International Law on Liability and Compensation in the Offshore Oil ＆ Gas Industry

Offshore oil and gas exploration and production comes with risk of release of hydrocarbons in to sea. Today, the probability of such an event is relatively low, but the consequences are nevertheless significant and can cover a vast geographical area. As such, it raises the question as to whether liability and compensation in oil ＆ gas related incidents should be covered under international law. Current international legislation addresses the issue mainly in terms of shipping. This paper attempts to shed light on the topic in relation to oil and gas exploration whilst investigating notable events in the UK and the USA. The findings show that domestic laws of these countries cover the matter sufficiently. However, the question of whether the regulation should fall under international regulation can unfortunately not be answered with confidence as it would require a test-case of a situation where an oil spill affects multiple littoral states.

Dilemma and Solution for Relief in the Right to Equal Employment-From the Perspective of Rectifying Private Law with Social Law

At present,the legal remedies in terms of the right to equal employment in China are mainly related to private law,that is,laborers seek direct legal remedies for personality rights liability and infringement liability according to typical private law,supplemented by indirect remedies for labor contract liability under special private law.However,there are many challenges in private law remedies for the right to equal employment,which are manifested in the misunderstanding of the general tort identification of employment discrimination,the loopholes in the regulations on discriminatory employment,the imbalance in the burden of proof,and the limitation and alienation of the functions of civil liability and private law autonomy.The root of those problems lies in the fact that the nature of anti-employment discrimination law is not private law but social law.Equal employment involves both public and private interests,and it should be based on the public interest of society and adhere to the value orientation of prioritizing fairness while taking into account efficiency.Improving the legal relief mechanism for protecting the right to equal employment,with a focus on correcting private law with social law,is the solution to the dilemma.Specific measures include establishing the special tort liability system for equal employment,the legal mechanism against discriminatory labor contracts,the public-private integrated legal responsibility system,and an essentially fair system for the responsibility of adducing evidence.

Overview of the Impact of the Introduction of the Copyright Act 2020 on Digital Publishing

In November 2020,the third amendment of the Copyright Law of the People’s Republic of China was completed and officially implemented in June 2021,which is undoubtedly of great significance to Chinese citizens with a growing awareness of copyright.This has also triggered our thinking about the impact of Copyright Law on digital copyright.Through the analysis of the cases after the amendment of the Copyright Law,we find that to a certain extent,the Copyright Law has played a great role in the protection of digital copyright,but it is still unable to achieve comprehensive protection,and there are still some imperfections.From this point of view,the simple legal protection of digital copyright cannot be taken into account.It still needs to be combined with technical protection means,cooperate with social conditions,and work together to create a harmonious and healthy online publishing environment and promote the protection of digital copyright.

Timberland Investing and Private Property Rights in the United States of America

Investments in rural land for agriculture, timber, and other natural resource purposes occur frequently and globally. Fundamental principles of liberty and property found in the United States of America’s (“US”) legal system, from its origins to recent US Supreme Court decisions, continue to positively benefit holders of real estate in the Southern US, through a deep-rooted public policy of supporting private property rights and rural economic development. This stable rule of law enhances the long-term adaptability and sustainability of timberland as an asset class. This article is a commentary. It combines legal research methodology with the observations and conclusions of the authors. Its purpose is to demonstrate that the existence of alienable, documentable ownership, and related property rights create inherent stability and security. These principles form the basis of a culture that is defined by the rule of law and is “open for business.” This business mindset is particularly prevalent in the Southern US.

The Hierarchy of Distribution in Private Law

In terms of the theory of the three hierarchies of distribution in economics,private law can be seen as embodying a 2.5th distribution.Primary distribution confers equal objective rights on all private agents,who acquire subjective rights through de facto and de jure acts.The legal environment should be conducive to unleashing the energy and creativity of agents,supporting entrepreneurs,safeguarding competitive neutrality and promoting the mobility of factors of production in order to consolidate the material foundation of common prosperity.Redistribution changes the rules of primary distribution and is an inherent and rightful function of private law.By equalizing the strengths and weaknesses of the interactions of private agents,redistribution is better able to promote self-determination and defend human dignity than public law.Moreover,it enables private law to achieve the national goals of enhancing social welfare and reducing confrontation in the operation of power.Private law lies between redistribution and tertiary distribution,occupying the 2.5th distribution.Its most typical expression is"interference liability,"i.e.,justified harm inflicted in cases of necessity(Aufopferungshaftung).This includes the expansion of the social liability of profitmaking legal persons,the expansion of tort liability,and the limitation of the return of benefits.Private law enables distributive justice to serve as a common basis for the various hierarchies of distribution,incorporating the different values of private law and weighting them differently depending on the circumstances.Distributive justice can also help to transform all private law rules into laws of nature,thus highlighting the neutrality of private law.

