Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Unjust enrichment (Roman law)'

This thesis presents an account of attribution in unjust enrichment. Attribution refers to how and when two parties – a claimant and a defendant – are relevantly connected to each other for unjust enrichment purposes. It is reflected in the familiar expression that a defendant be 'enriched at the claimant's expense'. This thesis presents a structured account of attribution, consisting of two requirements: first, the identification of an enrichment to the defendant and a loss to the claimant; and, secondly, the identification of a connection between that enrichment and that loss. These two requirements must be kept separate from other considerations often subsumed within the expression 'enrichment at the claimant's expense' which in truth have nothing to do with attribution, and which instead qualify unjust enrichment liability for reasons that should be analysed in their own terms. The structure of attribution so presented fits a normative account of unjust enrichment based upon each party's exchange capacities. A defendant is enriched when he receives something that he has not paid for under prevailing market conditions, while a claimant suffers a loss when he loses the opportunity to charge for something under the same conditions. A counterfactual test – asking whether enrichment and loss arise 'but for' each other – provides the best generalisation for testing whether enrichment and loss are connected, thereby satisfying the requirements of attribution in unjust enrichment. The law is stated as at 15 March 2014.

The Thesis was inspired by a perceived need better to understand the unique description of unjust enrichment by the Australian courts, as a unifying legal concept. It demonstrates that concepts and principles are essential features of the common law because they identify the character and taxonomy of rules. The comparative study, encompassing Australian and English law primarily, and law of other jurisdictions, modern and ancient, elucidates the special characteristics of the concepts and principles of Anglo/Australian unjust enrichment and of concepts and principles generally. A like concept has had a place in the common law since its inception under several characterisations. It bears the mark of ancient Roman jurisprudence, but relates to independent principles. The jurisprudence was formed by special characteristics of its history. It is distinct from modern Roman/Dutch law but the doctrinal overtones of its foundational case law reflect the basis of reasoning which in Continental law, is found in the adopted ancient codes. It is this foundation of reasoning and the firm rejection of a normative general principle that makes Anglo/Australian law different in character and jurisprudence from unjust enrichment in USA and Canada. Stifled for centuries by quasi contract misconceptions, the law of unjust enrichment entered the modern law in the 20th C through the seminal judgements of Lord Wright in Fibrosa Spolka Akcyjna v Fairbairn Lawson Coombe Barbour Ltd, and related cases and through the strong judicial and juristic following they inspired. That “…any civilised system of law is bound to provide remedies for … unjust enrichment…” became an imperative across the common law world: it has long held a place in the Roman Dutch jurisdictions of South Africa and Continental Europe. The special character of unjust enrichment in Anglo/Australian law is focussed upon a unique action where-by the law imposes an obligation upon the establishment of a recognised ground. The notion of breach of a primary rule does not arise: the obligation is therefore a primary obligation imposed by law, as distinct from a remedy for a breach. Important consequences flow from the characteristic. The juristic development of unjust enrichment in the common law has long been the sole prerogative of the superior courts. The place of historical features of the jurisprudence has however been subsumed by modern judicial methodology that is slowly assuming a unifying pattern of reasoning from case to case; from one ground to another. This is the special characteristic of the unifying legal concept and English principle of unjust enrichment. The thesis draws widely based conclusions about concepts and principles of unjust enrichment and the actions and obligations they sponsor. It portrays them as the substance of legal reasoning and analyses underlying theory. to this end, it addresses counter juristic and historical arguments. Its central conclusion are that there are sound jurisprudential arguments for actions based upon a unifying legal concept and English principle of unjust enrichment, and that the explanation of the unjust enrichment concept as the foundation of an independent branch of the common law and taxonomy is theoretically sustainable. In this manner concepts and principles of the common law are demonstrated as critical characteristics of the common law at large.

This thesis is about corporate attribution in private law. Unlike human persons, companies are artificial legal persons. They lack a physical body with which to act, and a mind with which to think. English law therefore developed the concept of attribution so that legal rules could be applied to companies. Attribution is the process of legal reasoning by which the acts and states of mind of human individuals acting for a company are treated as that of the company, so as to establish the company’s rights against and obligations owed to other parties. This thesis examines the rules of attribution across the private law of obligations, focusing on the law of contract, tort, unjust enrichment, and selected aspects of equitable liability. Three main arguments are made in this thesis. First, there is a sharp distinction between the rules of attribution and the substantive rules of private law to which they apply. The former belongs in the law of persons, and it concerns when the acts and states of mind of an individual can be attributed to a company. The latter belongs in the law of obligations. Second, the same rules of attribution should be, and have largely been used across the entire expanse of private law. Regardless of the area of private law in which the question of attribution arises, the same question is being asked, and so the law’s answer should be the same. Like should be treated alike. This is normatively desirable, because it ensures coherence across private law. Third, it is therefore possible to state the rules of attribution that apply in private law. The acts of an individual A will be attributed to the company C where they were (i) specifically authorised (‘specific authority’), (ii) where A performs an act within the class of acts that A has power to do on behalf of C, even if A is acting in breach of duty (‘actual authority’), or (iii) where A has either been placed in a position or been held out by C such that a reasonable person in the position of a third party would reasonably believe that A had the power to act for C (‘apparent authority’). A’s knowledge will be attributed to C where it is material to the class of acts that A had specific or actual authority to do on behalf of C. Although commonly thought to be a series of diverse, disparate rules found in different doctrines and different areas of law, the rules of attribution form a remarkably coherent, consistent whole across private law.

