Irmgard Marboe

Small Is Beautiful? Legal Challenges of Small Satellites

The development and operation of small satellites for various purposes is a recent phenomenon that poses new challenges to the regulatory framework of outer space activities. On the one hand, the involvement of more actors, including private entities and universities, in the area of space technology is welcome as it helps more countries and people to benefit from outer space as the “province of all humankind”. On the other hand, small satellites are prone to aggravate the problem of space debris. This is not only due to the increased number of space objects, which is the inevitable consequence of the success of small satellites, but also because of their particular qualities. They often do not have maneuvering capability that would allow them to evade an obstacle or to de-orbit after the end of mission. Furthermore, their limited scale and scope of activity – sometimes even regarded as “amateur” activity – leads to a relatively high failure rate. The regulatory challenges include issues of authorization, registration, frequency allocation, risk, liability, and insurance, as well as space debris mitigation.

Damages in Investor-State Arbitration

Damages in Investor-State Arbitration: Current Issues and Challenges addresses specificities of the assessment of damages in investor-state disputes reflecting the tensions between sovereignty and self-determination of states and their legal obligations towards foreign investors.

Compensation and Damages in International Law and their Relevance for the Valuation of Expropriated Armenian Property

The issue of compensation and damages plays a prominent role in any legal system. This article explores to what extent the guiding principles of compensation and damages under international law could be of interest for the valuation of claims for expropriated Armenian property in the context of acts and omissions by the Ottoman Empire in 1915 and the years following. It addresses various bases of claims, in particular the legal rules on expropriation. The discussion includes the difference between lawful and unlawful expropriation and underlines the importance of the valuation date. Furthermore, various methods for the valuation of assets are introduced as far as they are relevant for the valuation of expropriated property. Finally, the issue of interest, by which the passing of time is usually compensated, is briefly addressed.