-   Preface  
  -   Overview  
  -   Abbreviations  
  -   § 1: Introduction  
 -  I. Outline of the problem 
 -  1. Unharmonized domestic sales law and property law 
  -  2. CISG and national property law 
  
   -   II. Outline of the study  
  -  III. Remarks on methodology 
 -  1. History of unified sales law, the accessible material, and its usefulness in interpreting the CISG 
 -  a) Unidroit: 1928–1951 
  -  b) Conference in The Hague in 1951 and the Special Commission 
  -  c) ULIS and ULF 
  -  d) Usefulness of historical records 
  
   -  2. Comparative law pre- and post-unification 
  -  3. Summary 
  
   
   -   § 2: Groundwork  
 -   I. Terminology  
  -  II. Notions of property 
 -  1. Absolute notion of property on the European continent 
  -  2. Relative, absolute, and otherwise different notions of property under Roman law 
  -  3. Relative notion of property 
  -  4. Reduced significance of a “lump” concept of property 
 -  a) Nordic countries 
  -  b) USA and its UCC 
  
   -  5. Summary 
  
   -  III. Differences in the transfer of property with regard to sales transactions 
 -  1. Transfer of property due to mere consent or additional requirement of handing over of the goods 
  -  2. Causal or abstract relationship between transfer of property and the sales contract 
  
   -  IV. Law applicable to questions of property 
 -  1. Law applicable to questions of property before State courts 
  -  2. Law applicable to questions of property before arbitral tribunals 
  
   -   V. Conclusion  
  
   -   § 3: Obligation to transfer the property and third party rights or claims  
 -  I. Distinguishing different obligations to transfer the property 
 -  1. Obligation to transfer unencumbered property 
  -  2. Obligation to fulfill the necessary acts for the transfer of property 
  
   -  II. Historical roots and comparative law 
 -  1. Roman law 
 -  a) Actio auctoritatis, stipulatio duplae, stipulatio habere licere, and obligation to transfer property 
  -  b) Explanatory approaches 
  
   -  2. National laws 
 -  a) French law 
 -  aa) Garantie d’éviction and Articles 1626 et seq. of the French Civil Code 
  -  bb) Nullity of the sale of goods that belong to a third party under Article 1599 of the French Civil Code 
  -  cc) Summary 
  
   -  b) Swiss law 
 -  aa) Articles 184 and 192 et seq. of the Swiss Code of Obligations 
  -  bb) Opinions by the Swiss courts and scholars 
  -  cc) Position of the Swiss Supreme Court 
  -  dd) Discussion 
 -  (1) Protection of the buyer before eviction 
  -  (2) Systematic arguments 
  -  (3) Revealing the respective historical background of the Swiss Code of Obligations 
  
   -  ee) Summary regarding the obligation to transfer the property 
  -  ff) Nullity due to impossibility and Article 20 of the Swiss Code of Obligations 
  
   -  c) English law 
 -  aa) Section 12(1) of the Sale of Goods Act 1893 and 1979 
  -  bb) Failure of consideration 
  -  cc) Summary 
  
   
   -  3. The breakthrough of German law? 
 -  a) Germanic and Franconian law 
  -  b) The German Civil Code of 1900 
  -  c) Breakthrough of German law by introducing the obligation to transfer the property? 
  
   -  4. Summary 
  
   -  III. Current interpretations of Articles 30 and 41 of the CISG 
 -  1. Approach 1: Buyer has to become owner of the goods under Article 30 of the CISG 
  -  2. Approach 2: Article 30 of the CISG obliges the seller to fulfill the necessary acts under national law to effect a transfer of property 
  -  3. Approach 3: Article 30 of the CISG is merely an overview elaborated by Article 41 of the CISG and contains no independent obligation 
  
   -  IV. A novel approach: Defining “property” under Article 30 of the CISG and applying Article 41 of the CISG with regard to third parties only 
 -  1. Defining “property” under Article 30 of the CISG 
 -  a) Deriving the meaning of “property” from existing concepts 
  -  b) Proposed definition of property under Article 30 of the CISG 
  -  c) “Transfer” of property 
  -  d) Intellectual property rights 
  -  e) Accessories to the goods 
  
   -  2. Advantages of this approach 
 -  a) The wording of Article 41 of the CISG and third parties 
  -  b) Uniformity and Article 7(1) of the CISG 
  -  c) Improved delineation of Articles 30 and 41 of the CISG 
 -  aa) Relevant point(s) in time 
 -  (1) Relevant point in time under Article 30 of the CISG 
  -  (2) Relevant point in time under Article 41 of the CISG 
  -  (3) Advantages of a distinction regarding the relevant point in time 
  -  (4) Summary 
  