Thesis (LLM)--Stellenbosch University, 2012.
Includes bibliography
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: It is a general principle of the law of South Africa that an unassisted contract of a minor is unenforceable against the minor. Although it binds the other party, the minor is not bound. The minor will only be bound if the contract is enforced by his guardian, or if the contract is ratified by the child after attaining majority. This implies that the other party is in a rather unfortunate position, since the effectiveness of the contract will remain uncertain until the guardian of the minor decides to enforce or repudiate the contract, or until the minor ratifies it after attaining majority. The other party may not resile from the contract during this interim period. Should it be established that the contract has failed, the question arises to what extent the parties are obliged to return performances made in purported fulfilment of the contract. In terms of the law of South Africa, the prevailing view is that these claims are based on unjustified enrichment. However, the extent of these claims differs. In principle, both parties’ liability will be limited to the amount remaining in its estate, according to the defence of loss of enrichment. But the application of the defence is subject to an exception that does not apply equally to the parties. Had the other party known or should the other party have known that the enrichment was sine causa, yet continued to part with it, he will be held liable for the full enrichment. However, this exception does not apply to the enrichment liability of minors. In other words, whether the minor knew or should have known that the enrichment was sine causa, he would still be allowed to raise the defence of loss of enrichment. Furthermore, the rules applicable to minors’ enrichment liability applies to all minors, and no scope is left to consider the specific circumstances of each minor. It is accepted that there are two competing principles relating to minors’ unassisted contracts. On the one hand, the law must protect the minor from his immaturity and lack of experience. On the other hand, the law must protect the interests of the other party. It will be seen throughout this study that the determination of how to balance these competing principles is not an easy task. The key aim of this thesis is to investigate the principles governing the unwinding of unassisted minors’ contracts in South Africa. A comparison will be made with the principles applied in other legal systems, in order to identify similarities and differences in the approaches and, to establish what underlies the differences in the various approaches. Germany, England and Scotland have been chosen for comparison for various reasons. First, they share some historical roots, and they represent three major legal traditions, namely the civil law, common law and mixed legal systems, of which South Africa also forms part. Secondly, both England and Scotland have experienced recent legislative reform in this regard, which implies that their respective legal systems should be in line with modern tendencies, and consequently they may provide a valuable framework for possible reform in South Africa. In Germany, although mainly regulated by rather older legislation, there have been interesting developments in the determination of consequences of failed contracts. Hellwege has argued that the unwinding of all contracts should be treated similarly, regardless of the unwinding factor. He has also suggested that in order to prevent the accumulation of risk on one party, and to ensure that the risk is placed on the person who is in control of the object, the defence of loss of enrichment should not be available to any party. His reasoning and suggestions is dealt with in more detail in this thesis. This study argues that the current strict approach applied under South African law regarding minors’ unassisted contracts needs to be re-considered. The current approach is dated and is not in line with modern tendencies and legislation. No proper consideration is given to minors’ development into adulthood or personal circumstances of the parties. It is submitted that in the process of re-consideration, some form of acknowledgement must be given to minors’ development towards mature adults. It is submitted that this would be possible by introducing a more flexible approach to regulate the enforceability and unwinding of minors’ unassisted contracts.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING Dit is ‘n algemene beginsel van die Suid-Afrikaanse reg dat ‘n kontrak aangegaan deur ‘n minderjarige sonder die nodige bystand van sy ouer of voog onafdwingbaar is teenoor die minderjarige. Die minderjarige sal slegs gebonde wees indien die kontrak afgedwing word deur sy voog, of indien die minderjarige self die kontrak ratifiseer nadat hy meerderjarig word. Dit impliseer dat die ander party in ‘n ongunstige posisie is, aangesien die werking van die kontrak onseker is totdat die voog besluit om die kontrak af te dwing of te repudieer, of totdat die minderjarige dit ratifiseer nadat hy meerderjarig word. Gedurende hierdie interim periode mag die ander party nie terugtree uit hierdie kontrak nie. Sou dit bepaal word dat die kontrak misluk het, ontstaan die vraag tot watter mate die partye verplig word om prestasies wat reeds gemaak is, terug te gee. In terme van die Suid-Afrikaanse reg is die meerderheidsopinie dat hierdie eise gebaseer is op onregverdige verryking, maar die omvang van die partye se eise verskil. In beginsel is beide partye se aanspreeklikheid beperk tot die bedrag wat steeds in sy boedel beskikbaar is, weens die beskikbaarheid van die verweer van verlies van verryking. Maar die toepassing van die verweer is onderworpe aan ‘n uitsondering wat nie op beide partye geld nie. Indien die ander party geweet het of moes geweet het dat die verryking sine causa was, maar steeds afstand gedoen het van die verryking, sal hy aanspreeklik gehou word vir die volle verryking. Hierdie reel is egter nie van toepassing op die minderjarige se verrykingsaanspreeklikheid nie. Met ander woorde, indien die minderjarige geweet het of moes geweet het dat die verryking sine causa was, en steeds afstand gedoen het van die verryking, sal hy steeds die verweer van verlies van verryking kan opper. Bowendien, die reels van toepassing op minderjariges se verrykingsaanspreeklikheid is van toepassing op alle minderjariges, en geen ruimte word gelaat om die spesifieke omstandighede van elke minderjarige in ag te neem nie. Wanneer ons kontrakte aangegaan deur minderjariges sonder die nodige bystand, oorweeg, word dit algemeen aanvaar dat daar twee kompeterende beginsels van belang is. Aan die een kant moet die reg die minderjarige beskerm teen sy onvolwassenheid en gebrek aan ondervinding. Aan die ander kant moet die reg ook die belange van die ander party beskerm. Dit sal deurlopend in hierdie studie gesien word dat die behoorlike balansering van hierdie twee beginsels nie ‘n maklike taak is nie. Die hoofdoel van hierdie tesis is om die beginsels wat die afdwingbaarheid en ontbinding van minderjariges se kontrakte in Suid-Afrika, wat aangegaan is sonder die nodige bystand van ‘n voog, te ondersoek. ‘n Vergelyking sal getref word met die beginsels wat in ander regstelsels toegepas word, om sodoende die ooreenkomste en verskille te identifiseer, asook om te bepaal wat hierdie verskille onderlê. Duitsland, Engeland en Skotland is gekies as vergelykende jurisdiksies vir verskeie redes, naamlik hulle historiese gebondenheid en die feit dat hulle drie groot regstradisies (die kontinentale regstelsel, die gemenereg en die gemengde regstelsel) verteenwoordig. Bowendien het beide Engeland en Skotland onlangse wetgewende hervorming ondergaan in hierdie sfeer van die reg, wat impliseer dat hierdie regstelsels waarskynlik in lyn sal wees met moderne tendense. Gevolglik kan hulle ‘n waardevolle raamwerk skep waarbinne moontlike hervorming in Suid-Afrika mag plaasvind. Alhoewel Duitsland grotendeels nog deur ouer wetgewing gereguleer word, het dit ook ‘n reeks interessante verwikkelinge ondergaan in die bepaling van die gevolge van kontrakte wat misluk het. Hellwege argumenteer dat die ontbinding van alle kontrakte dieselfde hanteer moet word, ongeag die onderliggende ontbindende faktor. Hy stel ook voor dat om te verhoed dat die risiko op slegs een party geplaas word, en om te verseker dat dit eerder gedra word deur daardie party wat beheer het oor die voorwerp, die verweer van verlies van verryking nie vir enige party beskikbaar moet wees nie. Sy redenering en voorstelle word in meer besonderhede in hierdie studie bespreek. Hierdie studie argumenteer dat die huidige streng benadering wat in Suid-Afrika toegepas word met betrekking tot kontrakte aangegaan deur minderjariges sonder die nodige bystand van ‘n voog, heroorweeg moet word. Die huidige benadering is verouderd en is nie lyn met moderne tendense en wetgewing nie. Bowendien word geen behoorlike oorweging gegee aan minderjariges se ontwikkeling tot volwassenheid nie, en die partye se persoonlike omstandighede word ook nie in ag geneem nie. Daar word argumenteer dat in die proses van heroorweging, ‘n mate van erkenning gegee moet word aan minderjariges se persoonlike ontwikkeling. Daar word verder argumenteer dat ‘n meer buigsame benadering toegepas moet word ten opsigte van die regulering van die afdwingbaarheid en ontbinding van hierdie kontrakte.

