"The best introductory textbook on English Commercial and Consumer Law available in the market." - Qi Zhou, University of Sheffield "A modern and comprehensive compendium essential for any commercial law student." - Dr Clare Chambers-Jones, Associate Professor UWE Written by a team of leading specialists in this area, Commercial and Consumer Law 2nd edition is an essential guide to the legislation and case law relating to both domestic and international commercial transactions. Offering a scholarly, yet highly readable, account of key commercial and consumer law principles, it also highlights the commercial and socio-economic context underpinning the law in this area.

There is an urgent need to better understand the legal issues pertaining to alternative dispute resolution (ADR), particularly in relation to mediation clauses. Despite the promotion of mediation by dispute resolution providers, policy makers, and judges, use of mediation remains low. In particular, problems arise when parties lack certainty regarding the legal effect of a mediation clause, and the potential uncertainty regarding the binding nature of agreements to pursue mediation is problematic and threatens the growth of ADR. This book closely examines the importance and complexity of mediation clauses in commercial contracts to remedy this persistent uncertainty. Using comparative law methods and detailed empirical research, it explores the creation of a comprehensive framework for the mediation clause. Providing valuable insight into the process of ADR and mediation, this book will be of interest to academics, law makers, law students, in-house council, lawyers, as well as parties interesting in drafting enforceable mediation clauses.

Arbitration law in Italy comes from various sources - the code of civil procedure, certain references within various laws, and the numerous bilateral and multilateral conventions to which Italy is a party. Without guidance, practitioners and academics risk missing an interpretational twist which changes the effect of the law. This book aims to provide the essential guidance needed to assure a complete, informed understanding of the law. The book concisely and effectively presents the law of arbitration in Italy through individual analyses of all relevant provisions. Accompanying notes, where appropriate, interpret the provisions and provide practical applications of each rule of law in the light of doctrinal writings, court decisions, and field experience. These notes straightforwardly present the black letter law on the topic in question. Areas covered include: dispute settlement; transnational litigation; conflict of laws; civil law; and procedural law. The text also addresses all of the main problems relating to arbitration as a method of dispute settlement by the parties' election, including: relations with state jurisdiction; status of the arbitrator; arbitrator impartiality; related duty of disclosure issues; challenges to arbitral awards; and enforcement of domestic and foreign awards in Italy. This book is offered in four languages - English, French, German, and Italian - for ease of reading for a geographical variety of audiences. Footnotes and cross-references also enhance its credibility.

Critical examination of the concept of 'embeddedness', the core concept of an Economic Sociology of Law. Combines insights from law, sociology, economics, and psychology. Ground-breaking study into the prioritization throughout society of interests and voices that align with doctrinal understandings of law and neoclassical understandings of economics. Will appeal to socio-legal scholars and others with interests in the intersection of law, economics and sociology.

Linking traditional and local products to a specific area is increasingly felt as a necessity in a globalised market, and Geographical Indications (GIs) are emerging as a multifunctional tool capable of performing this and many other functions. This book analyses the evolving nature of EU sui generis GIs by focusing on their key element, the origin link, and concludes that the history of the product in the broad sense has become a major factor to prove the link between a good and a specific place. For the first time, this area of Intellectual Property Law is investigated from three different, although interrelated, perspectives: the history and comparative assessment of the systems of protection of Indications of Geographical Origin adopted in the European jurisdictions from the beginning of the 20th century; the empirical analysis of the trends emerging from the practice of EUGIs; and the policy debates surrounding them and their importance for the fulfilment of the general goals of the EU Common Agricultural Policy. The result is an innovative and rounded analysis of the very nature of the EU Law of GIs that, starting from its past, investigates the present and the likely future of this Intellectual Property Right. This book provides an interesting and innovative contribution to the field and will be of interest to GI scholars and Intellectual Property students, as well as anyone willing to gain a better understanding of this compelling area of law.

In this new edition, stemming from the work of the International Bar Association Committee on Business Organizations, leading international practitioners address the increasingly complex issues surrounding due diligence, disclosures and protection of the buyer and seller in corporate acquisitions practice. The book also addresses the structure of acquisition agreements, including warranties and the effect of different controlling laws. Environmental due diligence is also included in considering current international commercial practice. Based on a major IBA conference held in June 1991, the work (in this updated and revised form) covers the USA, Canada, Germany, England and Wales, the Netherlands, Italy, France, and Japan. As in the previous edition, the material is presented systematically for ease of reference and comparison. The book aims to serve as a valuable handbook for practitioners.

