The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), sometimes known as the Vienna Convention, is a
multilateral treaty
A multilateral treaty is a treaty to which two or more sovereign states are parties. Each party owes the same obligations to all other parties, except to the extent that they have stated reservation (law), reservations. Examples of multilateral tre ...
that establishes a uniform framework for international commerce.
[Not to be confused with other treaties signed in Vienna.] As of 2022, it has been ratified by 95 countries, representing two-thirds of
world trade.
The CISG facilitates
international trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy)
In most countries, such trade represents a significant ...
by removing legal barriers among
state parties (known as "Contracting States") and providing uniform rules that govern most aspects of a commercial transaction, such as
contract formation
A contract is a legally enforceable agreement between two or more parties that creates, defines, and governs mutual rights and obligations between them. A contract typically involves the transfer of goods, services, money, or a promise to tran ...
, the means of delivery, parties' obligations, and
remedies for
breach of contract
Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party ...
. Unless
expressly excluded by the contract, the convention is automatically incorporated into the
domestic law
Municipal law is the national, domestic, or internal law of a sovereign state and is defined in opposition to international law. Municipal law includes many levels of law: not only national law but also state, provincial, territorial, regional, ...
s of Contracting States and applies directly to a transaction of goods between their nationals.
The CISG is rooted in two earlier international sales treaties first developed in 1930 by the
International Institute for the Unification of Private Law
UNIDROIT (formally, the International Institute for the Unification of Private Law; French: ''Institut international pour l'unification du droit privé'') is an intergovernmental organization whose objective is to harmonize international privat ...
(UNIDROIT).
When neither convention garnered widespread global support, the
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) ( French: ''Commission des Nations Unies pour le droit commercial international (CNUDCI)'') is a subsidiary body of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) responsible for helping to fa ...
(
UNCITRAL
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) ( French: ''Commission des Nations Unies pour le droit commercial international (CNUDCI)'') is a subsidiary body of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) responsible for helping to fa ...
) drew from the existing texts to develop the CISG in 1968.
A draft document was submitted to the Conference on the International Sale of Goods held in Vienna, Austria in 1980. Following weeks of negotiation and modification, the CISG was unanimously approved and opened for ratification; it came into force on 1 January 1988 following ratification by 11 countries.
The CISG is considered one of the greatest achievements of UNCITRAL and the "most successful international document" in unified international sales law, due to its parties representing "every geographical region, every stage of economic development and every major legal, social and economic system".
[John Felemegas, 'The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods: Article 7 and Uniform Interpretation (2000)]
''Pace Review of the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)''
115. Of the uniform law conventions, the CISG has been described as having "the greatest influence on the law of worldwide trans-border commerce", including among nonmembers. It is also the basis of the annual
Willem C. Vis International Commercial Arbitration Moot, one of the largest and most prominent
international moot court competitions in the world.
Adoption
As of 5 May 2020, the following 95 states have ratified, acceded to, approved, accepted, or succeeded to the convention:
The convention has been signed, but not ratified, by
Ghana
Ghana (; tw, Gaana, ee, Gana), officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It abuts the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, sharing borders with Ivory Coast in the west, Burkina Faso in the north, and To ...
and
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
.
Language, structure, and content
The CISG is written using "
plain language
Plain language is writing designed to ensure the reader understands as quickly, easily, and completely as possible. Plain language strives to be easy to read, understand, and use. It avoids verbose, convoluted language and jargon. In many countri ...
that refers to things and events for which there are words of common content". This was intended to allow national legal systems to be transcended through the use of a ''
lingua franca
A lingua franca (; ; for plurals see ), also known as a bridge language, common language, trade language, auxiliary language, vehicular language, or link language, is a language systematically used to make communication possible between groups ...
'' that would be mutually intelligible among different cultural, legal, and linguistic groups. and to avoid "words associated with specific domestic legal nuances".
As is customary in UN conventions, all six
official languages of the UN are equally authentic.
