Intellectual property and private international law' was one of the subjects discussed at the 18th International Congress of Comparative Law held in Washington (July 2010). This volume contains the General Report and 20 National Reports covering Canada, US, Japan, Korea, India and a number of...

In the more than thirty years that have passed since the adoption of the Additional Protocols to the Geneva Conventions of 1949, there has been no revisiting of the Geneva laws, to see whether they still effectively regulate their subject-matter. Indeed, even if the Geneva Conventions were...

The 26 June 1987, the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe adopted the “European Convention for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment”, which entered eventually into force two years later. Being closely intertwined with the European Convention...

In the United Kingdom, and to a lesser extent the United States, an inter vivos gift, once given, cannot be reclaimed by the giver's heirs. In civil law countries the situation is quite different: Not only spouses, but issue and in some cases even ascendants, are entitled to a forced share of a...

Debate about the adequacy of civil liability and compensation arrangements for nuclear reactor accidents increased markedly after the 1986 Chernobyl accident. The subsequent development of international nuclear liability and compensation conventions has sought to address the principal...

The patent law regimes of the United States and Europe are ambiguous regarding whether or not the subject matter of patents ought to be restricted to that of technology. This ambiguity is exacerbated by the difficulties faced by lawmakers in defining technology; and it confounds contemporary...

Various authors have questioned the legal framework of the European System of Central Banks and of the European Central Bank (ECB), which undoubtedly concentrates on ensuring the independence of the system, rather than introducing a democratically accountable monetary policy authority. Rather...

This article, by tackling one of the most controversial issues surrounding the functioning of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), explores whether its scientific opinions and other administrative acts may be challenged before the European courts. The issue as to whether Community courts...

The impact of the European Union legal order on the private law systems of the Member States can only be fully understood when put in the broader context of the raison d'être of European integration and the emergence of a supranational legal order, as well when appreciating the basic mechanics...

The present paper contains a brief presentation and analysis, in a historical perspective through the lens of the recent major crises, of the legal framework governing the European Economic and Monetary Union (EMU), as well as current developments and challenges ahead. It is structured in three...