Fiduciary Duties in Company Law:A German Perspective

As Chinese practitioners and scholars ponder the scope of fiduciary obligations under the country’s company law,this paper offers a comparative perspective from German law.Although German corporate law has not rejected legal transplants,the common law trust has never been accepted as an organizational device for administering third-party funds or doing business.Nonetheless,the German judiciary has developed a sophisticated concept of fiduciary obligations where the statutes remain silent.This paper explores the application of fiduciary obligations to limited partnerships,limited liability companies,and stock corporations.It takes a membership perspective to ascertain the legal relationships between a corporation and its shareholder-members and among fellow-shareholders,as business entities evolve from personalistic to capitalistic settings.Fiduciary obligations also inform the relationship between the corporation and its directors and corporate officers.Although German law does not classify directors and corporate officers as the shareholders’direct trustees,shareholders stand nonetheless to benefit from the way directors and corporate offices discharge their duties towards the respective corporate entities.Moreover,criminal law rules on embezzlement operate to protect the corporation and the monies it administers from overly risky business projects.

Peak-strength strain energy storage index for evaluating coal burst liability based on the linear energy storage law

The strain energy storage index WET was widely used to evaluate coal burst liability,but the scientific evidence for selecting the unloading stress level interval(around 80%of peak strength)remains lacking,and WET can not reflect the energy storage and dissipation ratio(ESD ratio)of the whole pre-peak stage for coal materials.In this study,these two key problems in WET calculation and application were solved based on the linear energy storage(LES)law.The LES law was defined as the linear relationship between the elastic strain energy and input strain energy for solid material during loading.Using the LES law,the elastic strain energy and dissipated strain energy of at 10 types of coals were calculated precisely,and ideal ESD ratio and general ESD ratio at any stress level will be obtained subsequently.The results also show that WET is extremely close to the ideal and general ESD ratio,which proves that the selecting stress level of WET calculation is scientific and reasonable.Furthermore,the general ESD ratio converges to the peak ESD ratio(namely peak strain energy storage index WET P)as stress level increases.Compared with WET,Wp ET not only reflects the ESD ratio of coal materials over the whole pre-peak loading stage,but also exhibits excellent stability.Consequently,Wp ET is suggested as a new evaluation index of coal burst liability.

新《公司法》若干重要问题解读(笔谈)

新《公司法》修订所涉及的内容非常丰富,修订内容包括公司登记制度、股东出资责任、公司治理制度、公司资本制度、控股股东义务、董监高信义义务等方面。赵旭东教授指出,本次《公司法》修订在公司登记与信息公示制度、股东出资责任和法律后果、公司资本制度、公司治理制度、股东权益保护和控股股东义务这五个关键领域实现了重大突破和创新。周林彬教授集中解析了“国家出资公司组织机构的特别规定”一章,认为新《公司法》的亮点之一是通过新设这一章积极回应了我国国有企业治理的“本土实践”与“中国问题”,给出新时期国有企业治理的“中国方案”,推进了中国特色的国有企业治理制度的设计,重塑了国有企业的规范体系。刘凯湘教授对本次《公司法》修订中与公司资本制度相关的若干条文展开解析,包括限期认缴制、新增有限公司股东出资义务加速到期制度、股东违反出资义务的责任承担规则、董事会的催缴出资义务、股东失权制度、董监高对股东抽逃出资的连带责任、类别股的规定、授权资本制等。赵万一教授深入探讨了这次《公司法》修改的主要特点,认为新《公司法》既坚持了其商法属性,同时又充分考虑了《民法典》的既有制度内容,适当兼顾了与《民法典》之间的制度衔接关系,从而既为科学解决民法与商法的关系提供了理念和制度支持,也为中国式法律制度体系的创建提供了完美的立法实践样本。周友苏教授深入解析了新《公司法》在完善股东出资制度方面增加的股东出资缴纳、股东出资“加速到期”、股东失权、股东出资责任这四条新规定,认为新《公司法》在完善股东出资制度方面增加的这些新规定,积极回应了我国自2013年以来公司数量大幅增长所带来的股东盲目认缴、天价认缴、期限过长的现象突出,损害债权人利益的纠纷案件呈明显上升态势等问题,极大地强化了保护债权人的力度。李建伟教授深入解析了《公司法》修订中与法定代表人制度相关的若干条文,认为新《公司法》关于法定代表人的规定较之以往更加体系化,并有望基本解决困扰公司实践许多年的诸多难题,但其中亦存在不完全规范的问题。

