Any practising lawyer and student working with international commercial contracts faces standardised contracts and international arbitration as mechanisms for dispute settlement. Transnational rules may be applicable, but national law is still important. Based on extensive practical experience, this book analyses international contract practice and its interaction with the various applicable sources: which role is played by the contractual regulation, which by national law, which by transnational sources, what is the interaction among these factors, and how does this all apply to contracts that refer disputes to international arbitration?

Force Majeure and Hardship are commonly invoked in international trade when unforeseen events occur making performance impossible or impracticable. Most national legislators provide rules to deal with these issues, but the specifi c solutions adopted in domestic laws vary substantially from one country to another. In recent years the growing complexity of trade in a globalized world has greatly increased the number of situations where a party can invoke force majeure or hardship. Parties need to be able to analyse the nature and characteristics of force majeure and hardship and look for contractual clauses which can regulate these issues in conformity with their needs. Written by international practitioners, this dossier explores the evolution of the rules on hardship, the ICC Clause on Hardship and the perspectives of contract adaptation by arbitrators. The section on Force Majeure includes an overview of recent arbitral case law (impediment beyond sphere of control and risk of the obligor; foreseeability; causation; notice requirement), analysis of the ICC 2003 Force Majeure Clause and an update on its revision. Two other important themes are included: the relationship between force majeure and applicable law, general principles of law and trade usages as well as the impact of economic sanctions.

The Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts provide an excellent and practice proven tool for cross-border contracts: They constitute a neutral and pragmatic business oriented contractual regime for cross-border contracts They contain multiple solutions to typical contractual questions regarding the life of a contract, often by way of a compromise between civil and common law They have been referenced in hundreds of decisions of arbitral tribunals or national state courts They have been endorsed inter alia by the United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (last in 2021) and the Union Internationale des Avocats (2020) bringing together through its bar association and individual members approximately two million lawyers in more than 110 countries. Thirty years after their first publication, it is arguably malpractice to ignore them. In this fully revised and enlarged 2nd edition, the commentary continues to analyse the Unidroit Principles article by article from a practical perspective, while always discussing alternative courses of action, where they apply. The commentary includes proposals for choice of the Unidroit Principles’ clauses and practical guidance for their use as template, or to supplement the CISG or national law. In addition to arbitral and state court decisions and recent literature, the 2nd edition includes an in-depth analysis of extensive legislative material. The author is a German practitioner with international training and familiarity with both common and civil law. He has been admitted to the New York Bar and also teaches at the University of Hamburg as a Professor of Law. The author is using the Unidroit Principles for more than 20 years in his commercial and arbitration practice, in recent years on a daily basis in multiple industries. As he shares his experience under the Unidroit Principles, the commentary can also be used as a practical guide and checklist of issues to consider in international contracting. Die Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts sind das ideale Instrument für grenzüberschreitende Verträge: sie bilden ein neutrales, pragmatisches und wirtschaftsorientiertes Regime für grenzüberschreitende Verträge sie enthalten zahlreiche praxisnahe Lösungen für übliche Vertragsfragen und versöhnen dabei Civil Law und Common Law Unidroit Principles werden in zahlreichen Entscheidungen von Schiedsgerichten oder nationalen Gerichten zitiert u.a. befürwortet von der Kommission der Vereinten Nationen für internationales Handelsrecht (zuletzt 2021) und der Union Internationale des Avocats (2020), die über ihre Anwaltskammern und Einzelmitglieder rund zwei Millionen Anwälte in mehr als 110 Ländern vereinen. Nach dreißig Jahren Anwendung in der Praxis kann es sich rächen, die Unidroit Principles zu ignorieren! Die vollständig überarbeiteten und erweiterte 2. Auflage des Kommentars analysiert weiterhin die Unidroit Principles, Artikel für Artikel, aus Sicht des Praktikers. Alternative Handlungsmöglichkeiten werden dort erörtert, wo sie sinnvoll und anwendbar sind. Der Kommentar enthält Vorschläge für die Wahl der Klauseln der Unidroit Principles und praktische Anleitungen für deren Verwendung, auch als Vorlage oder zur Ergänzung des CISG oder des nationalen Rechts. Neben Schiedsgerichts- und staatlichen Gerichtsentscheidungen sowie aktueller Literatur enthält die 2. Auflage eine eingehende Analyse des umfangreichen Gesetzesmaterials. Als deutscher Praktiker mit internationaler Ausbildung ist der Autor mit dem Common Law und dem Civil Law bestens vertraut. Er ist als Rechtsanwalt in New York zugelassen und lehrt als Professor für Rechtswissenschaften an der Universität Hamburg. Der Autor wendet die Unidroit Principles seit 20 Jahren in seiner täglichen Handels- und Schiedsgerichtspraxis an. Aufgrund zahlreicher Berichterstattung aus der Praxis bietet der Kommentar zugleich ein Handbuch und Checklisten zum allgemeinen Schuldrecht in grenzübergreifenden Fällen.

