Comparative and Foreign Law Commons^™

British Resistance To European Integration: An Historical And Legal Analysis With An Examination Of The United Kingdom's Recent Entry Into The European Monetary System, Allen Neely

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

No abstract provided.

An Historic Convergence Of Civil And Common Law Systems-Italy's New "Adversarial" Criminal Procedure System, Louis F. Del Duca

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

No abstract provided.

A Comparison Of Guilty Plea Procedure In The United States And Germany, Helen A. Haglich

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

No abstract provided.

Bridging The Gap In Eastern Europe: Forty Years Of Communist Indifference And The New Environmental Realities In Poland, Kenneth J. Serafin

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

No abstract provided.

Little Hilary: Happy At Last? New Zealand's Family Court And The Matter Of Hilary Foretich, Suzanne Mcgrath Dale

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This Note contends that New Zealand should not be obliged to return Hilary to the jurisdiction of United States courts. This Note also contends that the ultimate disposition of custody and visitation rights should be the prerogative of the New Zealand court and that prior or pending United States orders should not necessarily be considered binding on that court.

The Effect Of The Tiananmen Square Massacre Upon Negotiations For The Draft Basic Law Of The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, Wendy Dullea Bowie

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This Comment will examine the effect of the massacre and the Chinese government's subsequent actions upon the negotiation of certain provisions of Hong Kong's future laws. Section II will examine the massacre, China's subsequent denial of any massacre, and Hong Kong's reaction to those events. Section III will discuss Great Britain's acquisition of Hong Kong, and the China-Britain agreement regarding Hong Kong. Section IV will compare provisions for the protection of human and individual rights contained within the Constitution of the People's Republic of China (PRC Constitution), the China-Britain Joint Declaration, (Joint Declaration) and the Draft Basic Law (DBL) which …

The Jurisprudence Of Constitutional Law: The Philosophical Origins And Differences Between The Western Liberal And Soviet Communist State Law, Ziyad Motala

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This article will examine the philosophical notions of a constitution and a state system from a historical perspective. It will highlight the different philosophical bases of state law and the purpose the constitution is meant to serve under the two divergent orders. The approach will be descriptive and comparative. The purpose of this work is not (in the words of Christopher Osakwe) to pass off a political opinion about the desirability of one or the other legal systems. Instead, the essential focus will be to examine the jurisprudence underlying the constitutional systems, and the different uses that constitutions perform in …

Mcnaghten Rules Ok? The Need For Revision Of The Automatism And Insanity Defenses In English Criminal Law, R. D. Mackay

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

There has been a resurgence of interest in the codification of "craziness" both in the United States and in England. Most recent legislative reforms in the United States have followed in the wake of the jury's verdict in the Hinckley case, whilst in England renewed interest in revising the insanity defense has been prompted by a report to the Law Commission on the codification of the criminal law. The purpose of this article is first to briefly review relevant reforms in the United States; second to critically analyze the present legal position in England; third to discuss English reform proposals; …

Developments In European Product Liability, Ferdinando Albanese, Louis F. Del Duca

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

The eight questions discussed in this article are as follows: (1) Why is new legislation needed in the field of product liability? (2) What should be the basis of a new regime of product liability? (3) Who should be liable? (4) What products should be subject to a new regime of product liability? (5) Who should be entitled to sue? (6) What defenses shall be allowed? (7) What damage should be compensated? (8) How long should the producer's liability last?

"It Is Better To Enter A Tiger's Mouth Than A Court Of Law" Or Dispute Resolution Alternatives In U.S.-China Trade, Steven N. Robinson, George R.A. Doumar

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This article examines the influence Chinese attitudes toward law have upon the various methods of dispute resolution in United States-China trade. It concludes that, although reasonably effective mechanisms for the resolution of disputes are available, the primary emphasis of counsel should be to prevent the dispute from occurring through promoting informed negotiation of the original contract.

Nationhood, International Obligation And Federal Structure: An Historical Overview Of The Australian Experience, David D. Knoll

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This article focuses on the interrelationship between the Commonwealth Government of Australia and the Australian state governments with regard to external affairs.

Simultaneous Rediffusion By Cable Television Operators In Canada And The Problems Of Nonpayment Of Copyright Royalties, Larry Seidenberg

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This Article surveys a controversial issue involving both Canadian and United States copyright interest groups. Simultaneous rediffusion involves the unauthorized reception and retransmission or rediffusion of copyrighted United States broadcast programming by foreign cable television systems. The issue has important ramifications for a future revision of the copyright by the Canadian Parliament as indicated in the Revision of Copyright Subcommittee Report of October 1985 and is useful to an examination of United States copyright principles and the international role of the United States in copyright.

