Electronic Consumer Contracts in the Conflict of Laws 2nd Edition by Zheng Sophia Tang, Paul Beaumont ISBN 1849466912 9781849466912

Part I: Introduction

1. Electronic Consumer Contracts in Private International Law
   • I. Introduction
   • II. Consumer Contracts and Private International Law
     • A. A Brief History of Consumer Contracts in Private International Law
     • B. Difficulties of Ordinary Private International Law in Consumer Contracts
       • i. Party Autonomy and Inequality of Bargaining Power
       • ii. Private International Law Based on Connections
       • iii. Defendant’s Jurisdiction and Inequality of Litigation Power
       • iv. Forum Non Conveniens
       • v. Overriding Mandatory Rules and Public Policy
   • III. Electronic Commerce and Private International Law
     • A. Identification and Territorial Connection of Parties
     • B. Location of Activities
     • C. Status of a Server
     • D. Formation of Contracts
     • E. Conclusion
   • IV. Consumer Contracts in E-Commerce and Private International Law
     • A. Dilemma of Party Autonomy
     • B. Targeting
   • V. New Trend in Consumer Cross-Border Access to Justice and Private International Law
   • VI. The Purpose of this Book

Part II: Private International Law in Individual Litigation

2. Protective Jurisdiction in the Brussels I Recast

   • I. Introduction
   • II. The Scope of Protection—Article 17
     • A. One Party is a Consumer
       • i. The Status of the Other Party
       • ii. Contracts for Future Trade or Profession
       • iii. Contracts Partially within and Partially Outside One’s Trade or Profession
       • iv. Investment
       • v. Perspective of the Other Party
       • vi. Personal Situation of the Buyer
       • vii. Legal Person
       • viii. A Seller Acts Outside his Trade or Profession
     • B. Contracts for Consumer Credit—Articles 17(1)(a) and (b)
       • i. ‘Sale of Goods’ in E-Commerce
       • ii. Consumer Credit on Instalments or Other Forms of Credit
     • C. General Consumer Contracts—Article 17(1)(c)
       • i. Pursuing Commercial Activities in the Consumer’s Domicile
       • ii. Directing Commercial Activities to the Consumer’s Domicile
     • D. Contracts Concluded within the Scope of Such Activities
       • i. A Concluded Contract
       • ii. Contracts within the Framework of Business Activities
       • iii. Distance Contract?
   • III. Competent Courts in Consumer Contracts—Article 18
     • A. Protective Jurisdiction Under Article 18
     • B. Extending the Concept of Domicile
     • C. Extending Protection Against Third-Country Businesses
   • IV. Branch, Agency or Establishment of an E-Company
     • A. The Appearance of Permanency
       • i. Physical Appearance vs Virtual Appearance
       • ii. Real Permanency or Presumed Permanency
     • B. Direction and Control of the Parent Body
     • C. Certain Degrees of Autonomy
     • D. Geographical Limit on the Operation of the Establishment
     • E. Necessity of Human Intervention
   • V. Multiple Defendants in Consumer Contracts
     • A. Actions Against Multiple Defendants in Protective Jurisdiction
     • B. Actions Against Multiple Defendants Under Article 8(1)
   • VI. Conclusion

3. Discretion-Based Jurisdiction in E-Consumer Contracts

   • I. Introduction
   • II. Personal Jurisdiction for Internet Activities in the US
     • A. General Jurisdiction
       • i. Contacts Through a Website
       • ii. Contacts Through Transactions
       • iii. Contacts Through a Server
     • B. Specific Jurisdiction
       • i. ‘Sustained Contact’ Test
       • ii. ‘Sliding-Scale’ Test
       • iii. ‘Subjective Availment’ Test
       • iv. ‘Effects’ Test
     • C. Conclusion
   • III. Discretion-Based Jurisdiction in English Common Law
     • A. Jurisdiction Grounds
       • i. The Contract was Made within the Jurisdiction
       • ii. An Agent Trading or Residing within the Jurisdiction
       • iii. The Contract is Breached within the Jurisdiction
       • iv. Simplification by Agreements
     • B. Forum Conveniens
       • i. Appropriate Forum Test
       • ii. Justice Test
       • iii. Conclusion
   • IV. Forum Non Conveniens
     • A. British Forum Non Conveniens
     • B. US Forum Non Conveniens
   • V. Anti-Suit Injunction
     • A. Anti-Suit Injunction in the UK
     • B. Anti-Suit Injunctions in the US
   • VI. Conclusion

