problems arise to a large extent from the interaction of contractual obligations and title matters which are central to the sale contract and the complex characterisation questions which ensue. They arise from the enactment in many countries of the Vienna Convention, from the complex inter-relationship between buyer, seller and third parties and from sales-specific domestic legislation which may be mandatory irrespective of the applicable law.The book is concerned not only with contractual disputes that can arise out of the international sale of goods but also with torts, such as conversion and negligent misstatement, that can arise out of this type of contract. Restitutionary and proprietary claims can also arise. Special attention is paid to both the jurisdictional and choice of law problems that occur in cases of business to business e-commerce.

The rules by which a venue is selected and settled upon for the resolution of any given transnational dispute have fostered a complex, fascinating and burgeoning body of law of great commercial significance. As courts and legislatures seek to fashion sophisticated yet practical jurisdictional responses to this issue, practitioners strive to maximize their clients' prospects of success by securing their own preferred venue. For so long as different forums yield the prospect of different outcomes in the resolution of any given dispute, litigation about where to litigate is inevitable.Forum shopping is the province of plaintiffs and defendants alike. This book examines the fascinating competition to win the battle for venue in transnational litigation.It first identifies and analyses the pre-conditions and incentives for forum shopping. These serve to explain not only the frequent intensity of interlocutory litigation relating to questions of venue but also the reason why much transnational litigation settles once the issue of venue is resolved, in turn underlining the practical significance of the subject. The guiding principle of the 'natural forum' - the common law's conceptual response to disputed questions of venue - is subjected to detailed analysis and compared with the more orderly response of jurisdiction-regulating conventions, most successfully effected in EU Regulation 44/2001 and its progenitor, the Brussels Convention. Then the various techniques of what can be called 'reverse forum shopping' including the evolving law relating to anti-suit injunctions and its interplay with the concept of international judicial comity are considered in detail. Finally, the book examines the role of, and the law relating to, jurisdiction and arbitration agreements in transnational litigation, including the manifold techniques by which parties seek to (and frequently do) extricate themselves from these forum-selection arrangements.