This author's conclusion is that compulsory license for simultaneous rediffusion of broadcast signals is a …

Laker Airways: Recognizing The Need For A United States-United Kingdom Antitrust Treaty, Mark P. Barbolak

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This article analyzes the conflict between the United States and the United Kingdom regarding the extraterritorial application of American antitrust laws. It begins by presenting a history of the dispute and then describes how that dispute culminated in a judicial battle in the Laker Airways litigation.

The article recognizes, however, that the question of extraterritorial application of United States antitrust laws is too political in nature to be determined in the judicial arena. Indeed, recent attempts by United States courts to balance United States and foreign interests have done nothing to assuage Britain's aversion toward American antitrust laws. This article …

Rendering Arbitral Awards With Reasons: The Elaboration Of Common Law Of International Transactions, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

With the growth of international trade, arbitration has emerged as the preferred remedy for resolving private international commercial disputes. In fact, among major Western legal systems such as those of England, the United States and France, statutory and decisional law developments indicate a nearly complete acceptance of international arbitral adjudication. This recognition of arbitral procedure and the enforcement of awards, which are given uniform legal recognition and enforcement by domestic legal systems, either as provisions in international conventions or as principles of national statutory or decisional law. These rules, in effect, represent an international consensus on arbitration and constitute a …

The West German Administrative Procedure Act: A Study In Administrative Decision Making, Edward J. Eberle

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

This Article examines the West German Administrative Procedure Act ("VwVfG"), which forms an essential element in the German model of administrative decision-making and provides valuable insight into the nature of administrative decision-making in Germany. The first section of this Article discusses the history surrounding codification of administrative procedure in Germany, the subject and scope of the VwVfG, and the role of the VwVfg plays within the overall German administrative law structure. The second section identifies the four procedural mechanisms provided for by the VWVfG to reach administrative decisions. The final section reviews administrative and judicial remedies available to contest final …

Arbitral Adjudication: A Comparative Assessment Of Its Remedial And Substantive Status In Transnational Commerce, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

With the growth of international trade, arbitration has emerged as the preferred remedy for disputes in private international commerce. Its adjudicatory features respond well to the sui generis dispute resolution needs of international commercial contracts. Most significantly, an arbitration agreement acts as an elaborate choice-of-forum clause. It allows the parties to satisfy their need for a predictable and effective dispute resolution process by creating a more realistic and workable framework that supersedes the fundamentally parochial alternative proffered by national legal systems. The party autonomy principle that underlies arbitration gives the contracting parties the power to fashion a remedial process tailored …

The Convergence Of The Law Of State Responsibility For Injury To Aliens And International Human Rights Norms In The Revised Restatement, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

The now celebrated (infamous to some) section 711 of the Restatement of Foreign Relations Law of the United States (Revised) is meant to replace the allegedly dated and obtuse black-letter content of sections 178 through 183 of the Restatement (Second) of Foreign Relations Law of the United States with more contemporary, subtle, and economical provisions.

This Article briefly assesses the significance of these disclaimers against the unmistakable "new look" of section 711. Even upon initial perusal, the divergence in content and presentation between the existing provisions and the recommended formulation of the law of state responsibility for injury to aliens …

Empirical Research About Law: The German Picture With Comparisons And Observations, Robert A. Riegert

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

While studying current legal developments in West Germany during the summer of 1979, the author became convinced that the most important development in German law in the past two decades was the movement toward empirical research about law. This research is often referred to by German jurists as fact research in law. During the intervening years, the author has been able to trace dome major developments of this movement.

The principal aim of this article is to furnish information to the American legal community about social-fact research in law resulting from the German experience. Discussion of Germany's experience is appropriate …

Investment And The Andean Pact: From Political Response To Legal Structures To Safe Harbors, Robert Carcano

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

The Latin American experience clearly establishes that economic development involves profound social and political change. Despite modernization efforts, economuc benefits eluded Latin American leaders. This fact led to the widespread perception that a new international legal strucure had to be forged if the region's myriad social concerns were to be addressed. Regional economic integration was a necessary first step.

Integration enabled Latin American statesmen to address insurmountable national problems on a regional level. In the Latin American context, however, economic integration efforts became intertwined with the new nationalism. Despite this beginning, the structures that eventually arose formed a relationship which …

British Anti-Discrimination Law: An Introduction, Christopher Mccrudden

Penn State International Law Review (1982 - 2011)

The United Kingdom is a signatory of a number of international treaties protecting various aspects of human rights, including freedom from discrimination. Yet, there is no legislation in this country protecting a comprehensive list of human rights in the manner of the United States Bill of Rights, although there have been a number of unsuccessful atempts to enact such legislation since 1969. Moreover, prior to race relations legislation, there was no general rule, policy or principle in common law directly relevant to combating racial discrimination or incitement to racial hatred.

