Suchergebnisse

Abstract
The Unfair Contract Terms Directive (UCTD) and the Common Law doctrine of unconscionability in the United States both pursue the same aim: they seek to protect consumers against abuse of power by traders who are in a position to exploit the asymmetry of the contracting process. However, both sets of rules rest on different premises. In particular, they allocate trust differently between courts and markets. This accounts for deep-running differences despite apparent similarities. This contribution analyses these similarities and differences by commenting on the unconscionability doctrine as expressed in the Draft Restatement of consumer contracts from a European point of view.

This chapter examines the roles of empirical research in consumer law. It does so form a contemporary perspective, taking into account the increased recourse to empirical data both in legal scholarship and in policy-making in conjunction with the behavioural turn. It addresses primarily legal researchers educated in a doctrinal tradition who take an interest in consumer law and are considering adding an empirical dimension to their work or want to incorporate empirical work among the sources they use. In this perspective, part 1 offers a typology of legal questions and discusses how each relates to empirical issues. A distinction is drawn between internal legal questions (questions about how rules relate to one another) and external legal questions (questions about law and the world). It is shown that, while external legal questions about effectiveness and efficiency of rules present a natural affinity with empirics, internal legal questions can also have an empirical component. Taking examples in consumer law, the chapter illustrates that empirical issues lie in the midst of questions about validity, proportionality of interpretation of rules. Section 1 also highlights the particular interest of one type of external legal question for empirical research, besides issues of effectiveness and efficiency, namely reality-check questions, which confront implicit behavioural claims embedded in the law with what is known of consumer behaviour (or indeed firms' behaviour). Part 2 reviews an illustrative selection of recent empirical work, which, strikingly, all pertain to external legal questions. It characterises the use of data in legal argument as rhetorical and illustrates this claim with two series of examples. Legal discourse based on data with express a critique of existing legal regimes provide the most striking illustrations. The rhetorical intensity recedes in reflexion about policy inception and fine-tuning of policy-interventions. Yet, all the examples show that lawyers only ever use data to make arguments. Turning to enforcement of consumer law, a recent trend in the literature advocates more data-intensive enforcement methods. Such proposals, along with substantive and procedural questions raised by algorithmic powered commercial practices provide rich perspectives for further research outlined in section 3.

This chapter examines the roles of empirical research in consumer law. It does so form a contemporary perspective, taking into account the increased recourse to empirical data both in legal scholarship and in policy-making in conjunction with the behavioural turn. It addresses primarily legal researchers educated in a doctrinal tradition who take an interest in consumer law and are considering adding an empirical dimension to their work or want to incorporate empirical work among the sources they use. In this perspective, part 1 offers a typology of legal questions and discusses how each relates to empirical issues. A distinction is drawn between internal legal questions (questions about how rules relate to one another) and external legal questions (questions about law and the world). It is shown that, while external legal questions about effectiveness and efficiency of rules present a natural affinity with empirics, internal legal questions can also have an empirical component. Taking examples in consumer law, the chapter illustrates that empirical issues lie in the midst of questions about validity, proportionality of interpretation of rules. Section 1 also highlights the particular interest of one type of external legal question for empirical research, besides issues of effectiveness and efficiency, namely reality-check questions, which confront implicit behavioural claims embedded in the law with what is known of consumer behaviour (or indeed firms' behaviour). Part 2 reviews an illustrative selection of recent empirical work, which, strikingly, all pertain to external legal questions. It characterises the use of data in legal argument as rhetorical and illustrates this claim with two series of examples. Legal discourse based on data with express a critique of existing legal regimes provide the most striking illustrations. The rhetorical intensity recedes in reflexion about policy inception and fine-tuning of policy-interventions. Yet, all the examples show that lawyers only ever use data to make arguments. Turning to enforcement of consumer law, a recent trend in the literature advocates more data-intensive enforcement methods. Such proposals, along with substantive and procedural questions raised by algorithmic powered commercial practices provide rich perspectives for further research outlined in section 3.

internal market law news in 2016. CJEU, 21 June 2016, Case C-15/15, New Valmar, EU:C:2016:464. ; Actualité du droit du marché intérieur en 2016. CJUE 21 juin 2016, aff. C-15/15, New Valmar, EU:C:2016:464.

Droit du marché intérieur - Chronique de l'actualité législative et jurisprudentielle - Année 2015. CJUE 23 décembre 2015, aff. C-333/14, Scotch Whisky Association , EU:C:2015:845 ; Internal market law: case law and legislative development in 2015. CJUE 23 décembre 2015, aff. C-333/14, Scotch Whisky Association , EU:C:2015:845

Droit du marché intérieur - Chronique de l'actualité législative et jurisprudentielle - Année 2015. CJUE 16 juillet 2015, aff. C-95/14, Unione Nazionale Industria Conciaria (UNIC), EU:C:2015:492 ; Internal market law: case law and legislative development in 2015. CJUE 16 juillet 2015, aff. C-95/14, U nione Nazionale Industria Conciaria (UNIC), EU:C:2015:492

Droit du marché intérieur - Chronique de l'actualité législative et jurisprudentielle - Année 2015. Proposition de directive concernant certains aspects des contrats de fourniture de contenu numérique, COM(2015) 634 final ; Proposition de directive concernant certains aspects des contrats de ventes ( sic ) en ligne et de toute autre vente à distance de biens, COM(2015) 635 final ; Proposition de directive concernant certains aspects des contrats de fourniture de contenu numérique, COM(2015) 634 final, ci-après « proposition de directive contenu numérique » ; Proposition de règlement visant à assurer la portabilité transfrontière des services de contenu en ligne dans le marché intérieur, COM(2015)627 ; Internal market law: case law and legislative development in 2015. Proposition de directive concernant certains aspects des contrats de fourniture de contenu numérique, COM(2015) 634 final ; Proposition de directive concernant certains aspects des contrats de ventes ( sic ) en ligne et de toute autre vente à distance de biens, COM(2015) 635 final ; Proposition de directive concernant certains aspects des contrats de fourniture de contenu numérique, COM(2015) 634 final, ci-après « proposition de directive contenu numérique » ; Proposition de règlement visant à assurer la portabilité transfrontière des services de contenu en ligne dans le marché intérieur, COM(2015)627

Droit du marché intérieur - Chronique de l'actualité législative et jurisprudentielle - Année 2015. CJUE 29 avril 2015, aff. C-51/13, Nationale-Nederlanden Levensverzekering Mij , EU:C:2015:286 ; Internal market law: case law and legislative development in 2015. CJUE 29 avril 2015, aff. C-51/13, Nationale-Nederlanden Levensverzekering Mij , EU:C:2015:286

Droit du marché intérieur - Chronique de l'actualité législative et jurisprudentielle - Année 2015. CJUE 1er octobre 2015, aff. C-340/14, Trijber , et C-341/14, Harmsen , EU:C:2015:641 ; Internal market law: case law and legislative development in 2015. CJUE 1er octobre 2015, aff. C-340/14, Trijber , et C-341/14, Harmsen , EU:C:2015:641

Droit du marché intérieur - Chronique de l'actualité législative et jurisprudentielle - Année 2015. CJUE 29 avril 2015, aff. C-51/13, Nationale-Nederlanden Levensverzekering Mij , EU:C:2015:286 ; Internal market law: case law and legislative development in 2015. CJUE 29 avril 2015, aff. C-51/13, Nationale-Nederlanden Levensverzekering Mij , EU:C:2015:286