Table Of ContentPRINCIPLES OF THE CONFLICT OF LAWS,
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
PRINCIPLES OF THE CONFLICT OF LAWS
NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL
by
K. LIPSTEIN
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1981
MARTINUS NIJHOFF PUBLISHERS
THE HAGUE / BOSTON / LONDON
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PREFACE
The present volume reproduces with slight changes the course of
lectures given at The Hague in 1972 under the title of "The General
Principles of Private International Law". The substance of these lec
tures has remained unaltered, but a number of insertions serve to cor
rected some formal mistakes and misprints, added references to
literature, some older, some more recent, without attempting to be
exhaustive, and modified and supplemented the former exposition in
two respects, where subsequent criticisms called for a review. The first
concerns the place of public policy in Public International Law, the
second deals with spatially-<:onditioned or self-limiting rules in the light
of recent research.
I am grateful to the Academy of International Law and its Secretary
General for their permission to re-publish the lectures as a separate
volume.
v
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Part I. The nature and function of Private International Law ., 1
Section 1. Introduction 1
Section 2. Rome and beyond . 3
Section 3. The period after the division of the Roman Empire--per-
sonality of laws 3
Section 4. Feudalism and the revival of Roman Law . 4
Section 5. Feudalism. 4
Section 6. Italy-the Legists . 5
Section 7. The doctrine of the Statutists 7
The French school
The historical background of the French doctrine
The Statutist doctrine in Italy-14th Century
Section 8. The French school in the 16th Century-Dumoulin and
D'Argentre. 12
Section 9. The Dutch school--Comity 13
The theoretical basis of Huber's doctrine
Section 10. The subsequent development of the doctrine of Huber-
England 17
Section 11. The United States 19
Section 12. Modern Private International Law-Wachter, Savigny . 20
Section 13. Modern doctrines of territoriality or pseudo-territoriality-
acquired rights . 23
Section 14. Sociological neo-statutists 28
Section 15. Wachter redivivus-Ehrenzweig 30
Section 16. Conflict of laws and the American Constitution 32
Section 17. Governmental interests as conflict resolving factors-
Currie-Neo-statutists . 36
Section 18. "Result selecting" principles-Cavers . 39
Section 19. The international use of the new doctrines 41
Section 20. Conclusions 44
Notes to part I 46
Part II. The relationship between Public and Private International Law 63
Section 21. The influence of Public International Law upon domestic
Private International Law . 63
Legislative jurisdiction according to Public International Law and
choice of law rules
Section 22. Private International Law as part of Public International
Law-choice of law before international tribunals . 67
Section 23. Recognition and the application of foreign law 74
Section 24. Scrutiny of, and refusal to apply, the law and to ,espect the
executive acts of a foreign recognized government 77
Section 25. Conclusions 80
Notes to part II . 81
VII
Part III. The structure and interpretation of rules of Private International
Law . 93
Section 26. Structure . 93
Operative facts and connecting factors
Section 27. Interpretation. 94
Interpretation of connecting factors
Interpretation of operative facts-characterization
Section 28. Spatially conditioned internal rules . 99
Section 29. Transposition, substitution and adaptation 102
Section 30. Renvoi 104
Section 31. Preliminary question 107
Section 32. Conflict of laws in time 113
Notes to part III . 115
Part IV. Conclusions 125
Bibliography 127
Table of cases 129
Index 139
VIII
K. Lipstein
BIOGRAPHICAL NOTE
Kurt Lipstein, born 19 March 1909 in Frankfurt am Main; studied in Grenoble,
Berlin and Cambridge.
Gerichtsreferendar (1931); Ph.D. (Cantab) 1936; assistant to Professor H. C.
Gutteridge 1937-1941; Secretary, Faculty Board of Law 1944-1948; University
Lecturer in Law 1946; Reader in the Conflict of Laws 1962; Professor of Com
parative Law 1973-76; Fellow of Clare College 1956; of the Middle Temple
barrister-at-Iaw 1950; Hon. Bencher 1966; Director of Research, International
Association of Legal Science 1954-1959; Visiting Professor of Law, University
of Pennsylvania 1962; Northwestern University, Chicago 1966, 1968; Professeur
Associe, University of Paris I, 1977-78; Member of the Committee appointed by
the Lord Chancellor and the Secretary for Scotland to advise on the conclusion
of treaties prepared by the Hague Conferences on Private International Law;
Member of the International Academy of Comparative Law.
x
PRINCIPAL PUBLICATIONS
BOOKS
One of the editors of Dicey's Conflict of Laws, 6-8 ed. 1948, 1958, 1967.
One of the editors of Leske-Loewenfeld, Das Eherecht der europiiischen Staaten,
2 ed.
Editor of Volume III (private International Law) of the International Encyclopae
dia of Comparative Law.
The Law of the European Economic Community 1974.
Editor, Harmonization of Private International Law by the E.E.C., 1978.
ARTICLES
''The Proper Law of the Contract" (with J. Brunschvig, F. Jerie, K. Rodman),
(1938) 12 St John's Law Rev. 242-264.
"Unjustified Enrichment in the Conflict of Laws" (with H. C. Gutteridge), (1939)
7 Cambridge Law Journal 80-93.
"Conflict of Laws before International Tribunals I, II" (1942) 27 Transactions
of the Grotius Society 142-175.
-(1944) 29 Transactions of the Grotius Society, 51-83.
"The Doctrine of Precedent in Continental Law", (1946) 28 Journal of the Society
of Comparative Law 34-44.
"The Calvo Clause", (1945) 22 British Year Book of International Law 130-145.
"Bentham, Foreign Law and Foreign Lawyers", in Jeremy Bentham and the Law,
(1947) 202-221.
"Italian Law", Chambers Encyclopaedia 1947.
"Spanish Law", Chambers Encyclopaedia 1947.
"Jurisdiction in Bankruptcy", (1949) 12 Modern Law Rev. 454-476.
"Recognition of Governments and the Application of Foreign Law", (1950) 3S
Transactions of the Grotius Society 157-188.
"Jurisdiction to Wind-up Foreign Companies", (1952) 11 Cambridge Law Journal
198-208.
"The Review of Legislative, Executive and Judicial Acts of an Occupying Power",
(1952) 4 Communicazioni e Studi 115-141.
''The Fundamental Categories of English Law", Cuadernos de derecho anglo
americano 1953.
"Legitimacy and Legitimation in English Private International Law", Festschrift
fiir Rabel I, (1954) 611-630.
"A Draft Convention on the Recovery Abroad of Claims for Maintenance", (1954)
3 International & Comparative Law Quarterly 125-134.
The Reception of Western Law in the Countries with a Different Social and
Economic Background: Turkey, I, II.
Annales de I'Instilllt de droit de l'Universite d'Istanboul t. 5, No.6 (1956) 11-27,
225-238.
-to 11, Nos. 16-17 (1961), 3-13, (1957) 9 Social Science Bulletin 70-95.
"The Reception of Western Law in Countries with a Different Social and Economic
Background: India", Revista del Instituto de derecho comparado, Barcelona,
8-9 (1957) 69-81, 213-225.
-(1957) 6 Indian Yearbook of International Law 277-293.
''The Ambatielos Case, Last Phase", (1957) 6I.C.L.Q. 643-656.
"The Hague Conventions on Private'International, Public Law and Public Policy"
(1959) International and Comparative Law Quarterly 508-522.
XI