This book offers a comparative analysis of the domain name registration systems utililsed in Australia and the United Kingdom. Taking an international perspective, the author analyses the global trends and dynamics of the domain name registration systems and explores the advantages and disadvantages of restrictive and less restrictive systems by addressing issues of consumer protection. The book examines the regulatory frameworks in the restrictive and unrestrictive registration systems and considers recent developments in this area. Jenny Ng also examines the legal and economic implications of these regulatory frameworks, drawing upon economic theory, regulatory and systems theory as well as applying rigorous legal analysis. In doing so, this work proposes ways in which such systems could be better designed to reflect the needs of the specific circumstances in individual jurisdictions. The Domain Name Registration System will be of particular interest to academics and students of IT law and e-commerce.

This collection of essays provides a rich and contemporary discussion of the principle of pacta sunt servanda. This principle, which requires that valid agreements are to be honoured, is a cornerstone of contract law. Focusing on contributions from Asia, this book shows that, despite its natural and universal appeal, the pacta sunt servanda principle is neither absolute nor immutable. Exceptions to the binding force of contract must be available in limited circumstances to avoid hardship and unfairness. This book offers readers new comparative perspectives on the appropriate balance between contractual certainty and flexibility in an era of social instability. Expert authors, mostly from East and Southeast Asia, explore when their domestic legal systems allow exceptions from the binding force of contracts. Doctrines discussed include impossibility, frustration, change of circumstance, force majeure, illegality as well as rights of withdrawal. Other chapters consider the importance of the pacta principle in international law. The challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic feature strongly in the majority of contributions.

This book examines the historical and contextual background to the oil and gas resources in the Kurdish territories, placing particular emphasis on the reserves situated in the disputed provinces. The volume is singularly unique in focusing on an examination of the rules reflected in both the national and the regional constitutional, legislative, and contractual measures and documents relevant to the question of whether the central government in Baghdad or the Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Erbil has a stronger claim to legal control over the oil and gas resources in the disputed Kurdish territories. As a subsidiary focus, the author also draws attention to how the basic thrust of the volume connects to broader jurisprudential issues regarding the nature and purpose of law, the matter of claims by native peoples to natural resources on traditional lands, and the place of regional minorities operating in a federal system. Since the law examined is domestic or municipal in origin, additional reference is made to the role that such law can play in the "bottom up" (as opposed to more conventional "top down") development of international law. The book's opening chapters provide a valuable contextual introduction, followed by a number of substantive chapters providing an analytical and critical assessment of the controlling legal rules. Written in a scholarly, yet accessible style, and covering matters of basic importance to academics, lawyers, political scientists, government representatives, and students of energy and natural resources, as well as those of developing legal structures, Oil and Gas in the Disputed Kurdish Territories is an essential addition to any collection.

Electronic commerce is big business, and it is getting bigger: it now accounts for 7.5 percent of all retail sales in the US, and continues to expand at double-digit annual rates. The steady growth of Internet commerce over the past twenty years has given rise to a host of new legal issues in a broad range of fields. This authoritative Research Handbook comprises chapters by leading scholars which will provide a solid foundation for newcomers to the subject and also offer exciting new insights that will further the understanding of e-commerce experts. Key topics covered include: contracting, payments, intellectual property, extraterritorial enforcement, alternative dispute resolution, social media, consumer protection, network neutrality, online gambling, domain name governance and privacy. With the rise of Internet commerce, this book will be an invaluable resource for business lawyers as well as legal scholars with an interest in any phase of e-commerce law. Contributors include: A. Bridy, N.R. Cahn, I. Calbol, M.W. Carroll, C.M. Hayes, S.J. Hughes, A. Katz, J.P. Kesan, N.S. Kim, C.L. Kunz, A.R. Levinson, D. Lindsay, C. Markou, S.T. Middlebrook, J. Moringiello, E.A. Morse, J.P. Nehf, C. Riefa, S.E. Rolland, J.A. Rothchild, A.J. Schmitz, D.J. Shakow, S.B. Spencer, H. Travis, M. Trimble, A. Vranaki, S. Walsh, J. Winn

This book fills a gap in the literature by presenting a comprehensive overview of the key issues relating to law and development in Asia. Over recent decades, experts in law and development have produced multiple theories on law and development, none of which were derived from close study of Asian countries, and none of which fit very well with the existing evidence of how law actually functioned in these countries during periods of rapid economic development. The book discusses the different models of law and development, including both the developmental state model of the 1960s and the neo-liberal model of the 1980s, and shows how development has worked out in practice in relation to these models in a range of Asian countries, including Japan, Korea, China, Thailand, Singapore, India and Mongolia. Particular themes examined include constitutionalism, judicial and legal reform; labour law; the growing importance of private rights; foreign investment and the international law of development. Reflecting the complexity of Asian law and society, both those who believe in an "Asian Way" which is radically different from law and development in other parts of the world, as well as those who believe the arc of law and development is essentially universal, will find support in this book.

