This book examines the present state of harmonization of unfair competition law in Europe. It discusses the particular approach to unfair competition law in the 10 new Member States and the possible impact on the future development of European unfair competition law. The book presents new insight in the importance of unfair competition law, especially in countries with a developing market economy.

Despite their differences, all 25 member States of the European Union agree that commercial activities should be controlled in the interests of market participants and that there must be rules to secure fairness. At the community level, there is a growing body of regulatory law dealing with unfair commercial practices. Within this framework, however, unfair competition law remains a matter for national law which depends on legal traditions, and cultural, linguistic and Historical particularities. It is only the two combined, the European requirements including the judicial; practice of the ECJ on the fundamental freedoms and national laws, which create European Unfair Competition Law. The book delineates, with extraordinary clarity and precision, the working of unfair competition law throughout the European Union. Its four comprehensive chapters encompass: basic considerations of definition, subject matter, enforcement, and applicable law: international provisions under the Paris convention, TRIPS, and WIPO model law; analysis of relevant EC directives and regulations and ECJ jurisprudence; and extensive discussions of the national unfair competition laws of all 25 Member States. For each Member State, specific topics covered include such considerations as the following: sources of law; competition law in a nutshell; regulation of advertising; direct marketing; sales promotion; risk of confusion; disparagement, defamation; misappropriation, imitation; impediment of competitors; and breach of the law. The author also provides a selected bibliography of sources for each country. It would be difficult to find a more useful analysis of European Unfair Competition Law than this systematic study. It is practical, thorough, clarifying, and readable, all at the same time. The author untangles the most complex of apparent contradictions with impressive skill. Copies of this book will quickly take their places on the working shelves of interested practitioners, academics, and officials throughout Europe.

This book examines the present state of harmonization of unfair competition law in Europe. It discusses the particular approach to unfair competition law in the 10 new Member States and the possible impact on the future development of European unfair competition law. The book presents new insight in the importance of unfair competition law, especially in countries with a developing market economy.

Im Zuge der Finanz- und Wirtschaftskrise wird verstarkt diskutiert, welcher Mechanismen es bedarf, um die Interessen "aller "Marktteilnehmer im Wirtschaftsleben zu wahren. Grosse Bedeutung gewonnen hat dabei der Aspekt der " business ethics ." So richten immer mehr Unternehmen sog. Compliance-Abteilungen ein, die die Einhaltung von unternehmensinternen Grundsatzen wie namentlich die der " Corporate Social Responsibility "(CSR) zur Aufgabe haben. Kaum untersucht ist bislang jedoch die "rechtliche Verbindlichkeit "solcher CSR-Standards, obgleich sie zunehmend von Unternehmen auf ihrer Website verkundet oder auf anderem Wege zu Public Relations- und Marketingzwecken bis hin zur Werbung eingesetzt werden.

Sind CRS damit nur wohlklingende Absichtserklarungen, oder handelt es sich um rechtlich verbindliche Standards und wenn ja, unter welchen Voraussetzungen entsteht ein Rechtsanspruch gegen Unternehmungen, wenn diese die sich selbst gegebenen Standards nicht einhalten? Anders gefragt: Gibt es ein corporate right to lie, oder setzt das (deutsche, europaische, internationale) Recht Grenzen? Im Fokus steht hierbei das "Recht zur ""Bekampfung unlauteren Wettbewerbs," im deutschen Sprachgebrauch kurz auch Lauterkeitsrecht genannt, das in allen entwickelten Wirtschaftsnationen wenn auch mit unterschiedlichem Ansatz Markthandlungen unter dem Gesichtspunkt der Fairness uberpruft.

Die Autoren der Beitrage dieses Buches sind ausgewiesene Fachleute des Europa-, Wirtschafts- und Wettbewerbsrechts. Sie diskutieren auf der Grundlage rechtstatsachlicher Erkenntnisse alle mit der wettbewerbsrechtlichen Beurteilung von CSR zusammenhangenden Fragen, insbesondere unter Berucksichtigung der Rolle, die CSR fur Unternehmen, Abnehmer und die Gesamtwirtschaft spielt.

Auch die Vorstellungen anderer Rechtsordnungen und Kulturkreise sind einbezogen. Gefragt wird letztlich, ob es ein U"nternehmerleitbild "gibt, das die Beachtung ethischer Standards einschliesst und das uber das Lauterkeitsrecht auch rechtliche Verbindlichkeit erlangt.

Mit Keynote von "Gesine Schwan."

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Written by a worldwide team of experts, this book 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, which includes: background and general approach to unfair competition law * legal basis of unfair competition law and relations to neighboring areas of law * general considerations * general clause against unfair competition * marketing * protection of competitors against unfair trade practices * specific protection of consumers against unfair trade practices * enforcement. The country reports cover the following countries: Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Hungary, India, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Netherlands, Poland, Spain, South Africa, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, the UK, and the US.