Reconciling Transnational Jurisdiction: A Comparative Approach to Personal Jurisdiction over Foreign Corporate Defendants in US Courts

The U.S. Supreme Court, in a series of recent cases, has restricted personal jurisdiction over corporate defendants-and foreign corporations in particular. The Court\u27s restrictions are--although a peripheral concern--motivated by an interest for international comity and an effort to bring US jurisdiction rules more in line with other nations\u27 laws. However, an in-depth comparative analysis between the EU Brussels Regulation and U.S. Supreme Court opinions reveals that the Supreme Court\u27s decisions remain deeply grounded in the traditional US paradigm of personal jurisdiction. Predictability appears to have different meanings to the EU legislator and the U.S. Supreme Court. For the Supreme Court, predictability comes at the price of restricting both general and specific jurisdiction to limit exposure of the alien defendant to fewer potential forums. The Brussels Regulation, in contrast, provides an exhaustive list of special heads of jurisdiction. It takes into account the interests of defendants, plaintiffs, and the forum state. The Regulation\u27s use of clearly defined connecting factors, combined with European rejection of judicial discretion, could serve as a model to mitigate the shortcomings of the current US regime

The Liability of Online Markets for Counterfeit Goods: A Comparative Analysis of Secondary Trademark Infringement in the United States and Europe

Online trademark infringement and counterfeiting is a growing problem for luxury brands. In recent years, trademark owners have taken aim at the operators of online marketplaces and auction websites, asserting that these defendants are liable for contributory infringement due to sales of counterfeit goods on their sites. In addressing the scope of secondary liability for trademark infringement, the courts of the United States and European nations, including France, Germany, and the United Kingdom, have applied differing standards and reached inconsistent results. This article considers the question of secondary liability for trademark infringement from a comparative perspective and contrasts the rationales offered by the various courts in their decisions. It argues for a harmonization of the law across borders that also fits the realities of the online intermediary market business model, and proposes a standard for doing so

Visualization: Seeing Contracts for What They Are, and What They Could Become

Commercial contract users read their contract documents infrequently, and understand them inadequately. The disincentives may be several: contract language may be too technical and too long; contracts may be organized around ensuring or avoiding legal liability rather than providing guidance toward performing contractual responsibilities; or contracts may rarely include frameworks that would prompt the parties to explore new opportunities. For whatever reason, the neglect by users of contractual documents can lead not only to unpleasant surprises in the performance or enforcement of particular contractual duties, but also to chronic underuse of contracts as potential instruments for planning, innovation, commercial relationship-building and optimal business results. Visualization techniques-i.e., adding graphic images to supplement written words-could invigorate the effectiveness of contract documents and processes. Greater understanding and use of contract materials could reduce transaction costs, prevent disputes, and help to achieve business goals. This paper explores the possibilities for using visualization techniques within and about contracts, and invites others in the legal and commercial contracts community to join collectively in that effort

Visualization: Seeing Contracts for What They Are, and What They Could Become

Commercial contract users read their contract documents infrequently, and understand them inadequately. The disincentives may be several: contract language may be too technical and too long; contracts may be organized around ensuring or avoiding legal liability rather than providing guidance toward performing contractual responsibilities; or contracts may rarely include frameworks that would prompt the parties to explore new opportunities. For whatever reason, the neglect by users of contractual documents can lead not only to unpleasant surprises in the performance or enforcement of particular contractual duties, but also to chronic underuse of contracts as potential instruments for planning, innovation, commercial relationship-building and optimal business results. Visualization techniques-i.e., adding graphic images to supplement written words-could invigorate the effectiveness of contract documents and processes. Greater understanding and use of contract materials could reduce transaction costs, prevent disputes, and help to achieve business goals. This paper explores the possibilities for using visualization techniques within and about contracts, and invites others in the legal and commercial contracts community to join collectively in that effort

From visualization to legal design : a collaborative and creative process

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Lexis Nexus Complexus: Comparative Contract Law and International Accounting Collide in the IASB-FASB Revenue Recognition Exposure Draft

