Vesna Lazic and Peter Mankowski, The Brussels I-bis Regulation: Interpretation and Implementation, Edward Elgar 2023 (602 pp)
This impressive book on the Brussels I-bis Regulation has just been published. It results from a project headed by Vesna Lazic (Utrecht University/T.M.C. Asser Institute) and the late Peter Mankowski (formerly University of Hamburg), in co-operation with Lucia Pein (Hamburg University), entitled ‘Regulation Brussels Ia: a standard for free circulation of judgments and mutual trust in the European Union’ (JUDGTRUST) funded by the European Commission’s Justice Programme (JUST-AG-2017/JUST-JCOO-AG-2017). The research for this project consisted among others of a questionnaire and national reports from all the Member States on the application of the Regulation. This book provides an extensive overview of the CJEU rulings and analysis of case law, which will be of great importance for future reference and the ongoing evaluation and revision of the Brussels I-bis Regulation.
How does the anchor defendant mechanism operate in the realm of EU trade marks and actions on trade mark infringement? Is the existence of an exclusive distribution agreement between the defendants sufficient to rely on this mechanism? Those are the questions that the Court of justice addresses in its judgment handed down this morning in the case Beverage City Polska, C-832/21.
On 27 October 2023, the Department of Private Law of Maastricht University (the Netherlands) is hosting a lecture by Prof. Dr. Horatia Muir Watt, Professor at the Sciences Po Law School (Paris), entitled: “Ecological Jurisprudence: The Shape of Legality at its Own Last Frontier (a Private International Law Approach)” at 17:00 (CEST time). This event will take place onsite and in English. For more information, click here.
Tim Wöffen (University of Osnabrück) kindly made us aware of the Proposal for a Directive on European cross-border associations, adopted on 5 September by the Commission. The proposal aims to facilitate cross-border activities of non-profit associations in the EU and to improve the functioning of the Internal Market by removing legal and administrative barriers for non-profit associations that operate or wish to operate in more than one Member State. With regard to private international law, Articles 4 and 22 et seq seem particularly relevant. The public is invited to give their comments until November 1st.
Tim offers some initial thoughts (in German) here.
The most recent issue of the German Journal of Comparative Law (Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft, ZVglRWiss) features various contributions to a comparative law symposium that was held at the Private University in the Principality of Liechtenstein (UFL) in autumn 2022. The topic consisted of legal aspects of crypto currencies and assets, with a particular focus on comparative law and private international law. Here are the articles’ German titles and their English abstracts:
Marion Ho-Dac (Artois University) and Cécile Pellegrini (Lyon Catholic University) are hosting a conference at Lyon Catholic University on Friday 29 September 2023 on the occasion of the launch of their book “Governance of Artificial Intelligence in the European Union What Place for Consumer Protection?”.
The book tackles the interplay between Artificial Intelligence (AI) governance and consumer protection on the European Union (EU) market. An in-depth analysis of the existing and future EU legal framework is conducted in order to assess its capacity to meet the challenges posed by AI. The effectiveness of consumer rights, and more widely of fundamental rights, in the digital single market calls for a regulatory ecosystem that fosters trust and therefore, upstream, transparency and explainability of AI systems. Hence, the book explores different normative paths – from hard law to standardization – as well as monitoring and supervision tools – from ethics to media literacy – that could progressively lead to an inclusive and comprehensive EU governance structure for AI. Several book’s chapters highlight the complexity of balancing conflicting interests such as the protection of consumers against the adverse impacts of AI, supporting AI development and technological innovation and putting AI at the service of empowered consumers. Ultimately, the book offers important insights into thinking about tomorrow’s digital consumer in EU law, inviting a rethinking of European policy boundaries and related legal regimes.
The full programme for the event can be found here.
The latest issue of the „Praxis des Internationalen Privat- und Verfahrensrechts“ (IPRax) features the following articles:
(These abstracts can also be found at the IPRax-website under the following link: https://www.iprax.de/en/contents/)
The editors of the European Yearbook of International Economic Law (EYIEL) welcome abstracts from scholars and practitioners at all stages of their career for the EYIL 2024. This year’s Focus Section will concentrate on International and European Economic Law – Moving Towards Integration? In the General Section, the EYIEL will address Current Challenges, Developments and Events in European and International Economic Law.
I am thrilled to announce that my book on international child abduction has been published this week (María Mayela Celis Aguilar (aka Mayela Celis), Madrid: Dykinson, 2023, 604 pp. – in Spanish). More information is available here.
I am most grateful to Prof. Marina Vargas Gómez-Urrutia and Hans van Loon for having written the Foreword of this book and for their support throughout this process. This book is dedicated to the memory of Adair Dyer, former Deputy Secretary General of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (HCCH), whom some of you may have known.
As stated in the publisher’s website (translation into English): “This monograph conducts a critical study of the Hague Convention of 25 October 1980 on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction by analysing both case law and doctrine. In particular, it examines key concepts of the Convention, such as habitual residence and rights of custody, as well as other problems that arise more frequently in its application. But not before carrying out a detailed study of the phenomenon of international child abduction from a multidisciplinary and human rights approach.