The CISG is divided into four parts:
Part I: Sphere of Application and General Provisions (Articles 1–13)
The CISG applies to contracts of the sale of goods between parties whose places of business are in different States, when the States are Contracting States (Article 1(1)(a)). Given the significant number of Contracting States, this is the usual path to the CISG's applicability.
The CISG also applies if the parties are situated in different countries (which need not be Contracting States) and the conflict of law rules lead to the application of the law of a Contracting State. For example, a contract between a Japanese trader and a Brazilian trader may contain a clause that arbitration will be in Sydney under Australian law with the consequence that the CISG would apply. A number of States have declared they will not be bound by this condition.
The CISG is intended to apply to commercial goods and products only. With some limited exceptions, it does not apply to personal, family, or household goods, nor does it apply to auctions, ships, aircraft, or intangibles and services. The position of computer software is 'controversial' and will depend upon various conditions and situations.
[Peter Schlechtriem, 'Requirements of Application and Sphere of Applicability of the CISG' (2005) 36 ''Victoria University of Wellington Law Review'' 781.]
Importantly, parties to a contract may exclude or vary the application of the CISG.
Interpretation of the CISG must consider the "international character" of the convention, the need for uniform application, and the need for
good faith
In human interactions, good faith ( la, bona fides) is a sincere intention to be fair, open, and honest, regardless of the outcome of the interaction. Some Latin phrases have lost their literal meaning over centuries, but that is not the case ...
in international trade.
A key point of controversy is whether or not a contract requires a written memorial to be binding. The CISG allows for a sale to be oral or unsigned, but in some countries, contracts are not valid unless written. In many nations, however,
oral contract
An oral contract is a contract, the terms of which have been agreed by spoken communication. This is in contrast to a written contract, where the contract is a written document. There may be written, or other physical evidence, of an oral contract ...
s are accepted, and those States had no objection to signing, so States with a strict written requirement exercised their ability to exclude those articles relating to oral contracts, enabling them to sign as well.
The CISG, by its own definition, does not govern all aspects of sales contracts subject to its application. The matters listed in its Article 4 must be filled in by the applicable
nation
A nation is a community of people formed on the basis of a combination of shared features such as language, history, ethnicity, culture and/or society. A nation is thus the collective identity of a group of people understood as defined by those ...
al law under due consideration of the conflict of law rules applicable at the place of jurisdiction. Gaps referring to matters that are governed by the CISG but not expressly settled therein (a gap ''
praeter legem In Legal Latin, the phrase ''praeter legem'' ("outside of the law") "refers to an item that is not regulated by law and therefore is ''not illegal''". It is thus distinct from the phrase contra legem, which refers to something that is directly aga ...
''), however, are to be preferably filled in accordance with "the principles on which
he CISGis based," and only in the absence of those should national law be applied.
Part II: Formation of the Contract (Articles 14–24)
An offer to contract must be addressed to a person, be sufficiently definite – that is, describe the goods, quantity, and price – and indicate an intention for the offeror to be bound on acceptance. The CISG does not appear to recognise
common law
In law, common law (also known as judicial precedent, judge-made law, or case law) is the body of law created by judges and similar quasi-judicial tribunals by virtue of being stated in written opinions."The common law is not a brooding omnipresen ...
unilateral contracts but, subject to clear indication by the offeror, treats any proposal not addressed to a specific person as only an invitation to make an offer. Further, where there is no explicit price or procedure to implicitly determine price, then the parties are assumed to have agreed upon a price based upon that 'generally charged at the time of the conclusion of the contract for such goods sold under comparable circumstances'.
Generally, an offer may be revoked provided the withdrawal reaches the offeree before or at the same time as the offer, or before the offeree has sent an acceptance. Some offers may not be revoked; for example when the offeree reasonably relied upon the offer as being irrevocable. The CISG requires a positive act to indicate acceptance; silence or inactivity are not an acceptance.
