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Latest News | Current Problems of Private Business Law | Evening Lectures | Conferences  | News from earlier Years

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Latest News

ALI-ELI Webinar on "Third Party Funding of Litigation"

On the evening of April 15, 2024, a joint webinar of the European Law Institute (ELI) and the American Law Institute (ALI) took place on the exciting topic of third-party funding of litigation, in which Prof. Susanne Augenhofer participated as a speaker. The online event was intended to promote intercontinental exchange on this highly topical issue. Among other things, the interim results of the corresponding ELI project, in which Prof. Augenhofer is involved in as a project reporter, were discussed. The link to rewatch the event will be shared shortly.

Report on the 168th event of the "Monday seminar series"
with Prof Jan Lieder

On March 18, 2024, the Institute for Business and Tax Law at the University of Innsbruck hosted the 168th event in the series "Current Problems of Private Business Law". Prof. Dr. Jan Lieder, LL.M. (Harvard), Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Freiburg and Professor of Civil Law, Commercial and Economic Law at the same university, was invited to speak on the hot topic of "Shareholder Democracy: Reverse Trends".

At the beginning, Prof. Dr. Lieder explained the concept of shareholder democracy by reference to the German legal order, which aims to project the understanding of democracy under constitutional law onto stock corporation law. The lecturer argued against a direct transfer of the constitutional principle of democracy to the organizational constitution of stock corporations. The aim should rather be to strengthen the decision-making and monitoring rights of shareholders in a cautious manner, which Prof. Dr. Lieder explained using three specific examples.

Firstly, the speaker reflected on the recent (re-)introduction of multiple voting shares in Germany. With respect to listed companies, he follows a rather critical stance. He then addressed the question of whether shareholders should be entitled to a "say on climate", which he denied due to demarcation problems. Finally, Prof. Dr. Lieder laborated on the newly created possibility of holding annual general meetings virtually based on the COVMG 2020 and described this as a welcome opportunity to strengthen shareholder democracy.

An intensive discussion followed, which underlined the currentness and relevance of the topic for both Austria and Germany. The seminar, organized by Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale), Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper and Prof. Dr. Julia Told, thus made a contribution to the prevailing academic discourse and provided valuable input for future developments.

Mass Claims Journal - Prof Augenhofer appointed as member of the Editorial Board

In December 2023, the current issue of the journal Mass Claims (Den Hollander) was published, whose editorial team now includes Prof Dr Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale). Mass Claims is a journal that is published two to three times a year and provides a comprehensive overview of inter-jurisdictional developments in the field of collective redress.

Report on the 166^th event of the "Monday seminar series"

The esteemed 166th event in the "Current Problems of Economic Private Law" series, held on 8 January 2024, offered a deep dive into the burgeoning field of commercial litigation funding. The event was graced by insightful talks from Prof. Dr Tanja Domej of the University of Zurich and Thomas Kohlmeier, former Co-CEO of Nivalion AG. Prof Dr Domej's lecture provided a comprehensive introduction to third-party litigation funding. She elucidated the areas where this practice is presently in use and those where it is emerging. Her discourse was particularly noteworthy for its detailed examination of the existing regulatory landscape and evolving regulatory trends across various jurisdictions in the third-party litigation funding market. Subsequently, Thomas Kohlmeier presented from a financier's perspective on these regulatory trends. His focus was on strategic litigation, the risks of financiers influencing proceedings, and the need for further industry regulation. Centred around a case study, Kohlmeier's argument offered a unique and practical insight into the complexities and potential of litigation financing.

The event, curated by Prof Susanne Augenhofer, Prof Alexander Schopper, and Prof Julia Told, successfully created a dialogue on a topic of increasing significance in the legal realm.

Report on the 165^th event of the "Monday seminar series"

The Department of Business and Tax Law of the University of Innsbruck hosted another insightful event from the series 'Current Problems of Private Business Law', this time focusing on the legal assessment of the VW diesel scandal. The focus was on examining the case from both German and Austrian perspectives.

