17.9.06

BGB in Englisch / German Civil Code in English

Last butn´t least!

Quelle: www.gesetze-im-internet.de

"... German Civil Code now available in English

The German Federal Ministry of Justice has commissioned a translation of the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (or BGB), the civil code of Germany. The translation can be downloaded free of charge at www.gesetze-im-internet.de/englisch_bgb

In development since 1881, it became effective on January 1, 1900, and was considered a groundbreaking project. The BGB has been amended many times since it came into exis-tence. Improvements and adaptations by the legislator and legal practice over the years have ensured that it has remained modern and up-to-date. Recently the influence of EU legislation has been quite strong, resulting in many changes to the law.

German law consists of three main parts: Private Law, Public Law and Criminal Law. The BGB is the core of Private Law, the body of German law which determines relations between two private legal entities (for example a buyer and a seller, an employer and an employee, a tenant and a landlord).

Other legislation in this field relies heavily on the principles set out in the BGB. For example, because the rules contained in the BGB also apply generally to partnerships, the German Commercial Code contains only rules that apply specifically to trade / commercial partner-ships and limited companies.
The BGB has served as a template for the regulations of several other civil law jurisdictions, including mainland China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan.

Unfortunately a few particularities could not be considered. Section 923 (1) BGB is a perfect hexameter and Section 923 (3) BGB rhymes: „Diese Vorschriften gelten auch für einen auf der Grenze stehenden Strauch”.

That aside, the translation can provide a thorough insight into German Civil Law and also closes a major gap in information relating to German law available in English. ..."

Quelle: Pressemitteilung des BMJ vom 06.09.2006