{"title":"Investment Arbitration Reform: Third-Party Funding in Investment Arbitration","authors":"T. Ševčíková","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-8","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-8","url":null,"abstract":"This paper analyses the issue of “third-party funding”, something widely criticised in investment arbitrations. It is an issue addressed both through UNCITRAL Working Group III and in the amendment of the ICSID Procedural Rules (the current version adopted on 21 March 2022). The author discusses the issue and why it has been seen as problematic, then focuses on proposals for solutions discussed in debates. Finally, she compares the proposals discussed in UNCITRAL Working Group III with the newly adopted amendment of the ICSID Procedural Rules.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"28 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"134452363","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Resolving Cross-Border Consumer Disputes: The Digital Experience in China","authors":"Chan Monica","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-14","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-14","url":null,"abstract":"The surge of e-commerce has significantly changed the landscape of consumers’ purchasing behaviour in the past twenty years or so around the world. Together with the integration of sophisticated technological infrastructures, e.g., digital platforms for online shopping, has indeed accelerated the emergence of cross-border disputes by the fast-growing number of online transactions. Online consumption is particularly prevalent in China as its development of e-commerce has skyrocketed in the past decades across industries, and lately driven by the outbreak of the COVID-19. According to the latest statistics provided by the China Internet Network Information Center (CNNIC), the user size of online shopping alone accounts for 842 million (as of December 2021). Quantitatively, with the sharp increase in the online transactions being concluded, it is anticipated that the number of disputes related to cross-border consumer transactions may also rise in one way or another. As far as the dispute resolution mechanisms are concerned, some argued that potential lockdown or the imposition of travel restrictions may disrupt the effectiveness of filing a case against a party; whereas others may be reluctant to file a lawsuit with the court due to the tedious legal procedures that one may think it would take when a case involves cross-border disputes, which is normally complex in nature.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"92 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"127337709","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Dichotomy of Obligations of Conduct and Result in International Investment Law","authors":"Zdeněk Nový","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-7","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-7","url":null,"abstract":"The content of an international obligation must be ascertained before the investment tribunals have decided that the international obligation was breached. Whilst some obligations in investment treaties require a result to be attained by states or investors, others demand they undertake their best efforts. The dichotomy of obligations of conduct and result is a useful tool in analysing the content of international obligations derived from standards of treatment contained in investment treaties, thereby assisting in determining international responsibility. Firstly, the standard of full protection and security is analysed through the lenses of the dichotomy. Secondly, the procedural obligations stemming from dispute resolution provisions are examined, including the obligation to submit to arbitration, the obligation to comply with arbitral awards, and the obligation to recognise and enforce the latter. Thirdly, the dichotomy serves to enhance the understanding of investors’ obligations to respect human rights under investment treaties. The dichotomy may thus assist in establishing the content of the human rights’ obligation in question, and thus the investor’s responsibility for its breach.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"17 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"132323279","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"The Singapore Convention: A Giant Leap for Mediation or Just Too Good to Be True","authors":"Hana Kršňáková","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-3","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-3","url":null,"abstract":"In this article, the author will explore the potential of the United Nations Convention on International Settlement Agreements Resulting from Mediation, also known as the “Singapore Convention on Mediation” in reaching its desired goal – becoming an essential instrument in the facilitation of international trade and support the wide recognition of mediation as an international and domestic commercial dispute resolution practice. Hence becoming what was and still is the United Nations Convention of 10 June 1958 on the Recognition and Enforcement of Foreign Arbitral Awards for the international trade arbitration. Through the analysis of the history and current state of the Singapore Convention, its guiding provisions, and their correlation with the basic principles of mediation, the author will evaluate the utilization and legitimacy of international business mediation in cross-border disputes after the Singapore Convention.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"1 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128677400","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Contract Adjustment in Arbitration – Should the Approach Be Adjusted?","authors":"Bára Bečvářová","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-10","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-10","url":null,"abstract":"For decades, the general attitude has been moving towards accepting contract adjustment in arbitration. More and more, the question is when and how a contract may be adjusted and not whether the arbitrators may have such a power. The article will firstly discuss hardship as a basis for contract adjustment and provide general discussion on arbitrators’ position in cases of hardship. Once the scene is set the paper will focus on how the issue is approached in the area of long-term gas sale and purchase agreements and especially the price review clauses. Based on their example, it is concluded that arbitral tribunals should evaluate not only conditions of hardship but also the will of the parties to continue the contract and, in absence of any other guidance, request proposals for adjustment from the parties.