Prof Dr Stephan Lorenz, member of the Bavarian Constitutional Court and Professor of Civil Law, International Private Law and Comparative Law at Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, gave a lecture titled 'VW and no end: Damage Calculation quo vadis?'. He provided insights into the German perspective, particularly examining the emerging doctrine of damage calculation in the context of the scandal. In parallel, Dr Christoph Brenn, LL.M., judge at the Supreme Court, presented the Austrian perspective with his lecture 'Diesel Scandal - Jurisprudence of the OGH'. His focus was on the processing of the current jurisprudence of the CJEU and its national doctrinal treatment in Austria.

Both speakers illuminated the complex legal aspects of the case and provided the participants with detailed insights into the respective national approaches to handling this significant scandal. The event attracted a wide audience, including students, legal experts, and interested members of the public. The intense discussion and exchange following the lectures underscored the relevance and timeliness of the topic in both countries.

Collective Redress in the EU (December 1, 2023)

The recent online conference "Collective Redress," organised by the Academy of European Law (ERA), offered insights into the latest developments in collective redress. Experts from various organisations discussed consumer protection, qualified entities, and business perspectives. A key topic was the implementation of the Representative Actions Directive (RAD) across the EU. Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer LL.M. (Yale) particularly highlighted Third Party Litigation Funding (TPLF) and analysed the question whether it shall be further regulated. The conference emphasised the importance of collective redress in Europe and the role of dialogue among different stakeholders for consumer protection and fairer legal practices. Please find the event's programme   here.

Book talk with Guido Calabresi and Norman I. Silber: "Outside In - The Oral History of Guido Calabresi"

On November 8, 2023, another event of the Evening Lecture series, initiated by Prof Dr Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) took place at the Institute for Business and Tax Law of the University of Innsbruck. Judge Guido Calabresi, Sterling Professor Emeritus of Law and Professorial Lecturer in Law, who joined online, and Norman I. Silber, Professor of law and the Associate Dean for Intellectual Life at the Maurice A. Deane School of Law, Hofstra University, conjointly presented their book "Outside In - The Oral History of Guido Calabresi", published on March 10, 2023. Prof Dr Pascal Pichonnaz, President of the European Law Institute (ELI), and Prof Dr Bernhard A. Koch, LL.M. (Michigan), Dean of Studies of the Faculty of Law Innsbruck, opened the event by welcoming the speakers as well as the audience. Judge Calabresi is considered one of the co-founders of the legal theorem of "Law and Economics". The co-authored book offers an in-depth insight into the life of Judge Calabresi and examines, not only his beginnings as a legal scholar at Yale Law School and his career in justice, but also the connection between Italian Jewish society during the Second World War and the development of US-American jurisprudence in the second half of the 20^th century. Please find more information about the book on the homepage of Oxford University Press.

Evening Lecture "Comparing Regulatory Instruments"

Lecture of Prof. Augenhofer at LSE on "Contract Law in the Age of the Green Transition"

On Thursday, 5 October 2023 Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer spoke as guest lecturer of Prof. Dr. Eva Micheler at the London School of Economics (LSE) on the topic "Contract law in the age of green transition". The presentation was held online. Information on the event can be found on the LSE website.

2023 ELI Annual Conference and Meetings

This year's ELI Annual Conference took place from September 6 to 8 in the prestigious “großer Festsaal” of the University of Vienna, which also kindly hosted the conference. The conference once again demonstrated the European Law Institute's commitment to improving the quality of European law and fostering collaboration among renowned legal scholars from around the world. Agenda and brochure of the conference can be found here.

Key highlights of the conference were the Ole Lando Memorial Lecture by Prof. Anna Veneziano (Deputy Secretary General UNIDROIT, University of Teramo) and keynotes by Věra Jourová (Vice-President of the EU Commission for Values and Transparency) and Dubravka Šuica (Vice-President of the EU Commission for Democracy and Demography), as well as the ELI Young Lawyers Award and the ELI Hub and SIG of the Year Awards, which were preceded by a welcome address by Austrian Minister of Justice Dr. Alma Zadić, LL.M.

