美国财产法(2)
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第二章 财产和财产权

  2.1 What is Property

  Property一般译为"财产",通常的理解是指某一具体的物,又可以分为不动产(Real property)和动产(Personal

  property),这种划分来源于普通法早期的诉讼程序, 在此诉讼程序中,有两种诉讼,一为"真实的诉讼"(Real

  action),处理土地为他人不当占有的案子,这时土地可以返回给合法的所有人,另一种为"个人的诉讼"(Personal

  action),处理土地以外的的财产纠纷,这时所有人只能获得金钱赔偿,不得要求返还原物。

  关于动产,英文有"Chattels"和"Personal property"两种不同的表述,现在,人们一改早期普遍使用的"Chattels",而广泛地采用"Personal

  property".动产又可以分为两类:有形动产(Tangible1 personal property)和无形动产(

  Intangible personal property

  Types of property),前者指能够看到、摸得到的有体财产,而后者则指看不到、摸不到的无体财产,如股份,银行账号,人寿保险等。

  Note:According to Black's

  Law Dictionary, property is defined as:

  "That which is peculiar2 or proper to any person; that which

  belongs exclusively to one. An aggregate3 of rights which are

  guaranteed and protected by the government. Property extends

  to every species of valuable right and interest……the right

  to

  posses it, use it, and to exclude every one else from interfering4

  with it."

  问题:下面哪些不是财产?

  a) Military Retirement5

  b) Earning Capacity

  c) Accrued6 Goodwill7 of Medical Practice

  d) Law Degree

  答案:都不是

  2.2 Philosophies

  财产和财产权是什么?不同的法学家和法学派(Philosophies)有不同的观点,以下就是几个有代表性的观点:

  Posner(波斯纳):(1)财产权是天赋的(Property

  rights are "natural");(2)没有财产权,财产就不能被有效地利用(Without

  property rights, there is no incentive8 to use property efficiently9.);(3)普遍性(Universality)、排他性(Exclusivity)和可转让性(Transferability)是财产权的三大要素(Three

  Elements)。

  Bentham (边沁):Property是一种"能够从物当中获得一种利益的期待"(basis

  for expectation)。

  Cohen(科恩):财产权必须要考虑到下列因素:政府、契约、管制、价值(Property

  merges10 by imperceptible degrees into government, contract, force

  & value)。

  Locke(洛克):劳动创造财产(Labor11 creates

  property)。

  Note:

  关于边沁和波斯纳之观点比较,请参见下列注释:

  Comparing Bentham to Posner

  (1) Anomalies under Bentham: Under the Posner theory, property

  is something that has value, not just what is legally defined

  as property as under Bentham, but from what people hold as having

  value. There are several cases of items treated as property

  without law, such as illegal drugs, territories for marketing12

  such, boyfriends and girlfriends. Here no property right exists

  but people treat it as such either by enforcement of societal

  values or by fear of retaliation13.

  (2) Anomalies under Posner: Transferability frequently measures

  more how much a person wants something, we being non-rational

  operators, than how efficiently we will do so. Transferability

  of some items actually induces inefficiencies, such as those

  which are merit based. If you could transfer law school admissions,

  you would be measuring who wanted it the most, or who could

  pay the most for it, and not who could best utilize14 it.

  2.3 Attributes of Ownership

  大陆法系的法律以所有权(Ownership)为基础来分析财产和财产权,宣称"一物一权",美国财产法不像大陆法系那样强调财产的所有权,它重视的是财产权中各种不同的利益和所有权的分割情况(Attributes

  of Ownership),这些利益常常是指:

  e) 占有权——Possession (right to have, hold, & keep)

  f) 排他权——Exclusion (right to exclude others)

  g) 处置权——Disposition (right to alienate15

  h) 使用权——Use (right to employ the property as desired)

  i) 受益权——Benefit (right to profits realized through property's

  use)

  j) 破坏权——Destruction (right to destroy property)

