Party Autonomy in International Property Law - Peace Palace Library

A. General Aspects of Party Autonomy
original goods (e.g. coils of steel). 35 Dutch law does not have this form of
extended retention of title. 36
In most cases, however, a ‘proprietary’ choice of law under the Dutch Act
comes into existence indirectly. Pursuant to Article 4, for example, the
question of whether and when a right of lien comes into existence, and
the extent of its scope, is governed by the same law that governs the legal
relationship on which the right is based: for instance, a sales contract
or a contract of carriage. 37 By choosing the law that is applicable to the
underlying contractual relationship, the parties can indirectly influence
which law will govern whether and when a right of lien comes into existence
and the extent of its scope.
The legislature has opted for a similar solution in Articles 7 and 8 of the
Act. Article 7 paragraph 2 provides that in the case of stolen goods whose
whereabouts are unknown, the transfer of ownership between insured
and insurer is governed by the law that is applicable to the insurance
agreement. 38
35
Cf. Staudinger / ​Beckmann, § 449 BGB, Berlin: Sellier de Gruyter 2004, no. 99-
126; Jürgen F. Baur & Rolf Stürner, Sachenrecht, München: Verlag C.H. Beck
2009, § 59, no. 49 et seq.
36
See for example Jacobien Rutgers, International Reservation of Title Clauses.
A Study of Dutch, French and German Private International Law in the Light
of European Law, The Hague: T.M.C. Asser Press 1999.
37
Article 4 of the Dutch Property Law (Conflict of Laws) Act (Article 10:129
Civil Code) reads as follows: ‘(…) the question of whether and when a right of
lien comes into existence and the extent of its scope is governed by the same
law that governs the legal relationship in which the right is based. A right of
lien will only be effective if it is compatible with the law of the state in whose
territory the goods are situated at the time of the enforcement of the right
of lien.’ (‘(…) worden het ontstaan en de inhoud van een recht van retentie
bepaald door het recht dat de daaraan ten grondslag liggende rechtsverhouding
beheerst. Een recht van retentie kan slechts geldend worden gemaakt
voor zover het recht van de staat op welks grondgebied de zaak zich bevindt,
zulks toelaat.’).
38
Article 7 paragraph 2 of the Dutch Property Law (Conflict of Laws) Act (Article
10:132 paragraph 2 Civil Code) reads as follows: ‘If the loss is covered
by insurance in the circumstances referred to in the preceding paragraph, the
law that is applicable to the insurance agreement determines whether and,
if so, how ownership is transferred to the insurer.’ (‘Is in het in het vorige lid
52
Jeroen van der Weide
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