Gallo Africa Ltd v Sting Music (Pty) Ltd 2010 (6) SA 329 (SCA) — Revisiting the justiciability of cross-border copyright infringement in South African courts

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
pp. 67-86
Author(s):  
Thato M Moloto

This contribution examines the basis for and implications of the strictly territorial approach of South African courts in cross-border copyright infringement cases, requiring litigants to bring separate infringement suits in every country where infringement is alleged. This position by the courts loosely hinges on principles of effectiveness, locality and comity, as well as the classification of all intellectual property — copyright in this case — as immovable incorporeal property. In this belated case note, the Roman-Dutch law origins from which this classification is inferred to be derived from the English common law precedent with which it is paralleled and private international law principles applicable are briefly interrogated in light of prevailing constitutional prescripts. This complete bar on the authority of local courts on what is a ubiquitous concern for rights holders is a matter with far-reaching consequences.

Obiter ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eesa A Fredericks

This series of two articles provides a comparative overview of the position in the common-law conflict of laws in respect of the contractual capacity of natural persons. The comparative study is undertaken in order to provide guidelines for the future development of South African private international law. Reference is primarily made to case law and the opinions of academic authors. The legal position in the law of the United Kingdom, as the mother jurisdiction in Europe, is investigated in part I. Although Scotland is a mixed civil/common-law jurisdiction, the situation in that part of the United Kingdom is also discussed.Part II will deal with the rules and principles of private international law in respect of contractual capacity in Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), North America (the common-law provinces of Canada and the United States of America), Asia (India, Malaysia and Singapore) and Africa (Ghana and Nigeria). Part II also contains a comprehensive summary of the legal position in the common-law countries, followed by ideas for the reform of South African private international law in this regard.


Author(s):  
IF Fletcher

This article deals with an international project to establish the extent to which it is feasible to achieve a worldwide acceptance of the Principles of Cooperation among the NAFTA Countries together with the Guidelines Applicable to Court-to-Court Communications in Cross-Border Cases. This contribution explains the process whereby the American Law Institute and the International Insolvency Institute (1) developed principles of cooperation with regard to cross-border insolvency; (2) established acceptance of these principles in jurisdictions across the world, subject to any necessary local modifications; and (3) obtained the endorsement of leading domestic associations, courts, and other groups in those jurisdictions. This article may contribute to the development the South African cross-border insolvency law. The inclusion of the challenges of harmonisation of private international law is also contributing to current debate.


Obiter ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (1) ◽  
pp. 10-44
Author(s):  
Eesa A Fredericks

This series of two articles provides a comparative overview of the position in common-law jurisdictions on the conflict of laws in respect of the contractual capacity of natural persons. The comparative study is undertaken in order to provide guidelines for the future development of South African private international law. Reference is primarily made to case law and the opinions of academic authors. The legal position in the law of the United Kingdom, as the mother jurisdiction in Europe, was investigated in part 1.1 Although Scotland is a mixed civil/common-law jurisdiction, the situation in that part of the United Kingdom was also discussed.Part 2 deals with the rules and principles of private international law in respect of contractual capacity in Australasia (Australia and New Zealand), North America (the common-law provinces of Canada and the United States of America), Asia (India, Malaysia and Singapore) and Africa (Ghana and Nigeria). This part also contains a comprehensive summary of the legal position in the common-law countries, followed by ideas for the reform of South African private international law in this regard.


Author(s):  
Eun-Joo Min ◽  
Johannes Christian Wichard

This chapter identifies national and regional approaches adopted to ensure that intellectual property (IP) rights are enforceable in a global environment constituted by territorial rights that rely on local courts. It discusses reconsideration and recalibration of the private international law (PIL) rules that govern IP relationships in relation to jurisdiction, applicable law and recognition and enforcement. The chapter also explores the emergence of new fora for cross-border IP enforcement, through either trade or investment arrangements or privately designed alternative dispute resolution (ADR) mechanisms. It concludes by underscoring the continued relevance of the territoriality of IP rights, and the importance of coherence and mutual consistency between the different legal systems and regimes of cross-border IP enforcement.


