Michael D. Green

Helmut Koziol

Ken Oliphant

Mark Lunney

Lixin Yang

Where products develop ever more rapidly, the law may face difficulties in responding accordingly to new security threats which may arise. In the field of product liability, an extraordinary need for legal development has thus been perceived, with legislators and judges feeling compelled to find new solutions and to look across borders for these. In the detailed reports in this book, the World Tort Law Society proves that it is in an ideal position to examine the most significant concepts. The report on North America studies the special regime for product liability from its origin in the case law of the US; the European report is centred around the EU Product Liability Directive with its merits and faults; and the influence of these two systems as well as new answers are shown in the reports on Asia, Russia and four key jurisdictions in the rest of the world. Similar questions are discussed worldwide: How can a strict liability regime for products be justified, and can it be justified in all cases? How does the special regime relate to general rules of tort law? Should services be subject to a similar regime? The Members of the Society seek to provoke thought for solutions to these pervasive problems. In this spirit, the volume’s comparative conclusions invite discussion, and the book includes four responses to that call from eminent tort lawyers from different legal backgrounds.

Fundamental Questions in a Comparative Perspective

PRODUCT LIABILITY

Israel Gilead

Herbert Hausmaninger

Alfredo M. Rabello

ThepresentcollectionofessaysisthefruitoftwosymposiumsofAustrian andIsraelischolars,thefirstofwhichwasheldinJerusalemandRamatGanin December1997,thesecondinViennainOctober1998. Thesemeetingstook placewithintheframeworkofapartnershipbetweentheHebrewUniversityof JerusalemandtheUniversityofVienna. Theypermittedastimulating comparativediscussionofinterestingquestionsinmajorfieldsofprivatelaw, suchascontracts,torts,familyandinheritancelaw. The21contributionstothisvolumeaddressimportantlegalissuesfrom differentperspectives. Theyinclude,ontheonehand,historicalresearch reachingbackintoBiblicalandotherAncientNearEastern,aswellas Talmudiclaw,andRomanlawasthefoundationofmodemEuropeanlegal systemsontheotherhand. Theydiscusscontemporaryproblems,mostof whicharenotconfinedtoaparticularnationallegalsystem;andtheyaddress questionsoflawreforminaEuropeanandglobalcontext. Theeditorsofthecollectionwishtothankanumberofinstitutionsand personswhohavemadethispublicationpossible. Financialsupportwasgiven bytheAustrianMinistryofScienceandTransport,bytheAssociationof FriendsoftheUniversityofViennaLawSchool,bytheRamatGanLaw College(whichalsoparticipatedinthesymposiums)andbytheHarryand MichaelSacherInstituteofLegislativeResearchandComparativeLaw,The Hebrew UniversityofJerusalem. Editorial supervision for the Israeli contributionswasprovidedbyProf. AlfredoMordechaiRabelIoandProf. IsraelGilead. OntheAustrianside,ProfessorsHerbertHausmaningerand HelmutKoziolsharedthistask. MichaelB. Dunn,HerbertHausmaninger's researchassistantattheCornellLawSchool,improvedEnglishlanguageand styleoftheAustriancontributions. Dr. RichardGamauf,Mag. VerenaHaas andMagretAItrichteroftheInstituteofRomanLawintheUniversityof Viennaprovidededitorialassistanceandauniformlayoutfortheentirepubli cation. Vienna,JerusalemandRamatGan June1999 Table ofContents ListofContributors IX Contract Law Berachyahu Lifshitz TheOriginsofObligationsAccordingtoJewishLaw . . Franz Bydlinski A"FlexibleSystem"ApproachtoContractLaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 Franz Bydlinski MistakeinAustrianPrivateLawViewedinTermsofa"Flexible System"Approach 21 Renee Sanilevici Force MajeureandFrustrationofContractinIsraeliLaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49 Attila Fenyves TheInfluenceofChangedCircumstancesonContractsofLong Duration 59 Ricardo Ben-Oliel PaymentsbyBankingTransfersinPracticeandinLegalTheory 81 Daniel Friedman RestitutionofBenefitsGainedbyBreachofContract. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93 TortLaw Reuven Yaron WrongfulActsandReducedSanctions:AComparativeSurvey . . 103 Herbert Hausmaninger RomanTortLawintheAustrianCivilCodeof1811 . 113 Herbert Hausmaninger TheThirdPartialAmendment(1916)totheAustrianCivilCodeof 1811anditsInfluenceonTortLaw . 137 Helmut Koziol CharacteristicFeaturesofAustrianTortLaw . . 159 Helmut Koziol ProblemsofAlternativeCausationinTortLaw . 177 Israel Gilead Causation,Riskand"EvidentialLoss" inIsraeliTortLaw . 187 VIII TableofContents Israel Gilead TheLimitsofTortLiabilityinNegligenceandPureEconomicLoss. . . 197 Family and Inheritance Law Gideon Libson LegalStatusoftheJewishWomanintheGaonicPeriod:Muslim Influence-OvertandCovert. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 213 Pinhas Shifman TheStatusofWomeninIsraeliFamilyLaw:TheCaseforRefonn. . . . . . 245 Wolfgang Zankl RecentDevelopmentsinAustrianInheritanceLaw:Comparedto IsraeliLaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249 Wolfgang Zankl RightofSuccessionoftheSpouseandtheRelatives-AComparative Analysis 255 Shmuel Shilo RightsofSuccession:SpouseversusRelativesinIsraeliLaw. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 261 Alfredo Mordechai Rabello OnGiftsandtheDayofDeath:Section8(b)oftheIsraeliSuccession Law5725-1965andtheDistinctionbetweenGifts inter vivosandGifts mortis causa 267 Codification Alfredo Mordechai Rabello WorkingTowardstheCodificationofIsraeliPrivateLaw:Between CommonandCivilLaw. . . . . . . . 291 List ofContributors Ricardo Ben-Oliel,Dr. Jur. (Jerusalem),AssociateProfessor,FacultyofLaw, UniversityofHaifa Franz Bydlinski,Dr. jur. (Graz),Dr. jur. h. . ~. (Salzburg;Munich),Professorof Law,UniversityofVienna;Member,OsterreichischeAkademiederWis senschaften;CorrespondingMember,AkademiederWissenschaftenzu GottingenandofthePolishAcademyofSciencesinCracow At/ita Fenyves,Dr. jur. (Graz),ProfessorofLaw,UniversityofVienna Daniel Friedmann,M. Jur. ,LL. M. ,Dr. Jur. ,ProfessorofLaw,TelAviv University;Member,IsraelAcademyofSciencesandHumanities Israel Gilead. LL. B. ,LL. D. ,BoraLaskinAssociateProfessorofTorts,The HebrewUniversityofJerusalem;RamatGanLawCollege Herbert Hausmaninger,Dr. jur. (Graz),ProfessorofLaw,Universityof Vienna;JohnA. EwaldDistinguishedVisitingProfessorofLaw,Univer sityofVirginia Helmut Koziol,Dr. jur. (Gr~z),ProfessorofLaw,UniversityofVienna; CorrespondingMember,OsterreichischeAkademiederWissenschaften; Director,EuropeanCenterofTortandInsuranceLaw Gideon Libson. LL. B,LL. M. ,Dr. Jur. ,FriedaandSolomonB.

