Bibliographie sélective OHADA

<p>This DPhil thesis enhances existing understandings of collective action through a comparative and empirical study. Empirical analysis of economic, political, juridical, and social dimensions of the Brazilian experience reveals that some central understandings in existing literature are not borne out in this empirical context. In particular, the assertion that low monetary incentives for individuals hinder growth in use of collective action is strongly challenged.</p> <p>The Brazilian experience is contextualised through comparative analysis of three legal traditions of collective action: class actions; collective redress; and civil public actions. The Brazilian system presents a setting with potential for regulatory enforcement of consumer protection law, but rare episodes of consumer compensation or the imposition of punitive damages on corporations. With low monetary incentives, the growth of collective actions is explained by non-monetary incentives and investment in social capital through development of institutional trust and legal institutions.</p> <p>Collective actors develop their organisational infrastructure and perform their roles as representatives through institutional dynamics of concentration, competition, cooperation, and deference. The coexistence of multiple institutional actors in the regulatory space reduces agenda control, increases opportunities for consumer participation, and increases oversight of regulatory capture.</p> <p>The categories of diffuse, collective, and homogeneous individual rights explain the role of law in establishing procedural pathways and special features. This study is broadened through analysis of the legal environment and the potential regulatory impact of collective actions on the social relationships between businesses and consumers. I also evaluate limitations and possibilities regarding access to justice, judicial economy, compensation, and deterrence.</p> <p>This thesis indicates the possibility of developing a socio-legal theory of collective action, which would enhance our understanding of the complex dynamics at play by going beyond analysis of the consumer experience as merely an economic transaction or a legal object, analysing them instead as a complex social relationship.</p>

Trabajo Fin de Curso de Experto Universitario en Derecho Bancario (2014/15). Directora/Tutora: Patricia Márquez Lobillo. El objeto de este trabajo es el examen de la evolución jurídica de las cláusulas abusivas, y en especial de las cláusulas suelo, desde las primeras cuestiones prejudiciales planteadas sobre su legalidad y la posible consideración de abusivas y en consecuencia, nula. He elegido esta temática puesto que se están produciendo muchas modificaciones normativas, doctrinales y jurisprudenciales respecto de las cláusulas que forman parte de los préstamos con garantía hipotecaria. Por ello se ha convertido en un tema de rabiosa actualidad y de continua controversia en Juzgados y Tribunales, por lo que entiendo que es más que necesaria organizar todos los pronunciamientos que se han hecho respecto de estas cláusulas para entender cuándo son consideradas abusivas y por ende, nulas. En primer lugar, he iniciado el proyecto clarificando el concepto de cláusula suelo, seguido de toda la normativa que regula la protección del consumidor así como la trasposición de las Directivas Europeas. Una vez aclarados los conceptos, he analizado la primera sentencia del Tribunal Supremo que se pronunció respecto de la cláusula suelo. En un primer término, me he centrado en explicar los antecedentes de hecho que hicieron llegar al Alto Tribunal a fijar doctrina respecto de las cláusulas suelo. Posteriormente, he analizado la legitimación activa de la asociación de consumidores AUSBANC, que fueron los que promovieron una acción colectiva de cesación de condiciones generales de contratación, en la que solicitaba la declaración de nulidad por tener carácter abusivo, de las condiciones generales de contratación consistentes en las cláusulas de los contratos de préstamo hipotecario a interés variable que establecen un tipo mínimo de interés o un tipo mínimo de referencia solicitando la condena de las demandadas a eliminar dichas condiciones generales de contratación y abstenerse de utilizarlas en el futuro. Seguidamente, he seguido examinando la Sentencia de 9 de mayo de 2013 en cuanto a que es considerada como condición general de la contratación y configuradora del precio del préstamo hipotecario. Así mismo, he explicado la problemática existente en cuanto a la apreciación de oficio de las cláusulas abusivas por parte del órgano jurisdiccional en la normativa española. Particularmente, me he detenido para explicar el doble control de transparencia, que fija la Sentencia de 9 mayo de 2013, que deben superar las cláusulas suelos para ser considerada legales. Respecto de la sentencia de 9 de mayo de 2013, he concluido explicando las dudas respecto de la devolución de las cantidades que no aclaro el Tribunal Supremo en su fallo. De ahí que desde entonces, la interpretación de los Juzgados y Tribunales (jurisprudencia menor) ha sido variada. En vista de ello, el Tribunal Supremo se ha pronunciado de nuevo para aclarar que, cuando en aplicación de la doctrina fijada en su sentencia del Pleno de 9 de mayo de 2013, se declare abusiva y, por tanto, nula una cláusula suelo inserta en un contrato de préstamo con tipo de interés variable, procederá la restitución al prestatario de los intereses que hubiese pagado en aplicación de dicha cláusula a partir del 9 de mayo de 2013. Sin embargo, a pesar de que se ha fijado la irretroactividad de la devolución de las cantidades, existe un voto particular que discrepa el criterio seguido por el Tribunal Supremo en esta sentencia de 25 de marzo de 2015. En vista de las advertencias por parte del Tribunal de Justicia de la Unión Europea así como de la importancia de la Sentencia de 9 de mayo de 2013, España se ha visto obligada a modificar su legislación en trasposición de las Directivas Europeas. En particular, respecto de las cláusulas suelo hay que destacar la importancia de la aprobación de la Ley 1/2013, de 14 de mayo, de medidas para reforzar la protección a los deudores hipotecarios, reestructuración de deuda y alquiler social. Además, en este trabajo se ha pretendido reflejar las dudas que continúan existiendo y que desembocan y probablemente, seguirán desembocando en el futuro en nuevas resoluciones sobre este asunto.

