Chapter 1 Introduction 1
Ⅰ. The Idea in Focus: The 'Borderless' Internet - From the Illusion of a 'No Man's Land' to the Reality of an 'Every Man's Land' 2
Ⅱ. The Substantive Focus 3
A. Issues 4
1. Jurisdiction 5
2. Declining Jurisdiction 8
3. Choice of Law 9
4. Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments 10
B. Areas of Law 11
1. Contracts 11
2. Consumer Contracts 12
3. The Tort of Defamation 12
4. The Relationship between Contracts and Torts 14
Ⅲ. The Jurisdictional Focus 14
A. Australia 15
B. England 15
C. Germany 15
D. Hong Kong SAR 16
E. Sweden 16
F. The People's Republic of China (PRC) 16
G. The United States of America (US) 18
H. The Chosen Mix of States 19
Ⅳ. Comments on the Terminology 19
A. Private International Law, Conflict of Laws or Jurisdictional Issues? 20
B. IT Law, Cyberspace Law or Internet Law 21
C. The Relevant Actors 22
D. Servers 23
Chapter 2 Approaching the Internet 25
Ⅰ. The Internet's Characteristics 29
A. Borderlessness 30
B. Geographical Independence 31
C. Limited Language Dependence 34
D. One-to-Many 34
E. Low Threshold Information Distribution 35
F. Widely Used 36
G. Portability 37
H. Lack of Reliable Geographical Identifiers 39
I. Reactive Nature 40
J. Lack of Central Control 43
K. Convergence 44
Ⅱ. Consequences of the Characteristics of Internet Communication 45
A. Consequences for the Jurisdictional Issues in General 46
B. Consequences for the Jurisdictional Issues in Contracts 49
C. Consequences for the Jurisdictional Issues in the Tort of Defamation 49
Ⅲ. Concluding Observations 53
Chapter 3 Approaching Private International Law 55
Ⅰ. Unilateralism and Multilateralism 56
Ⅱ. Desirable Qualities of Private International Law Rules 58
A. Legitimate Party Expectations 64
1. The Relation between Predictability and Flexibility 66
2. Contracts 68
3. Defamation 73
B. Policy Fulfilment 74
C. Efficiency 78
D. Simplicity 78
E. Suitable Level of Generalization 79
F. Abuse-Resistance 80
G. Non-Violation of Public International Law 81
1. The Statute of the International Court of Justice 83
2. International Customs 84
H. Forum-Neutral Language 90
Ⅲ. Concluding Observations 90
Chapter 4 Traditional Common Law: Australia, England and Hong Kong SAR 91
Ⅰ. Jurisdiction 92
A. Contracts 98
1. Limits on Exclusive Forum Selection 99
B. Defamation 101
Ⅱ. Declining Jurisdiction 108
A. Forum Non Conveniens 108
B. Lis Alibi Pendens 121
C. Ineffectiveness 122
Ⅲ. Choice of Law 122
A. Contracts 123
1. Limits on the Selection of Applicable Law 124
B. Defamation 125
Ⅳ. Recognition and Enforcement 130
Chapter 5 The United States of America 133
Ⅰ. Jurisdiction 133
A. Contracts 142
1. Limits on Exclusive Forum Selection 145
B. Defamation 145
Ⅱ. Declining Jurisdiction 151
A. Forum Non Conveniens 151
B. Lis Alibi Pendens 153
Ⅲ. Choice of Law 153
A. Contracts 154
1. Limits on the Selection of Applicable Law 155
B. Defamation 156
Ⅳ. Recognition and Enforcement 157
Chapter 6 European Civil Law: Germany and Sweden 161
Ⅰ. Jurisdiction 162
A. Contracts 166
1. Limits on Forum Selection 168
B. Defamation 170
Ⅱ. Declining Jurisdiction 173
A. Forum Non Conveniens 173
B. Lis Alibi Pendens 174
C. Ineffectiveness 175
Ⅲ. Choice of Law 175
A. Contracts 176
1. Limits on the Selection of Applicable Law 178
B. Defamation 178
Ⅳ. Recognition and Enforcement 180
Chapter 7 The People's Republic of China 183
Ⅰ. Jurisdiction 184
A. Definition of Shewai Cases 186
B. Contracts 187
1. Limits on Exclusive Forum Selection 188
C. Defamation 193
Ⅱ. Declining Jurisdiction 196
Ⅲ. Choice of Law 197
A. Contracts 199
1. Limits on the Selection of Applicable Law 201
B. Defamation 202
Ⅳ. Recognition and Enforcement 205
Chapter 8 International Instruments 209
Ⅰ. The Relevant European Instruments 209
A. Brussels Ⅰ Regulation 210
B. Brussels Convention/Lugano Convention 215
C. Rome Convention/Rome Ⅰ Regulation 218
D. Rome Ⅱ Regulation 225
E. Directive on Unfair Terms in Consumer Contracts 228
F. E-commerce Directive 230
Ⅱ. The Relevant Hague Conventions 231
A. The Hague Convention 1955 231
B. The Previously Proposed Hague Convention on Jurisdiction and Foreign Judgments in Civil and Commercial Matters 232
1. An Overview 233
2. The Relevant Provisions 234
3. Some Words about the Negotiations Process 234
4. The Future of the 'Judgments Project' 235
C. The Hague Convention 2005 on Choice of Court Agreements 235
Ⅲ. Other International Instruments of Relevance 240
A. United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods 1980 241