“避风港”规则的实践困境与完善路径

“避风港”规则是判定网络侵权责任的重要规则之一,在互联网发展早期较好地平衡了权利保护与产业发展的关系。但随着新技术新业态的快速发展,“避风港”规则在新技术环境下面临着一系列实践困境:网络内容分享平台驶入“避风港”的条件不明确,对特定侵权内容的通知处置难以遏制重复侵权,公法审查义务可能会架空“避风港”规则的适用。摆脱这些困境,就应该在《民法典》解释论框架下,合理划定新技术环境下平台应尽的注意义务,适当扩展解释“必要措施”以遏制重复侵权,澄清私法注意义务与公法审查义务的关系。

从传统走向生态:生产者产品责任生态化

传统生产者产品责任生态化是因应生态社会发展需要和法律生态化趋势的必然结果。传统生产者产品责任在责任理念、责任目的和责任内容上被局限于国家、个体和社会利益保护,既难为预防性和现实性生态责任承担提供依据,又难为生态利益损害救济提供保障,难以适应生态社会发展需要。然而,随着生态社会持续发展,生态文明建设不断推进,不仅生态利益保护的现实需要增强,产品责任理念生态化、产品责任目标生态化和产品法律理论生态化也使传统生产者产品责任生态化之正当性和必要性凸显。与此同时,生态法律责任理论、产品政策生态化和法律生态化也为传统生产者产品责任生态化提供了可行性保障。有鉴于此,实体法应从产品责任理念、产品责任目的和产品责任内容上促进传统生产者产品责任生态化,将绿色、循环、低碳的生态责任理念、责任目的和责任内容贯穿生产者产品的全生命周期,内化为生产者产品在设计、生产、销售和废旧产品回收等环节的行为自觉,构建传统责任与生态责任互补、协同和沟通的整体责任体系。程序法则应沿用公私二元分离的救济模式,既可发挥现有制度之功能与效率,又能避免因公私益交织案件对现有司法机关、司法制度和司法人员要求过高而导致的预防失效和救济失灵。当然,为防止生产者产品责任泛化,传统生产者产品责任生态化并非无限度地生态化,而应是在恪守“必要性”的基础上,既不妨碍传统产品责任功能之实现,又不突破传统生产者产品责任追究在时间、空间与事实等客观条件上的限制和规定。

载人航天商业化的国际损害责任制度:困境与应对

载人航天商业化的发展需要平衡外层空间的公共性和商业载人航天的私营性,国际损害责任制度对管控商业载人航天的成本和风险至关重要。国际外空法对国际损害责任进行了一般性、原则性规定,部分航天国家在国内法中对商业载人航天的损害责任予以明确。基于外空领域的现有责任规则,构建国际损害责任制度面临着责任主体和索赔主体不明、过失作为例外要件存在不合理、国际保险标准难统一、责任分配制度待完善的困境。对此,可考虑通过关联性确认责任主体和索赔主体、对损害统一适用绝对责任、引入强制责任保险、形成双重责任制度,为国家载人航天商业化发展提供制度构建思路;同时,促进国际社会达成共识,推动人类命运共同体理念在外空领域的进一步实现。

单位犯罪成立条款的立法修正——以单位刑事责任理论为分析工具

有关单位犯罪的刑法规定的修改和完善,应以组织体责任论作为单位承担刑事责任根据的学理基础。在将单位与自然人刑事责任追究分别予以考量的前提下,必须厘清单位刑事责任与单位中自然人刑事责任的关系。相较于“平行方式”“总分方式”“剩余方式”,“连带方式”重视单位犯罪与自然人犯罪的特征,在定罪时形成必要兼顾,在量刑时形成彼此关照,因而在法理论证上更易形成说服力,在司法实践中也更具可操作性。在此基础上,探讨完善单位犯罪成立条件的具体路径:应借鉴《民法典》《公司法》等法律优化单位犯罪主体范围;从违反对外义务和对内义务理解单位犯罪的行为类型属于真正的不作为犯;单位不像自然人那般具备认识能力和控制能力,无法在单位犯罪中完全贯彻罪责主义或者主客观相统一原则;“事前合规”可从违反义务的角度以积极条件的方式加以规定,而“事后合规”则不应在定罪阶段予以考虑,应在量刑阶段作为减免单位责任的事由。

