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International tech litigation reaches the next level: collective actions against TikTok and Google
Written by Xandra Kramer (Erasmus University Rotterdam/Utrecht University) & Eduardo Silva de Freitas (Erasmus University Rotterdam), members of the Vici project Affordable Access to Justice, financed by the Dutch Research Council (NWO), www.euciviljustice.eu.
Introduction
We have reported on the Dutch WAMCA procedure for collective actions in a number of previous blogposts. This collective action procedure was introduced on 1 January 2020, enabling claims for damages, and has since resulted in a stream of (interim) judgments addressing different aspects in the preliminary stages of the procedure. This includes questions on the admissibility and funding requirements, some of which are also of importance as examples for the rolling out of the Representative Action Directive for consumers in other Member States. It also poses very interesting questions of private international law, as in particular the collective actions for damages against tech giants are usually international cases. We refer in particular to earlier blogposts on international jurisdiction in the privacy case against TikTok and the referral to the CJEU regarding international jurisdiction under the Brussels I-bis Regulation in the competition case against Apple.
Turning Point: China First Recognizes Japanese Bankruptcy Decision
This post is written by Guodong Du and Meng Yu and published at China Justice Observer. It is reproduced here by kind permission of the authors.
Key takeaways:
- In September 2023, the Shanghai Third Intermediate People’s Court ruled to recognize the Tokyo District Court’s decision to commence civil rehabilitation proceedings and the order appointing the supervisor ((2021) Hu 03 Xie Wai Ren No.1).
- This marks not only the first time that China has recognized a Japanese court’s decision in a bankruptcy procedure, but also the first time that China has recognized a Japanese judgment.
- The case establishes a legal precedent for cross-border bankruptcy decisions, demonstrating that prior non-recognition patterns between China and Japan in civil and commercial judgments may not apply in such cross-border scenarios.
- While not resolving the broader recognition challenges between the two nations, this acknowledgment sends a positive signal from the Chinese court, hinting at potential future breakthroughs and fostering hope for improved legal cooperation.
Disentangling Legal Knots: Intersection of Foreign Law and English Law in Overseas Marriages
Written by Muhammad Zubair Abbasi, Lecturer at School of Law, Oxford Brookes University (mabbasi@brookes.ac.uk)
Introduction:
In a recent judgment Tousi v Gaydukova [2024] EWCA Civ 203, the Court of Appeal dealt with the issue of the relevance of foreign law to the remedy available under English law in respect of an overseas ceremony of marriage. Earlier the High Court had held that the foreign law determines not only the validity or invalidity of the ceremony of marriage but also the ramifications of the validity or invalidity of the ceremony. The Court of Appeal disagreed and reiterated the rule that lex loci celebrationis is limited to the determination of the validity or invalidity of the ceremony of marriage. Therefore, English law will apply to provide a remedy or relief upon the breakdown of the relationship of the parties to a marriage ceremony that took place abroad.
News
Call for Abstracts for Emerging Scholars: Digitalisation of Justice, University of Groningen, 29 May 2026
Dr. Benedikt Schmitz (University of Groningen), the organiser of the upcoming symposium ‘Digitalisation of Justice: Perspectives from Germany and the Netherlands’, has kindly shared this Call for Abstracts for emerging scholars with us.
Save the date: 11th Journal of Private International Law Conference, 1–3 April 2027 in Zurich
With the 10th Journal of Private International Law Conference successfully concluded, preparations for the next, 11th Journal of Private International Law Conference in Zurich are already underway. 
Please save the date: 1–3 April 2027.
The conference organizers Tanja Domej (University of Zurich) and Christiane von Bary (University of Zurich), and the editors of the Journal, Paul Beaumont (University of Stirling) and Jonathan Harris (King’s College London), are looking forward to welcoming you in Switzerland!
ZVglRWiss – Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft 3/2025
ZVglRWiss – Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft 3/2025
A new issue of ZVglRWiss – Zeitschrift für Vergleichende Rechtswissenschaft is now available and includes contributions on EU private law, comparative law, private international law, and individual European private law regimes.
The full table of content can be accessed here.