B. New York Convention 1958 242
C. Charter of the United Nations 242
D. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) 249
1. Alpert's ICCPR Challenge to Australian Jurisdiction 250
2. Exhaustion 251
3. Jurisdiction 252
4. Substantive Dispute 253
5. Concluding Remarks 254
Chapter 9 A Critique of Current Rules of Private International Law 257
Ⅰ. Rules of Jurisdiction 258
A. Uninteresting and Uncontroversial Jurisdictional Grounds 258
B. Uninteresting but Controversial Jurisdictional Grounds 259
C. US Doctrine of General Jurisdiction 260
D. Submission 260
1. Submission after the Dispute Arises 261
2. Contract Nominating Forum (Submission before the Dispute Arises) 261
3. The Hague Convention on Choice of Court Agreements 262
E. The Location of Contract Formation 265
F. The Applicable Law Being the Law of the Forum 267
G The Location of Contract Performance 267
H. Contract Breached within the Forum 268
I. Location of Object of Litigation 268
J. US Contractual Specific Jurisdiction 269
K. The Place of the Wrongful Act and the Place of Harm 269
1. Jurisdiction Exercised over Step One 271
2. Jurisdiction Exercised over Step Two 272
3. Jurisdiction Exercised over Step Three 274
4. Jurisdiction Exercised over Step Four 280
5. Extent of Plaintiff's Reputation 281
6. Enforcement Difficulties 282
7. Prior Notice (Foreseeability) 284
8. Jurisdiction Exercised over Step Five 288
9. Jurisdiction Exercised over Step Six 289
10. Concluding Observations in Relation to Jurisdiction Based on Place of Wrong/Place of Harm 290
L. Plaintiff's Habitual Residence or Domicile 291
M. The Location of the Server 291
N. US Effects Test 292
O. Plaintiff's Location when Observing the Infringement 292
P. Injunctions 292
Q. Detainable Property within the Forum State 293
R. Representative Office/Branch 294
Ⅱ. Rules of Declining Jurisdiction 294
A. Forum Non Conveniens 295
1. How Can Judges Take Away What the Lawmakers Have Given to the Plaintiff? 296
2. Too Much Discretion 296
3. Lack of Uniformity 299
4. Delays the Process 299
5.'Case-Shopping' Used to Ease the Courts' Workload 300
6.'Case-Shopping' Used to Protect Domestic Interests 300
7. Discretion to Uphold Choice of Forum Clauses Nominating a Foreign Forum 301
8. Conditional Exercise of Forum Non Conveniens 302
9. Forum Non Conveniens: Clearly Inappropriate for International Instruments 304
10. Forum Non Conveniens: Superfluous if Jurisdictional Rules Are Reasonable 304
11. The Doctrine Is Easily Circumvented 305
12. The Doctrine Has Lost Its Meaning in Modern Society 305
13. Conclusions Regarding the Doctrine of Forum Non Conveniens 306
B. Lis Alibi Pendens 307
C. Ineffectiveness 307
Ⅲ. Rules of Choice of Law 308
A. Contract Designated Law 308
B. Closest Connection 308
C. Law of Buyer's Domicile 309
D. Lex Fori 310
E. Lex Loci Delicti (Commissi) 310
F. The 'Double Actionability' Test and Its Flexible Exception 311
G. The Law of the Parties' Common Habitual Residence 312
Ⅳ. Rules of Recognition and Enforcement 312
A. No Recognition and Enforcement 312
B. Convention-Based Recognition and Enforcement 313
C. Reciprocity 313
D. Restricted Recognition and Enforcement 314
Ⅴ. Concluding Observations 315
Chapter 10 Geo-Identification: Technology to the Rescue? 319
Ⅰ. Internet Architecture, Regulation and'Borders' 319
Ⅱ. Geo-Location Technologies 321
A. Sophisticated Geo-Location Technologies 322
1. Accuracy 324
2. False Positives and/or False Negatives 329
3. The Future of Sophisticated Geo-Location Technologies 331
B. Unsophisticated Geo-Location Technologies 334
C. Geo-Location Technologies in Practice 335
Ⅲ.'Soft Protection': Non-Technical Means of Geographical Identification 338
A. Disclaimers 340
B. 'Click-Wrap'Agreements 341
C. Menus: The Better and Worst Alternative 342
D. Delivery Address 343
1. Digitized Products 344
E. Offline Identification 345
F.'Soft protection' in Practice 345
Ⅳ. Geo-Identification: A Question of Attitudes 347
Ⅴ. Concluding Observations 351
Chapter 11 Proposed 'Defamation Convention Model' 353
Ⅰ. Structure of the Models 354
Ⅱ. Introduction to the 'Defamation Model' 354
Ⅲ. Basic Features of the Proposed Model 355
Ⅳ. Article-by-Article 357
Ⅴ. Putting the 'Defamation Model' to the Test 375
Chapter 12 Proposed 'Contracts Convention Model' 379
Ⅰ. Basic Features of the Proposed Model 379
Ⅱ. Article-by-Article 380
Ⅲ. Putting the 'Contracts Model' to the Test 396
Chapter 13 Concluding Remarks 399
Selected Bibliography 403
Table of Authorities 415
Index 427