The inadequacies of the common law and statutes stimulated several …

The Political Offense Exception As Applied In French Cases Dealing With The Extradition Of Terrorists, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

There is no doubt that terrorism is a dangerous, costly and complex problem. Commentators have speculated extensively about its ideological character and other analysts have studied its sociological roots and psychological origins. Despite all this attention, there is a lack of consensus in the international community about whether terrorism is no more than a sensational form of criminality or a legitimate mode of political expression.

This article does not attempt to deal with all of the multifarious aspects of contemporary terrorism; its ambition is much more modest in scope, centering upon traditional legal mechanisms and doctrines that can be adapted …

Judicial Experimentation With A Strict Products Liability Rule: A Comparison Of The Law In The United Kingdom, Louisiana, And United States' Common Law Jurisdictions, Thomas E. Carbonneau, Catherine Garvey

Faculty Scholarship

Since the mid-nineteenth century, products liability law has undergone significant modifications. The applicable doctrine has oscillated between contract and tort theories; fault and no-fault liability schemes have competed for predominance. Despite attempts to create an internationally accepted liability norm, different legal systems continue to espouse differing perceptions of the liability formula in the products area. In addition, even in jurisdictions in which courts adhere to identical liability theories, there is disagreement as to the application and implications of the same standard. This article attempts to set the shifting doctrinal character of products liability analysis into a comparative perspective principally between …

Linguistic Legislation And Transnational Commercial Activity: France & Belgium, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

For French and francophonic people, the continued vitality of their linguistic heritage is an integral part of their sense of national identity and cultural cohesiveness. The truth of this statement has been corroborated recently by legislative enactments in France and in Belgium which prescribe and/or recommend the use of French in certain private commercial and governmental activity taking place within these countries. This legislation represents an attempt to provide a partial remedy to what has been perceived generally as the syntactical and lexical "contamination" of the French language resulting from the dominance of English or, more precisely, American English, in …

The Reform Of The French Procedural Law On Arbitration: An Analytical Commentary On The Decree Of May 14, 1980, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

Prior to May 1980, the French domestic law on arbitration had not been subject to any substantial legislative reform since the early nineteenth century. The procedural part of that law, which contained practically all of the French legislative provisions applying to arbitration, was out of date and in need of reconsideration.

Despite the considerable French procedural law reforms enacted in 1975, articles 1005 through 1028 of the Nouveau Code de procédure civile had not been revised to any significant extent since the enactment of the Code de procédure civile in 1806.

The basic intention of the new legislative text is …

The Elaboration Of A French Court Doctrine On International Commercial Arbitration: A Study In Liberal Civilian Judicial Creativity, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

The task of the present article is to examine the historical evolution and current status of the French judicial doctrine on international commercial arbitration. It endeavors to compare the international doctrine with the French domestic law on arbitration and to illustrate briefly its conformity to the provisions of the international conventions on arbitration to which France is a party. Its chief design, however, is to concentrate upon the court decisions themselves, underscoring their progressive quality and pointing to their systemic implications.

Terrorist Acts – Crimes Or Political Infractions? An Appraisal Of Recent French Extradition Cases, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the progression of French jurisprudence on the extradition of transnational terrorists, focusing upon the issue of whether terrorist acts can be considered legally to be political offenses and hence exempt from extradition. The analysis of this issue integrates French judicial decisions into the general context of international practice – beginning with an assessment of extradition procedures and proceeding to a discussion of the special problems raised by the application of the political offense exception. A survey of international extradition decisional law reveals that the tribunals of various countries have elaborated a series of tests by which to …

The French Exequatur Proceeding: The Exorbitant Jurisdictional Rules Of Articles 14 And 15 (Code Civil) As Obstacles To The Enforcement Of Foreign Judgments In France, Thomas E. Carbonneau

Faculty Scholarship

This article examines the jurisdictional problems that might arise when a plaintiff attempts to enforce a foreign judgment in France against a French national or domicilary. The statement of a hypothetical case is followed by a description and analysis of the substantive French Law, as well as the recently enacted EEC Convention on the Enforcement of Judgments. The application of these legal principles to the facts of the hypothetical case demonstrates unequivocally the unbending nationalistic orientation of the jurisprudence: French courts have construed the relevant Code provisions to grant them exclusive jurisdiction to hear matters involving French nationals or domicilaries. …

The 1976 Terrorism Amendment To The Foreign Assistance Act Of 1961, Thomas E. Carbonneau, Richard Lillich

Faculty Scholarship

Key to any successful attempt to combat international terrorism is the elimination of sanctuary and safe-haven for terrorists. The United States has pressed consistently for international agreements – the anti-hijacking conventions and the Internationally Protected Persons Convention being examples – requiring States either to prosecute or extradite international terrorists found within their borders. Because its efforts to establish a "basic extradite-or-prosecute obligation" have not met with general success, the U.S. has had to consider, among other alternatives, various unilateral responses to help curb terrorist activities. One obvious response, drawing upon a wealth of domestic precedents, involves the possible invocation of …