The thesis deals with the recovery of benefits that have been transferred under illegal or immoral transactions, in particular from the perspective of the law of unjustified enrichment. The rules governing this area of law in all the legal systems that are studied originate in classical Roman law, which principally granted a remedy for the recovery of benefits conferred under a tainted cause (the so-called condictio ob turpem vel iniustam causam). Only where both parties were involved in an immoral transaction was recovery barred, according to the maxim in pari delicto potior est possidentis. However, modern law usually applies the bar to recovery not only to immoral but also to illegal transactions. This extension of the bar, as well as its strict legal consequence of completely barring recovery, can lead to overly harsh results. The comparison of two civilian legal systems, Germany and Italy, will demonstrate modern civilian approaches on how to mitigate the strict consequences of the bar. The study of English law identifies a very different approach to the solution of the same problem. The law of the mixed legal system of Scotland started from a civilian basis in this area. However, it subsequently came under the influence of the common law, which received only the bar to recovery, and developed it into a principle of non-recovery in cases of illegality. The thesis argues that it is undesirable to follow the common law influences in the Scots law of unjustified enrichment. Scots law should rather develop its civilian roots and proceed on the assumption that transfers made under immoral and illegal transactions are recoverable in principle. It is also argued that Scots law has sufficient authority to restrict the pari delicto rule to its original scope and thereby apply the bar to recovery only to cases of mutual turpitude.

This research critically analyses and compares how the United Arab Emirates (UAE)1 Law and English and Welsh (EW) Law regulates obligations in a contract, for a thing that is to come into existence in the future, namely a construction contract. Uncertainty/speculation as to how an obligation is to be performed in UAE Law is termed gharar. The word that is synonymous with this terminology in EW Law is “risk”. The extent of gharar or ‘risk’ (these terms are used on an interchangeable basis in this thesis) in an obligation plays a fundamental role in the profitability of a construction contract. Where losses become unacceptable, particularly for the Contractor, a dispute will arise. These circumstances may be in conflict with UAE Law, which obligates parties to a contract to ensure circulation of wealth by maintaining the anticipated profit to be made from a contract. This analysis also reviews how the level of gharar or ‘risk’ can be increased by operation of two types of provision that are included in standard forms of construction contract such as the International Federation of Consulting Engineers, Geneva, Switzerland (FIDIC) Conditions of Contract for Construction for Building and Engineering Works Designed by the Employer 1st Ed. 1999 (FIDIC99). The first is a provision that releases the Employer from liability where the Contractor does not give timely notice of an Employer’s act of prevention. The second is a provision giving the Employer a discretion to act in an opportunistic manner, and exempt or limit his liability. It considers how FIDIC99 should be applied to control gharar or ‘risk’ in a positive way. It also identifies similarities between how UAE Law controls gharar and that of the notion of parties’ reasonable expectations in contract Law (herein referred to as parties’ expectations), and how relational contracts operate to ensure parties achieve their expectations.