The Austrian Hub of the European Law Institute was honored with the Annual Hub Award for the second year in a row. The award honors a Hub that has made a special contribution to the goals of the European Law Institute. Co-Chair Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) was pleased to accept the award together with Co-Chair Univ.-Prof. Dr. Walter Doralt (University of Graz). The Austrian Hub is looking forward to further exchanges with the Fellows of the ELI as well as other interested parties in the context of future events organized by the Austrian Hub.

The panels held at the conference focused on current and future ELI projects and covered a range of legal areas. One highlight was the extremely engaging panel on "third party litigation funding" with Prof. Augenhofer from the University of Innsbruck. The panel, chaired by Lord John Thomas, featured Prof. Augenhofer as well as Susann Dunn (Harbour Litigation Funding), Harold H Kim (President of the US Chamber Institute for Legal Reform) and Andreas Stein (Head of the Civil Justice Unit at the European Commission’s DG for Justice). Afterwards, the speakers engaged in a lively discussion with the audience.  

For more information on the European Law Institute, the individual panels, upcoming events and the Annual Conference 2023, please click here.

European Law Institute (ELI) Nordic Hub meeting in Copenhagen

On August 30, 2023 the first meeting of the newly constituted Nordic ELI-Hub, which aims to facilitate the exchange, discussion and monitoring of legal developments by ELI members in the Scandinavian region and to promote joint projects, took place in Copenhagen. In this context, Prof. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale), as co-chair of the Austrian ELI-Hub, was invited to present via Zoom areas of activity of the Austrian Hub to the Scandinavian colleagues and to share experiences. More information about the ELI-Hubs can be found   here.

 

IACL Conference in Hamburg: Challenges and Unanswered Questions of Consumer Law

On July 21, 2023, Rebecca Küter presented on "Contract Law in the Age of the Green Transition" at the International Association of Consumer Law (IACL) Conference in Hamburg. She took the opportunity to present and discuss current research results from the recently published paper in VuR together with Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) on a panel on sustainability in private law.

Webinar on Common Rules Promoting the Repair of Goods

On Tuesday, 12 July 2023, the European Law Institute (ELI) held its webinar on the occasion of the ELI feedback on the European Commission's Proposal for a Directive on Common Rules Promoting the Repair of Goods (COM(2023) 155 final). The feedback was drafted under the direction of Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and with the assistance of Ms. Rebecca Küter. Prof. Augenhofer opened the webinar by highlighting the most significant findings of the ELI’s feedback on the proposed directive. The presentation was followed by a lively discussion in which, among others, Prof. Dr. René Repasi (MEP; PES), Kilian Kaminski (founder of Refurbed) and Martins Prieditis (representative of the Commission) participated. The full text of the ELI feedback on the Directive proposal can be found   here. For more details as well as the event's recording, please see the   ELI homepage.

2^nd Conference "Sustainability and Business Law"

On June 22 and 23, 2023, the 2^nd Conference "Sustainability and Business Law" was held at the University of Innsbruck under the scientific direction of Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale), Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Julia Told. Numerous experts from both the academic world and practice shed light on various aspects of sustainability in corporate law. With its three panels, the hybrid event offered a platform for an exchange of knowledge and lively discussions on current issues concerning sustainability and the law: next to greenwashing and supply chain responsibility, topics included the influence of sustainability concerns on corporate compliance or the question of the admissibility of civil lawsuits to enforce environmental protection. We would like to thank all speakers, sponsors and participants for their interest in our event. The recordings of the two conference days can be found here.

