Winner of the prestigious Akutagawa Prize, three dream-like tales of memory and war Visiting a friend in the French countryside, a man finds himself cast into the quandaries of historical whim, religious identity, and seeing without sight; a walk along the seashore, upon the anniversary of a death, becomes a reverie on building sandcastles; and an innocent break-in at the ruins of an archbishop's residence takes a turn towards disaster. In three stories that prove the unavoidable connectio...

This comprehensive handbook delves into the intricate relationship between artificial intelligence, law, and government regulations in society and business. With a particular focus on consumer-centric issues, chapters analyze the benefits and challenges of the expanding influence of AI systems on consumers, while shedding light on the psychological impact and potential harm posed by AI. Readers will navigate the complexities of tort law and its application to harm caused by AI, explore the...

This book looks at the consumer protection offered in a range of Asian countries, for example China, Japan, and South Korea in key areas such as consumer sales law, unfair terms, product liability, and unfair commercial practices. However, it is interesting to note that consumer protection is on the rise everywhere and to compare how this differs depending upon the legal cultures. It is also fascinating to reflect on the influence of models for law reform such as the EU laws. ASEAN has als...

The Unfair Commercial Practices Directive is the most important directive in the field of trade practices to have emerged from the EC but it builds upon European activity which has sought to regulate trade practices on both a sectoral and horizontal level. It is an umbrella provision, which uses general clauses to protect consumers. How effective this approach is and how it relates the existing acquis are fundamental issues for debate. This work provides a critical appraisal of the Unfair ...

This fully revised and updated second edition of Consumer Protection Law introduces the reader to the substantive law of consumer protection in the United Kingdom, the emphasis being on the place of United Kingdom law within an evolving European legal system and also on the need to draw upon comparative experience. The book not only seeks to place consumer protection in its purely black-letter context but also draws upon wider readings to show that consumer protection law is a complex area...

The Yearbook of Consumer Law provides a valuable outlet for high quality scholarly work which tracks developments in the consumer law field with a domestic, regional and international dimension. The 2009 volume presents a range of peer-reviewed scholarly articles, analytical in approach and focusing on specific areas of consumer law such as credit, consumer redress and the impact of the European Union on consumer law. The book also includes a section dedicated to significant developments d...

Addressing three central questions of legal policy, this is an interesting and comprehensive analysis of the need to control and regulate tobacco consumption. The core issues of the book are litigation vs. regulation with a comparative analysis of the US and European approaches; the challenge to regulate tobacco as a lawful product within constitutional limits to promote the reduction of risks to health and the extent to which consumers should be entrusted with information to make their ow...

For many years, legislators around the world have responded to the particular needs of consumers by introducing dedicated rules for consumer sales contracts. In the European Union, a significant push came through the adoption of the Consumer Sales Directive (99/44/EC). Elsewhere in the world, legislation focusing on consumer sales contracts has been introduced, for example in New Zealand and Australia. This book offers a snapshot of the current state of consumer sales law in a range of jur...

First published in 2007, The Yearbook of Consumer Law provides a valuable guide to developments in the consumer law field with a domestic, regional and international dimension.The volume presents a range of peer-reviewed scholarly articles, analytical in approach and focusing on specific areas of consumer law such as sales, credit and safety, as well as more general issues, such as consumer law theory. The book also includes a section dedicated to significant developments ...

Information requirements have become a key element of consumer policy at the European level and are also gaining increasing importance in all other areas of private law. The law stipulates that information provided should not be misleading and also involves requirements regarding the fairness and objectivity of what has been provided. In addition to controlling the veracity of what is voluntarily offered by traders, the law increasingly requires disclosure of certain information. This volu...

In Rethinking EU Consumer Law, the authors analyse the development of EU consumer law on the basis of a number of clear themes, which are then traced through specific areas. Recurring themes include the artificiality of the EU’s consumer image, the problems created by the drive towards maximum harmonisation, and the unexpected effects EU Consumer Law has had on national law. The book argues that EU Consumer Law has the potential of enhancing the protecting of consumers throughout ...

This book explores Public Procurement novelties and challenges in an interdisciplinary way. The process whereby the public sector awards contracts to companies for the supply of works, goods or services is a powerful instrument to ensure the achievement of new public goals as well as an efficient use of public funds. This book brings together the papers that have been presented during the "First Symposium on Public Procurement", a conference held in Rome last summer and to be repeated agai...