The CISG attempts to resolve the common situation where an offeree's reply to an offer accepts the original offer, but attempts to change the conditions. The CISG says that any change to the original conditions is a rejection of the offer—it is a
counter-offer
Offer and acceptance are generally recognised as essential requirements for the formation of a contract, and analysis of their operation is a traditional approach in contract law. The offer and acceptance formula, developed in the 19th century, id ...
—unless the modified terms do not materially alter the terms of the offer. Changes to price, payment, quality, quantity, delivery, liability of the parties, and
arbitration
Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...
conditions may all materially alter the terms of the offer.
Part III: Sale of Goods (Articles 25–88)
Articles 25–88; sale of goods, obligations of the seller, obligations of the buyer, passing of risk, obligations common to both buyer and seller.
The CISG defines the duty of the seller, 'stating the obvious',
[Jacob Ziegel and Claude Samson 'Report to the Uniform Law Conference of Canada on Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods' (1981) Toronto 168–305.] as the seller must deliver the goods, hand over any documents relating to them, and transfer the property in the goods, as required by the contract. Similarly, the duty of the buyer is to take all steps 'which could reasonably be expected' to take delivery of the goods, and to pay for them.
Generally, the goods must be of the quality, quantity, and description required by the contract, be suitably packaged and fit for purpose. The seller is obliged to deliver goods that are not subject to claims from a
third party
Third party may refer to:
Business
* Third-party source, a supplier company not owned by the buyer or seller
* Third-party beneficiary, a person who could sue on a contract, despite not being an active party
* Third-party insurance, such as a Veh ...
for infringement of industrial or
intellectual property
Intellectual property (IP) is a category of property that includes intangible creations of the human intellect. There are many types of intellectual property, and some countries recognize more than others. The best-known types are patents, cop ...
rights in the State where the goods are to be sold. The buyer is obliged to promptly examine the goods and, subject to some qualifications, must advise the seller of any lack of conformity within 'a reasonable time' and no later than within two years of receipt.
The CISG describes when the risk passes from the seller to the buyer but it has been observed that in practice most contracts define the seller's delivery obligations quite precisely by adopting an established shipment term,
such as
FOB and
CIF
Cif is a French brand of household cleaning products owned by the Anglo-Dutch company Unilever, known as Jif in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Middle East and the Nordic countries.
Cif was launched in France in 1965 and was marketed in competit ...
.
Remedies of the buyer and seller depend upon the character of a breach of the contract. If the breach is fundamental, then the other party is substantially deprived of what it expected to receive under the contract. Provided that an objective test shows that the breach could not have been foreseen, then the contract may be avoided and the aggrieved party may claim damages. Where part performance of a contract has occurred, then the performing party may recover any payment made or good supplied; this contrasts with the common law where there is generally no right to recover a good supplied unless title has been retained or damages are inadequate, only a right to claim the value of the good.
If the breach is not fundamental, then the contract is not avoided and remedies may be sought including claiming damages, specific performance, and adjustment of price. Damages that may be awarded conform to the common law rules in ''Hadley v Baxendale'' but it has been argued the test of foreseeability is substantially broader
and consequently more generous to the aggrieved party.
The CISG excuses a party from liability to a claim of damages where a failure to perform is attributable to an impediment beyond the party's, or a third party sub-contractor's, control that could not have been reasonably expected. Such an extraneous event might elsewhere be referred to as ''
force majeure
In contract law, (from Law French: 'overwhelming force', ) is a common clause in contracts which essentially frees both parties from liability or obligation when an extraordinary event or circumstance beyond the control of the parties, such ...
'', and frustration of the contract.
Where a seller has to refund the price paid, then the seller must also pay interest to the buyer from the date of payment. It has been said the interest rate is based on rates current in the seller's State '
nce the obligation to pay interest partakes of the seller's obligation to make restitution and not of the buyer's right to claim damages', though this has been debated. In a mirror of the seller's obligations, where a buyer has to return goods the buyer is accountable for any benefits received.