 

Evening Lecture „Do we need a direct claim against producers?“

On Tuesday, 9 May 2023, an Evening Lecture on the topic "Do we need a direct claim against producers?" took place via Zoom. Under the moderation of Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale), Prof. Dr. Christiane Wendehorst, LL.M. (Cantab) spoke about the latest legislative developments in the legal relationship between consumers and producers. In particular, she discussed the current proposal for a directive COM(2023) 155 final, which provides, under certain conditions, for a consumer's right to repair against producers.  Following Prof. Wendehorst's presentation, Jutta Gurkmann (Verbraucherzentrale Bundesverband, vzbv) evaluated the EU's current regulatory plans from the perspective of consumer protection organizations. Finally, the participants were invited to address the two speakers with questions and the event concluded with a lively discussion.

Conference on Third Party Litigation Funding in Munich

Last Thursday, May 4, 2023, the Conference on Third Party Litigation Funding organized by the Competition Litigation Forum took place in Munich, in which Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) participated as a speaker and panelist. In her presentation, Prof. Augenhofer addressed recent developments in third-party litigation funding in various jurisdictions.

Panel Talk "Third-party Litigation Funding - Friend or Foe?"

As part of the Evolving Liability Conference 2023, organized by the Geneva Association, a panel talk entitled "Third-party Litigation Funding - Friend or foe?" took place in Greenwich, Connecticut (USA) on March 30, 2023, with Prof. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) participating as a speaker. The discussion focused on current developments in third-party litigation funding and its impact on access to legal redress. For more information on the event please click here.

BEUC Workshop on Collective redress for digital rights

On March 8, 2023, BEUC (Bureau Européen des Unions de Consommateurs) hosted a workshop dedicated to the topic of "Collective redress for digital rights". In the first panel, current problems and challenges of collective redress were presented based on case studies by speakers from several European countries as well as from the USA. In the subsequent commentary-panel, Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) participated as a presenter. In her presentation, Prof. Augenhofer compared the U.S. perspective on mass claims with the European one.

Panel Talk „Emerging Trends in Third Party Funding”
at New York University (NYU)

The Center of Civil Justice at New York University School of Law hosted a conference last Friday, 3 February 2023 dedicated to the topic of litigation funding: Under the title "Emerging Trends in Third Party Funding," participants discussed current developments and challenges in third-party funding of civil litigation in a total of five panel discussions, with Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) participating as a discussant on the 1st panel ("Disclosure and Discovery"). For further information on the event, please visit the NYU homepage.

Webinar on "Repair and Reuse – Towards a Circular Economy"

On 25 January 2023, a webinar on the topic "Repair and Reuse - Towards a Circular Economy", organized by the European Law Institute (ELI), took place in which Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) participated as a speaker. For further information as well as the recording please visit the ELI homepage under the following link.

Report on the 155^th event of the "Monday seminar series" - Verantwortlichkeit für die Lieferkette: Was bringt uns Brüssel?

The first event of the Monday seminar series "Current Problems of Private Business Law" in the new year took place on 16 January 2023 and was dedicated to the topic of supply chain responsibility: Under the title "Verantwortlichkeit für die Lieferkette: Was bringt uns Brüssel?", Prof. Dr. Martin Winner (Vienna University of Economics and Business) and Prof. Dr. Anne-Christin Mittwoch (University of Halle-Wittenberg) spoke about the current EU directive proposal on Corporate Sustainability Due Diligence as well as the Supply Chain Due Diligence Act, which came into force in Germany on 1 January 2023. Once again, the event, organized by Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper, was rounded off by questions from the audience to the experts.

High Level Expert Group Meeting (ELI) on "Nudges as Enablers of Sustainable Living"

On December 7, 2022, the European Law Institute (ELI) organized a High Level Expert Group meeting on the topic "Nudges as enablers for sustainable living: Identifying their Potential and Legal Challenges", in which, among others, Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) participated. For more information please click here.

Report on the 154^th event of the "Monday seminar series": Prof. Dr. Christian Kersting, LL.M. (Yale) - “Need for Change in Antitrust Damages Law?”