  2.4 Origins of Property

  一个人如何获得一件物品的财产权呢?财产权的最原始取得(Origins of Property)是如何实现的呢?按照洛克的观点(Lockean

  view):财产是通过劳动和努力来取得的(Property is acquired through investment

  of labor and effort),关于财产的取得(Acquisition),这里还有一条重要的原则: First

  in time, first in right(时间在先,则权利在先)。例如在美国:Indians have right

  to land, they were here first

  Note:如果想在美国买房子或土地,就要查询其所有权的链锁(Chain of title),这个链锁可以追溯到该财产的原始取得之时,如果这个链锁的记录有问题,那你购买该财产就不安全,别的人可能对所有权提出争议,这个情况我们以后会详细讨论。

  2.5 经典案例(中英文对照)

  Case:Armory16 v. Delamirie

  The plaintiff being a chimney sweeper's boy found a jewel and

  carried it to the defendant17's shop (who was a goldsmith) to

  know what it was, and delivered it into the hands of the apprentice18,

  who under pretence19 of weighing it, took out the stones, and

  calling to the master to let him know it came to three halfpence,

  the master offered the boy the money, who refused to take it,

  and insisted to have the thing again; whereupon the apprentice

  delivered him back the socket20 without the stones. And now in

  trover against the master these points were ruled:

  1. That the finder of a jewel, though he does not by such finding

  acquire an absolute property or ownership, yet he has such a

  property as will enable him to keep it against all but the rightful

  owner, and subsequently may maintain trover.

  2. That the action well lay against the master, who gives a

  credit to his apprentice, add is answerable for his neglect

  3. As to the value of the jewel several of the trade were examined

  to prove what a jewel of the finest water that would fit the

  socket would be worth; and the Chief Justice directed the jury,

  that unless the defendant did produce the jewel, and shew it

  not to be of the finest water, they should presume the strongest

  case against him, and make the value of the best jewels the

  measure of their damages: which they accordingly did.

  案例来源:(1722) 1 Strange 5O5; 93 E.R.

  664 (Court of King's Bench)

  案例:阿莫里捡宝石案

  该案发生在1722年的英国。原告是一个烟筒清洁工。一天,原告捡到一枚宝石,然后交给被告金行鉴定。原告将宝石交给金行的徒弟手里。该徒弟在假装称重时将宝石取下,然后告诉师傅,原告捡到的东西价值3个半便士。师傅就付钱给原告。原告不接受钱,坚持要求被告返还原物。徒弟在要求之下只将嵌宝石的托子还给原告,没有将宝石还给原告。现在原告以失主的身份起诉,要求被告赔偿。法院的判决如下:

  (1)尽管失物的发现者不因拾到宝石而获得一种绝对的所有权(ownership),但是他有这样一种财产权,即可以保留失物,除了原失主以外任何人都不得妨碍。因此,原告可以具有失主的身份。

  (2)这个诉讼的被告是金行的师傅是正确的。金行的师傅信任他的徒弟,因而对自己的疏忽大意负有责任。

  (3)至于宝石的价值,根据考查交易行情,只有最好水准的宝石才配有该托子。法官指示陪审团,除非被告拿出原宝石并证明它不是最好水准的,陪审团就应当要求被告按照最好水准的宝石来计算宝石赔偿价值。

  Note: 这个案子已经有270多年的历史了,但是至今美国法院仍视其为美国普通法的原则之一。法学院的教科书中仍可以读到这个案子。

  这个案子的关键部分是判决的第一部分,即失物的发现者可以享有占有该失物的财产权。这个财产权属于一种先占(prior possession)。先占只要不是非法的,就可以导致所有权。在这个案子里,如果原告一直没有出现并诉求归还宝石,那么阿莫里就有可能获得一种完全的所有权。

  2.6 本章节英文读物:

  "First-in-time" rule

  1. The general rule of possession is that the

  first person to take a

  possession of a thing owns it. A corollary to this rule is that

  a prior possessor prevails over a subsequent possessor. Thus,

  a finder has rights superior to everyone but the true owner.