Part IV: Final Provisions (Articles 89–101)
Articles 89–101 (final provisions) include how and when the Convention comes into force, permitted reservations and declarations, and the application of the convention to international sales where both States concerned have the same or similar law on the subject.
The Part IV Articles, along with the Preamble, are sometime characterized as being addressed "primarily to States", not to business people attempting to use the convention for international trade. They may, however, have a significant impact upon the CISG's practical applicability, thus requiring careful scrutiny when determining each particular case.
Commentary on the Convention
It has been remarked that the CISG expresses a practice-based, flexible and "relational" character. It places no or very few restrictions of form on formation or adjustment of contracts; in case of non-performance (or over-performance) it offers a wide array of interim measures before the aggrieved party must resort to avoiding the contract (e.g. unilateral pro-rated price reduction (Art. 50); suspension of performance (art. 71); the availability of cure as a matter of right of the defaulting party (subject to some reservations, Art. 48); choice between expectation and market-based damages, etc.); additionally, the CISG does not operate under a "perfect tender" rule and its criteria for conformity are functional rather than formal (art. 35). Additionally, its rules of interpretation rely heavily on custom as well as on manifest acts rather than on intent (Art. 8). The CISG does include a so-called Nachlass rule (i.e., legacy rule), but its scope is relatively limited. On the other hand, its good faith obligation may seem relatively limited and in any case obscure (Art. 7). All communications require "reasonable time."
Although the convention has been accepted by a large number of States, it has been the subject of some criticism. For example, the drafting nations have been accused of being incapable of agreement on a code that "concisely and clearly states universal principles of sales law", and through the convention's invitation to interpret taking regard of the convention's "international character" gives judges the opportunity to develop "diverse meaning". Put more bluntly, the CISG has been described as "a variety of vague standards and compromises that appear inconsistent with commercial interests".
A contrary view is that the CISG is "written in plain business language," which allows judges the opportunity to make the Convention workable in a range of sales situations.
[Nicholas Whittington, 'Comment on Professor Schwenzer's Paper' (2005) 36 ''Victoria University of Wellington Law Review'' 809.] It has been said "the drafting style is lucid and the wording simple and uncluttered by complicated subordinating clauses", and the "general sense" can be grasped on the first reading without the need to be a sales expert.
Uniform application of the CISG is problematic because of the reluctance of courts to use "solutions adopted on the same point by courts in other countries", resulting in inconsistent decisions.
[Article 7 (2).] For example, in a case involving the export to Germany by a Swiss company of New Zealand
mussel
Mussel () is the common name used for members of several families of bivalve molluscs, from saltwater and Freshwater bivalve, freshwater habitats. These groups have in common a shell whose outline is elongated and asymmetrical compared with other ...
s with a level of
cadmium
Cadmium is a chemical element with the symbol Cd and atomic number 48. This soft, silvery-white metal is chemically similar to the two other stable metals in group 12, zinc and mercury. Like zinc, it demonstrates oxidation state +2 in most of ...
in excess of German standards, the
German Supreme Court
The Federal Constitutional Court (german: link=no, Bundesverfassungsgericht ; abbreviated: ) is the supreme constitutional court for the Federal Republic of Germany, established by the constitution or Basic Law () of Germany. Since its inc ...
held that it is ''not'' the duty of the seller to ensure that goods meet German public health regulations. This contrasted with a later decision in which an Italian cheese exporter failed to meet French packaging regulations, and the French court decided it was the duty of the seller to ensure compliance with French regulations.
These two cases were held by one commentator to be an example of contradictory
jurisprudence
Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning a ...
.
Another commentator, however, saw the cases as not contradictory, as the German case could be distinguished on a number of points. The French court chose not to consider the German court's decision, in its published decision. (Precedent, foreign or not, is not legally binding in
civil law.)