On December 12, 2022, this year’s last event of the Monday seminar series, hosted by Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper, with the title “Need for Change in Antitrust Damages Law?” took place. Prof. Dr. Christian Kersting, LL.M. (Yale), holder of the chair for civil law as well as German and international corporate, business and antitrust law at the Heinrich-Heine-University Düsseldorf, spoke together with Dr. Katharina Kolb, Managing Partner of the Munich office of Lieff Cabraser Heimann & Bernstein LLP, about the status and perspectives of antitrust damages law and analyzed problem areas as well as reform proposals for the current legal situation. As always, a concluding round of talks gave the audience opportunity for a lively discussion.

Report on the Evening Lecture “Research Perspectives in the History of Private and Social Security Law” from Prof. Hellwege

On December 6, 2022, the Institute for Business Law in cooperation with the Institue for Legal History hosted another Evening Lecture on "Research Perspectives in Private and Social Security Law History". After an introduction by Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale), the speaker Prof. Dr. Phillip Hellwege M.Jur. (Oxford), holder of the Chair of Civil Law, Business Law and Legal History at the University of Augsburg, spoke about the content, methods and perspectives of his research program "A comparative History of Insurance Law in Europe", which is funded by the European Research Council. The event was moderated by Univ.-Prof. DDr. Martin P. Schennach, MAS.

Legal Panorama in cooperation with “Die Presse” goes Innsbruck: "One for all: What will the new representative action bring?"

On Monday, 28 November 2022, the Institute for Business Law organized in cooperation with the Austrian newspaper “Die Presse” a legal panorama on the EU Representative Actions Directive. Panelists were Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale), Prof. Dr. Beate Gsell (LMU Munich), Dr. Martina de Lind van Wijngaarden, LL.M. (Columbia) (litigator and partner at Freshfields Bruckhaus Deringer) and Dina Komor (Senior Investment Manager and Legal Counsel at litigation financier Omni Bridgeway). The discussion was moderated by Benedikt Kommenda (Die Presse). The different perspectives of the experts on the podium stimulated a vivid discussion and gave the audience, who were present in person and via Zoom, interesting insights on how the upcoming representative action might affect consumers as well as business. The subsequent get-together provided an opportunity for professional and personal exchange.

The link to the coverage of "die Presse" can be found here. 

Report on the 152^nd event of the “Monday Seminar Series“: Prof. Dr. Moritz Hennemann (University of Passau) - "The new EU data economic law: Data Act and Data Governance Act. Difficulties and pitfalls for practice"

On November 14^th 2022, the second part of our “Monday Seminar Series” of the winter semester 2022/23, organised by Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper, took place. Prof. Dr. Moritz Hennemann (University of Passau) spoke to the online participants about the current challenges of EU data law and presented the Data Act and the Data Governance Act as the most recent legal acts of the EU Commission in the data law field. Subsequently, Anna Ludin (data law expert of the EU Commission) gave exciting insights into the internal development process as well as the backgrounds of these EU legal acts and supplemented Prof. Hennemann's lecture with a personal assessment of the perspective of European data law. Remaining questions were answered by the speakers in an interesting concluding discussion.

 

Lecture by Prof. Susanne Augenhofer at the conference "Sustainability in the mirror of law" in Innsbruck

On Tuesday, 25 October 2022 Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) gave a lecture at the thematically highly relevant conference "Sustainability in the Mirror of Law", which was organized by the Institute for Future and Theory of Law. Entitled "The Consumer as a Driver of Green Change," she addressed ways to make civil law more sustainable in her lecture. In particular, she dealt with "greenwashing" as well as the "right to repair." Due to her participation at a meeting of the “Consumer Policy Advisory Group” of the European Commission, she held her lecture online. In her panel, together with Prof. Dr. Axel Halfmeier, LL.M., she discussed opportunities offered by civil law in favor of sustainability.

