Law Commons^™

Understanding The Law Of Torts In China: A Political Economy Perspective, Wei Zhang

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

In this paper, I tried to connect the text of the Chinese tort law with the institutional context of lawmaking in China from a political economy perspective. Two determinants, political influence and populist pressure, were identified for the tort law legislation in China, and a simple spatial model was presented to demonstrate the mechanism through which these determinants might have affected the text of the law. In particular, my research suggested that, when injurers’ political influence kept constant, the populist pressure on the injurer group tended to push the tort law rules toward the pro-victim end. On the contrary, with …

Unauthorised Fiduciary Gains And The Constructive Trust, Alvin W. L. See

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article challenges the traditional assumption that all cases of unauthorised fiduciary gain warrant the same legal treatment, in particular the imposition of a constructive trust as a disgorgement remedy. It proposes a method of categorising the cases and ranking them based on the strength of the principal’s interest. It is suggested that in cases where the principal’s interest is not particularly strong, there is room for taking into account the interests of innocent third parties and affording them the necessary protection. For this purpose, the remedial constructive trust supplies the needed flexibility.

A Renewed Consideration Of Consideration: Mwb Business Exchange Centres Ltd V Rock Advertising Ltd [2016] Ewca Civ 553, Kenny Chng, Yihan Goh

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This note argues thatthe English Court of Appeal decision of MWBBusiness Exchange Centres Ltd v Rock Advertising Ltd is a significantmodification of the present understanding of consideration with respect toagreements to accept part-payments of a debt and to perform pre-existing duties,and that the preferred way forward for the development of the law should be judicialintervention by the Supreme Court to reconcile the logical inconsistenciesbetween Foakes v Beer and Williams v Roffey Bros & Nicholls(Contractors) Ltd.

Law School News Guiding Startups Through Legal Pickles: Law Students Launch Artisan Pickler And Other Businesses To Success 11/09/2016, Jill Rodriques

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Trans-Pacific Partnership: Continuity And Breakthroughs In U.S. Investment Treaty Practice, Charles Hendrickson Brower Ii

Law Faculty Research Publications

In October 2015, the United States completed negotiations for the Trans- Pacific Partnership (“TPP”), a free trade agreement among twelve Pacific Rim states.1 According to the White House, TPP will “rewrite the rules of trade,” will include “high standards . . . that . . . upgrade our existing agreements,” and will “have a profound impact on . . . how we invest in the developing world.”2 By contrast, the leading presidential candidates from both parties offer distinctly negative assessments of TPP. Hillary Clinton has opined that TPP does not meet the “very high” bar she would set for producing …

Consumer Preferences For Performances Defaults, Franklin G. Snyder, Ann M. Mirabito

Faculty Scholarship

Commercial law in the United States is designed to facilitate private transactions, and thus to enforce the presumed intent of the parties, who generally are free to negotiate the terms they choose. But these contracts inevitably have gaps, both because the parties cannot anticipate every situation that might arise from their relationship, and because negotiation is not costless. When courts are faced with these gaps in a litigation context, they supply default terms to fill them. These defaults usually are set to reflect what courts believe similar parties would have agreed to if they had addressed the issue. These "majoritarian" …

A Harmonized System Of International Commercial Arbitration Within The Aec And Beyond?, Locknie Hsu

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

The 5th Annual Professor Anthony J. Santoro Business Law Lecture: Enforcing Insider Trading Laws: The Changing Landscape, Stephen L. Cohen, Roger Williams University School Of Law

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Newsroom: A Changing Landscape: Insider Trading Law 09/20/2016, Roger Williams University School Of Law

Life of the Law School (1993- )

No abstract provided.

Trending @ Rwu Law: Professor Cecily Banks's Post: Time To Teach Business: September 16, 2016, Cecily Banks

Law School Blogs

No abstract provided.

Rwu's New 'Rising Tide' Of Educational Opportunity 9-8-2016, Roger Williams University

School of Law Conferences, Lectures & Events

No abstract provided.

Section 3: Business, Institute Of Bill Of Rights Law, William & Mary Law School

Supreme Court Preview

No abstract provided.