论混合型平台知识产权侵权责任的边界——以美国“恶名市场名单”构陷微信为切入点

美国“恶名市场名单”报告以微信被用于售假链条的环节中为由,无端构陷其整体属于电商生态系统并苛责其承担过重的知识产权注意义务,这既给我国相关企业招致过度关注和不当监管,也对我国在知识产权保护方面的国际声誉造成不应有的负面影响。实际上,与传统的单一型平台不同,以微信为代表的混合型平台创造性地将多种类型的功能和服务聚合为一体,在本质上属于混合型平台,其知识产权注意义务和法律责任应当根据具体功能模块的性质和特征予以类型化分析。在框定混合型平台知识产权侵权责任的边界时,必须冲破知识产权侵权行为碎片化以及知识产权注意义务模糊性的困境。一方面,要严格遵循混合型平台知识产权侵权判定的应然逻辑,重点考察混合型平台内各功能服务模块的角色定位;另一方面,要坚持秉承混合型平台知识产权侵权责任认定的理念思路,以分级分类理念、包容审慎理念和利益平衡理念为视角认真审视侵权责任边界之划定是否科学合理。

技术与法学共视下人工智能体的角色定位

当前人工智能体的刑事责任问题研究整体上仍限于刑法学,应在技术和法学共视下展开一体化探讨。在技术原理上,人工智能体属于机器,不具有自我意识,因而不具有类人般的智能性;认可人工智能体具备刑事责任主体资格的刑法学观点,属假设性理论构想,当前缺乏技术原理上的现实基础。在技术视野下,人工智能体之“刑罚措施”等同机器处置,逻辑上不具有可行性,近乎幻想。人工智能体的刑法定位应归结为对人工智能体的开发者和使用者进行规制,从而保障人工智能在各种应用场景下的安全使用。

大数据时代隐私权的刑法保护模式重构

大数据促进了生活的便捷,带动了新兴行业的高速发展,但超出合理边界的数据滥用行为,也对公民的隐私安全带来了现实威胁。伴随大数据时代的纵深发展,个人隐私的保护从传统个人本位向社会本位发生转变,隐私权的法益内涵在大数据时代应当进行重新审视。随着信息保护的日渐重视,隐私权的价值应与个人信息权一样受到同等重视,刑法应当为大数据时代隐私权的保护开辟新路径,采取直接保护与间接保护并行的双轨制保护模式,重构个人信息的刑法定义,引入“弱可识别性+隐私性”标准,同时继续加强针对隐私权犯罪的积极预防,通过刑法调整来应对当前公民隐私权被侵害的现实。

股东抽逃出资公司法禁令的检视--兼论《公司法司法解释三》

新《公司法》第五十三条和第一百零五条是反映资本维持原则的核心条款,延续了原《公司法》关于公司股东“不得抽逃出资”或“不得抽回其股本”的禁止性规定,充实了股东和董监高的民事责任。但股东抽逃出资禁令无法反映“公司向股东返还财产”的实质,在术语上应予调整,在解释上应与“公司不得返还股东”保持一致。抽逃出资禁令反映了资本管制思想,与股东不履行出资义务、公司收购或回购股权、股东与公司之间关联交易、股东权利限制和失权、返还出资、赔偿责任等相互关联,已经成为一个内涵丰富、外延巨大的超级条款。在适用该禁令时,应当根据不同的给付方式,施加必要程序和数额限制,强化董监高的职责,合理关注股东的资产收益权。

论生态环境修复制度的法典化

加快推进生态环境修复制度法典化进程,不仅是生态环境修复制度体系化建设的现实需要,更是生态环境法典结构完整性的必然要求。推动生态环境修复制度法典化,应在全面梳理生态环境修复制度基本样态的基础上,揭示其现有法律规范难成体系、现行制度尚欠成熟等问题,在生态环境修复制度体系化构造的基础上逐步完成法典化的转化,最终形成生态环境法典总则编中生态环境修复制度基本定义条款、法权配置条款、核心措施条款、与其他制度相衔接的规范表达,以及生态环境法典分则编中生态环境修复制度污染防治编、自然生态保护编、法律责任编的规范构建思路。