“The Laws of Power” – Inaugural Lecture Prof. Susanne Augenhofer

After several COVID-related postponements, the inaugural lecture of Univ-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) took place on Monday, 17 October 2022 in the auditorium of the University of Innsbruck. Together with Univ-Prof. Dr. Matthias Kettemann, LL.M. (Harvard), who also gave his official inaugural lecture at the Faculty of Law, they dealt with the topics "The Power of Law - The Laws of Power". In particular, Prof. Augenhofer provided insights into the challenges that antitrust law is facing due to digitalization. The professors and their guests were welcomed by vice-chancellor Univ.-Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c. mult. Tilmann Märk and Dean of Studies Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard A. Koch, LL.M. (Michigan), who praised the professors' commitment to digitalization. For the first time at the Law Faculty, the inaugural lecture took place as a hybrid – both online and offline – event so that we were able to welcome guests from several European countries as well as the US. Following the presentations, there was the opportunity for further exchange over a delicious buffet. We are looking forward to a successful future at the University of Innsbruck!

Report on the Lecture: Prof. Thomas Ackermann – "Fair (Fuel) Prices through Antitrust Law?"

The first evening lecture as part of our semestral "Monday Seminar Series", organized by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper, took place on 10 October 2022 as a hybrid event with participants present on site as well as online. Prof. Dr. jur. Thomas Ackermann, LL.M. (Cambridge) presented the connections between fuel prices and antitrust law as shown by the current example of the "fuel discount" in Germany. He also discussed the main elements of the upcoming 11^th amendment to the German Act against Restraints of Competition (GWB). In the following discussion, MMag. Erika Ummenberger-Zierler supplemented the discussion with a presentation of the Austrian legal situation as well as the relevant fundamental rights restrictions on price controls.

The Hub Award 2022 of the European Law Institute goes to Austria!

The Austrian Hub is delighted about receiving the Annual Hub Award of the European Law Institute. With this prize, the ELI honours a Hub every year that has made a special contribution to the goals of the European Law Institute.

Co-Chair Univ.-Prof. Dr. Walter Doralt (Graz) accepted the Award with pleasure on the evening of September 6^th in Madrid during the Annual Conference of the European Law Institute, also on behalf of his Co-Chairs Univ.-Prof. Mag. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) from the Department of Business Law and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Christian Koller (Universität Wien).

The Austrian Hub is grateful for this special honour and looking forward to the exchange with the Fellows of the ELI and other interested parties as part of the events organized by the Hub in autumn (further information on the events organized by the Department can be found here).

 

NOTE: secretary's office of Prof. Augenhofer temporarily not occupied

Please contact sekretariat-augenhofer@uibk.ac.at if you have any inquiries. 

 5th Open Düsseldorf Seminar for Doctoral Students in Antitrust Law

On September 5 and 6, 2022, the 5th Open Düsseldorf Doctoral Seminar in Antitrust Law took place in Düsseldorf. Among the approximately 60 doctoral students from Germany, Austria and Switzerland was Univ. Ass. Johannes Giacomuzzi from the University of Innsbruck.

Professor Augenhofer appointed reporter for ELI project

Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) from the Institute of Corporate and Tax Law has been appointed by the ELI as reporter for the "Third Party Funding of Litigation Project". Further information on the project can be found here. 

Report on the conference „Class and Aggregate Litigation in Europe and North America”

From July 8^th to July 9^th, 2022, the conference “Class and Aggregate Litigation in Europe and North America” took place at the Villa La Pietra (NYU) in Florence, Italy. The event was initiated and co-organized by Univ. Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) as a member of the ELI Austrian Hub, together with the NYU School of Law. Among the attendees were many high ranking academics, judges, and practitioners from both sides of the Atlantic. This exceptional group of participants brought many years of experience and an incredible expertise to the conference.

The full report can be found here.

Report on the Evening Lecture „The changing role of contracts in the contemporary economic environment” from Prof. Lisa Bernstein

On June 8, the third and final Evening Lecture of the Summer Semester 2022 took place at the University of Innsbruck. The speaker Prof. Lisa Bernstein, Wilson-Dickinson Professor of Law from the University of Chicago Law School, spoke about "The role of contracts in the contemporary economic environment". The event was organized and moderated by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale).

The full report can be found here.