CISG advocates are also concerned that the natural inclination of judges is to interpret the CISG using the methods familiar to them from their own State rather than attempting to apply the general principles of the convention or the rules of private international law.
This is despite the comment from one highly respected academic that 'it should be a rare, or non-existent, case where there are no relevant general principles to which a court might have recourse' under the CISG. This concern was supported by research of the
CISG Advisory Council which said, in the context of the interpretation of Articles 38 and 39, there is a tendency for courts to interpret the articles in the light of their own State's law, and some States have 'struggled to apply
he articlesappropriately'. In one of a number of criticisms of Canadian court decisions to use local legislation to interpret the CISG, one commentator said the CISG was designed to 'replace existing domestic laws and
caselaw
Case law, also used interchangeably with common law, is Legal system, law that is based on precedents, that is the Judiciary, judicial decisions from previous cases, rather than law based on constitutions, statutes, or regulations. Case law uses t ...
,' and attempts to resolve gaps should not be by 'reference to relevant provisions of
ocal Ocal or OCAL may refer to:
* Öcal, Turkish surname
* Öçal, Turkish surname
* Open Clip Art Library
Openclipart, also called Open Clip Art Library, is an online media repository of free-content vector clip art. The project hosts over 160,000 ...
sales law'.
Critics of the multiple language versions of the CISG assert it is inevitable the versions will not be totally consistent because of translation errors and the untranslatability of 'subtle nuances' of language. This argument, though with some validity, would not seem peculiar to the CISG but common to any and all treaties that exist in multiple languages. The ''
reductio ad absurdum
In logic, (Latin for "reduction to absurdity"), also known as (Latin for "argument to absurdity") or ''apagogical arguments'', is the form of argument that attempts to establish a claim by showing that the opposite scenario would lead to absu ...
'' would seem to be that all international treaties should exist in only a single language, something which is clearly neither practical nor desirable.
Other criticisms of the convention are that it is incomplete, there is no mechanism for updating the provisions, and no international panel to resolve interpretation issues. For example, the CISG does not govern the validity of the contract, nor does it consider electronic contracts. However, legal matters relating to the use of electronic communications in relation to contracts for international sale of goods have been eventually dealt with in a comprehensive manner in the
. Moreover, it is not to be forgotten that the CISG is complemented by the
with respect to the limitation of actions due to passage of time.
Despite the critics, a supporter has said '
e fact that the costly ignorance of the early days, when many lawyers ignored the CISG entirely, has been replaced by too much enthusiasm that leads to ... oversimplification, cannot be blamed on the CISG'.
Reservations
The relatively widespread adoption of the CISG stems from its allowing Contracting States to take exception to certain specified articles; this flexibility was instrumental in convincing states with disparate legal traditions to subscribe to an otherwise uniform code. Contracting States can lodge reservations, referred to therein as "declarations", which exempt them from certain provisions. Nevertheless, the vast majority of parties—69 of the current 92 Contracting States—have acceded to the Convention without any declaration.
Of the approximate quarter of parties that have taken reservations, most have done so with respect to one or some of the following:
*opting out of article 1(1)(b) CISG, which allows for the application of the CISG in cases when the rules of private international law point at the law of a contracting State as the law applicable to the contract for sale of goods (article 95 CISG);
*mandatory written form of the contract for sale of goods (articles 11, 12 and 96 CISG);
*opting out of the application of Part II or Part III CISG (article 92 CISG);
*not applying the CISG to contracts concluded between parties with place of business in "which have the same or closely related legal rules on matters governed" by the CISG (article 94 CISG).
Some existing declarations have been reviewed and withdrawn by States. The
Nordic countries
The Nordic countries (also known as the Nordics or ''Norden''; literal translation, lit. 'the North') are a geographical and cultural region in Northern Europe and the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It includes the sovereign states of Denmar ...