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"20 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"130172849","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Law Applicable to Non-Consumer Contracts Concluded at an Electronic Auction","authors":"Krzysztof Żok","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-15","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-15","url":null,"abstract":"The article examines the law governing a non-consumer contract concluded at an electronic auction. The paper discusses substantive international law and private international law, in particular Rome I Regulation. The analysis focuses on the autonomous interpretation of the auction and the country where this contracting process takes place. The considerations are supplemented by the study of selected auction platforms. The paper concludes that a contract formed at an electronic auction is typically governed by the law of the country where the seller has his or her habitual residence.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"11 40","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"114046782","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Bridging the Public-Private Law Divide in the Conflict of Laws","authors":"Adrian Hemler","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-1","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-1","url":null,"abstract":"As the name suggests, the methodology of private international law relates to substantive private law only. A parallel methodological system regarding public law does not exist. The paper argues that this methodological rift lacks any doctrinal justification. It concludes that there are no obstacles to all-sided conflict of laws rules in the public law domain. Since the paper finds that foreign public law is already applicable in private party cases (albeit heavily obscured), it focuses on public law relationships where a foreign state appears as a plaintiff. In this respect, it is shown why the application of foreign public law embodies an attractive compromise between legal assistance and recognition.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"62 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"116901869","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Between Protection and Access to Justice: On the Regulation of Returns in Third-Party Litigation Funding","authors":"Patrik Provazník","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-9","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-9","url":null,"abstract":"The present paper deals with the issue of third-party litigation funding from the perspective of current regulatory considerations. These, under the guise of protecting the weaker party from exploitation by the funder, are directed towards setting limits on the funders’ returns for their services. This measure is intended not only to ensure that the supported litigants do not lose a substantial part of the amount awarded, but also to limit other negative externalities associated with this funding mechanism. However, this paper seeks to show that the consequences of such a measure may be diametrically opposed and miss the mark.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"55 7 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"129279791","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Did the Preliminary Objections Judgment Resolve the Chagos Archipelago Sovereignty Dispute?","authors":"Peng-Hsiang Wang","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-5","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-5","url":null,"abstract":"Noticing the conclusion of the Preliminary Objections Judgment in the case of Mauritius vs. Maldives Maritime Delimitation, this paper asks whether the Special Chamber’s decision has resolved the sovereignty dispute over the Chagos Archipelago. It re-examines the conclusion that the continued claim of the United Kingdom to sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago is a mere assertion and the UK has no legal interest in it. This paper argues that the legal system has a self-reproducing nature by which the Special Chamber regenerates decisions already established in the legal system as the distinction between lawful and unlawful is the most fundamental determination of this system. In this sense, the confirmation of the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice by the Special Chamber should be regarded as a consequence of its subjectivity and the fact that it almost distinguishes the legal system from other systems outside the law. From a perspective outside the legal system, the claim of courts that its role of “dispute settlement” is more like “case settlement”, since courts are resolving disputes after legalization, not the disputes themselves. The de facto settlement of disputes should be based on the elimination of the interests or claims of the disputing parties. In this sense, dispute settlement depends on how the legal and political systems work together in a coupling relationship.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"31 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"128090521","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"Current Challenges of Enforcing Annulled Arbitral Awards","authors":"Lenka Psárska","doi":"10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-11","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.5817/cz.muni.p280-0231-2022-11","url":null,"abstract":"The controversy regarding the French approach to the enforcement of annulled arbitral awards may have died out, yet new issues continue to arise. This paper analyses the current practice in respect to the discretion given to the enforcing courts by the New York Convention. Special attention is paid to the development of case law and approaches of leading jurisdictions concerning the relationship of an award with the legal order under which it was rendered. The purpose of this paper is assessment of the discretion granted to the national courts by Article V of the New York Convention to enforce an award notwithstanding its annulment at the seat.","PeriodicalId":238918,"journal":{"name":"COFOLA International 2022. Current Challenges of Resolution of International (Cross-Border) Disputes","volume":"288 1","pages":"0"},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"1900-01-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"115927342","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}