The Reform of French Contract Law: An Analysis of its Application to Corporate Acquisitions

2017 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
François Barrière ◽  
Pascal Bine ◽  
Olivier Diaz

AbstractMore than ten years after the French President at the time first announced it – during the bicentenary celebration of the Napoleonic Code, the reform of the law of contracts has taken shape. The reform’s objectives are to make the law more accessible while increasing legal certainty; objectives often put forward during successive legal reforms without necessarily being met. Its purpose is also to increase the efficiency of French contract law, which will encourage business growth, and is evident, for instance, by the fact that unilateral will is being dealt with several times in the reform. In addition, contractual freedom, captured within the preliminary provisions, sets the tone for a more flexible legal framework. Although the reform codifies several solutions derived from case-law, it also introduces noteworthy innovations such as, in particular, a duty to inform, a legal framework for unforeseeable situations, means of action against unfair clauses in adhesion contracts, or even the ability to reduce the price in the event of incomplete performance of the contract. This reform recognizes contractual freedom, which can – in any event – only be a step in the right direction! This article analyses the modification to French contract law made by Ordinance N° 2016–131 and their impact on corporate acquisitions.

2009 ◽  
Vol 73 (4) ◽  
pp. 318-344 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shlomit Wallerstein

Does a person who is voluntarily drunk remain capable of giving valid consent to sex? The Court of Appeal in Bree held that ‘a drunken consent is still (valid) consent’, though it further recognises that the capacity to consent may evaporate well before a complainant becomes unconscious. This decision is a move in the right direction, yet this article argues that it has not gone far enough, and that s. 74 of the Sexual Offences Act 2003 which governs these scenarios allows—and even requires—a more drastic interpretation: a drunken consent is not consent when the person is very drunk. Based on a distinction between factual and legal consent, the article starts by setting up the legal framework as set out in s. 74, and developed in Bree and H. It then goes on to criticise the current case law and its interpretation of s. 74 for not being restrictive enough, by examining two possible theoretical rationales, mentioned in the judgments. The first, which is based on an analogy with the law relating to intoxicated offenders, is criticised on the grounds of differences between consent and intent. The second, which is based on the general argument that this position recognises the positive aspect of sexual autonomy, is criticised for its failure to distinguish between claims of normative facts and claims of public policy and for giving too much weight to the latter considerations. From the discussion an alternative, more restrictive position, emerges in line with s. 74 of the 2003 Act, according to which a drunken consent is not consent. This position can be adopted by judges, through the provision of better guidance to juries, but failing that a reform of the law might be needed.


Author(s):  
Chen Lei

This chapter examines the position of third party beneficiaries in Chinese law. Article 64 of the Chinese Contract Law states that where a contract for the benefit of a third party is breached, the debtor is liable to the creditor. The author regards this as leaving unanswered the question of whether the thirdparty has a right of direct action against the debtor. One view regards the third party as having the right to sue for the benefit although this right was ultimately excluded from the law. Another view, supported by the Supreme People’s Court, is that Article 64 does not provide a right of action for a third party and merely prescribes performance in ‘incidental’ third party contracts. The third view is that there is a third party right of action in cases of ‘genuine’ third party contracts but courts are unlikely to recognize a third party action where the contract merely purports to confer a benefit on the third party.


Author(s):  
Ly Tayseng

This chapter gives an overview of the law on contract formation and third party beneficiaries in Cambodia. Much of the discussion is tentative since the new Cambodian Civil Code only entered into force from 21 December 2011 and there is little case law and academic writing fleshing out its provisions. The Code owes much to the Japanese Civil Code of 1898 and, like the latter, does not have a requirement of consideration and seldom imposes formal requirements but there are a few statutory exceptions from the principle of freedom from form. For a binding contract, the agreement of the parties is required and the offer must be made with the intention to create a legally binding obligation and becomes effective once it reaches the offeree. The new Code explicitly provides that the parties to the contract may agree to confer a right arising under the contract upon a third party. This right accrues directly from their agreement; it is not required that the third party declare its intention to accept the right.


Author(s):  
Masami Okino

This chapter discusses the law on third party beneficiaries in Japan; mostly characterized by adherence to the German model that still bears an imprint on Japanese contract law. Thus, there is neither a doctrine of consideration nor any other justification for a general doctrine of privity, and contracts for the benefit of third parties are generally enforceable as a matter of course. Whether an enforceable right on the part of a third party is created is simply a matter of interpretation of the contract which is always made on a case-by-case analysis but there are a number of typical scenarios where the courts normally find the existence (or non-existence) of a contract for the benefit of a third party. In the recent debate on reform of Japanese contract law, wide-ranging suggestions were made for revision of the provisions on contracts for the benefit of third parties in the Japanese Civil Code. However, it turned out that reform in this area was confined to a very limited codification of established case law.