O objetivo da dissertação é investigar os Pressupostos da Obrigação de Restituir o Enriquecimento sem Causa no Código Civil Brasileiro. O enriquecimento sem causa, que tem antecedentes romanos, é reconhecido no Brasil independente desde os tempos do Império, passou por uma rejeição quando do advento do Código Civil de 1916, que não o previu expressamente, porém retomou sua força ao longo do século XX, ao fim do qual já era corrente a opinião de que se tratava de fonte de obrigações autônoma. Na vigência do Código Civil de 1916 não havia unanimidade quanto à enumeração e ao preenchimento de sentido dos pressupostos da obrigação restituitória. Uma minoria dispensava os requisitos do empobrecimento e da correlação entre o enriquecimento e o empobrecimento em favor de um novo pressuposto, qual seja, o de que o enriquecimento se dê à custa de outrem. O Código Civil de 2002, nos arts. 884 a 886, regulou expressamente o enriquecimento sem causa como fonte de obrigação, sendo que os autores atuais têm em geral indicado como seus pressupostos a existência de um (i) enriquecimento que ocorra (ii) à custa de outrem sem (iii) justa causa e que (iv) não concorra com outro remédio jurídico (i.e., subsidiariedade), não sendo essenciais os requisitos do empobrecimento e da correlação. O estudo dos principais paradigmas cristalizados na doutrina estrangeira, especialmente na portuguesa e na alemã, permitiu a conclusão de que deve ser adotado o paradigma da divisão do instituto do enriquecimento sem causa, pelo qual se investigam os pressupostos da obrigação de acordo com as suas diversas categorias, a saber, no Brasil, o enriquecimento por prestação, o enriquecimento por intervenção e o enriquecimento por despesas efetuadas por outrem. O enriquecimento por prestação tem por pressupostos o (i) enriquecimento em sentido real que (ii) ocorre por prestação (iii) sem justa causa, entendida esta última como a frustração do fim da prestação. O enriquecimento por intervenção tem por pressupostos (i) o enriquecimento (ii) obtido à custa de outrem (iii) sem causa jurídica ou, mais analiticamente, o (i) enriquecimento em sentido patrimonial (ii) obtido pela intromissão em direitos de outrem, quando na verdade (iii) é reservado pela ordem jurídica ao titular da posição jurídica afetada. Já o enriquecimento por despesas efetuadas por outrem tem por pressupostos o (i) enriquecimento em sentido patrimonial cuja (ii) conservação seja vedada pelo ordenamento jurídico e que decorra de uma (iii) despesa efetuada por outrem, sendo a restituição limitada, na circunstância de o beneficio ser imposto, ao que resultar de dispêndios de necessários. A regra da subsidiariedade não consubstancia um pressuposto propriamente dito, pois não integra o suporte fático da obrigação restituitória, funcionando mais como uma norma de sobredireito que fixa o caráter especialíssimo dos arts. 884 e 885 do Código Civil, e tem um sentido concreto, ou seja, somente obsta a pretensão restituitória o meio jurídico alternativo que concretamente forneça a mesma solução que é garantida pelo instituto do enriquecimento sem causa. Por fim, pela análise de dois grupos de casos comuns na jurisprudência, concluiu-se que, por falta de familiaridade com a lei, os tribunais brasileiros, ao menos quanto aos casos pesquisados, ainda não deram efetividade ao enriquecimento sem causa como fonte de obrigação.
The purpose of the present thesis is to unveil the requisites of the obligation based on the law of restitution according to the Brazilian Civil Code. The law of restitution, which has its roots in the Roman law, has been acknowledged in independent Brazil since the 19th century. In spite of the fact that it has not been expressly stated in the Brazilian Civil Code of 1916, the authors throughout the 20th century have recognized the unjust enrichment as an obligation-creating event. Nevertheless, the doctrine under the Civil Code of 1916 was not unanimous regarding the enumeration and the content of the requirements of the restitutionary obligation. In fact, there was a minority that downplayed the requisites of both impoverishment and correlation between the enrichment and the impoverishment in favor of others, i.e., that the enrichment occurs at the plaintiffs expense. The rise of the unjust enrichment as an obligation-creating event had its climax with the publication of the 2002 Brazilian Civil Code. Specifically, its articles 884, 885 and 886 included the phenomenon amidst the source of obligations. Under the new Code, it has been generally assumed that the requisites underlying the unjust enrichment are the presence of an (i) unjust (ii) enrichment (iii) at the plaintiffs expense that (iv) does not compete with an alternative legal remedy (i.e., rule of subsidiarity). The requirements of impoverishment and correlation aforementioned were abandoned by most authors. An adequate answer to the questions regarding the requisites of the restitutionary obligation, however, demands the analysis of the paradigms crystallized in the foreign doctrine, especially of the German and Portuguese legislation. It has been concluded that the paradigm of the categorization of the unjust enrichment has to be adopted. In compliance with this perspective, the requisites underlying the restitutionary obligation have to be investigated pursuant to the different categories, namely the enrichment through transfers, the enrichment through interference and the enrichment through expenditures made by the plaintiff. The requisites of the restitution based on enrichment through transfers are (i) the enrichment in its objective sense that (ii) occurs through the performance of a conscious and goal oriented patrimonial increment in which it is evident (iii) the failure of this particular goal. Importantly, this goal is sought to be assessed objectively from the unilateral manifestation of the performer, in conformity to the good-faith principle. The restitution based on enrichment through interference has as requirements (i) the enrichment in its subjective sense (ii) obtained through the interference with the rights (iii) legally reserved to the plaintiff. Finally, the requirements of the restitution based on enrichment through expenditures made by the plaintiff are (i) the subjective enrichment (ii) that the law forbids and that is originated from (iii) an expense effectuated by the plaintiff. In the particular case of an imposed enrichment, the restitution is constrained to the incontrovertible benefits resulting from the act of the plaintiff. Because the subsidiarity rule does not integrate the fattispecie of the restitutionary obligation, it does not substantiate a requisite by itself. The subsidiarity rule functions rather as a secondary norm that determines the character of lex specialis of the articles 884 and 885 of the Civil Code. Additionally, the subsidiarity rule has a concrete character, i.e., the restitutionary pretensions are only prevented by an alternative legal remedy that offers an effective solution that is identical to the one ensured by the law of restitution.

Made available in DSpace on 2016-04-26T20:28:07Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Adriano Pugliesi Leite.pdf: 880029 bytes, checksum: 2e6183dd31ee16f79ce947f9045bbee8 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2008-10-22
The unjust enrichment in the Brazilian Civil Code is viewed as a source of obligations and a principle of Civil Law. The Civil Code of 2002 defined the term of unjust enrichment, in an innovative and autonomous manner, as a source of obligatons in the form of a unilateral act (arts. 884 to 886). At the same time, unjust enrichment existed before the publishing of this Code and remains in existance as a general principle of Civil Law. The present work has, as its objective, the analysis of historical aspects that resulted in the legal establishment of the term as a source of obligations, the main theories surrounding the theme, as well as the analysis of normative dispositions of the Brazilian Civil Code and its position in international judicial order, relating its fundamental principles to the manner in which it is applied. Therefore, the work intends to analyse the general characteristics of the term, its reach within Private Law, relating hypotheses of the configuration of the term expressed in the Brazilian Civil Code and examples of its application in Brazilian jurisprudence. The development of the project demonstrates that unjust enrichment has a large and growing importance in the Brazilian legal context, presenting itself as an important tool to render balance and justice to private dealings. The methodological direction used lies in judicial/dogmatic principles, since the intention is to analyse legal norms and their repercussion on the presented theme. In some aspects, it comes close to judicial/theoretical methodology, considering the social relevance that surrounds the term under scrutiny. As to the generic investigation types, the judicial/descriptive method predominates, since this work has, as its main objective, the interpretation of legal terms, not eliminating the possibility of judicial/progressive research, inasmuch as the study may lead to future tendencies concerning the application of the measure. The hypothetical/deductive method is applied, in which a theme is proposed and an analysis of the development of its characteristics is requested. The conclusions about the theme are relative and result from the argumentation structure presented in this dissertation, without disconsidering the fundaments of other studies, especially because it is a term whose comprehension is increasing with every new day
Trata-se de análise sobre o enriquecimento sem causa no Código Civil brasileiro, como fonte de obrigação e como princípio de Direito Civil. O Código Civil de 2002 disciplinou, de forma autônoma e inovadora, o instituto do enriquecimento sem causa como fonte de obrigação na espécie de ato unilateral (arts. 884 a 886). Paralelamente, o enriquecimento sem causa já existia antes do advento deste Código e continua a existir como princípio geral do Direito Civil. O presente trabalho tem por objetivo analisar os aspectos históricos que resultaram na previsão legal do instituto como fonte de obrigações, as principais teorias acerca do tema, bem como a previsão em ordenamentos jurídicos estrangeiros. Pretende-se também a análise das disposições normativas do Código Civil brasileiro e sua contextualização no ordenamento jurídico, relacionando seu fundamento principiológico e critérios para sua aplicação. Objetiva-se, assim, a análise das características gerais do instituto, seu alcance no Direito Privado, relacionando-se hipóteses de configuração do instituto expressamente previstas no Código Civil brasileiro e exemplos de sua aplicação pela jurisprudência brasileira. O desenvolvimento do trabalho demonstra que o enriquecimento sem causa tem grande e crescente importância no contexto jurídico brasileiro, apresentando-se como ferramenta importante para conferir equilíbrio e justiça às relações privadas. A vertente metodológica utilizada é a jurídico-dogmática, uma vez que se pretende analisar as normas legais e sua repercussão na análise do tema apresentado. Em alguns aspectos, aproxima-se da metodologia jurídico-teórica, tendo em vista a relevância social que circunda o tema em debate. Quanto aos tipos genéricos de investigação, tem-se a predominância jurídico-descritiva, pois o presente trabalho tem como principal objetivo a interpretação dos institutos legais, não se podendo descartar a possibilidade de pesquisa jurídico-projetiva, na medida em que o estudo poderá conduzir às futuras tendências quanto à aplicação do instituto. O método utilizado é o hipotético-dedutivo, em que, a partir do tema fornecido, propõe-se a análise e desenvolvimento de suas características. As conclusões a respeito do tema são relativas e decorrem da estrutura dos argumentos apresentados nessa dissertação, sem que se desconsidere a fundamentação de outros estudos, principalmente por tratar-se de um instituto cuja compreensão é construída a cada dia