   -  bb) Assessing modifications of both obligations under Article 6 of the CISG 
  -  cc) Claim for performance under Article 46(1) or 46(2), (3) of the CISG 
  -  dd) Article 43 of the CISG 
  
   -  d) Summary 
  
   -  3. Consequences for the type of obligation found in Article 30 of the CISG 
  -  4. Obligation to transfer unencumbered property under Article 41 of the CISG 
 -  a) Wording and the additional protection from claims of third parties 
 -  aa) Can there be a breach of contract by a right that is not at the same time a claim? 
 -  (1) Relevant point in time for the claim or the facts underlying the claim to exist 
  -  (2) Bona fide purchaser 
  -  (3) Threshold for existence of “claims” 
 -   (a) Frivolous or obviously unfounded claims of third parties  
  -   (b) Against whom must the claim be raised?  
  -   (c) (No) requirements of a “claim” that surpasses a mere expression of a third party to have a right in the goods  
  
   -  (4) Summary 
  
   -  bb) Are there buyers’ remedies for claims of third parties more limited than the remedies for rights of third parties? 
 -  (1) Claim for performance under Article 46 of the CISG and reduction of price under Article 50 of the CISG 
  -  (2) Avoidance of contract under Articles 49(1)(a), 25 of the CISG 
  -  (3) Prescription 
  
   -  cc) Summary 
  
   -  b) Purpose of Article 41 of the CISG 
  -  c) Travaux préparatoires  
  -  d) Summary 
  
   -  5. Broader protection for buyers under the CISG than a mere obligation to transfer unencumbered property 
  -  6. Preemption of remedies under national law regarding the non-transfer of property 
  -  7. Applying the novel approach in direct comparison to approaches 1–3 
  -  8. Summary 
  
   -   V. Outlook on unifications of law and specifically European law  
  
   -  § 4: Property and the characterization of a sales contract under the CISG 
 -   I. Status quo and general opinion under the CISG  
  -   II. Transfer of property as understood under national laws is no necessary element of characterization of sales contracts under the CISG  
  -  III. Transfer of property under Article 30 of the CISG is no necessary element of characterization of sales contracts under the CISG 
 -  1. The Res Cogitans and English sales law 
 -  a) The case 
  -  b) Reception in the English literature 
 -  aa) Property-transfer for a nanosecond (scintilla temporis) 
  -  bb) Functional interpretation of the retention of title clause 
  -  cc) Conditional contract of sale of bunkers 
  -  dd) Party autonomy in characterizing the contract 
  
   
   -  2. The reasoning of The Res Cogitans and the CISG 
 -  a) Property-transfer for a nanosecond and functional analysis of the retention of property clause 
  -  b) Conditional contract of sale 
  -  c) Party autonomy in characterizing the contract 
  
   -  3. Property as part of the definition of a CISG contract 
  
   -  IV. Proposed characterization of a sales contract under Article 1(1) of the CISG 
 -  1. Delivery of the goods is not a necessary component of a sales contract 
  -  2. Benefits and risk of the goods as central elements 
  -  3. Applying the proposed definition of a sales contract under the CISG 
  
   -   V. Conclusion  
  -   VI. Outlook on unifications of law and specifically European law  
  
   -   § 5: Property and the claim for the purchase price  
 -  I. Property in the goods and action for the price in the common law 
 -  1. English law and legal systems that are inspired by the Sale of Goods Act 1979 
 -  a) Historical roots 
  -  b) Current English law 
  -  c) The Res Cogitans and future English law 
  
   -  2. Other common law jurisdictions 
  -  3. Different motives for the shaping of the claim for the purchase price in the USA 
  -  4. Summary 
  
   -  II. Continental European laws’ approach exemplified by German law 
 -  1. German law in theory 
  -  2. Practice of the courts 
  -  3. Consumer laws 
  -  4. Summary 
  
   -   III. Summary of national concepts  
  -  IV. Claiming the price under the CISG 
 -  1. Article 62 of the CISG 
 -  a) Notable widening of scope of Article 62 of the CISG compared to Article 61(2) of the ULIS 
  -  b) No limitation of the claim for the price under Article 77 of the CISG 
  -  c) No limitation of the claim for the price under Articles 85, 87 of the CISG 
  -  d) No limitation of the claim for the price under Article 88 of the CISG 
  -  e) Possible limitation of the claim for the price under Article 9(2) of the CISG 
  -  f) Limitation of the claim for the price under Article 58 of the CISG 
  -  g) Limitation of the claim for the price under Article 7(1) of the CISG 
  -  h) Summary 
  