  Armory v. Delamarie. However, there are important exceptions

  to this rule.

  EX: In Armory, A finds a jewel and takes it to

  a jeweler to have

  it appraised21. The jeweler refuses to give the jewel back to

  A,

  saying that A does not own it. A is entitled to recover from

  the jeweler either the jewel or the full money value of the

  jewel.

  As between A and the jeweler, the prior possessor has superior

  right.

  2. The "prior possessor wins" rule also applies to

  objects acquired

  through theft or trespass22.

  EX: If A steals a jewel and hands it to B, who

  refuses to return it, B is liable to A. B cannot question A's

  title or rightful prior possession if B is merely the subsequent

  possessor.

  The rationale for this is that to rule in favor of B would most

  likely not deter23 crime, but it would likely immerse owners and

  prior possessors in costly24 litigation with subsequent possessors

  to prove they are not thieves.

  3. For the finder to become a prior possessor,

  the finder must:

  a. Intend to possess object; AND

  b. Take steps toward possessing object

  Thus, mere discovery is not enough for possession



点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 tangible 4IHzo     
adj.有形的,可触摸的,确凿的,实际的
参考例句:
  • The policy has not yet brought any tangible benefits.这项政策还没有带来任何实质性的好处。
  • There is no tangible proof.没有确凿的证据。
2 peculiar cinyo     
adj.古怪的,异常的;特殊的,特有的
参考例句:
  • He walks in a peculiar fashion.他走路的样子很奇特。
  • He looked at me with a very peculiar expression.他用一种很奇怪的表情看着我。
3 aggregate cKOyE     
adj.总计的,集合的;n.总数;v.合计;集合
参考例句:
  • The football team had a low goal aggregate last season.这支足球队上个赛季的进球总数很少。
  • The money collected will aggregate a thousand dollars.进帐总额将达一千美元。
4 interfering interfering     
adj. 妨碍的 动词interfere的现在分词
参考例句:
  • He's an interfering old busybody! 他老爱管闲事!
  • I wish my mother would stop interfering and let me make my own decisions. 我希望我母亲不再干预,让我自己拿主意。
5 retirement TWoxH     
n.退休,退职
参考例句:
  • She wanted to enjoy her retirement without being beset by financial worries.她想享受退休生活而不必为金钱担忧。
  • I have to put everything away for my retirement.我必须把一切都积蓄起来以便退休后用。
6 accrued dzQzsI     
adj.权责已发生的v.增加( accrue的过去式和过去分词 );(通过自然增长)产生;获得;(使钱款、债务)积累
参考例句:
  • The company had accrued debts of over 1000 yuan. 该公司已积欠了1000多万元的债务。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I have accrued a set of commemoration stamps. 我已收集一套纪念邮票。 来自《简明英汉词典》
7 goodwill 4fuxm     
n.善意,亲善,信誉,声誉
参考例句:
  • His heart is full of goodwill to all men.他心里对所有人都充满着爱心。
  • We paid £10,000 for the shop,and £2000 for its goodwill.我们用一万英镑买下了这家商店,两千英镑买下了它的信誉。
8 incentive j4zy9     
n.刺激;动力;鼓励;诱因;动机
参考例句:
  • Money is still a major incentive in most occupations.在许多职业中,钱仍是主要的鼓励因素。
  • He hasn't much incentive to work hard.他没有努力工作的动机。
9 efficiently ZuTzXQ     
adv.高效率地,有能力地
参考例句:
  • The worker oils the machine to operate it more efficiently.工人给机器上油以使机器运转更有效。
  • Local authorities have to learn to allocate resources efficiently.地方政府必须学会有效地分配资源。
10 merges a03f3f696e7db24b06d3a6b806144742     