Le quasi-contrat est consacré comme une source autonome d’obligation dans le code civil. Pourtant, l’unité de la notion est problématique. En effet, la loi définit le quasi-contrat comme un fait volontaire dont il résulte un engagement alors que la doctrine le présente comme une notion à mi-chemin entre le contrat et la responsabilité civile extra-contractuelle en raison de l’application du régime contractuel en dehors d’un accord de volontés des parties. Or, en pratique, hormis la gestion d’affaires qui obéit au régime du mandat sans pouvoir exprès, l’enrichissement sans cause, (désormais enrichissement injustifié) et la répétition de l’indu n’obéissent pas à un régime contractuel. Si la doctrine a tenté de proposer le critère du transfert de valeurs dépourvu de cause pour justifier l’unité de la notion, ce critère se trouve mis à mal par la jurisprudence sur les loteries publicitaires. La thèse tente ainsi de rechercher une nouvelle unité, recherche qui s’avère difficile, voire impossible, dans la mesure où chaque quasi-contrat répond à des règles tantôt propres au contrat, tantôt propres à la responsabilité civile extra-contractuelle, ce qui vient alors fausser l’autonomie du quasi-contrat
Quasi-contracts are set as an autonomous part of the civil code, yet the notion answers to no unity. Law defines the notion as a voluntary fact leading to bind its author but scholars are considering quasi-contracts to be halfway between contract law and tort law due to the lack of will leading nevertheless to binding obligations. Practice shows that, except for the business management based on a mandate without any express will, the other quasi-contracts, unjust enrichment and repetition of undue do not follow any contractual regime. Scholars have attempted to propose the transfer of value for explaining the unity of the notion but this criterion is no longer relevant since cases creating a new quasi-contracts: lotteries. This work aims to discover a new criterion to find back unity of quasi-contracts. Impossible task as each quasi-contract shares common aspects of contract law and of tort law

The dissertation examines the enforcement of monetary claims in cases of intellectual property rights infringement. It focuses on the Act n. 221/2006 Sb. on the enforcement of intellectual property and on the directive 2004/48/EC of the European parliament and of the Council. The main aim is to evaluate the extent of monetary claims especially with regard on possible overlap or mutual consumption of the claims.The second aim is the analysis of English terminology in relation to the nearest Czech equivalents. The dissertation uses methods of logic induction and abstraction and the international multilateral comparative method, where the use of language plays a crucial role. The exact method of modelling combined with mathematical game theory is used. The dissertation progressively explains terms and relevant enactments. It introduces existing ambiguities. It tries to clarify them by analysing the EU legislation, the implementations in different member states, the statutory and common law in the USA. Consecutively it focuses on unjust enrichment in English law, then in the USA and in the continental system, where this institute is set negatively -- as the unjustified enrichment. Within the whole thesis the analysis takes place in relation to intellectual property rights infringement. In the penultimate chapter, TRIPS and ACTA are compared with the directive 2004/48/EC to provide further explanations. The dissertation concludes that a parallel award of damages and infringer's profits theoretically is possible, when it is not a single flow of value which is concerned by the infringement. The dissertation negatively replies to the question if damages and infringer's profits may be awarded concurrently in two separate lump-sum amounts according to § 5 (2) or (3) of the Act n. 221/2006 Sb. The reason is that the rate of the royalty is applied to sales of the infringer. These sales relate to the unjust enrichment of the infringer. If damages were again calculated by applying the same rate to the same sales, that would be double recovery. But theoretically this possibility cannot be excluded. A real-world example is very hard to find, even in the non-lump-sum form. Collateral sales awarded with lost profit in US law may serve as one. From the EU documents it seems, that infringer's profits is equalled to unjust enrichment and that is translated as unjustified enrichment. But English theory distinguishes restitution of unjust enrichment and gain-based recovery for wrong, the latter encompassing the award of infringer's profits in the form of damages. The broader Czech notion of unjustified enrichment is not to be equalled to unjust enrichment in the pure English notion, because the former encompasses also intentional wrongs. With regard to the restitution of infringer's profits based on unjust enrichment, the intent plays a role. The broader notion of unjust enrichment relevant to intellectual property rights infringement is called interceptive unjust enrichment, where enrichment "from the property of the plaintiff" is at stake and it is also possible to claim profits gained by the infringement. Focus is on the enrichment "from the property", not on the wrong. The dissertation examines the terms "account of profits", apportionment of profits", "disgorgement" and impure negotiorum gestio with regard to intellectual property infringement. In several countries reasonable royalty is regarded as good measure of net gain from the infringement of intellectual property. When the infringement was not innocent or wilful, it's possible to claim not only the objective enrichment but also the subjective enrichment -- profits of the infringer. In Czech law, that is represented by the emoluments from the enrichment. The aim of the last chapter is to evaluate, in the context of the operation of other relevant elements of legal environment, the preventive function of the double royalty claim introduced by the Act n. 221/2006 Sb. By construing a game theory model and using simulation, the thesis concludes that in lower royalty intervals, where attorney's costs are a high burden, the effect of the double royalty is insignificant. Where "more significant infringements" are at stake, and the royalty passes a given frontier, the application of the double royalty heightens the preventive function of the Act. Those "more significant infringements" have two intervals -- with the highest effect of the double royalty and with the "stabilized effect of the double royalty". But overall, in cases of "more significant infringements", the application of the double represents a heightening of the preventive power by a third and fifth respectively, and this is true only in the case, where the prospective infringers would try to calculate the effect of their infringement before infringing.

