Where to go: the floating arbitration agreement

2019 ◽  
Vol 35 (2) ◽  
pp. 171-194
Author(s):  
Morten Frank

Abstract The article examines questions concerning interpretation of commercial arbitration agreements, according to which the place of arbitration is ‘floating’ and hence cannot be finally determined at the time of contracting. The question is, primarily, whether this inherent uncertainty about material procedural rules ‘infects’ the jurisdictional allocation to such an extent that the arbitration agreement must be considered unenforceable and secondarily, whether the floating element in itself constitutes a sufficiently specific procedural rule. Against the background of an analysis of case law from USA, England, Singapore, and Hong Kong, and drawing on experiences from unilateral and bilateral option agreements, the article extracts general principles of interpretation as well as provides specific guidance on the drafting of floating arbitration agreements.

2018 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 59-84
Author(s):  
Slavomír Halla

Abstract Consent, the final frontier. International commercial arbitration is a dis­pute resolution mechanism embedded in consent of the parties involved. Presentation of such a mutual understanding is done through an arbitration agreement. However, the aim of this paper is to analyse whether its contractual, indeed consensual, nature is the only element which the courts use to identify the subjects who may compel or must be compelled to arbitrate disputes, or whether they employ other considerations as well. The paper will focus on extension doctrines which might be less known even to a professional audience: piercing of the corporate veil, estoppel & group of companies. A review of selected case law leads to a conclusion that consent-finding analysis is defi­nitely a starting point of any analysis. However, at the same time courts and arbitrators do indeed use tools of contract interpretation and the ones based on equity or good faith considerations to establish, and exceptionally force, the implication of consent far beyond what is obvious.


Author(s):  
Anayit Khoperiya ◽  

The article analyses the refusal to recognize and grant permission to enforce awards of international commercial arbitration because of improper notification about the arbitration. The study concerns the new case law of the Supreme Court in cases of recognition and granting permission to enforce the awards of international commercial arbitration in cases where the party against whom the decision is made denies that it has been notified of the arbitration or appointment of an arbitrator. Particular attention was paid to the analysis of the decisions of the Supreme Court in cases No. 824/26/19 of November 28, 2019 and No. 824/69/19 of February 13, 2020 on the application of Jurginsky Mashzavod LLC on the enforcing of the decision of the Arbitration Court at the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation on debt collection from PJSC Pokrovske Mine Management. These decisions were assessed as a negative case law that does not contribute to the development of arbitration in Ukraine. It was concluded that in cases No. 824/26/19 and No. 824/69/19 the Supreme Court formulated two extremely negative opinions for the development of international commercial arbitration: 1) the need to inform the different jurisdictions parties of the arbitration proceedings, where in these jurisdictions the Hague Convention is binding, in form of provision of international legal assistance, which would harm the pace of arbitration proceedings; 2) the necessity to notify the parties by arbitration via mail with a postal description of the enclosed documents. The provisions of the Hague Convention regarding the requirement of arbitration notifications of the parties on the implementation of arbitration proceedings using the procedure of international legal assistance were analysed. It was established that the provisions of this convention cannot be interpreted as establishing an obligation for arbitration tribunals to notify the parties of the arbitration proceedings, which are situated in states-parties to this convention, through the procedure of international legal assistance only. The practice of the Supreme Court in other cases on the recognition and granting permission to enforce of international commercial arbitration decisions, where the party against which the decision was made denies that it has been notified about the arbitration or appointment of an arbitrator, was positively assessed. This practice is pro-arbitration. It was emphasized the importance of forming pro-arbitration practice of the Supreme Court, which ensures the image of Ukraine as a friendly jurisdiction for arbitration and for investment accordingly.


Semiotica ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 (208) ◽  
pp. 203-222 ◽  
Author(s):  
Le Cheng ◽  
Winnie Cheng ◽  
Jian Li

AbstractDefamation law is a long-standing research focus. Previous studies on defamation law have pointed out the importance of balancing two fundamental issues in law, namely, protection of reputation and freedom of speech. The present corpus-based legal study, using ConcGram 1.0 as the analytical tool, examined the phraseological profile of reported cases on defamation in Hong Kong in order to find out the types of defense and the approach to meaning in the defamation case law in Hong Kong. Regarding defenses to a defamation claim, the results show that fair comment, qualified privilege, and justification are the most prevalent types, that unintentional defamation is not used at all, and that there has been a noticeable shift from fair comment to honest comment. As for the approach to meaning, the ordinary and natural approach is found to be a pivotal means of solving the threshold problem in defamation cases, that is, whether the words involved are defamatory or not.