Report on the Evening Lecture „The Iron Law of Financial Regulation” from Prof. Roberta Romano

On May 31, the second Evening Lecture of the Summer Semester 2022 took place at the University of Innsbruck. The speaker Prof. Roberta Romano from Yale Law School spoke about "The Iron Law of Financial Regulation". The event was organized and moderated by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale).

The full report can be found here.

Report on the Monday Seminar Series: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Chris Thomale, LL.M. (Yale), University of Vienna with the lecture on cross-border conversions, mergers and divisions

On 23 May, the fifth Monday Seminar of the summer term 2022 organised by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper took place. Univ.-Prof. Dr. Chris Thomale, LL.M. (Yale), University of Vienna, gave a virtual zoom lecture on the forthcoming implementation of the EU Mobility Directive 2019/2121 in Austria, laying down new rules on cross-border conversions, mergers and divisions. The transposition must take place by 31 January 2023. Following the lecture, his discussion partner, RA Dr. Roman Perner, Attorney at Law Vienna, shed light on further practical aspects of the upcoming reform. In the end, there was an exciting exchange between the two speakers and the participants, which also included comparative legal considerations on the implementation in the Principality of Liechtenstein.

Report on the seminar on Competition law and the ELSA event on the Digital Markets Act (DMA)

On May 12 and 13, 2022, the seminar on competition law by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Giorgio Monti, of Tilburg Law School, took place at the University of Innsbruck. In close collaboration with the seminar, on May 12, the European Law School Association (ELSA) organized an event with the participation of Prof. Augenhofer and Prof. Monti, as well as RA Dr Barbist from Binder Grösswang and Dr Wolf from the European Commission. Both events dealt with the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a highly topical project of the European legislator aiming to regulate the digital economy.

The full report can be found here.

Report on the Monday Seminar Series - Current Problems of Private Commercial Law: RA Dr. Alexander Klauser, Attorney at Law Vienna with the lecture:
"Ischgl and the spread of the Corona virus in March 2020 - civil and criminal liability from a consumer perspective".

On May 09, the fourth event of the lecture series "Current Problems of Private Commercial Law" organized by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper took place. For the first time since the Covid 19 pandemic, the majority of the participants were present at the University of New Orleans Hall at the University of Innsbruck when Dr. Alexander Klauser, attorney-at-law, gave a lecture on the current topic "Ischgl and the spread of the Corona virus in March 2020 - civil and criminal liability from the consumer's point of view". Following his presentation, which was dominated by procedural law, his discussion partners, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Koch, LL.M. (Michigan) and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Andreas Venier from the University of Innsbruck, shed light on the topic from a civil and criminal law perspective.

Report on the Evening Lecture: "Digital Dispute Resolution” by Prof. Dr. Horst Eidenmüller, University of Oxford

Guest lecture on Liechtenstein Foundation by Dr. Marco Lettenbichler

Report on the Monday Seminar Series: Prof. Eva Micheler, London School of Economics with the lecture: "Corporate Law Theory - A Revival of the Real Entity Theory".

The third "Monday Seminar" of the summer semester 2022, organised by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper, took place on 25 April 2022. Prof. Dr. Eva Micheler M.Jur., M.Litt (Oxford), London School of Economics, presented the central aspects of her book she had recently published with Oxford University Press, which advocates in particular for a revival of the Real Entity Theory. She thus follows up on a fundamental discussion that already took place in the 19th century. In the following discussion, Univ.-Prof. Dr. Friedrich Harrer, University of Salzburg, discussed the advantages, but also disadvantages of proposed revival.

“ELI Webinar on the Sustainable Consumption of Goods”

ELI-Response by Professor Augenhofer to the European Commission's Public Consultation

The European Law Institute (ELI) has submitted a response - drafted by Professor Augenhofer - to the European Commission's Public Consultation on Sustainable Consumption of Goods - Promoting the Right to Repair and Use. The full response and further information can be found here.