The thesis deals with monetary remedies in intellectual property infringement suits, focusing on industrial property rights. On the background of enacting of the czech Act number 221/2006 Sb. which implements the directive 2004/48/EC of the European parliament and of the Council, the thesis compares these two texts with each other and also with the proposal for the directive KOM(2003) 46 final in their relevant parts. By doing this, it evaluates the directive and the czech act as the directive's implementation. This evaluation represents the secondary aims of the thesis. Comparison, analysis of factual articles and interviews with relevant experts practicising in the area show that by setting the damages as double the "customary" royalties, the czech Act in his § 5 ods. 2 represents a sanction, which confirms the hypothesis of the prevailance of an analogy between the czech provison and the punitive damages in american law. This fact creates scope for the hypothesis of existance of further analogies, the verification of which is the central aim of the thesis. Therefore, the second part of the thesis analyzes american provisions of the United States Code concerning copyright, trademark and patent law, and related caselaw. This is compared both to the directive and the proposal for it, moreover to the czech copyright Act number 121/2000 Sb. and in particular to the czech Act number 221/2006 Sb. The third part supplements the analysis of relevant czech court decisions. The second and third part identify similar and distinct elements of the provisions and reveal analogies in seemingly different institutes. Differences are spotted in the construct used to achieve the punitive function, furthermore between the terms "customary royalty" and "reasonable royalty" and also between the terms "bezdôvodné obohatenie", "infringer's profits" and "unjust enrichment". Conversely, an analogy is identified between the discretionary power of american courts to increase proven damages or determine statutory damages and the czech institute of "primerané zadosťučinenie" (appropriate satisfaction). The prevailance of prohibition of double recovery is another existing analogy between the american and czech law.

Mervärdesskatterättsligt särbehandlas omsättning av upphovsrätter genom tillämpning av en reducerad skattesats. I 7 kap. 1 § 3 st. 8-9 p. ML hänvisas direkt till upphovs­rättslagen för bedömningen av förekomsten av en upphovsrättsligt skyddad prestation och rättighetens övergång. Föreligger en mervärdesskatterättslig omsättning av eko­nomiska värden samtidigt med en upphovsrättsligt giltig upplåtelse eller överlåtelse av en upphovsrättsligt skyddad prestation ska omsättningen beskattas med en reducerad skattesats om sex procent. Uppsatsen utreder intrångsersättning enligt 54 § 1 st. URL i relation till det mervärdes­skatterättsliga omsättningsbegreppet och den reducerade skattesatsen i 7 kap. 1 § 3 st. 8-9 p. ML.  Ersättning enligt 54 § 1 st. URL ska erläggas då ett intrång i upphovsrätten kan konstateras. Ersättning ska alltid utgå oavsett god tro och även i fall där upphovs­mannen, genom t.ex. positiva sidoeffekter, tjänat på intrånget. I doktrin har det därför uttalats att ersättningen inte utgör skadestånd, något som lagstiftaren uttryckligen klassificerat den att vara. Vid en granskning av ersättningens karaktär och syfte i rela­tion till upphovsrättslagens regler för rättighetens övergång framgår att en upphovs­rättsligt giltig överlåtelse eller upplåtelse inte föreligger vid en transaktion som föranlett ersättningsskyldighet enligt 54 § 1 st. URL. Enligt 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML är detta en förutsättning för att transaktionen ska omfattas av den reducerade skattesatsen. I ett mervärdesskatterättsligt perspektiv står det emellertid klart att ersättning enligt 54 § 1 st. URL är tänkt att spegla de förhållanden som hade gällt om parterna ingått avtal på för­hand och att det finns ett ostridigt samband mellan ersättningens storlek och det faktiska nyttjandet av rättigheten. Således skulle ersättningen mervärdesskatterättsligt kunna jämställas med en upplåtelse av nyttjanderätt. För tillämpning av den reducerade skatte­satsen i 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML är ett jämställande med upplåtelse ur mervärdes­skatterättslig synpunkt emellertid inte tillräckligt. Mervärdesskattelagens ovillkorliga koppling till upphovsrättslagen i 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML medför att en upplåtelse ska prövas enligt upphovsrättslagens regler för rättighetens övergång. Den samlade slutsatsen av uppsatsens utredning är följaktligen att ersättning enligt 54 § 1 st. URL kan omfattas av det mervärdesskatterättsliga omsättningsbegreppet. Mervärdesskattelagens ovillkorliga koppling till upphovsrättslagen innebär emellertid att ersättningen inte kan omfattas av 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML och den reducerade skattesatsen om 6 procent. Ersättningen utbetalas till följd av ett intrång och avsaknaden av en uttrycklig överenskommelse hindrar en tillämpning av 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML.
VAT turnover of copyrights are subject to a reduced VAT-rate. In the Value added tax act (ML) the paragraph of 7 kap. 1 § 3 st.  8-9 p. ML refers directly to the Copyright act (URL) for the assessment of the existence of a copyright and, the sale or lease of such a right. If a taxable supply is at hand while, simultaneously, a legally valid lease or sale of a copyright can be established, the turnover is taxed at a reduced VAT-rate of six percent. The thesis investigates intrusion compensation under Article 54 § 1 st. URL relative to the value added tax turnover concept and the reduced rate in 7 kap 1 § 3 st.  8-9 p. ML. Compensation according to Article 54 § 1 st. URL must be paid when an infringement of copyright is at hand. Compensation should always be paid regardless of good faith and even in cases where the holder of the right has earned revenue by e.g. spin-offs. In the legal literature, it has therefore been expressed that Article 54 § 1 st. URL does not con­stitute damages, something that the legislature explicitly has classified it to be. When reviewing the character and purpose of the compensation in relation to URL, and its rules for the transition of the right, it is clear that a valid transition does not exist in a transaction that has prompted compensation under Article 54 § 1 st. URL. According to 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML, this is a prerequisite. For the transaction to be covered by the reduced VAT-rate, a valid transition, according to the general rules of the rights transition in URL, must be at hand. However, from a VAT-perspective, compensation under 54 § 1 st. URL is meant to reflect the conditions that would have been if the concerned parties had reached an agreement in advance. There is an undisputed link between the remuneration and the actual use of the right. Thus, the compensation could be deemed equal to a lawful lease of copyright. For the purposes of the reduced tax rate in 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML, an equation of the compensation to a lawful lease of copyright is not sufficient. The provision is directly connected to URL and any transition of copyright must therefore be examined under the URL's rules for the transition of rights. The overall conclusion of this thesis is therefore that compensation under 54 § 1 st. URL may be subject to VAT. However, due to the unconditional connection to URL, the turnover cannot qualify for the reduced tax rate of six percent stipulated in 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML. The compensation is paid as a result of an infringement of copyright and the absence of an explicit agreement prevents the application of the reduced tax rate in 7 kap. 1 § 3st. 8-9 p. ML.