2009 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 27-90
Author(s):  
Nathan O'Malley

AbstractThis article considers the provisions of the IBA Rules on the Taking of Evidence in International Commercial Arbitration pertaining to documentary evidence, Articles 2, 3, and 9. The IBA Rules have emerged over time as a compromise set of standards appropriate for international arbitration and are widely used by tribunals throughout the world. This piece provides examples of arbitral case law in respect of the application of the Rules to issues concerning the taking and admission of documentary evidence. Moreover, the article also addresses issues regarding the role of the IBA Rules in the judicial review of arbitral awards, and their use in investor-state arbitration as opposed to international commercial arbitration. The goal of this article is to provide a thorough, case based commentary on the common approach used by tribunals in this area of procedure.


This book provides reports on the arbitration systems and laws of thirteen countries in addition to commentaries on the arbitration rules of the International Criminal Court (ICC), the International Centre for Dispute Resolution (ICDR), the London Court of International Arbitration (LCIA), and UNCITRAL Arbitration Rules as well as on the UNCITRAL Model Law and the New York Convention. This comprehensive overview of the key arbitral jurisdictions and the most important arbitral rules and conventions makes it a unique and indispensable work that belongs on the desk of each practitioner. The book combines a practical approach with in-depth legal research and analyses of important national and international case law. This new edition is written to meet the needs of both the non-specialist lawyer requiring quick and useful information on a particular legal system or set of rules or who is interested in a concise general introduction into the law of international arbitration, and the experienced arbitration practitioner looking for well-founded information on a particular issue.


Author(s):  
Qin Jing ◽  
Zhou Qingfeng

Abstract The unprecedented dissolution of the Hong Kong National Party, a localist political party advocating the independence of Hong Kong from China, has given rise to a constitutional dispute over the competing principles of protecting national security and upholding freedom of association. This article first analyses the theory of ‘militant democracy’, which refers to a form of constitutional democracy authorized to protect civil and political freedom by pre-emptively restricting the exercise of such freedoms, as applied in the case law of the European Court of Human Rights. It argues that a pre-emptive ban on a party can be justified by a government if the party pursues undemocratic aims or employs violence or incitement to violence to achieve its political goals. This article then assesses the constitutionality of the dissolution of the Hong Kong National Party in light of the theory of ‘militant democracy’ and submits that such a theory should equally apply to Hong Kong, allowing the government to act in a militant manner to dissolve any political parties such as the Hong Kong National Party if they have incited or resorted to violence to pursue their political agenda.


Author(s):  
Reyes Anselmo

This chapter explores Hong Kong perspectives on the Hague Principles. Hong Kong has no enacted code of private international law rules. In relation to contracts dealing with commercial matters, the choice of law principles of Hong Kong law are largely to be found at common law. Decisions of the English court, in particular, are often cited in Hong Kong as exemplifying the law on a given question. To a lesser degree, principles may be found in statute. While Hong Kong judges must look to case law to discern relevant choice of law principles, nothing prevents them from also having regard to the Hague Principles and holding that one or more articles therein accurately reflect Hong Kong law. Indeed, articles of the Hague Principles can be referred to by Hong Kong judges as accurate statements of present day Hong Kong law, as foundations for the refinement of existing common law rules, or as indications of how Hong Kong choice of law principles may be extended to deal with novel situations.


Author(s):  
Victor Joffe QC ◽  
David Drake ◽  
Giles Richardson ◽  
Daniel Lightman QC ◽  
Timothy Collingwood

This well-established and authoritative work is the most detailed reference source on the law relating to minority shareholders. As more and more legal emphasis is put on corporate governance, and as the influence of shareholder activism continues to grow, practitioners increasingly need a source of up-to-date and detailed information on the rights and remedies available to the minority. This is the only book to focus on this increasingly topical and important subject. This sixth edition features a new chapter on share purchase orders and valuation. There is expanded coverage of the relevant non-UK authorities, including cases from Hong Kong, Singapore, the British Virgin Islands, and Cayman. There is also more detailed analysis of shareholder agreements and related developments in contract law relevant to minority shareholders (e.g., arguments around implied terms and good faith). The new edition also covers significant developments in case law, such as Eclairs Group Ltd v JKX Oil & Gas plc.


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (3) ◽  
pp. 290-296 ◽  
Author(s):  
Foster Hong-Cheuk Yim ◽  
Ian Philip Lee

Purpose The purpose of this study is to discuss the latest developments of anti-money laundering (AML) laws in terms of case law and intended legislation amendments. Design/methodology/approach In terms of AML case law, the authors analyze three judgments from the Hong Kong Court of Final Appeal. In terms of the intended legislation amendments, the authors outline salient points from the two amendment bills submitted to the Legislative Council of Hong Kong. Findings With the developments in AML case law and the intended legislation amendments, Hong Kong is expected to have a positive result in the Financial Action Task Force Mutual Evaluation in October/November 2018. Originality/value A robust AML/counter-terrorist financing regime is the bedrock of Hong Kong’s reputable status as an international financial center. This paper seeks to illicit meaningful interactions amongst all stakeholders.


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