E.H. Hondius

The protection of the weak party in a harmonised European contract law: a synthesis

Protecting the weak party has been one of the cornerstones of the development of contract law over the past century. An enduring intellectual debate sets those who would advocate a less interventionist model against those – including the present author – who remain wedded to the virtues of protection. That debate lies at the core of this Special Issue. The European Union has been and remains at the forefront of the renovation of the law, and it now confronts questions that spill over from its longstanding preoccupation with consumer law into the field of private law more generally.

Non-legislative means of consumer protection: The Dutch perspective

This report approaches the new spheres of self-regulation, soft law and deregulation in the Netherlands from both a factual and historical point of view. Using the Dutch Advertising Code as an example, the article discusses the advantages and disadvantages of self-regulation, thereby illustrating that self-regulation may even lead to greater protection of the consumer than would otherwise be achieved: the operation of the Dutch Advertising Code is not only successful, but is also more far-reaching than the draft EEC directive on misleading advertising.Self-regulation exists in many other spheres which, however, do not necessarily further protect the position of the consumer. Where a Complaints Commission exists, the situation is somewhat different in that disputes may generally be settled without great expense and relatively quickly.Self-regulation and concerted action have achieved a certain level of consumer protection in the Netherlands, but this, of course, does not mean that there is no room for progress: the author here shows the inter-dependency of non-legal rules with legal rules despite the tendency seen in the past years in the Netherlands to deregulate what were formerly public agencies and consumer-related institutions.ZusammenfassungDer Beitrag geht zunächst auf die grundsätzliche Einschätzung und Terminologie von “Selbstregulierung”, “soft law” und “Deregulierung” in den Niederlanden ein. Es herrscht eine positive Einstellung zu Selbstverwaltungsmaßnahmen der Wirtschaft. Mit dem Aufkommen von zwei einflußreichen Verbraucherorganisationen, Consumentenbond und Konsumenten Kontakt, konnte in Teilbereichen das System der Selbstregulierung zu einem solchen der konzertierten Aktion erweitert werden. In diesem Sinne ist eine Ergänzung, teilweise auch ein Ersatz von Gesetzgebung möglich.Dargestellt werden Selbstegulierungsmaßnahmen auf dem Gebiet der Werbung durch einen Kodex. Für die Einhaltung der Regeln über lautere Werbung sorgt eine besondere Beschwerdekommission, an der Verbrauchervertreter mitwirken. Die Implementation des Kodex wird positiv eingeschätzt. Er bietet z.T. einen höheren Verbraucherschutz als der EG-Richtlinienvorschlag über irreführende Werbung.In vielen anderen Bereichen existieren Selbstregulierungsmechanismen, die allerdings wenig effektiv sind und meist auch keine Verbrauchervertretung aufweisen. Eine Ausnahme machen Beschwerdekommissionen, die Streitfälle schnell und kostengünstig erledigen. Gesetzgebung bleibt hier notwendig als Mittel zu verbraucherfreundlichem Verhalten, etwa wie geplant zu Allgemeinen Geschäftsbedingungen.

Consumer@Protection.EU. An Analysis of European Consumer Legislation in the Information Society

The Internet and electronic commerce have emerged as the emblems of a worldwide virtual economy. Although it is yet difficult to grasp all the repercussions of the borderless world of the Internet, it is certain that to shop in this world is different from shopping in the world as we knew it ten years ago. Obviously, the new developments affect the traditional framework of European and national consumer law and the perspectives that underpin this body of law, for most consumer law was established at a time when the Information Society was an unknown phenomenon. Underlining the importance of this issue, the European Council asked the Commission to examine existing consumer law in the Community in the light of the new conditions created by the Information Society and to identify potential problems and loopholes. A report on background research for this examination was submitted to the Commission in August 2000. The present article is based on this report and provides an account of the main findings, conclusions, and recommendations of the report.

EL IMPACTO DEL DERECHO Y EL PENSAMIENTO JURÍDICO DE LOS ESTADOS UNIDOS: ¿AMENAZA O INCENTIVO?

Resumen es: El presente trabajo analiza la influencia que el derecho y la doctrina juridica de los Estados Unidos ejerce actualmente sobre la academia y legislacion ...

The Many Advantages of a Common European Sales Law

Whatever its importance may be, the draft regulation for a common European sales law (CESL) has had one major effect. It has been discussed all over Europe and even outside.

Disgorgement of Profits: Gain-Based Remedies Throughout the World

In academic discourse it is often said that “tort must not pay”. However, the legal reality looks very different. Infringements of e.g. competition law, unfair commercial practices law, capital market law, intellectual property rights, or personal rights by mass media, or the breach of fiduciary or confidentiality duties are—for various reasons—generally highly profitable for the wrongdoer. Thus, in practice unlawful conduct regularly pays as the illegal profits remain with the wrongdoer. A general idea of disgorgement of unlawful profits does not exist yet. This general report considers the question whether or not “disgorgement of profits” is a keyword to be introduced in legal discourse and how the law may be shaped in order for illegal profits to be disgorged as efficiently as possible and thus to reduce the incentives for unlawful behaviour. According to the approach selected here, it is the private law instruments, in particular what is called “disgorgement damages”, which are the centre of attention. Can their use contribute to an increase in efficiency and what national experiences are on hand? Which legal circumstances should be necessary for their application and what are the requirements?

Against a New Architecture of Consumer Law—A Traditional View

In 2012, Hans Micklitz published his widely read Gutachten for the German Law Association (Deutscher Juristentag—DJT) on a new architecture of consumer law: ‘Brauchen Konsumenten und Unternehmen eine neue Architektur des Verbraucherrechts?’ In this paper, Micklitz proposes, among others, to replace current German legislation in consumer matters—which is scattered over various statutes including the Civil Code (Burgerliches Gesetzbuch)—by a single Consumer protection act. At the DJT meeting in Munchen, I was among those who opposed such plans, although only from a Dutch perspective. The discussion, as befits an organisation which aims at having an impact on German legislation, was held in the German language. Because not everyone who takes an interest in consumer law masters this language, Hans Micklitz has had the happy idea to have his paper translated into English. The translation has recently been published. In this paper for my friend Hans Micklitz I will likewise present my point of view, which I originally presented in German, in English.

Amerikaanse toestanden - is het echt zo erg?

SamenvattingOoit reisde Carel Stolker naar de Verenigde Staten met de vraag: is het daar met de medische aansprakelijkheid werkelijk zo erg gesteld? Zijn antwoord luidde: “Neen, het is erger”.C.J.J.M. Stolker, Van arts naar advocaat, Deventer: Kluwer 1989. Is het nog steeds zo erg, of is het wellicht nog erger geworden?Vergelijk de rubriek ‘Amerikaanse toestanden’, die O.A. Haazen gedurende enige tijd in het Nederlands Juristenblad heeft verzorgd.