 

Report on the Seminar Series – Current Problems of Private Commercial Law: Prof. Dr. Katja Langenbucher, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main with the lecture "Wirecard"

On  Monday, January 24, 2022 the sixth and last event of the seminar series “Current Problems of Private Commercial Law” (also known as “Monday Seminar”) took place in the winter semester 2021/2022. The online event was organised and moderated by Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper.The speaker Prof. Dr. Katja Langenbucher, Goethe University Frankfurt am Main gave a presentation on the topic "Wirecard". The main focus of the lecture was on the role of the German corporate governance architecture in the context of the Wirecard scandal as well as on the (legal) consequences of this largest economic scandal in recent German history. In the subsequent discussion with Mag. Dr. Ulla Reisch, attorney at-law she shed light in particular on the Austrian control architecture with a view to the preventive avoidance of such economic scandals (© Julian Nigg).

A detailed report on the Seminar is available here.

 

Report on the Seminar Series – Current Problems of Private Commercial Law: Prof. DDr. Martin Gelter, S.J.D., Fordham University School of Law with the lecture: "Empirical Investigation on the Choice between Monistic and Dualistic Organ Structure in Europe"

On  10 January 2022, the fifth event of the seminar series “Current Problems of Private Commercial Law” (also known as “Monday Seminar”) took place in the winter semester 2021/2022. The online event was organised and moderated by Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Prof. Dr. Alexander Schopper. The speaker Prof. DDr. Martin Gelter, S.J.D., Fordham University School of Law gave a lecture on "Empirical Investigation on the Choice between Monistic and Dualistic Organ Structure in Europe". Afterwards, MMag. Dr. Christoph Diregger, Attorney at law discussed the empirical results of the study. (© Julian Nigg)

A detailed report on the Seminar is available here.

 

Professor Augenhofer to become part of the Advisory Board "Smart Regulation" at the University of Graz

Professor Augenhofer was invited by Prof. Dr. Reidl, Vice-Rector at the University of Graz, to become a member of the Advisory Board in the Field of Excellence Smart Regulation at the University of Graz. Professor Augenhofer was pleased to accept this invitation and is looking forward to her new task.

 

Report on the conference on „Third party litigation funding – a necessity or deterrence of Justice?“ on 10.12.2021

On Friday, December 10, 2021, a conference on “Third party litigation funding – a necessity or deterrence of Justice?” was held, focusing in particular on the Directive (EU) 2020/1828 on representative actions for the protection of consumers´ collective interests (“Collective Redress”) and on the practical handling of the third-party litigation funding issue. The online event was hosted by the Austrian Hub of the ELI and moderated by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale), co-chair Austrian Hub. The keynote address was given by Prof. Judith Resnik, Yale Law School on the topic “The Need for and the Challenges of collective redress”.

A detailed report on the Conference is available here.

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Koch, LL.M. (Michigan)
The Implementation of the Directive Concerning Contracts for the Sale of Goods and the Digital Content and Digital Services Directive

On Friday, 26 November 2021, the second conference on the implementation of the Sale of Goods Directive and the Digital Content Directive in Austria and Germany, which dealt with the concrete implementation laws in both legal systems, took place. The online event was hosted by Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Dean of Studies Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Koch, LL.M. (Michigan).

A detailed report on the Conference is available here.

 

Univ.-Prof. Dr. Susanne Augenhofer, LL.M. (Yale) and Univ.-Prof. Dr. Bernhard Koch, LL.M. (Michigan)
The Implementation of the Directive Concerning Contracts for the Sale of Goods and the Digital Content and Digital Services Directive 

 

 

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Current Problems of Private Business Law 

Information on the seminar series

The Institute for Business and Tax Law host the traditional seminar series "Current Problems of Private Business Law". The events take place every semester on six Mondays in the "Saal University of New Orleans" (main university building, 1st floor, Innrain 52, 6020 Innsbruck). All events are also streamed (Zoom). You will receive the link with the access data in due time prior to the event. 
Registration required! 

  For the latest information on the seminar series please click here.

 

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Evening Lectures 

 

 

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Conferences

 The Department of Business Law at the University of Innsbruck organises scientific conferences on a regular basis. 

  For information on our events please click here.

 

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