This book opens a cross-regional dialogue and shifts the Eurocentric discussion on diversity and integration to a more inclusive engagement with South America in private international law issues. It promotes a contemporary vision of private international law as a discipline enabling legal interconnectivity, with the potential to transcend its disciplinary boundaries to further promote the reality of cross-border integration, with its focus on the ever-increasing cross-border mobility of individuals. Private international law embraces legal diversity and pluralism. Different legal traditions continue to meet, interact and integrate in different forms, at the national, regional and international levels. Different systems of substantive law couple with divergent systems of private international law (designed to accommodate the former in cross-border situations). This complex legal landscape impacts individuals and families in cross-border scenarios, and international commerce broadly conceived. Private international law methodologies and techniques offer means for the coordination of this constellation of legal orders and value systems in cross-border situations. Bringing together world-renowned academics and experienced private international lawyers from a wide range of jurisdictions in Europe and South America, this edited collection focuses on the connective capabilities of private international law in bridging and balancing legal diversity as a corollary for the development of integration. The book provides in-depth analysis of the role of private international law in dealing with legal diversity across a diverse range of topics and jurisdictions.


Author(s):  
V.C. Govindaraj

In deciding cases of private international law or conflict of laws, as it is widely known, judges of the Supreme Court in India generally consult the works of renowned English jurists like Dicey and Cheshire. This volume argues that our country should have its own system of resolving inter-territorial issues with cross-border implications. The author critically analyses cases covering areas such as the law of obligations, the law of persons, the law of property, foreign judgments, and foreign arbitral awards. The author provides his perspectives on the application of law in each case. The idea is to find out where the judges went wrong in deciding cases of private international law, so that corrective measures can be taken in future to resolve disputes involving complex, extra-territorial issues.


2021 ◽  
Vol 70 (3) ◽  
pp. 665-696
Author(s):  
Alison Xu

AbstractThis article explores a solution to the choice-of-law issues concerning both voluntary and involuntary assignments arising in a domestic forum. The focus is on English private international law rules relating to cross-border assignments. A distinction is made between primary and extended parties as the foundation for choice-of-law analysis. Drawing on insights from the distinction of the use value and exchange value of debts found in economics, this article proposes a new analytical framework for choice-of-law based on a modified choice-of-law theory of interest-analysis.


2017 ◽  
pp. 80-87
Author(s):  
Indrani Kundu

Marriage, a civil union between two persons, involves some legal procedures which determine the rights and liabilities of parties in such civil union. Conflict of marriage laws is the conflict of laws governing status and capacity to marry defined by personal laws of parties to the marriage. Rules of Conflict of Laws are set of procedural rules which determine A) which legal system will be applicable to a given dispute, & B) which Court will have jurisdiction to try the suit.In the words of Dicey and Morris, rules of Private International Law do not directly determine the rights and liabilities of persons, rather it determines the jurisdiction of Court and the choice of body of law i.e. whether by the domestic law or by any foreign law, the case will be decided. This paper, by adopting doctrinal approach, seeks to find the criteria for Indian court to exercise jurisdiction in cross border matrimonial suit. Further, it endeavors to find out the difference between term ‘domicile’ and ‘residence’.


Author(s):  
Zinian Zhang

AbstractThis study empirically investigates China’s participation in the globalized cross-border insolvency collaboration system. It is the first time for the development of China’s cross-border insolvency law to be examined against the background of private international law on foreign judgment recognition and enforcement. The findings of this article reveal that foreign bankruptcy representatives face considerable difficulties in satisfying the treaty and reciprocity requirements when seeking judicial assistance from China, and that local protectionism in favour of China’s state-owned and state-linked companies undermines foreign bankruptcy representatives’ confidence in approaching China’s courts for support. Although there are several court recognitions of foreign bankruptcy judgments in China, this article finds that they are only used to acknowledge the legal status of foreign bankruptcy representatives to meet the demands of government authorities; Chinese courts have not taken a substantial step in recognizing a foreign bankruptcy judgment so as to bar individual creditors’ action in the interest of a foreign bankruptcy proceeding. On the contrary, for Chinese bankruptcy representatives seeking assistance abroad, they could take advantage of the liberal judicial infrastructure, especially of some advanced jurisdictions, to obtain recognition and relief.


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