   -  2. Damages claim instead of the claim for the price 
 -  a) Article 77 of the CISG after extinction of performance claim 
  -  b) Article 77 of the CISG while claim for performance still exists and is due 
 -  aa) Article 77 of the CISG and damages due to delay 
 -  (1) Storage costs 
  -  (2) Financing costs 
  -  (3) Summary 
  
   -  bb) Approach 1: Article 77 of the CISG generally requires a resale if the buyer refuses to perform 
  -  cc) Approach 2: Article 77 of the CISG does not generally require a resale if the buyer refuses to perform 
  -  dd) Discussion 
  
   -  c) Summary 
  
   -  3. Article 28 of the CISG and the claim for the price under Article 62 of the CISG 
 -  a) Applicability of Article 28 of the CISG to the claim for the price under Article 62 of the CISG 
 -  aa) Potential consequences if Article 28 of the CISG were applicable to the claim for the price under Article 62 of the CISG 
 -  (1) (Im)possibility to force the buyer to pay the price in a foreign currency 
  -  (2) (Im)possibility to force the goods de facto onto the buyer 
  -  (3) (No) indirect duty of the buyer to resell the goods 
 -   (a) Solea International BVBA v Basset & Walker International Inc  
  -   (b) Law applicable to calculation of the damages  
  -   (c) Influence of Article 28 of the CISG on Article 77 of the CISG  
  
   -  (4) Summary 
  
   -  bb) Arguments for and against the application of Article 28 of the CISG to the claim for the price 
 -  (1) Wording of Article 28 of the CISG 
  -  (2) Systematic interpretation 
  -  (3) Travaux préparatoires 
  -  (4) Purpose of Article 28 of the CISG 
  -  (5) Result 
  
   
   -  b) Application of its “own” law with regard to the claim for the purchase price 
  -  c) Summary 
  
   
   -   V. Conclusion  
  
   -   § 6: Exclusion under Article 4, sentence 2(b) of the CISG  
 -  I. Effect on “property” under Article 4, sentence 2(b) of the CISG 
 -  1. “Property” as an autonomous term under Article 4, sentence 2(b) of the CISG 
  -  2. Indirect relevance of the CISG on the transfer by way of incidental questions 
  
   -  II. Retention of property clauses 
 -  1. Effects on property in the goods excluded under Article 4, sentence 2(b) of the CISG 
  -  2. Effects on contractual rights and obligations not excluded under Article 4, sentence 2(b) of the CISG 
  -  3. Consent regarding the retention of property clause under Articles 14–24 of the CISG or under national law? 
  -  4. Summary 
  
   -  III. The CISG’s position on parties’ agreements to regulate the transfer of property 
 -  1. (No) mandatory character of Article 4, sentence 2(b) of the CISG 
  -  2. Regulating the transfer of property under Article 6 of the CISG 
  -  3. Relevance of parties’ agreement outside of the CISG 
  
   -   IV. No contradiction between Article 4, sentence 2(b) CISG and Articles 30, 41 of the CISG  
  -   V. Suitability of the exclusion under Article 4, sentence 2(b) of the CISG  
  -   VI. Conclusion  
  
   -   § 7: Remedies based on (national) property law  
 -   I. Different approaches regarding claims based on property under national law  
  -   II. Claims by or against third parties  
  -  III. Claims between the seller and the buyer 
 -  1. Buyer’s claim based on property after contract conclusion 
  -  2. Seller’s claims based on property after avoidance of contract 
  -  3. Seller’s claims based on a retention of property clause 
  
   -   IV. Conclusion  
  
   -   § 8: Insolvency and property in the goods  
 -   I. Elevated relevance of property in insolvency cases  
  -   II. The CISG does not supersede national insolvency law on the available assets for distribution and priorities  
  -  III. (No) indirect influence on seller’s property after avoidance of contract by the CISG 
 -  1. Schlechtriem and the causa surviving contract avoidance 
  -  2. Landfermann, Hornung, Krebs, Claude Witz arguing for the irrelevance of the CISG 
  -  3. Discussion 
 -  a) Challenging the premise of the continuing existence of a causa for purposes of national property law as a matter governed by the CISG 
  -  b) Challenging the premise of an incidental question to the applicable contract law 
 -  aa) The correct methodology of incidental questions is not decisive 
  -  bb) Introducing a discussion on the same problem in private international law literature 
  -  cc) Contrat translatif as a requirement under the national property law 
  
   -  c) Advantages of the proposed interpretation for the CISG 
  
   -  4. Summary 
  
   -   IV. Conclusion  
  
   -   § 9: Conclusions and theses  
 -   I. Conclusions  
  -   II. Theses  
  
   -   Index of authorities  
  -   Index of further material  
  -  Index of cases