“法定犯”视角下著作权犯罪民刑衔接的限度

在加大知识产权保护的时代背景下,为了实现对著作权的周延保护,《著作权法》与《刑法》相关条款纷纷修改。条文的修改亟需阐释,两法之冲突亦应梳理。因此,有必要探讨著作权犯罪的民刑衔接问题,以既符合法秩序统一的要求,又最大程度满足知识产权的刑法保护需要。然而,主张著作权犯罪的民刑衔接不具有限度的“否定立场”,将使刑法产生处罚漏洞,与罪刑法定原则发生逻辑背离,致《刑法修正案(十一)》的修法效果大打折扣。考察其立论基础,分析“法定犯”属性对犯罪成立的影响,可知侵犯著作权罪应当坚持缓和的违法一元论,但没有根基对相关概念作出含义统一的要求,没有理由对“附属刑事责任条款”施加限制入罪的效力,刑法可以独立解释“复制、发行、通过信息网络向公众传播”行为的内涵。因此,需要确立以“违反前置法”为前提,旨在“实现刑法目的”的民刑衔接之限度的教义学方案。第一,在通过“违反前置法”实现衔接这一环节,应当严格依据《著作权法》确定作品是否享有特定著作权,以及犯罪嫌疑人是否侵犯著作权。倘若在这一步骤作出了否定的回答,则侵犯著作权罪必然不能成立。第二,在通过“实现刑法目的”确立限度这一环节,则应当遵循刑法的目的,考虑构成要件的文字范围与处罚必要性的大小,最终决定犯罪是否成立。具体而言,其一,合理解释“复制发行”的含义,包括复制、发行或者既复制又发行的行为。其中,单独的复制行为不应被排除在处罚范围之外,“发行”应当限制为“首次发行”和“总发行”,且发表与出租行为也属于发行行为的一种,但是出租书籍与复制发行违法演绎作品之行为因未侵犯著作权而不能入罪。其二,探讨“《著作权法》第52条”规定行为的入罪可能,肯定处罚“剽窃他人作品”“以注释方式使用作品”“未经许可从现场直播或者公开传送其现场表演”等行为,排斥惩罚“未经合作作者许可,将与他人合作创作的作品当作自己单独创作的作品发表”“录制表演”“以改编、翻译方式使用作品”等行为。其三,证成“网播”与“深度链接”行为被“通过信息网络向公众传播”所涵摄的观点。

人类遗传资源安全的刑法全面性保护

为贯彻落实总体国家安全观,并回应人类遗传资源安全管理的规范发展要求,《刑法修正案(十一)》专门增设第三百三十四条之一,但却仍不足以全面保障人类遗传资源安全。究其原因,一是未规定单位犯罪,二是未全面规制非法提供和买卖人类遗传资源的行为,三是未同等保护人类遗传资源材料和人类遗传资源信息。在总体国家安全观的背景下,涉及人类遗传资源的前置法规制体系日趋完善。刑法全面保护人类遗传资源安全的关键,在于填补非法采集人类遗传资源、走私人类遗传资源材料罪的规范漏洞,合理解释关联罪名则是当下最优解。具体而言,把人类遗传资源信息解释为公民个人信息中的生物识别信息,并将侵犯人类遗传资源安全的行为解释为出售、提供或以其他方法非法获取公民个人信息,从而借助侵犯公民个人信息罪,全面评价自然人或者单位实施的非法采集、非法提供、买卖人类遗传资源材料、人类遗传资源信息的行为。

我国贷款人民事责任的探索与法制建构

在“碳达峰、碳中和”目标下,绿色信贷已经成为绿色金融发展的重要支柱,但当前我国绿色信贷法律制度并不完善,基础性的贷款人民事责任尚处于空白状态,具体的归责原则、免责事由及责任形态均不明晰。其成因主要在于我国贷款人民事责任归责理论仍在争议之中,适用传统的归责理论具有一定的局限性。我国贷款人民事责任的建构须以明确的贷款人归责理论为基础,贷款人的环境侵权行为实际上属于间接侵权,可在间接侵权理论下建构以过错责任为主的归责原则,增加不同场景应用下豁免事由并承担连带责任的贷款人民事责任。