Although cross-border industrial sub-contracting is the main tool of industrial organisation in the global economy, practitioners in this important field are significantly hampered by a lack of uniform rules. This book offers a first step in discerning and formulating a framework for such rules, based on the experience of counsel for both contractors and sub-contractors in over twenty countries worldwide. It consists of the final papers, subsequently revised by the presenters, delivered at a conference held in Florence, in February 2000, under the auspices of the Union Internationale des Avocats (UIA) and the Association Internationale des Jeunes Avocats (AIJA). Other essays present the basic legal issues from a comparative perspective and clarify the fundamental distinctions in the points of view of the contractor and the sub-contractor. Individual contributions from practitioners in twenty countries (encompassing EU countries, the United States, Central and Eastern Europe, and the Asia-Pacific region) detail applicable domestic laws so that the user can determine points of difference, common aspects, and potential pitfalls in most of the world's major industrial sub-contracting jurisdictions. "Handbook on Cross-Border Industrial Sub-Contracting will be of great value of lawyers and business people everywhere engaged in this all-important area of today's legal practice.

The treatment covers such topics as:
- allocation of risk;
- the FIDIC "flow chart" for settling disputes;
- post-completion responsibility of the parties;
- disputes relating to non-contractual claims;
- allegations of fraud or gross negligence;
- dealing with bribery and extortion;
- delay and disruption;
- proving entitlement to extension of time;
- right to deduct liquidated damages;
- changed conditions;
- rights of subcontractors and suppliers; and
- unforeseeability.

Since the ratification of the Hague Trust Convention by the Netherlands and Italy, the question of whether civil law countries ought to have a trust or a legal institution resembling it has gained importance. The Business and Law Research Centre at the University of Nijmegen founded an international working group of experts in the field of trust law in 1996. This group developed eight principles of European trust law designed to facilitate transactions within European jurisdictions, to enable countries to recognise the potential for the development of new domestic legal concepts and to provide guidance as to how these developments can be framed in different legal and socio-economic contexts. This book provides a detailed analysis of these principles both from a common law and a civil law point of view. In particular, the national reports give an overview of the current law relating to trusts and fiduciary relationships and, in the case of civil law jurisdictions, whether the trust concept can be incorporated in the domestic legal systems on the basis of the eight principles.

Keenan & Riches' Business Law is well known and highly regarded as a reliable and practical guide to the law as it applies to the world of business. The text combines a solid academic reputation with clear language and practical features designed to assist the non-specialist, making it a favourite choice of students and professionals. The eleventh edition has been thoroughly updated to incorporate recent legal changes including the European Union Act 2011, the Parliamentary Voting System and Constituencies Act 2011, the Fixed Term Parliaments Act 2011, the Equality Act 2010 and changes in financial regulation as it affects companies. References to treaty articles have been renumbered to reflect changes made by the Consolidated Version of the Treaty on European Union and the Treaty on the Functioning of the Union. The new edition also presents current proposals for reform in areas of business law such as aspects of the Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts Regulations, competition law, consumer rights and defamation.

This title deals with the three important branches of the law relating to security. Within a small compass it analyses in critical detail the governing rules. In particular, it is a practical guide to current practice.

This book analyzes the specifics of corporate governance of China's State Owned Enterprises (SOEs) and their assessment under EU merger control, which is reflected in the EU Commission's screening of the notified economic concentrations. Guided by the going global policy and the Belt and Road Initiative, Chinese SOEs have expanded their global presence considerably. Driven by the need to acquire cutting edge technologies and other industrial policy considerations, Chinese SOEs have engaged in a series of corporate acquisitions in Europe. The main objective of this book is to demonstrate the conceptual and regulatory challenges of applying traditional merger assessment tools in cases involving Chinese SOEs due to the specifics in their corporate governance and the regulatory framework under which they operate in China. The book also explores the connection between the challenges experienced by the merger control regimes in the EU and the recent introduction of the EU foreign direct investment screening framework followed by a proposal concerning foreign subsidies. The book will be a useful guide for academics and researchers in the fields of law, international relations, political science, and political economy; legal practitioners dealing with cross-border mergers and acquisitions; national competition authorities and other public bodies carrying out merger control; policy makers, government officials, and diplomats in China and the EU engaged in bilateral economic relations.

A concise presentation of the authors' first-hand experience with the procedural history of the Iran-United States Claim Tribunal in The Hague. The authors' analysis can be divided into three major themes, the first being the examination of the establishment of an arbitral tribunal. It investigates the first intent of the UNICITRAL framers, as evident from the travaux preparatories, and then inspects how the rules were interpreted, changed and applied in the Tribunal. Part Two includes the Arbitral Proceedings, including but not limited to pleadings, rulings, interim measures of protection, and default and waiver. The concluding section comprises awards and decisions, applicable law, motions and costs.