碩士
國立雲林科技大學
科技法律研究所
107
This thesis mainly discusses the relevant theory of "Unjust enrichment in public law". There are a lot of reasons for the unjust enrichment in public law, this thesis focuses on the scope of administrative contract, how to request in administrative or people. Combine searching for relevant interpretation with the resolutions, judgments and circulars, etc., to be collated and analyzed. 　　The adjudication case No.8, 2017 by Improper Labor Behavior Adjudication Board, Ministry of Labor, which about TRA’s legal leave. Writing down with the Ministry of Labor as the defendant, filed a lawsuit to the Taipei High Administrative Court, acknowledging that the nature of the case was public law. However, the labor contract is a privately-owned labor contract, how could a civil servant apply for a labor ruling? It’s the case of this article. Outline of thesis: Chapter 1.Introduction Chapter 2.Basic theory of Unjust enrichment in public law Chapter 3.Basic theory of Administrative contract Chapter 4.Unjust enrichment in public law returning after invalidation of the administrative contract Chapter 5.Dispute over the exercise of the right with Unjust enrichment in public law Chapter 6.Case of Taiwan Railways Administration Chapter 7.Conclusion and Suggestion 　　Through the collation, research and analysis of this thesis, could have a clearer understanding of the current situation and practical application with Unjust enrichment in public law of the administrative contract.

碩士
中原大學
財經法律研究所
106
ABSTRACT On July 12, 2016, the first Division Chief Judge Joint Meeting of July resolved to adopt the theory of summation for the subject matter of litigation regarding “inapplicable choice of law” in Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act - including error of fact in tax injunctions by revenue services - based on the principle of equity and the Taxpayer Rights Protection Act, which comes into effect on December 28, 2017. It is expected that this resolution will produce great impact on the implementation of Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act. Therefore, the present study explains the connection between unjust enrichment through public law and unjust enrichment through the Civil Code, fundamental theories of unjust enrichment in tax law, and the types of legal remedies available to taxpayers, leading into an investigation of the specificity of Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act in terms of administrative law and its practical issues. This study further discusses relevant theoretical bases, judicial practice, and opinions from academia. Based on the key points above, this study is structured as follows: Chapter 1, Introduction, explains the background, purposes, and methodology of this study and the definitions of the issues of interest herein to highlight the importance and of the legal bases of causes of action for tax refund in tax collection practice and issues that have arisen from such practice. Chapter 2, Legal Bases for Causes of Action for Tax Refund in Tax Law, explains the connection between the unjust enrichment system in public law and unjust enrichment in the Civil Code, the legal nature of causes of action for restitution of unjust enrichment in tax, and methods available to the public to request remedies from revenue services, so as to provide clear context to the issues raised thus far in this study. Chapter 3, On Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act, further discusses the reasons, nature, and elements of the amendment to Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act on January 21, 2009. Chapter 4, On Practical Issues of Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act, discusses common issues in tax collection practice. Chapter 5, Conclusions, summarizes arguments in previous chapters, submits the stance of this study, serve as the basis for future research, and offer reference for practical operations. Keywords：Unjust Enrichment in Public Law、Unjust Enrichment in Tax Law、Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act、The Right of Tax Refund、On Practical Issues of Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act、Elimination Time ABSTRACT On July 12, 2016, the first Division Chief Judge Joint Meeting of July resolved to adopt the theory of summation for the subject matter of litigation regarding “inapplicable choice of law” in Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act - including error of fact in tax injunctions by revenue services - based on the principle of equity and the Taxpayer Rights Protection Act, which comes into effect on December 28, 2017. It is expected that this resolution will produce great impact on the implementation of Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act. Therefore, the present study explains the connection between unjust enrichment through public law and unjust enrichment through the Civil Code, fundamental theories of unjust enrichment in tax law, and the types of legal remedies available to taxpayers, leading into an investigation of the specificity of Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act in terms of administrative law and its practical issues. This study further discusses relevant theoretical bases, judicial practice, and opinions from academia. Based on the key points above, this study is structured as follows: Chapter 1, Introduction, explains the background, purposes, and methodology of this study and the definitions of the issues of interest herein to highlight the importance and of the legal bases of causes of action for tax refund in tax collection practice and issues that have arisen from such practice. Chapter 2, Legal Bases for Causes of Action for Tax Refund in Tax Law, explains the connection between the unjust enrichment system in public law and unjust enrichment in the Civil Code, the legal nature of causes of action for restitution of unjust enrichment in tax, and methods available to the public to request remedies from revenue services, so as to provide clear context to the issues raised thus far in this study. Chapter 3, On Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act, further discusses the reasons, nature, and elements of the amendment to Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act on January 21, 2009. Chapter 4, On Practical Issues of Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act, discusses common issues in tax collection practice. Chapter 5, Conclusions, summarizes arguments in previous chapters, submits the stance of this study, serve as the basis for future research, and offer reference for practical operations. Keywords：Unjust Enrichment in Public Law、Unjust Enrichment in Tax Law、Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act、The Right of Tax Refund、On Practical Issues of Article 28 of the Tax Collection Act、Elimination Time

strana 259 Unjustified Enrichment in the Comparative Perspective Abstract The aim of the thesis is the legal research of important results concerning unjustified en- richment that have been attained in foreign jurisprudence and judicial opinions, especially within the German legal family, and their comparative application to all provisions of the New Czech Civil Code ("NCC") regulating unjustified enrichment, including their rela- tion to other parts of civil law. The thesis thus draws extensively from Austrian and Ger- man jurisprudence and case law, from the Draft Common Frame of Reference, from Swiss law and from comparative literature; further legal orders are also mentioned and a refined translation of relevant foreign provisions is included in the appendix. The thesis does not include a mere description, but rather follows the interests of Czech law and aims to make a contribution to Czech jurisprudence and application the of law. Accord- ingly, the thesis is also founded on complete research of the Czech Supreme Court case law made in and after 2010. The thesis comes to a number of conclusions (summarized in the itemized resumé) which may be deemed for original from the point of view of the Czech legal discourse. These conclusions corroborate the hypothesis that the Czech law of unjustified...

