Conflict of Laws
Case law & legislation
Lecture 6 - Jurisdiction I: Intro & Choice of Court
→ Brussels I-bis Regulation1
- Jurisdiction
- Choice of court
LTU Lufttransportunternehmen GmbH & Co. KG v Eurocontrol
● Interpretation of civil and commercial matters must first be referring to the objective and scheme of the
Convention (Regulation), and only after that to national law2
● A public authority acting in its powers is excluded from application of the Convention (Regulation)3
Gesellschaft für Antriebstechnik mbH & Co. KG v Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG
● Invalidity issues of intellectual property rights are for the Court with exclusive jurisdiction (Art. 24(4))4
Trasporti Castelletti Spedizioni Internazionali SpA v Hugo Trumpy SpA
● Consent to jurisdiction clause exists where conduct is consistent with usage governing the area of
international trade and commerce (and where the parties are aware)5
● Thirds party court is allowed (no connection needed)6
Powell Duffryn plc v Wolfgang Petereit
● Choice of court clause (or ‘agreement conferring jurisdiction’) between a company and its shareholders is
valid7
Erich Gasser GmbH v MISAT Srl
● lis pendens also mandatory in the case of a choice of court clause8
Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts v JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, Frankfurt Branch
● Exclusive jurisdiction should not be interpreted as meaning that it applies to proceedings in which a
company pleads that a contract cannot be relied upon against it because a decision of its organs which led
to the conclusion of the contract is supposedly invalid on account of infringements of its statutes9
1
Council Regulation 1215/2012 of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil
and commercial matters (recast) [2012] OJ L-351/1
2
Case 29-76 LTU Lufttransportunternehmen GmbH & Co. KG v Eurocontrol [1976] ECR 01541, para. 5
3
Case 29-76 LTU Lufttransportunternehmen GmbH & Co. KG v Eurocontrol [1976] ECR 01541, para. 5
4
Case C-4/03 Gesellschaft für Antriebstechnik mbH & Co. KG v Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG [2006] ECR I-06509,
para. 31
5
Case C-159/97 Trasporti Castelletti Spedizioni Internazionali SpA v Hugo Trumpy SpA [1999] ECR I-01597, para. 53(1)
6
Case C-159/97 Trasporti Castelletti Spedizioni Internazionali SpA v Hugo Trumpy SpA [1999] ECR I-01597, para. 53(2)
7
Case C-214/89 Powell Duffryn plc v Wolfgang Petereit [19920 ECR I-01745, para. 38(1)
8
Case C-116/02 Erich Gasser GmbH v MISAT Srl [2003] ECR I-14693, para. 54
9
Case C-144/10 Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts v JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, Frankfurt Branch
[2011] ECR I-03961, para. 47
1
, Lecture 7 - Jurisdiction II: Weaker Parties, Main Rule, and Alternative Fora
→ Brussels I-bis Regulation10
- Jurisdiction
- Weaker parties
- Main rule
- Alternative fora
Peter Pammer v Reederei Karl Schlüter GmbH & Co. KG and Hotel Alpenhof GesmbH v Oliver Heller
● A trader’s activity can also be directed towards a Member State via a website, though it still really needs to
be DIRECTED11
Daniela Mühlleitner v Ahmad Yusufi en Wadat Yusufi
● A consumer can sue a company in the consumer’s home court even if the consumer travelled into the
jurisdiction of the company to buy a product12
Lokman Emrek v Vlado Sabranovic
● No causal link needed between the means employed to direct activity towards the Member State of the
consumer and conclusion of contract with consumer (but if there is a link, it can be taken into
consideration by the court)13
Glaxosmithkline and Laboratoires Glaxosmithkline v Jean-Pierre Rouard
● Individual contracts of employment do not fall under special rules for jurisdiction14
10
Council Regulation 1215/2012 of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in
civil and commercial matters (recast) [2012] OJ L-351/1
11
Joined Cases C-585/08 and C-144/09 Peter Pammer v Reederei Karl Schlüter GmbH & Co. KG and Hotel Alpenhof GesmbH v
Oliver Heller [2010] ECR I-12527, para. 95(2)
12
Case C-190/11 Daniela Mühlleitner v Ahmad Yusufi en Wadat Yusufi [2012] ECR (Court Reports - general), para. 45
13
Case C-218/12 Lokman Emrek v Vlado Sabranovic [2013] ECR (Digital Reports - general), para. 42(1)
14
Case C-462/06 Glaxosmithkline and Laboratoires Glaxosmithkline v Jean-Pierre Rouard [2008] ECR I-03965, para. 35
2