(except Iceland) had originally opted out of the application of Part II under Article 92, but rescinded this reservation and became party to Part II, except for trade among themselves (to which the CISG is not applied as a whole due to a declaration lodged under Article 94). Likewise, China, Latvia, Lithuania and Hungary withdrew their written form declaration, and the Czech Republic withdrew its declaration preventing the application of article 1(1)(b). The Government of Ukraine declared its intention to withdraw the "Written Form" declaration.
Some countries have expanded rather than restricted CISG application by removing one of the cumulative conditions for application within the CISG. For example, Israeli law stipulates that the CISG will apply equally to a party whose place of business is in a State that is not a Contracting State.
Major absentees
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
,
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
,
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
, and the
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
are the major trading countries that have not yet ratified the CISG.
The absence of the United Kingdom, a leading jurisdiction for the
choice of law
Choice of law is a procedural stage in the litigation of a case involving the conflict of laws when it is necessary to reconcile the differences between the laws of different legal jurisdictions, such as sovereign states, federated states (as in t ...
in international commercial contracts, has been attributed variously to: the government not viewing its ratification as a legislative priority, a lack of interest from business in supporting ratification, opposition from a number of large and influential organisations, a lack of public service resources, and a danger that London would lose its edge in international arbitration and litigation. In 2020, the British Government informed that it had no plan to join the CISG.
There is significant academic disagreement as to whether Taiwan, and Macau are deemed parties to the CISG due to China's status as a party. The issue has been clarified with respect to Hong Kong with the deposit of a declaration of extension of territorial application by China. The Convention was written in Hong Kong law through the Sale of Goods (United Nations Convention) Ordinance, which commenced on 1 December 2022.
Future directions
Greater acceptance of the CISG will come from three directions. First, it is likely that within the global legal profession, as the numbers of new lawyers educated in the CISG increases, the existing Contracting States will embrace the CISG, appropriately interpret the articles, and demonstrate a greater willingness to accept precedents from other Contracting States.
Second, businesses will increasingly pressure both lawyers and governments to make international commercial disputes over the sale of goods less expensive, and reduce the risk of being forced to use a legal system that may be completely alien to their own. Both of these objectives can be achieved through use of the CISG.
Finally, UNCITRAL will arguably need to develop a mechanism to further develop the convention and to resolve conflicting interpretation issues. This will make it more attractive to both business people and potential Contracting States.
Prospective Contracting States
Ethiopia and Rwanda have adopted laws authorising the adoption of the CISG, which will enter into force in each country after the instrument of accession is deposited with the Secretary-General of the United Nations.
Differences with country legislation relating to the sale of goods
Depending on the country, the CISG can represent a small or significant departure from local legislation relating to the sale of goods, and in this can provide important benefits to companies from one contracting state that import goods into other states that have ratified the CISG.
Differences with U.S. legislation (the UCC)
In the U.S., all 50 states have, to varying degrees,
adopted
Adoption is a process whereby a person assumes the parenting of another, usually a child, from that person's biological or legal parent or parents. Legal adoptions permanently transfer all rights and responsibilities, along with filiation, from ...
common legislation referred to as the
Uniform Commercial Code
The Uniform Commercial Code (UCC), first published in 1952, is one of a number of Uniform Acts that have been established as law with the goal of harmonizing the laws of sales and other commercial transactions across the United States through UC ...
("UCC"). UCC Articles 1 (General Provisions) and 2 (Sales) are generally similar to the CISG. However, the UCC differs from the CISG in some respects, such as the following areas that tend to reflect more general aspects of the U.S. legal system:
A detaile
comparison charthas been prepared by Dr. Gizem Alper of the Institute of International Commercial Law at Pace Law School.