1 Abstract This thesis deals with the institute of unjust enrichment extending to commercial law. It is focused on specific aspects of existence of this institute in commercial law. Particularly it means an issue of the limitation of unjust enrichment claims in business relationships as well as other special elements of unjust enrichment in commercial law regulations such as the question of repayment of the performance caused by the withdrawal, the protection of the company name claims and protection against unfair competition, rights of industrial property and bill of exchange and cheques enrichment. Although the work is primarily based on existing legislation, it is not limited to the examination of the issue from the perspective of re-codification of private law. The thesis analyzes the various provisions of the relevant commercial law regulations whose interpretation is in theory and practice greatly divided, and with their detailed analysis using initially established theoretical basis, trying to make their own suggestions.

The thesis is focused on the legal concept of unjust enrichment specifically in relation to the area of business law. Although the basic legal regulation relevant also for the area of business law was, and even after the adoption of the new private law codes, still remains in the civil code, the thesis endeavors to focus on certain specifics related particularly to the business relations. For these purposes it deals, in less or more detailed manner, also with other legal concepts, which are significant for the topic and closely related (such as limitation of claims resulting from the unjust enrichment, good faith of legal entities, invalidity of legal acts etc.). The thesis analyses legal acts regulating the institution of unjust enrichment for the area of private law, eventually specifically for the business relations. Especially in the areas where the legal text itself is not exhaustive, it supplies also analysis of relatively extensive case law (available so far only in respect of the previous legislation), eventually also the analysis of expert opinions. It draws attention to certain conflicts in interpretation of individual legal provisions. Considering the recent essential change of the private law basis (new private law codes) the thesis provides to a considerable extent comparison of the...

The thesis analyses the legal concept of unjust enrichment in business law. General legal regulation of unjust enrichment itself has never been included in Commercial Code though it had to be interpreted according to the general regulation contained in the Civil Code. This conception remained unchanged even after the re-codification of civil law, which abolished the Commercial Code, thus we no longer need to differentiate between legal relationships which are of a commercial nature and those which are not. The conclusions reached by the Supreme Court in correlation with the previous legislation cannot be completely abandoned - based on the transitional provisions of the Civil Code - the preceding legislation, and therefore the conclusions of the case law relating thereto, remain applicable. The thesis analyses unjust enrichment, mainly from the perspective of civil law. The commercial aspect is provided in comparison to the previous legislation which focuses on the specifics or application problems in relation to unjust enrichment that have arisen in commercial law. For this purpose, the thesis deals with related legal concepts such as limitation of claims resulting from unjust enrichment, the invalidity of legal acts, etc. The thesis consists of five chapters. The first chapter analyses the...

This thesis analyses the concept of unjust enrichment under the business law. First of all the thesis explains the term of business law. Business law is a complex of legal rules concerning the contractual relationships between entrepreneurs arising from their business activities. Business law is a comprehensive field of law which extends into many other fields of law, both private and public law. Equally the regulation of unjust enrichment within the business law expands into many other laws with particular specialization, but these laws are not subject of this thesis. For these laws the subsidiary legislation is included in the civil code., therefore this thesis focuses on the general regulation of unjust enrichment included in the civil code. Further the thesis continues with a historical development of both business law and unjust enrichment. The historical view begins with roman law, continues with the regulation of unjust enrichment under the ABGB and ends with regulation under the so. socialist law. Further in the text is referred to the historical chapter to facilitate understanding of a present regulation. Next chapter of the thesis describes the current regulation of unjust enrichment, mainly under the civil code, and from the reason mentioned above it is not going into the particular...

V ANGLICKÉM JAZYCE Private-law consequences of a breach of competition law and their enforcement in the Czech Republic The private-law consequences of a breach of competition law, Articles 101 and 102 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the EU and Sections 3 and 11 of the Czech Competition Act, may affect many entities, irrespective of whether they are competitors or consumers. Recently, emphasis has been placed on private enforcement of competition law that is intended to serve as an important complement to public law enforcement. The first part of the dissertation defines basic concepts and principles of competition law including "public rules on restriction of competition". The history of the enforcement of competition law in the Czech Republic and the dynamic development in this area at the EU level are outlined in the second part. The third crucial part of this work deals with the right to damages caused by a breach of competition law in the Czech Republic. In 2014, the EU adopted Directive 2014/104 on certain rules in damages actions with the view, inter alia, to increase the effectiveness of private enforcement of competition rules by civil courts of EU Member States. On August 18, 2017, new Act No. 262/2017 Coll. which implements the Directive into Czech law was adopted. The dissertation...

Money laundering involves activities which are aimed at concealing benefits that were acquired through criminal means for the purpose of making them appear legitimately acquired. Money laundering promotes criminal activities in South Africa because it allows criminals to keep the benefits that they acquired through their criminal activities. It takes place through a variety of schemes which include the use of banks. In this sense money laundering control is based on the premise that banks must be protected from providing criminals with the means to launder the benefits of their criminal activities. The Financial Intelligence Centre Act 38 of 2001 (‘FICA’) in aggregate with the Prevention of Organised Crime Act 121 of 1998 (‘POCA’) form the backbone of South Africa’s anti-money laundering regime. Like its international counterparts FICA imposes onerous duties on banks seeing that they are most often used by criminals as conduits to launder the benefits of crime. In turn, POCA criminalises activities in relation to the benefits of crime and delineates civil proceedings aimed at forfeiting the benefits of crime to the state. This study identifies the idiosyncrasies of the South African anti-money laundering regime and forwards recommendations aimed at improving its structure. To this end nine issues in relation to money laundering control and banks are investigated. The investigation fundamentally reveals that money laundering control holds unforeseen consequences for banks. In particular, a bank that receives the benefits of crimes such as fraud or theft faces prosecution if it fails to heed FICA’s money laundering control duties, for example, the filing of a suspicious transaction report. However, if the bank files a suspicious transaction report, it may be sued in civil court by the customer for breach of contract. In addition, if the bank parted with the benefits of fraud or theft whilst suspecting that the account holder may not be entitled to payment thereof, it may be sued by the victim of fraud or theft who seeks to recover loss suffered at the hand of the fraudster or thief from the bank. Ultimately, this study illustrates that amendment of some of the provisions of South Africa’s anti-money laundering legislation should enable banks to manage the aforementioned and other unforeseen consequences of money laundering control whilst at the same time contribute to the South African anti-money laundering effort.
Criminal and Procedural Law
Mercantile Law
LL.D.