General Report: The Influence of Human Rights and Basic Rights in Private Law

Abstract

This book provides a comparative perspective on one of the most intriguing developments in law: the influence of basic rights and human rights in private law. It analyzes the application of basic rights and human rights, which are traditionally understood as public law rights, in private law, and discusses the related spillover effects and changing perspectives in legal doctrine and practice. It provides examples where basic rights and human rights influence judicial reasoning and lead to changes of legislation in contract law, tort law, property law, family law, and copyright law. Providing both context and background analysis for any critical examination of the horizontal effect of fundamental rights in private law, the book contributes to the current debate on an important issue that deserves the attention of legal practitioners, scholars, judges and others involved in the developments in a variety of the worldℓ́ℓs jurisdictions. This book is based on the General Report and national reports commissioned by the International Academy of Comparative Law and written for the XIXth International Congress of Comparative Law in Vienna, Austria, in the summer of 2014. Foreword; Contents; Contributors; Abbreviations; Part I: General Report; Chapter 1: General Report: The Influence of Human Rights and Basic Rights in Private Law; 1.1 Introduction; 1.1.1 General Matters and Terminology Issues; 1.1.2 Some Historical Highlights; 1.1.3 Sources of Fundamental Rights; 1.1.4 'Constitutionalization' of Private Law; 1.1.5 Horizontal Effect of Fundamental Rights; 1.2 The Influence of Fundamental Rights in Contract Law; 1.2.1 General Principles of Contract Law; 1.2.2 The Freedom of Contract and Contractual Imbalance 1.2.3 Remedies for the Breach of Contract or Failure to Perform1.2.4 Other Influences in Contract Law; 1.2.5 Specifically on the Influence in the EU; 1.2.5.1 Harmonization in the EU; 1.2.5.2 The CJEU Case Law; 1.3 The Influence of Fundamental Rights in Tort Law; 1.3.1 General Principles of Tort Law; 1.3.2 Specifically on Non-pecuniary Damages; 1.3.3 Specifically on the Influence in the EU; 1.3.3.1 Harmonization; 1.3.3.2 The CJEU Case Law; 1.4 The Influence of Fundamental Rights in Property Law; 1.4.1 The Influence in Property Law; 1.4.1.1 Introductory on Property Law 1.4.1.2 Property Rights Limitations1.4.2 Influence in Intellectual Property Law; 1.4.3 Specifically on the Influence in the EU; 1.4.3.1 Harmonization; 1.4.3.2 The CJEU Case Law; 1.5 The Influence of Fundamental Rights in Family Law and Inheritance Law; 1.5.1 General Principles of Family Law; 1.5.2 Treatment of Married and Unmarried Couples; 1.5.3 Same-Sex Unions; 1.5.4 The Impact of Family Law Rights on Legislation and Case Law; 1.5.5 Specifically on the Influence of Fundamental Rights in Inheritance Law; 1.5.6 Specifically on the Influence in the EU; 1.5.6.1 Harmonization 1.5.6.2 The CJEU Case Law1.6 The Influence of Fundamental Rights in Other Areas; 1.6.1 The Right to Privacy; 1.6.2 Balancing the Right to Privacy and the Right to Freedom of Expression; 1.6.3 Specifically on the Right to Privacy and Personality Rights in the EU; 1.6.3.1 Harmonization; 1.6.3.2 The CJEU Case Law; 1.7 Conclusion; Appendix: Questionnaire to Provide Guidance to National Reporters; Session II A: Droit Civil/Civil Law; Questionnaire; Bibliography; General Report and National Reports; Part II: National Reports Chapter 2: Le rayonnement des droits de l'Homme et des droits fondamentaux en droit privé argentin2.1 Droits de l'Homme et droits fondamentaux en Argentine; 2.1.1 La Constitution argentine; 2.1.2 L'Introduction de l'expression « droits de l'Homme »; 2.1.3 Les Conventions internationales et la législation nationale; 2.1.4 Les Limites légales à la protection des droits de l'Homme et des droits fondamentaux; 2.1.5 Le Contrôle de constitutionnalité; 2.2 Le Rayonnement des droits de l'Homme et des droits fondamentaux sur le droit des contrats