Developments in Austrian and Israeli Private Law

Reinhard Zimmermann

Bernhard A. Koch

Bénédict Winiger

In order to contribute to a better understanding of natural causation, which is a central concept in civil law, the present book offers a large collection of leading cases from 25 European countries and from the Court of Justice of the European Community. Each case is shortly summarised and commented on. Further, an important number of cases collected are resolved according to the recently published ‘Principles of European Tort Law’.

Essential Cases on Natural Causation

Benedict Winiger

With an emerging ius commune in the field of tort law, the extensive range of experiences derived from national court practice on the basis of prior laws will in certain respects be of comparatively less importance. A major lacuna is thus apparent: While publications of court decisions and databases exist, none provide access to a comparative selection of recurring issues in the various European legal systems. Along the lines of the previous Digest project on Causation, this study covers another key element of tort law – damage. The publication contains a systematic selection of cases from 27 countries across Europe in addition to ECJ case-law, with each case benefiting from an analysis and commentary from a national and, where appropriate, a comparative perspective. Further, the impact of these rulings on a future European law of torts is highlighted. Finally, the publication also looks into how key cases would be resolved under unified European tort law drafts. The object of the study is thus to bridge domestic case-law with the new body of uniform tort law thus facilitating the continuity of legal development in Europe.

Essential Cases on Damage

Attila Fenyves

Ernst Karner

Elisabeth Steiner

The goal of this study is to provide a general overview and thorough analysis of how the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) deals with tort law issues such as damage, causation, wrongfulness, fault and compensation - namely when applying Art. 41 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). Methodological approaches to the tort law of the ECHR as well as the perspectives of human rights and tort law and public international law are also addressed.

Tort Law in the Jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights

This book seeks to produce answers to the basic questions of tort law in Europe from a comparative perspective. It is intended to provide a basis for comprehensive responses by representatives of other European legal families and jurisdictions outside Europe on the fundamental ideas in this book. The book gives an extensive introduction to the delictual and contractual law of liability and damages. Above all, the position of the law of tort within the overall system for the protection of legal goods is examined. The focus is on particularly controversial issues and new approaches. Not only is the relationship between breaches of obligations and torts examined, the basic requirements for a claim under tort law—damage and causation—are discussed. An extensive section is devoted to the elements of establishing liability and the question of liability on the side of the victim, (contributory responsibility) is looked at anew. A final section is devoted to the prescription of compensation claims.

Basic Questions of Tort Law from a Germanic Perspective

Reiner Schulze

This publication deals with the European dimension of tort law. It provides a critical analysis of the acquis communautaire, asking if and to what extent the provisions and case law in the field of tort law are based on a conclusive system and are in accord with the national legal systems. It thus evaluates whether the acquis communautaire form the beginning of a comprehensive and coherent EC tort law or if the single directives and regulations are contradictory and lack a general concept that is yet to be found. To gain an overview of ‘EC Tort Law’ certain provisions and decisions were analysed by a group of authors under thirteen elements that form the basis of tort law e.g. fault/strict liability, causation, damage, damages and limitation of actions. An analysis of these aspects was then undertaken by another group of authors each focusing on their respective legal families within the European Union. The publication also contains a section on terminological issues in EC tort law.

Helmut Koziol

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