Les enjeux liés à la lutte contre la criminalité transfrontalière et le raffermissement du Marché commun ont amené le législateur communautaire à jeter les bases d’un espace pénal commun dans la Communauté économique et monétaire des États de l’Afrique centrale (CEMAC). Intervenant dans un domaine où la souveraineté de l’État a longtemps été considérée comme un obstacle à toute harmonisation, la construction de l’espace pénal communautaire est perceptible sur les plans matériel et procédural. Sur le plan matériel, elle se manifeste par une communautarisation des règles pénales au moyen de l’institution d’infractions communautaires assorties de sanctions. Sur le plan procédural, la construction de l’espace pénal commun procède de la consécration, bien qu’imparfaite, du principe de la reconnaissance et de l’exécution mutuelles des décisions judiciaires en matière pénale, d’une part, et d’une procédure de coopération judiciaire qui emprunte progressivement la voie des organes communautaires, d’autre part.

The thesis aims at explaining current regulatory crisis of copyright law (understood as its inability to regulate social dynamics as regards production, reproduction, dissemination of and access to information goods) through the application of systems theory. It refers to the concept of autopoietic legal system in order to draft a model representing the ecosystem in which copyright law functions. This model not only allows for observing copyright regime as it stands currently but also for analysing how it evolved over time. It scrutinises the interdependencies between the legal system and other constituent elements of its ecosystem: politics, economy, art, science, technology, religion, mass media, education as well as non-functionally differentiated segments of society: circles of relatives and friends. The main goal of this analysis is to highlight the fact that the current regulatory crisis of copyright is the result of the legal system's failure to equally acknowledge all the diverse rationalities constituting its ecosystem. The primary hypothesis of the study is that the core of the problem may be attributed to the divergence between legal norms, and competing non-legal copynorms constructed in the process of co-evolution within various elements of the model in question. In the analysis all the relevant copynorms understood as segmented social norms regulating social dynamics with respect to production, reproduction, dissemination of and access to information goods have been reconstructed to indicate their potential to oppose legal regulations. The thesis pivots around the concept of reflexive justice which refers to the equal acknowledgement of colliding rationalities. It concludes with the firm statement that copyright law in the digital environment needs profound reform. The concept of reflexive justice as developed within the systems theoretical approach is perceived by the author of this thesis as the most promising starting point for the new philosophy of copyright law.

Globalisation requires ever closer co-operation between legal professionals hailing from different national jurisdictions. This interactive global environment has fostered growing international training and mobility among legal practitioners and the internationalisation of legal education. Increasing numbers of law students get trained in other countries as part of their undergraduate degrees or even come to foreign shores to obtain law degrees. Many students hailing from other African countries study towardsLLBdegrees at South African universities. Major commercial law firms ensure that they can offer in-house expertise on major foreign legal systems and co-operate with partner firms in other parts of the globe. The General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS), to which South Africa is a party, is a multilateral agreement focusing on the liberalisation of trade in services amongst member countries. Services under the GATS system include legal services. The commitments made by South Africa under this agreement require that South Africa allows foreign legal practitioners to establish a commercial presence or be transferred to South Africa. The Bill of Rights entrenched in Chapter 2 of the South African Constitution guarantees fundamental rights including the right to equality and freedom of trade, occupation and profession. With the coming into force of the new Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, which provides a legislative framework for regulating the affairs of legal practitioners, including their admission and enrolment, it is necessary to assess the extent to which the Act complies with the GATS rules and the South African Constitution. This paper examines the new Legal Practice Act 28 of 2014, and examines whether the Act addresses the conflicts that have always existed between the regulation of the legal profession and the admission of legal practitioners in South Africa with South Africa's commitments under the GATS system. Using the doctrinal legal method, it analyses and evaluates the rules governing the admission of foreign attorneys in South Africa from two perspectives. First, it considers them in the light of the international law obligations of the country and second it evaluates whether or not they comply with the South African Constitution, and more specifically with the Bill of Rights entrenched in the South African Constitution. While the new legislation may assist in ensuring the compliance of South Africa with the relevant GATS rules, it will depend on the regulations which still have to be promulgated to what extent the new legal framework will achieve the full compliance of South Africa with all relevant GATS rules. The paper concludes with recommendations for the reform of the Legal Practice Act. It argues that while the requirement to be a South African permanent resident in order to qualify for admission as an attorney may be justifiable in terms of GATS and in terms of South African constitutional law, it is not in South Africa's best interest to retain it. Consequently, the paper calls for the repeal of the permanent residence requirement for admission as an attorney in the county. &nbsp;