(使)混合( merge的第三人称单数 ); 相融; 融入; 渐渐消失在某物中
参考例句:
  • The 2012 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded to Mo Yan"who with hallucinatory realism merges folk tales, history and the contemporary". 2012年诺贝尔文学奖得主为莫言,他“很好地将魔幻现实与民间故事、历史与当代结合在一起”。
  • A device that collates, merges, or matches sets of punched cards or other documents. 一种整理、合并或比较一组穿孔卡片或其它文档的设备。
11 labor P9Tzs     
n.劳动,努力,工作,劳工;分娩;vi.劳动,努力,苦干;vt.详细分析;麻烦
参考例句:
  • We are never late in satisfying him for his labor.我们从不延误付给他劳动报酬。
  • He was completely spent after two weeks of hard labor.艰苦劳动两周后,他已经疲惫不堪了。
12 marketing Boez7e     
n.行销,在市场的买卖,买东西
参考例句:
  • They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
  • He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。
13 retaliation PWwxD     
n.报复,反击
参考例句:
  • retaliation against UN workers 对联合国工作人员的报复
  • He never said a single word in retaliation. 他从未说过一句反击的话。 来自《简明英汉词典》
14 utilize OiPwz     
vt.使用,利用
参考例句:
  • The cook will utilize the leftover ham bone to make soup.厨师要用吃剩的猪腿骨做汤。
  • You must utilize all available resources.你必须利用一切可以得到的资源。
15 alienate hxqzH     
vt.使疏远,离间;转让(财产等)
参考例句:
  • His attempts to alienate the two friends failed because they had complete faith.他离间那两个朋友的企图失败了,因为他们彼此完全信任。
  • We'd better not alienate ourselves from the colleagues.我们最好还是不要与同事们疏远。
16 armory RN0y2     
n.纹章,兵工厂,军械库
参考例句:
  • Nuclear weapons will play a less prominent part in NATO's armory in the future.核武器将来在北约的军械中会起较次要的作用。
  • Every March the Armory Show sets up shop in New York.每年三月,军械博览会都会在纽约设置展场。
17 defendant mYdzW     
n.被告;adj.处于被告地位的
参考例句:
  • The judge rejected a bribe from the defendant's family.法官拒收被告家属的贿赂。
  • The defendant was borne down by the weight of evidence.有力的证据使被告认输了。
18 apprentice 0vFzq     
n.学徒,徒弟
参考例句:
  • My son is an apprentice in a furniture maker's workshop.我的儿子在一家家具厂做学徒。
  • The apprentice is not yet out of his time.这徒工还没有出徒。
19 pretence pretence     
n.假装,作假;借口,口实;虚伪;虚饰
参考例句:
  • The government abandoned any pretence of reform. 政府不再装模作样地进行改革。
  • He made a pretence of being happy at the party.晚会上他假装很高兴。
20 socket jw9wm     
n.窝,穴,孔,插座,插口
参考例句:
  • He put the electric plug into the socket.他把电插头插入插座。
  • The battery charger plugs into any mains socket.这个电池充电器可以插入任何类型的电源插座。
21 appraised 4753e1eab3b5ffb6d1b577ff890499b9     
v.估价( appraise的过去式和过去分词 );估计;估量;评价
参考例句:
  • The teacher appraised the pupil's drawing. 老师评价了那个学生的画。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • He appraised the necklace at £1000. 据他估计,项链价值1000英镑。 来自《简明英汉词典》
22 trespass xpOyw     
n./v.侵犯,闯入私人领地
参考例句:
  • The fishing boat was seized for its trespass into restricted waters.渔船因非法侵入受限制水域而被扣押。
  • The court sentenced him to a fine for trespass.法庭以侵害罪对他判以罚款。
23 deter DmZzU     
vt.阻止,使不敢,吓住
参考例句:
  • Failure did not deter us from trying it again.失败并没有能阻挡我们再次进行试验。
  • Dogs can deter unwelcome intruders.狗能够阻拦不受欢迎的闯入者。
24 costly 7zXxh     
adj.昂贵的,价值高的,豪华的
参考例句:
  • It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
  • This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用,左不过贵了些。
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