U.S. and international accounting-standard setters plan to launch a new, global revenue accounting standard, Revenue from Contracts with Customers, in 2013. Poised at the nexus of comparative contract law and international accounting, the proposal\u27s contract-based revenue recognition model creates new legal risks and opportunities for accountants, lawyers, clients, and financial statement users. Despite its focus on legally enforceable contracts, the proposed standard was drafted without input from the legal community. This Article models the proposal\u27s complex contract-analysis process, demonstrating that its revenue outcomes may vary materially because of seemingly minor interjurisdictional differences in law applicable to open-price contracts; offers practice pointers for attorneys, accountants, and auditors; recommends changes to the proposal, including the substitution of self-enforcing Nash equilibria for legally enforceable contracts; and encourages more collaboration between the legal and accounting professions in the joint deployment of legal and accounting expertise for better value creation, value allocation, and risk mitigation

Luftbeförderungsbedingungen und AGB-Kontrolle im deutschen, französischen und internationalen Privatrecht

Berger-Walliser G. Luftbeförderungsbedingungen und AGB-Kontrolle im deutschen, französischen und internationalen Privatrecht. Bielefeld (Germany): Bielefeld University; 2001.Wie die Unternehmen nahezu jedes anderen bedeutenden Wirtschaftszweiges verwenden auch Fluggesellschaften standardisierte, vorformulierte Vertragsbedingungen, um ihren Geschäftsverkehr zu vereinfachen - die sogenannten Luftbeförderungsbedingungen, die insofern Allgemeinen Geschäftsbedingungen anderer Branchen entsprechen. Im Bereich der Luftbeförderung ergeben sich jedoch einige Besonderheiten, die so in anderen Wirtschaftszweigen nicht relevant werden: Luftbeförderungsverträge sind typischerweise international, das heißt, sie weisen Auslandsbeziehung auf. Bei grenzüberschreitenden Transporten werden in Deutschland nicht nur deutsche Flugunternehmen tätig, sondern ebenso ausländische Konkurrenten. Weite Teile des internationalen Luftprivatrechts sind in einem multilateralen Staatsvertrag, dem Warschauer Abkommen, vereinheitlicht, das in Zukunft durch das Montrealer Abkommen abgelöst werden soll. Beinahe alle Unternehmen, die am internationalen Luftlinienverkehr teilnehmen, bedienen sich weltweit einheitlicher Luftbeförderungsbedingungen, der sogenannten IATA-Bedingungen. Vor diesem Hintergrund ergeben sich im wesentlichen vier Fragen: 1. Hat die Vereinheitlichung der Luftbeförderungsbedingungen in den IATA-Bedingungen Einfluss auf deren Rechtsnatur? 2. Regelt das Warschauer Abkommen die Kontrolle der Luftbeförderungsbedingungen, und inwieweit ist daneben Raum für die Anwendung nationaler Regelungen? 3. Welches nationale Recht kommt gegebenenfalls für die Kontrolle der im Rahmen eines internationalen Luftbeförderungsvertrages verwandten Beförderungsbedingungen zur Anwendung? 4. Wie halten die Beförderungsbedingungen dieser Kontrolle durch das dem Verwender unter Umständen fremde Recht stand? Die vorliegende Arbeit versucht, diese und die damit zusammenhängenden Fragen anhand des Beispiels des deutsch-französischen Flugverkehrs unter Zugrundelegung der Allgemeinen Beförderungsbedingungen der Deutschen Lufthansa und der Air France (Passagiere und Gepäck, sowie Fracht), als den bedeutendsten Fluglinien des jeweiligen Landes, zu beantworten. Dabei soll nicht nur das deutsche Recht dargestellt werden, sondern auch das französische ausreichend Berücksichtigung finden. Da beide Länder Vertragsstaaten des Warschauer Abkommens sind, ist schließlich auch dessen Einfluss auf die hier aufgeworfenen Fragestellungen zu beachten