Case law & legislation
Lecture 6 - Jurisdiction I: Intro & Choice of Court
→ Brussels I-bis Regulation1
- Jurisdiction
- Choice of court
LTU Lufttransportunternehmen GmbH & Co. KG v Eurocontrol
● Interpretation of civil and commercial matters must first be referring to the objective and scheme of the
Convention (Regulation), and only after that to national law2
● A public authority acting in its powers is excluded from application of the Convention (Regulation)3
Gesellschaft für Antriebstechnik mbH & Co. KG v Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG
● Invalidity issues of intellectual property rights are for the Court with exclusive jurisdiction (Art. 24(4))4
Trasporti Castelletti Spedizioni Internazionali SpA v Hugo Trumpy SpA
● Consent to jurisdiction clause exists where conduct is consistent with usage governing the area of
international trade and commerce (and where the parties are aware)5
● Thirds party court is allowed (no connection needed)6
Powell Duffryn plc v Wolfgang Petereit
● Choice of court clause (or ‘agreement conferring jurisdiction’) between a company and its shareholders is
valid7
Erich Gasser GmbH v MISAT Srl
● lis pendens also mandatory in the case of a choice of court clause8
Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts v JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, Frankfurt Branch
● Exclusive jurisdiction should not be interpreted as meaning that it applies to proceedings in which a
company pleads that a contract cannot be relied upon against it because a decision of its organs which led
to the conclusion of the contract is supposedly invalid on account of infringements of its statutes9
1
Council Regulation 1215/2012 of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in civil
and commercial matters (recast) [2012] OJ L-351/1
2
Case 29-76 LTU Lufttransportunternehmen GmbH & Co. KG v Eurocontrol [1976] ECR 01541, para. 5
3
Case 29-76 LTU Lufttransportunternehmen GmbH & Co. KG v Eurocontrol [1976] ECR 01541, para. 5
4
Case C-4/03 Gesellschaft für Antriebstechnik mbH & Co. KG v Lamellen und Kupplungsbau Beteiligungs KG [2006] ECR I-06509,
para. 31
5
Case C-159/97 Trasporti Castelletti Spedizioni Internazionali SpA v Hugo Trumpy SpA [1999] ECR I-01597, para. 53(1)
6
Case C-159/97 Trasporti Castelletti Spedizioni Internazionali SpA v Hugo Trumpy SpA [1999] ECR I-01597, para. 53(2)
7
Case C-214/89 Powell Duffryn plc v Wolfgang Petereit [19920 ECR I-01745, para. 38(1)
8
Case C-116/02 Erich Gasser GmbH v MISAT Srl [2003] ECR I-14693, para. 54
9
Case C-144/10 Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG), Anstalt des öffentlichen Rechts v JPMorgan Chase Bank NA, Frankfurt Branch
[2011] ECR I-03961, para. 47
1
, Lecture 7 - Jurisdiction II: Weaker Parties, Main Rule, and Alternative Fora
→ Brussels I-bis Regulation10
- Jurisdiction
- Weaker parties
- Main rule
- Alternative fora
Peter Pammer v Reederei Karl Schlüter GmbH & Co. KG and Hotel Alpenhof GesmbH v Oliver Heller
● A trader’s activity can also be directed towards a Member State via a website, though it still really needs to
be DIRECTED11
Daniela Mühlleitner v Ahmad Yusufi en Wadat Yusufi
● A consumer can sue a company in the consumer’s home court even if the consumer travelled into the
jurisdiction of the company to buy a product12
Lokman Emrek v Vlado Sabranovic
● No causal link needed between the means employed to direct activity towards the Member State of the
consumer and conclusion of contract with consumer (but if there is a link, it can be taken into
consideration by the court)13
Glaxosmithkline and Laboratoires Glaxosmithkline v Jean-Pierre Rouard
● Individual contracts of employment do not fall under special rules for jurisdiction14
10
Council Regulation 1215/2012 of 12 December 2012 on jurisdiction and the recognition and enforcement of judgments in
civil and commercial matters (recast) [2012] OJ L-351/1
11
Joined Cases C-585/08 and C-144/09 Peter Pammer v Reederei Karl Schlüter GmbH & Co. KG and Hotel Alpenhof GesmbH v
Oliver Heller [2010] ECR I-12527, para. 95(2)
12
Case C-190/11 Daniela Mühlleitner v Ahmad Yusufi en Wadat Yusufi [2012] ECR (Court Reports - general), para. 45
13
Case C-218/12 Lokman Emrek v Vlado Sabranovic [2013] ECR (Digital Reports - general), para. 42(1)
14
Case C-462/06 Glaxosmithkline and Laboratoires Glaxosmithkline v Jean-Pierre Rouard [2008] ECR I-03965, para. 35
2