The economic growth in Indonesia is thrive. The Economic growth can not be separate of the role of investment in Indonesia. The population in Indonesia very much and also the location of the Indonesian state strategic pretty much made Indonesia enjoyed by citizens of Indonesia itself and also foreign nationals who wish to also invest in Indonesia. In Indonesia there is a domestic investment and foreign investment. In this paper will be devoted to foreign investment. Foreign investment that currently exist in Indonesia has a sizeable amount and spread from Sabang to Merauke, and also has sometimes caused the dispute. Dispute occurs either the foreign investment by government or also foreign investment with other parties outside the government well with other foreign investment, and also in the company itself. Foreign investment dispute settlement is not only done through the court owned by the government, but there are also ways of alternative dispute resolution outside the court . One of the alternative dispute resolution outside the court is Arbitration. Arbitration carried out as part of efforts to achieve settlement of the problem in terms of investment activity . Arbitration itself is set in the legislation applicable investment in Indonesia . The parties in capital investment may create a separate section in the agreement governing the settlement of disputes in the case of investments completed by Arbitration. In the event that the parties have arranged to settle the case with Arbitration, then the court is not allowed to try again or to interfere in the decision Arbitration. Arbitration is one of the solutions if justice denial occur in the settlement of foreign direct investment issue.

Regional powers are not always benevolent leaders when it comes to the building of regional institutions. While powerful states – particularly the “new” rising powers – may have a vested interest in regionalism as a means of projecting influence, regional powers may behave as coercive or benevolent leaders, or alternatively display an absence of leadership altogether. The drivers of varying regional power behavior can be attributed to their competing concerns regarding (economic) power, functional efficiency, international legitimacy, and neopatrimonial networks. This paper explores the varying behavior of Nigeria and South Africa in relation to the institutionalization of free trade areas and regional courts within their respective regions. Nigeria has displayed little leadership in ECOWAS trade integration due to domestic opposition; however, a newly-democratic Nigeria’s search for international legitimacy drove the establishment of the ECOWAS Court of Justice. Likewise, South Africa’s search for legitimacy drove its support for the SADC Tribunal, but the competing demands of different audiences led it to abandon this support. South Africa has also displayed leadership in relation to the SADC Free Trade Area; however, its neighbors perceive it as a self-interested, almost coercive actor. The findings suggest that the motivations for regional powers’ behavior vary across time and policy sectors, and that inconsistent behavior is driven by a change in the priority granted to different drivers.

The paper examines the impact of Foreign Direct Investments (FDIs)on economic growth in the five regions of Africa, as well as identifies their respective drivers of growth. It employs the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) multiple regression analysis to examine the relative impact of Foreign Direct Investments, balance of payments, trade openness, technology and quality of labour force on economic growth in each of the five regions between 1980 and 2012. The study finds that foreign Direct Investments (FDIs) have no significant impact on economic growth in the five regions of Africa. The impact of FDI on growth is positive in Eastern, Middle and Western Africa but negative in Northern and Southern Africa. Similarly, there are differentials in the drivers of growth in the five regions. While trade openness is a negative driver of growth in all regions of Africa except in Northern Africa, both balance of payments and quality of labour force have mixed impacts on economic growth in Africa. In addition, technological progress impacted growth in Middle, Southern Africa and Western Africa but it appears that lack of it retarded growth in Eastern and Northern Africa. The study calls for policy reform frameworks that encourage and boost foreign Direct Investment flows to all regions of Africa, particularly Direct Investments in critical sectors of the economies, as well as check the negative effects of foreign Direct Investments. Furthermore, it recommends that regional economic blocks in Africa should be resuscitated and supported to develop and promote intra-Africa trade and Investments.

The interaction between competition law and intellectual property law has often attracted divergent views from scholars and practitioners of each respective sphere of law. Whereas some argue that the two are in conflict with each other and cannot be reconciled. The aforementioned tension between competition law and intellectual property law has been traced to the objectives of each. On the one hand, intellectual property rights confer upon their owners an exclusive right to behave in a particular way while on the other hand competition law strives to keep markets open. Other scholars have argued that, in real sense and practice, the two are actually not in conflict but rather that they complement each other. The question then becomes, is there really an irreconcilable difference between the two areas of law? This paper seeks to establish how the two aspects of law interact and seeks to propose that there be created a balance to alleviate the perceived conflict between the two. This paper will identify the areas in which the balance can be struck. It will also seek to establish how the Kenyan legislative framework as well as the courts has dealt with the conflict. It will proceed from understanding the goals and objective of both intellectual property law and competition law. This will provide the backdrop against which the alleged conflict originates from. A comparative study with other developed jurisdictions will be undertaken so as to advise on the route that should be taken by Kenya on the interface and a conclusion drawn on how the two areas relate and recommendations drawn from the issues identified in the study made.