The 2003 volume of the Comparative Law Yearbook of International Business deals with a variety of topics in the field of commercial law. These range from mergers in Nigeria and joint ventures in Thailand and Hungary to the fight against corruption on an international level, as well as corporate fraud in the United States, with attention being focused upon the new Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002. Some authors have dealt with subjects that involve finance, such as foreign investment in e-commerce in China, employees' stock purchases and option plans in the United States, pension funds in Nigeria and preferential tax regimes in Madeira. There is also a review of the Agreement on Trade-Related Investment Measures. Other popular areas of commercial law that are covered in this volume include consumer protection in Bulgaria and alternative dispute resolution. Arbitration in Paraguay is discussed, along with the conducting of mediation by legal professionals. In addition, European Union law arises in relation to the likelihood of association, with another chapter detailing the economic association between Mexico and the European Union. The Commentators in this book are leading professionals in their respective fields and the interesting mix of topics should be of value to those involved in business in the international arena and their legal advisers.

This comprehensive yet accessible Research Handbook offers an expert guide to the key concepts, principles and debates in the modern law of unjust enrichment and restitution. Written by leading experts drawn from a wide range of common law, civilian and mixed jurisdictions, chapters cover the complex history, scope and philosophical foundations of the subject, its organisational structure, main liability principles, defences and remedies. Utilising a broad array of legal authority and academic commentary, contributors engage with the key concepts and debates in a way that offers a direct route into the field for new researchers, as well as a source of original thinking for those already familiar with the subject. Throughout, the learning of both civilian and common law legal systems is juxtaposed and integrated, offering useful comparative insights and lessons for the future development of this still young, but critically important field of law. Engaging and thought provoking, the Research Handbook on Unjust Enrichment and Restitution will prove indispensable to academics and researchers in the field of private and commercial law. Judges and practitioners will also have much to gain from the clear presentation of authorities, principles and useful comparative perspectives. Contributors include: E. Bant, K. Barker, K. Barnett, M. Bryan, A. Burrows, M. Chen-Wishart, H. Dagan, S. Degeling, J. Gordley, R. Grantham, R. Gregson, B. Hacker, L. Ho, D. Ibbetson, D. Klimchuk, T. Krebs, A. Kull, R. Leow, T. Liau, M. McInnes, C. Mitchell, C. Rotherham, H. Scott, G. Virgo, S. Watterson, E. Weinrib, C. Wonnell, T.H. Wu

Now in its sixth edition, Introduction to Information Technology Law (formerly Introduction to Computer Law), provides a comprehensive and accessible introduction to the law as it relates to computers. Adopting a practical approach that places the law in the context of computer use, this book is highly suitable for undergraduate law students, non-specialist students and computer professionals.

To date, there have been few theoretical inquiries into the relationship between the basic objectives of consumer protection laws and technological innovation. This book addresses this need by considering the impact of technological innovation on the foundations of consumer advocacy, contracting behaviour, control over intellectual capital and information privacy. The collection presents a unique and timely perspective on these issues. The authors, internationally renowned experts, from diverse areas such as consumer issues in technology markets; contract, and intellectual property provide a fresh perspective on these topics. Contributions provide novel approaches to the question of what consumer protection might consist of in the context of technological innovation. The book will be a valuable resource to academics and researchers in law and public policy and is easily accessible to graduate and undergraduate students working in these areas.

International Arbitration in Latin America features:
- a comprehensive and thorough overview of commercial arbitration in Latin America;
- a detailed analysis of the law and insight from local practitioners from Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru and Venezuela;
- a brief look at the rules and peculiarities of the proposed Mercosur International Commercial Arbitration Agreements entered into by Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay, Bolivia and Chile, whose eventual ratification and coming into force is contemplated;
- an examination of the adoption of arbitration as a method of dispute resolution for investors against states under bilateral investment treaties, over 300 of which have now been signed in the region;
- the text of the key sections of the international conventions to which reference is made (Panama Convention, NAFTA, Mercosur); and,
- a description of the increasing use of alternative dispute resolution in Latin America and how it might be bes used as a complement for arbitration proceedings, with an emphasis on complex projects where staged dispute resolution might be appropriate.

Smith and Keenan's Law for Business is an established and respected textbook. It is suitable for undergraduate non-law students who have a business law component in their degree. It also satisfies the business law requirements for a number of professional bodies such as the Association of Charted Certified Accountants and the Chartered Institute of Marketing. The book has been updated to include new statutory and case law developments, in particular the impact of new laws in the sphere of employment law, discrimination, and company law.