Exploring A New Frontier In Singapore's Private International Law: Im Skaugen Se V Man Diesel & Turbo Se [2016] Sghcr 6, Wei Yao, Kenny Chng

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The establishment of the Singapore International Commercial Court (“SICC”) marks a significant development in Singapore’s private international law. This note leverages on the Singapore High Court decision of IM Skaugen SE v MAN Diesel & Turbo SE [2016] SGHCR 6 to discuss two key issues raised by the SICC: the relationship between the Singapore High Court’s and the SICC’s jurisdictional rules, and the applicable test for the exercise of the SICC’s jurisdiction. This note argues that the possibility of a transfer to the SICC should influence the High Court’s exercise of its international jurisdiction, and that the SICC should not …

Civil Conspiracy In The Corporate Context, Pey Woan Lee

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article examines the issues that arise when the tort ofconspiracy by unlawful means is used, as an alternative to veil-piercing,either to extend a company’s liability to its controllers, or to enable acontroller’s creditors to reach the assets of company under his or her control.It observes that the tort of conspiracy is a particularly potent mechanism forthese purposes because of its potentially broad reach. A liberal application ofconspiracy liability to companies and their insiders would therefore underminethe company’s separate legal status as well as the benefits of incorporation.For that reason, the application of the tort, and of private law principles …

Restitution Of Non-Gratuitously Conferred Benefit In Malaysia: A Case For Sowing The Unjust Enrichment Seed, Alvin W. L. See

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

This article draws on the common law of unjust enrichment to rationalize and develop the right to recover a non-gratuitously conferred benefit set out in section 71 of Malaysia’s Contracts Act 1950. This attempt at legal transplant and modern restatement is made in the hope of injecting principle and clarity into the antique section with the eventual goal of reviving it for practical and modern use.

Restitution [2015], Man Yip

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

Restitution [2015], Man Yip

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

No abstract provided.

Sex, Videos, And Insurance: How Gawker Could Have Avoided Financial Responsibility For The $140 Million Hulk Hogan Sex Tape Verdict, Christopher French

Journal Articles

On March 18, 2016, and March 22, 2016, a jury awarded Terry Bollea (a.k.a Hulk Hogan) a total of $140 million in compensatory and punitive damages against Gawker Media for posting less than two minutes of a video of Hulk Hogan having sex with his best friend’s wife. The award was based upon a finding that Gawker intentionally had invaded Hulk Hogan’s privacy by posting the video online. The case has been receiving extensive media coverage because it is a tawdry tale involving a celebrity, betrayal, adultery, sex, and the First Amendment. The case likely will be remembered by most …

El Ineficiente Diseño De La Legislación Concursal Española: Una Propuesta De Reforma A Partir De La Experiencia Comparada Y De Un Análisis Económico Del Derecho Concursal [The Inefficient Design Of The Spanish Bankruptcy Act: A Proposal To Enhance The Attractiveness Of The Spanish Bankruptcy Regime Based On An Economic And Comparative Analysis Of Insolvency Law] In Spanish, Aurelio Gurrea-Martinez

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Spain has one of the world´s lowest business bankruptcy rates (that is, number of business bankruptcies per firm). Some authors have argued that the low usage of bankruptcy procedures in Spain is due to a ‘cultural’ problem faced by Spanish entrepreneurs. According to this hypothesis, the lack of a ‘bankruptcy culture’ makes Spanish entrepreneurs to be afraid of the use of the bankruptcy system. In this paper, however, I advocate for a totally different hypothesis. In my opinion, the low rate of business bankruptcies in Spain is not due to a ‘cultural’ problem but to an institutional one. Namely, I …

The Application Of The Morton Principles In Canada Steamship Lines Ltd V The King In Singapore Reconsidered, Wee Ling Loo

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

For the interpretation of clauses that purportto allow a contracting party, the proferens, to exclude or limit, or beindemnified against, liability that arises by reason of his or his agents’negligence, certain principles were laid down by the Privy Council in 1952 inCanada Steamship Lines Ltd v The King. Famously known as the ‘Mortonprinciples’ (named after Lord Morton who delivered the judgment of the PrivyCouncil) or the ‘Canada SS rules’ or guidelines, they prescribe a three-steptest to determine if these clauses effectively provide the protection sought bythe proferens. In Singapore, the Court of Appeal in Marina Centre Holdings PteLtd v Pars …

The Insurability Of Claims For Restitution, Christopher French

Journal Articles

Does and should a wrongdoer’s liability insurance cover an aggrieved party’s claim for restitution (e.g., a claim for the disgorgement of ill-gotten gains)? This article answers those questions. It does so by first answering the question of whether claims for restitution are covered under the terms of liability insurance policies. Then, after concluding that they are, it addresses the question of whether claims for restitution should be insurable as a matter of public policy and insurance law theory. There are long-standing legal and equitable principles that, on the one hand, dictate that a wrongdoer should not be allowed to benefit …

Democratizing Startups, Seth C. Oranburg

Law Faculty Scholarship

President Obama signed the Jumpstart Our Business Startups (“JOBS Act”) of 2012 into law to “help entrepreneurs raise the capital they need to put Americans back to work and create an economy that’s built to last.” The goal is to “democratize startups” by making capital available to diverse entrepreneurs in new geographies. Yet the net effect of securities regulations and market conditions is the opposite. Startup companies are encouraged to stay private so capital is consolidating in large, mature firms instead of recycling into new startups. Evidence of consolidation is that once-rare “Unicorns” (billion-dollar startups) now number at least 170. …