Drafting an international contract can be a risky business. Yet with the increasing globalization of markets, these cross-border contracts are becoming a common practice for most traders, as well as for the lawyers assisting them. At the same time, international contracts remain a difficult and mysterious subject for business people as well as their lawyers. In his new book, Drafting and Negotiating International Commercial Contracts, Professor Fabio Bortolotti, a world-renowned expert on contract law, clarifies the issues surrounding these contracts and provides solutions to the thorny problems they raise: choice of the applicable law choice of jurisdiction international arbitration the use of more international drafting techniques hardship, force majeure and liquidated damages As an added feature, this volume provides insights into the basic requirements of a well-drafted contract and analyzes in depth the negotiating process. It concludes with incisive commentary on the model contracts developed by the International Chamber of Commerce. Lawyers and other legal professionals will find in these pages the tools they need to ensure their contracts meet the requirements of a globalized world.

The Unidroit Principles of International Contracts, first published in 1994, have met with extraordinary success in the legal and business community worldwide. Prepared by a group of eminent experts from all major legal systems of the world, they provide a comprehensive set of rules for international commercial contracts. This new edition of An International Restatement of Contract Law is the first comprehensive introduction to the Unidroit Principles 2004. In addition, it provides an extensive survey and analysis of the actual use of the Unidroit Principles in practice with special emphasis on the different ways in which they have been interpreted and applied by the courts and arbitral tribunals in the hundred or so cases reported worldwide. The book also contains the full text of the Preamble and the 180 articles of the Unidroit Principles 2004 in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian and Russian as well as the 1994 edition in Spanish.

This global study provides a definitive reference guide to the key choice of law principles on international contracts, including 60 national and regional reports written by experts from all parts of the world, and a dedicated commentary on the Hague Principles as applied to international commercial arbitration.

Drafting International Contracts is an essential resource for anyone working in international business. The book is a straightforward, easy-to-use tool featuring all the latest trends and developments, including a summary of 25 years of meetings and discussions of the International Contracts Working Group, comprised of professional lawyers, corporate counsel, and academics. It offers a systematic analysis of the main clauses present in international contracts, providing abundant quotations of actual clauses, with critical assessments. The book fosters an understanding of how international contracts are drafted in actual practice. Published under the Transnational Publishers imprint.

This is an overview of interpretation and gap filling mechanisms in international commercial contracts covering CISG, UNIDROIT Principles, PECL and DCFR.

This volume presents national reports describing the legal instruments that are available to prevent the payment of bribes for acquiring contracts. Anti-corruption is one of the preeminent issues in the modern global commercial order and is tackled with the help of criminal law and contract law in different ways in different countries. The reports included in this volume, from very diverse parts of the world, represent a unique and rich compilation of court decisions, doctrinal discussions and a pool of suggested solutions. The central theme is the enforceability of three problematic types of contracts: the bribe agreement, whereby a bribe payer promises the agent of his business partner a personal benefit in exchange for favourable contract terms; the agreement between a bribe payer and an intermediary (a “bribe merchant”), where the latter offers his expertise to help funnel bribes to agents of the business partner; and finally, the contract between the bribe payer and his business partner which was obtained by means of bribery. The analysis is tailored toward commercial contracts, which can also include contracts with state-owned enterprises. The examination and comparison of international and national initiatives included in this volume advance the discussion on the most appropriate remedies in corruption cases, and show how to get past the boundaries of criminal, private and contract law.

Lawyers involved in international commercial transactions know well that unforeseen events affecting the performance of a party often arise. Not surprisingly, exemptions for non-performance are dealt with in a significant number of arbitral awards. This very useful book thoroughly analyzes contemporary approaches, particularly as manifested in case law, to the scope and content of the principles of exemption for non-performance which are commonly referred to as 'force majeure' and 'hardship.' The author shows that the 'general principles of law' approach addresses this concern most effectively. Generally accepted and understood by the business world at large, this approach encompasses principles of international commercial contracts derived from a variety of legal systems. It's most important 'restatements' are found in the 1980 United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) and the UNIDROIT Principles of International Commercial Contracts (UPICC). Establishing specific standards and "case groups" for the exemptions under review, the analysis treats such recurring elements as the following: contractual risk allocations; unforeseeability of an impediment; impediments beyond the typical sphere of risk and control of the obligor; responsibility for third parties (subcontractors, suppliers); legal impediments (acts of public authority) and effect of mandatory rules; involvement of states or state enterprises; interpretation of force majeure and hardship clauses; hardship threshold test; frustration of purpose; irreconcilable differences; comparison with exemptions under domestic legal systems (impossibility of performance, frustration of contract, impracticability) The book is a major contribution to the development of the use of general principles of law in international commercial arbitration. It may be used as a comprehensive commentary on the force majeure and hardship provisions of the UPICC, as well as on Art. 79 of the CISG. In addition, as an insightful investigation into the fundamental question of the limits of the principle of sanctity of contracts, this book is sure to capture the attention of business lawyers and interested academics everywhere.