The Effects of Avoidance of the Contacts under the CISG - Focusing on Duty of Restoring to the Original State -

CISG상 계약해제의 효과 - 원상회복의무를 중심으로 -

Avoidance refers to the process of terminating a contract because of a non-performance. It implies the right of the aggrieved party to refuse to accept further performance by the other side and to refuse to perform one's own counter-obligations, on a permanent basis. The 1980 U.N. Convention on the International Sale of Goods, hereinafter 'CISG', regulates in Arts. 81-84 the effects of avoidance. The primary effect is that prescribed in Art. 81.1 CISG: both parties are released from their obligations under the contract, subject to any damages which may be due. As seen, the CISG deals with the legal consequences of avoidance, including restitutionary claims. However, a closer look to CISG provisions on restitution reveals that certain matters are left open. For instance, the CISG leaves open questions such as the costs, place and time where restitution is to be made. In this particular, the Convention remains silent as to the consequences of a delayed or refused restitution or the buyer's liability when the goods are damaged or destroyed after the avoidance. In light of the above, the present article attempts to determine the extent to which the modes of restitution are regulated in the CISG and how possible gaps are to be filled.