Injunctive Relief: But Let’S Agree Not To Have It?, Kwan Ho Lau

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Theability of parties contractually to limit their right to seek injunctive reliefhas not often been judicially discussed. An interesting case from Singapore nowappears to suggest that this is much more than a theoretical possibility. Somearguments can, however, be made to demonstrate that this is perhaps not thevista of opportunity over which some contract draughtsmen might rejoice, andcare should be taken to ascertain the boundaries of the law, as explained in thisnote.

Redefining The Rico Statute: Potential Avenues For Improvement, David Scouten

Senior Honors Theses

The civil application of the Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) has been misapplied by the lower courts, but the statute can be improved by incorporating elements that will make the statute a better tool for justice. It is evident from examining the procedural limitations of the statute and important case law that the securities fraud gap, terrorism financing, and difficulties for indirect victims are three critical subjects that need to be addressed by enhancing RICO. Flaws and shortcomings of the RICO statute have led to inconsistencies in court rulings. The expansive language of RICO can be limited to …

Regulation Of The Sharing Economy: Uber And Beyond, Jack M. Beermann

Shorter Faculty Works

On January 8, 2016, the Section held a program entitled “Regulation of the Sharing Economy: Uber and Beyond.” I served as moderator of the program, which included four excellent speakers, Nicole Benincasa, Attorney for Uber Technologies, Inc., Bernard N. Block, Managing Principal, Alvin W. Block & Associates, Chicago, Illinois, Randy May, Founder and President, Free State Foundation (and long-time active member of the Section) and Peter Mazer, General Counsel to the Metropolitan Taxicab Board of Trade and former General Counsel to the New York City Taxicab Licensing Commission.

The program began by asking general questions about regulatory issues concerning the …

Bitcoin And The Uniform Commercial Code, Jeanne L. Schroeder

Articles

Much of the discussion of bitcoin in the popular press has concentrated on its status as a currency. Putting aside a vocal minority of radical libertarians and anarchists, however, many bitcoin enthusiasts are concentrating on how its underlying technology – the blockchain – can be put to use for wide variety of uses. For example, economists at the Fed and other central banks have suggested that they should encourage the evolution of bitcoin’s blockchain protocol which might allow financial transactions to clear much efficiently than under our current systems. As such, it also holds out the possibility of becoming that …

Solving The Puzzle Of Corporate Governance Of State-Owned Enterprises: The Path Of Temasek Model In Singapore And Lessons For China, Christopher C. H. Chen

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

The purpose of this Article is to examine the corporate governance of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in the Asian context by empirically surveying the influence of Temasek Holdings, Singapore’s sovereign wealth fund, on its portfolio of government-linked companies in Singapore. Overall, the Temasek model seems to be a promising one. This Article shows that the top listed government-linked companies in which Temasek has a stake have greater board independence than the other top listed companies in Singapore. This illustrates that a high quality of corporate governance could be aligned with public interests associated with SOEs. While this research offers hope for …

Evaluating Joint Ventures: Economic Analysis Checklist, Steven C. Salop

Georgetown Law Faculty Publications and Other Works

This short article (for a symposium on joint ventures) provides practitioners and law professor with a 20 question checklist to guide the competitive effects analysis of the formation of a joint venture and the specific restraints and conduct of the venture. The questions mainly focus on ventures among actual or potential competitors, though some of the questions also are relevant for ventures involving complementary product firms. The questions concern potential competitive harms, potential competitive benefits, and the determination of net competitive effects. While this sequencing follows the standard burden-shifting formulation of the rule of reason decision process, the article notes …

Non-Compete Legislation Is Getting Worse With Latest Revisions, Nathan B. Oman

Popular Media

No abstract provided.

Rationalising Anticipatory Breach In Executed Contracts, Yihan Goh, Man Yip

Research Collection Yong Pung How School Of Law

Rationalising the doctrine of anticipatory breach is notoriously difficult. This may explain the complete lack of attempt by the UK Supreme Court to address its conceptual difficulties in its recent judgment in Bunge SA v Nidera BV [2015] UKSC 43; [2015] 3 All E.R. 1082. It is therefore of interest that the Singapore Court of Appeal in The “STX Mumbai” [2015] SGCA 35; [2015] 5 S.L.R. 1 explained why the doctrine of anticipatory breach can be applied to executed contracts (in the sense of being fully executed by the innocent party). Whilst anticipatory breach applies similarly under English law, the …