4. Choice of Court Agreements in E-Consumer Contracts

   • I. Introduction
   • II. Choice of Court Clauses in the Brussels I Recast
     • A. Validity of Choice of Court Clauses
       • i. Formal Validity
       • ii. Substantive Validity
     • B. Enforceability of Choice of Forum Agreements in E-Consumer Contracts
       • i. Three Exceptional Circumstances
       • ii. The Prima Facie Ineffective Principle
       • iii. Territorial Limitation on the Application of the Brussels I Recast
   • III. Choice of Court Clauses in the US
     • A. Validity of Choice of Court Clauses
       • i. Jurisdiction Clauses in Click-Wrap Contracts
       • ii. Jurisdiction Clauses in Browse-Wrap Contracts
       • iii. Fraud or Overreaching
     • B. Enforcement of Choice of Court Clauses in Consumer Contracts
       • i. Fair Trial
       • ii. Serious Inconvenience
       • iii. Public Policy
       • iv. Absurd Forum
       • v. Conclusion
   • IV. Economic Analysis of Choice of Court Agreements in E-Consumer Contracts
     • A. Economic Justification in Enforcing Choice of Court Agreements in Consumer Contracts: Carnival Cruise Line
     • B. Risk, Uncertainty and Cost to Businesses in Cross-Border Consumer Contracts
     • C. Risk and Cost to Consumers
     • D. Efficient Allocation of Risk
   • V. Conclusion

Part III: Effective Dispute Resolution in Consumer Contracts

5. Protective Choice of Law in the European Union

   • I. Introduction
   • II. History of the Protective Choice of Law
     • A. Protective Choice of Law in the Rome Convention
     • B. Reformation of the Rome Convention
   • III. Protective Default Law
   • IV. E-Consumer Contracts and Party Autonomy
     • A. Validity of an Express Choice of Law Clause
       • i. Formal Validity
       • ii. Substantive Validity
       • iii. Classification
     • B. Implied Choice of Law
       • i. Traditional Indicators
       • ii. Country-Specific Indicia—Specific Factors in E-Commerce
       • iii. Conclusion
     • C. The Effect of Choice of Law Agreements
       • i. Mandatory Rules in Article 6(2)
       • ii. Mandatory Rules in E-Commerce
       • iii. Comparison and ‘Dépeçage’
       • iv. Effects on Both Parties
   • V. Conclusion

6. Other Choice of Law Approaches in E-Consumer Contracts: A Comparative Study

   • I. Introduction
   • II. Exclusion of Choice Approach
     • A. Simplicity
     • B. Fairness
     • C. Practicality
     • D. Arguments Against the Exclusion of Choice Approach
   • III. Minimum Protection Approach
     • A. Background for the Application of the Minimum Protection Approach
     • B. Concerns on the Application of the Minimum Protection Approach
       • i. Comprehensiveness
       • ii. Sufficiency
       • iii. Promptness
       • iv. Electronic Compatibility
       • v. Territorial Limitation
   • IV. Optional Substantive Law Harmonisation: Common European Sales Law
     • A. Introduction
     • B. CESL in General
     • C. CESL and the Rome I Regulation
     • D. CESL and Global Effects
     • E. How Effective will CESL be?
   • V. Neutral Law Approach in the US
     • A. Introduction
     • B. The Neutral Default Law: The Most Significant Connection Test
       • i. Place of Contracting and Place of Negotiation
       • ii. Place of Performance
       • iii. Location of the Subject Matter
       • iv. Factors Related to the Parties
     • C. Neutral Law Approach on Choice of Law Agreements
       • i. Conscionability of Choice of Law Clauses
       • ii. Reasonable Grounds of the Chosen Law
       • iii. Fundamental Policy
     • D. Conclusion
   • VI. Efficient Choice of Law in Consumer Contracts

Part IV: Conclusion

7. Consumers in Special Contracts

   • I. Introduction
   • II. Transport/Carriage Contracts
     • A. Package Travel Contracts
     • B. Carriage/Transport Contracts
     • C. Jurisdiction in Passenger Contracts
       • i. Jurisdiction in the Montreal Convention
       • ii. Jurisdiction in the Brussels I Recast
     • D. Choice of Law in Carriage Contracts
       • i. The Limited Choice Approach
       • ii. Contracts in the Absence of Choice
       • iii. Escape Clause
   • III. Contracts Relating to Immovable Property
     • A. Contracts Relating to Right In Rem
     • B. Short-Term Tenancy
     • C. Timeshare Contracts
       • i. Jurisdiction
       • ii. Choice of Law
   • IV. Contracts in the Financial Context
     • A. Contracts Relating to Financial Products
     • B. Contracts Concluded within a Multilateral System
     • C. Conclusion
   • V. Services Contracts
     • A. Offline Services
     • B. Online Services
   • VI. Conclusion

8. Recognition and Enforcement of Judgments

   • I. Introduction
   • II. Recognition and Enforcement in the EU
     • A. European Enforcement Order
     • B. European Order for Payment
     • C. European Small Claims Procedure
     • D. Recognition and Enforcement Under the Brussels I Recast
       • i. Abolishing Exequatur
       • ii. Refusal Grounds
       • iii. Enforcement Procedure
     • E. Comparison Between EEO, EOP, ESPC and Brussels I Recast
   • III. Recognition and Enforcement in the US
     • A. Introduction
     • B. Non-Recognition/Non-Enforcement Grounds
       • i. Mandatory Refusal Grounds
       • ii. Discretionary Refusal Grounds
       • iii. Reciprocity
     • C. Procedure to Enforce Foreign Judgments
   • IV. Conclusion