国际航空产品责任法律适用研究

The Applicable Law of International Aviation Product Liability

向飞机制造商追究其产品责任已成为多次空难事故发生后旅客或其家属进行索赔诉讼的新动向,其根源是受害人为获得充分的损害赔偿金,通过以航空产品存在缺陷为由向制造商提起产品责任诉讼,以避开国际公约或相关国内法对承运人责任限额和免责条款的规定。各国关于产品责任的立法规定相异,尤其是产品责任的赔偿数额、归责原则以及惩罚性损害赔偿制度等的不同,意味着案件究竟适用何国法律作为准据法对保护受害人的权益来说显得至关重要。在确定准据法时,应突破侵权行为地法这一机械的原则,用灵活的选法规则在保护弱方当事人权益理念的指导下,来实现判决结果的一致性以及双方当事人实体性权利义务分配的公平性。

Pursuing product liability to aircraft manufactures is becoming a new tread for passengers or their families claiming litigation after many plane crash accidents.Its root for victims is to obtain adequate damages.By the causes of aeronautical product defectives,the manufacturer victims were filed to avoid the provisions of international conventions or national law related to the carriers' limit of liability and disclaimers.As the provisions of national legislations on product liability are different,especially on amount of compensation,principles of liability and punitive damages system,it is vitally important which countries' law applies to the case as the applicable law to protect victims.In determining the applicable law,the law of tort principles should be broken through.In keeping with the principles of the protection of the rights and obligations of the parties,we should use flexible and optional regulatory to achieve the consistency and fairness of the verdict of the substantive rights and obligations of the parties.