The Extension of Choice of Court Clauses to Third Parties’ Cargo Receivers in Maritime Bills of Lading: A Comparative Study in the EU, UK, and Iranian Law

Document Type : Research Article

Authors

Department of Private Law, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Ferdowsi University of Mashhad, Mashhad, Khorasan Razavi, Iran

10.22059/jolt.2024.349273.1007134

Abstract

Today, jurisdiction clauses are important and widely utilized in maritime bills of lading. According to these clauses, the contracting parties choose the court or courts of a particular country to decide their disputes. In principle, a jurisdiction clause is binding only between those who have agreed to it. This paper aims to examine whether a jurisdiction clause agreed to by the shipper and carrier and incorporated into a bill of lading binds a third-party bill of lading holder. For this purpose, the paper, using a descriptive-analytical method and a comparative approach, examines the attitude of the EU, UK, and Iranian law. It contends that, under the EU and UK law, a jurisdiction clause binds the bill of lading holder provided that he/she has taken delivery of the goods from the carrier, demanded delivery of the goods from the carrier, or made a claim against the carrier based on the rights and obligations stated in the bill of lading. Although the Iranian law is wholly silent about the enforcement of jurisdiction clauses, the paper shows that the attitudes of the EU and UK law in this area have been totally accepted by one of the Iranian courts.

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References

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Private Law
Volume 21, Issue 1
Spring $ Summer
April 2024
Pages 43-54

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