Latest blog articles

  • Dean’s blog episode 3: from Blue Monday to the Dies Natalis

    Many things happened at the Faculty in the past fortnight. Friday 26 January, we celebrated the 42nd Dies Natalis of the UM. The one thing I always like about this celebration is that it is enormously varied compared to other universities’ anniversaries.

    scriptieprijzen uitreiking FdR Maastricht  UM 2018
  • Alternative Dispute Resolution in legal education

    The aim of this conference is to bring together educators, researchers, professionals and students, to engage in a meaningful dialogue regarding the future of legal education, using ADR as a means to deliver significant skills to future graduates.

    ADR law event
  • The future of the sharing economy

    Should Uber be considered as a company that offers transportation services or rather as a digital platform that offers information society services, operating merely to match passengers with drivers?

    Uber taxi or is a platform
  • The critical impact of online reviews

    The results of empirical research show that 82% of consumers read online reviews, not to mention companies, which rely on them to assess their own performance. The utility of the review depends on a number of factors, such as the perceived identity of a reviewer, and the language used.

    hand showing a thumb up sign
  • The Volkswagen emissions scandal

    In the past two years, I have worked on the legal consequences of the Volkswagen scandal. I have focused here and here primarily on whether the corporate social responsibility policy of Volkswagen, in which the company has outlined its commitment to environmental protection, can have legal...

    Volkswagen beetle
  • Myth: Companies are only after maximizing their profits

    The recent case of the Volkswagen emissions scandal can be an example of how the law also upholds the interests of the environment towards companies. These are all examples of the law keeping companies in check, but in the past couple of years companies have taken it a step further.

    VW_old-factory
  • New community research initiative: the European law & tech network

    While many decades ago, the field of law and technology was focused on the study of intellectual property, more recently, legal scholars have extended their interest in technology to other fields such as the regulation and governance of the Internet, privacy and cybersecurity, data collection...

    European Law Tech network
  • German Amtsgericht on the duty to rescue

    A 83-year-old man suffered severe brain damage due to a fall in a bank. The man was brought to a hospital where he died one week later. A medical report then showed that the lack of assistance did not (even partly) contribute to the man’s unfortunate death. Still, the refusal to help had certain...

    Oude man op bank
  • A bank’s duty of care and the Anglo-American/ European divide

    In recent years, an increasing number of customers and investors have filed claims against banks such as for mis-selling financial products or poor financial advice. Cees van Dam, Professor of European Tort Law at Maastricht University, reveals three general remarks on the bank’s duty of care: on...

    Banken