Nevertheless, because the U.S. has ratified the CISG, it has the force of
federal law
Federal law is the body of law created by the federal government of a country. A federal government is formed when a group of political units, such as states or provinces join in a federation, delegating their individual sovereignty and many po ...
and supersedes UCC-based state law under the
Supremacy Clause
The Supremacy Clause of the Constitution of the United States ( Article VI, Clause 2) establishes that the Constitution, federal laws made pursuant to it, and treaties made under its authority, constitute the "supreme Law of the Land", and thu ...
of the Constitution. Among the U.S.
reservations to the CISG is the provision that the CISG will apply only as to contracts with parties located in other CISG Contracting States, a reservation permitted by the CISG in Article 95. Therefore, in ''international'' contracts for the sale of goods between a
U.S. entity and an entity of a Contracting State, the CISG will apply unless the contract's
choice of law
Choice of law is a procedural stage in the litigation of a case involving the conflict of laws when it is necessary to reconcile the differences between the laws of different legal jurisdictions, such as sovereign states, federated states (as in t ...
clause specifically excludes CISG terms.
Conversely, in "international" contracts for the sale of goods between a U.S. entity and an entity of a non-Contracting State, to be adjudicated by a U.S. court, the CISG will not apply, and the contract will be governed by the domestic law applicable according to private international law rules.
Differences with UK legislation
The sale of goods in the UK is regulated by:
*the
Sale of Goods Act 1979
The Sale of Goods Act 1979c 54 is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which regulated English contract law and UK commercial law in respect of goods that are sold and bought. The Act consolidated the original Sale of Goods Act 1893 ...
, (SGA) which is designed for both
business-to-consumer and business-to-business transactions
*the
Consumer Rights Act 2015
The Consumer Rights Act 2015 is an Act of Parliament of the United Kingdom that consolidates existing consumer protection law legislation and also gives consumers a number of new rights and remedies.
Provisions for secondary ticketing and l ...
(CRA: 2015) which provides solely for
business-to-consumer transactions
Although the rights are broadly similar in business-to-consumer and business-to-business transactions, the
remedies differ. Broadly speaking, the rights for these transactions are also similar across EU states.
See also
*
United Nations Commission on International Trade Law
The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) ( French: ''Commission des Nations Unies pour le droit commercial international (CNUDCI)'') is a subsidiary body of the U.N. General Assembly (UNGA) responsible for helping to fa ...
*
*
*
Commercial law
Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and business engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a branc ...
*
International Commercial Terms (Incoterms)
*
International trade
International trade is the exchange of capital, goods, and services across international borders or territories because there is a need or want of goods or services. (see: World economy)
In most countries, such trade represents a significant ...
*
International trade law
International trade law includes the appropriate rules and customs for handling trade between countries. However, it is also used in legal writings as trade between private sectors. This branch of law is now an independent field of study as mo ...
*
Uniform Commercial Code (UCC)
Notes
Footnotes
References
*Pace CISG Database, iicl.law.pace.edu
*Andersen, Camilla Baasch & Schroeter, Ulrich G. (eds.), ''Sharing International Commercial Law across National Boundaries: Festschrift for Albert H. Kritzer on the Occasion of his Eightieth Birthday,'' London: Wildy, Simmonds & Hill (2008)
*Bonell, Michael and Liguori, Fabio, 'The U.N. Convention on the International Sale of Goods: A Critical Analysis of Current International Case Law' (1997) 2 ''Revue de Droit Uniforme'' 385.
*CISG-AC Opinion No 2, Examination of the Goods and Notice of Non-Conformity – Articles 38 and 39, 7 June 2004. Rapporteur: Professor Eric Bergsten, Emeritus, Pace University New York 6, 7.
*Dholakia, Shishir, 'Ratifying the CISG – India's Options' (2005) ''Celebrating Success: 25 Years United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods'' (Collation of Papers at UNCITRAL SIAC Conference 22–23 September 2005, Singapore) 186.
*Felemegas, John, 'The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods: Article 7 and Uniform Interpretation (2000)' ''Pace Review of the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)''.
*Ferrari, Franco, 'What Sources of Law for Contracts for the International Sale of Goods? Why One Has to Look Beyond the CISG' (2005) 25 ''International Review of Law and Economics'' 314.