2013 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 629-665 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anne Sanders

AbstractNeither in England, nor in Germany, nor in all Canadian provinces, does the law provide specific rules for the redistribution of property for unmarried cohabitants after the breakdown of their relationship. Instead, courts apply the law of trusts, contract and unjust enrichment with an eye to the characteristics of intimate relationships, as, for example, in decisions like the EnglishJones v Kernott([2011] UKSC 53) and the CanadianKerr v Baranow(2011 SCC 10). This article compares English, Canadian, and German case law and evaluates it both from a doctrinal perspective and as a part of a general approach towards cohabitation. The article concludes with an appeal for legislative action that strikes the right balance between party autonomy and protection of the weaker party.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 664-684
Author(s):  
Christian Heinze ◽  
Cara Warmuth

Abstract In March 2018, the European Commission issued its proposal for a regulation on the law applicable to third-party effects of assignments of claims, aiming to put an end to the ongoing debate on this issue and the legal uncertainty associated with it. On the basis of the Commission’s decision in favour of the application of the law of the assignor’s habitual residence, this article discusses the consequences of the Proposal under European Union (EU) insolvency law. For that purpose, the coherence of the Proposal with the Insolvency Regulation will be examined, first in general and then in more detail. The analysis comes to the result that the Commission’s objective of aligning the Proposal with the legal framework of the Insolvency Regulation has predominantly been well achieved. The authors point out remaining minor inaccuracies that may be clarified in the further legislative process or by later case law. It is concluded that, from the perspective of international insolvency law, the proposed uniform conflict-of-laws rule at the EU level offers a good opportunity to promote legal certainty with regard to cross-border assignments of claims in the future.


Author(s):  
Oleksandr D. Sviatotskyi ◽  
Rodion B. Poliakov

The article represents a comparative legal study of the specifics of the order of debtor's property realisation in the bankruptcy procedure under the law of Ukraine and Germany through the application of hermeneutic (used in accessing the essence of the legal framework and judicial practice); axiological (in determining the evaluative base) along with phenomenological (and the nature of the phenomena); systematic (modeling of the functioning systems) methodological toolkit. The authors emphasise the importance of legal provisions governing the sale of the debtor's property, due to the natural proximity of this stage of the competitive process to the financial component, which, in turn, is inevitably associated with various abuses. An electronic trading system had been recently introduced in Ukraine, on which therefore many hopes and expectations were relied upon. However, the electronic trading system did not cope with tasks set, and many new problems were added to the old ones. The article states that the existence of problematic issues in the procedure of bankrupt property realisation is confirmed, in particular, by the court practice. However, judicial practice in itself often becomes a source of problems. The article pays special attention to the German legislation, which uses a radically opposite model of property sale in insolvency proceedings. The authors justifiably propose to make certain changes to the Ukrainian legislation, by using the positive experience of Germany. As a result of a comparative legal analysis of the legislation of Ukraine and Germany, the authors provide ways of solving the raised issues in the article. The implementation of the recommendations submitted within this comparative-legal study should improve the quality of bankruptcy proceedings, reduce the number of abuses by insolvency trustees, as well as protect the rights and property interests of competitive creditors and creditors with the right of separate satisfaction


2015 ◽  
pp. 1737-1762
Author(s):  
John Ubena

This chapter provides a critical analysis of the legal framework for access to information particularly information held by government in Tanzania. The analysis intends to establish whether the existing Right To Information (RTI) legal framework and ICT development in Tanzania facilitates universal and requisite access to government information. In order to do that, the chapter utilises a literature review to understand contemporary trends in both theory and practice. In addition, journal articles, books, reports, case law, and pieces of legislation focusing on RTI are visited to obtain deeper insights in the topic under scrutiny. The findings indicate that, despite Tanzania's efforts to embrace democracy virtues, good governance, and technology, the country lacks adequate legal framework to facilitate universal access to government information and ensure that the Right To Information (RTI) is observed in all the socio-economic contexts. To rectify this problem, there is need to enact the RTI law with clear focus of encouraging access to government information. Although two bills (the Media Service Bill [MSB] and the 2011 RTI) are currently being debated, it is not clear yet when they will become law and subsequently practiced.


Author(s):  
Sujith Koonan

The legal framework relating to the realization of the right to sanitation in rural areas is complex and fragmented, with laws and institutions focusing on different aspects of sanitation at different administrative levels. The framework is further complicated with the presence of a strong policy framework framed by the Union Government from time to time which primarily governs the sector. This chapter examines the law and policy framework for the realization of the right to sanitation in rural areas in India. It specifically examines the framework for implementation of the right to sanitation in rural areas from the perspective of rights including the right to sanitation.


Author(s):  
Göran Rollnert Liern

La tramitación parlamentaria de la Ley de Transparencia ha reabierto el debate doctrinal sobre el acceso a la información pública como derecho fundamental. El trabajo hace una valoración de los argumentos utilizados en la discusión, en particular de la jurisprudencia nacional sobre este derecho y de su posible integración en la libertad de información del art. 20.1 d) CE interpretándolo conforme a los tratados internacionales y atendiendo a las recientes sentencias del TEDH dictadas en 2009 y 2013.The parliamentary procedure of the Law of Transparency has reopened the doctrinal debate on access to public information as a fundamental right. The paper gives a valuation of the arguments used in the discussion, in particular the national case-law on this right and the possible integration thereof in the freedom of information set in article 20.1 d) of the Spanish Constitution interpreting it according to international treaties and taking into account the recent judgments of the ECHR established in 2009 and 2013.


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