*Graffi, Leonardo, 'Case Law on the Concept of "Fundamental Breach" in the Vienna Sales Convention, Revue de droit des affaires internationales / International Business Law Journal (2003) No. 3, 338–349.
*Hellner, Jan, 'The UN Convention on International Sales of Goods – An Outsider's View' in Erik Jayme (ed) ''Ius Inter Nationes: Festschrift fur Stefan Riesenfeld'' (1983) 72.
*Kastely, Amy, 'Unification and Community: A Rhetorical Analysis of the United Nations Sales Convention' (1988) 8 ''Northwestern Journal of International Law and Business'' 574.
*Kolsky Lewis, Meredith, 'Comments on Luke Nottage's Paper' (2005) 36 ''Victoria University of Wellington Law Review'' 859.
*Martinussen, Roald, "Overview of International CISG Sales Law. Basic Contract Law according to the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods(CISG)." 120.
*Moss, Sally, 'Why the United Kingdom Has Not Ratified the CISG' (2005) 1 ''Journal of Law and Commerce'' 483.
*Pace International Law Review, (ed) ''Review of the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG)'' (1st ed, 1998).
*Rossett, Arthur, 'Critical Reflections on the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods' (1984) 45 ''Ohio State Law Journal'' 265.
*Schlechtriem, Peter, ''Uniform Sales Law – The UN-Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods'' (1st ed, 1986).
*Schlechtriem, Peter & Schwenzer, Ingeborg (eds.), ''Kommentar zum Einheitlichen UN-Kaufrecht – CISG -'' (6th ed, 2013).
*Ingeborg Schwenzer & Edgardo Muñoz (eds.), Schlechtriem & Schwenzer: Comentario sobre la convencion de las Naciones Unidas sobre los contratos de compraventa internacional de mercaderias, Cizur Menor (Navarra): Editorial Aranzadi SA 2011, .
*Schroeter, Ulrich G., ''UN-Kaufrecht und Europäisches Gemeinschaftsrecht: Verhältnis und Wechselwirkungen'' Munich: Sellier. European Law Publishers (2005)
*Sharma, Rajeev, 'The United Nations Convention On Contracts For The International Sale of Goods: The Canadian Experience' (2005) 36 ''Victoria University of Wellington Law Review'' 847.
*United States Department of Commerce, 'The U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods' https://web.archive.org/web/20070505032243/http://www.osec.doc.gov/ogc/occic/cisg.htm at 22 December 2007.
*Verweyen, Foerster, Toufar ''Handbuch des Internationalen Warenkaufs UN-Kaufrechts (CISG)'' Boorberg Publishing Munich (2nd Edition, 2008)
*Whittington, Nicholas, 'Comment on Professor Schwenzer's Paper' (2005) 36 ''Victoria University of Wellington Law Review'' 809.
*Zeller, Bruno, ''CISG and the Unification of International Trade Law'' (1st ed, 2007).
*Ziegel, Jacob, 'The Future of the International Sales Convention from a Common Law Perspective' (2000) 6 ''New Zealand Business Law Quarterly'' 336.
External links
Text of the CISGan
ratificationsUnited Nations Status of Treaties: United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of GoodsCISG Advisory Council (CISG-AC)Uniform Sales Law (CISG): Synopsis of selected textsCompilation of textsPace Law School database on the CISG and International Commercial Law.Online Annotated Text of the CISGUCC- CISG ComparisonCISG onlineDatabase of the University of Basel, Switzerland
CISG-FranceApplication of the CISG by French courts
on the ''United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods'' in th
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ttp://legal.un.org/avl/ls/Flechtner_IEL.html Lecture by Harry M. Flechtnerentitled ''The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), Lecture I: Purposes, Background, History, Nature, Scope and Application'' in th
Lecture Series of the United Nations Audiovisual Library of International Lawentitled ''The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG), Lecture II: Issues Covered and Key Substantive Provisions'' in th
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