Reappraising Delivery: Form, Function, and Justification

I.研究主题拟进行的研究将致力于研究、理解和更好地概念化通过交付将法律所有权转移到动产的机制。II.研究背景：自15世纪末以来，普通法承认了将法律所有权转移到有形动产的三种模式：出售、契据和交付。其中，送货是最古老的。然而，它的形式、其运作的机制(无论是法律上的还是实际的)以及它的合理性仍然没有得到充分的研究。这一领域存在的不确定性的程度通过一个例子得到了最好的证明。假设A想要送给B一枚戒指，这枚戒指长期以来一直是A的家人拥有的。每当戒指被转移时，收件人也会收到一封信。A和他们的家人已经将这封信与戒指本身联系在一起。A只把信给了B，并告诉B戒指现在是他们的了，戒指放在很远的一个庄园里。作为一个实体法问题，目前尚不清楚A的行为是否足以将A的所有权转移给B，如果足够的话，应该如何对这种转移进行概念化。如果庄园的管家单独给B写信，通知B他们现在代表B持有戒指，这很可能足以将A的所有权转移给B。然而，目前还不清楚为什么第三方的书写可能就足够了，而通常情况下，仅仅来自A的文字或书写是不够的。上述例子说明，有关交付的大部分法律仍然含糊不清。一项值得注意的贡献是发现，需要交付来转让法律所有权是不合理的，只是早期法律的残余物。然而，这一结论不能如此明确地被接受。这一结论并不令人满意，因为交付在我国法律中发挥着越来越重要的作用，而且由于大陆对基本相似的传统概念有丰富的学术研究，而这一贡献没有涉及到这一概念。本项目旨在为英语法律教学提供一个连贯的理论基础。本项目旨在为个人财产学做出三项有价值的贡献。首先，该项目将是对交付实证法的全面说明的宝贵贡献。其次，由于交付与物权法中的一些基本概念相互作用，如占有和转让，该项目将提供一个有价值的说明，说明这些概念如何在转让环境中发挥作用。最后，鉴于有人呼吁建立新的动产所有权转让制度，对交付所涉及的各种问题进行分析并提出最佳理由，将有助于起草替代货物销售制度的立法。研究方法：建议的研究完全是教条主义的。它的目的是为作为向动产转让法律所有权的一种手段的交付的运作制定一个准确和在概念上令人满意的说明。要做到这一点，这项研究将需要大量的比较学术知识。罗马制度和大陆制度有一个非常相似的概念，称为传统。仔细研究罗马、早期现代平民以及现代德国和法国的学术，将有助于确定关于英语交付概念的描述必须解决的重要问题。例如，平民镜头可能有助于评估必须转移多大程度的控制权(例如拘留或占有)才能有效交付。这项研究还需要对法律和相关法律决定进行一定程度的历史分析。特别是，文官制度和学术对17世纪和18世纪英国法律职业的影响，对于理解有关交付的法律变化的原因将特别重要。

I. Research TopicThe proposed research will aim to work out, understand, and better conceptualise the mechanics of transfers of legal title to chattels by delivery.II. Research Context:Since the end of the 15th century, the common law has recognised three modes of transferring legal title to tangible chattels: sale, deed, and delivery. Of these, delivery is the oldest. However, its form, the mechanisms by which it operates (both legally and physically), and its justification remain understudied. The extent of the uncertainty that exists in this area is best demonstrated through an example. Say A wishes to gift B a ring that has for long been owned by A's family. Whenever the ring was transferred, the recipient also received a letter. A and their family have come to associate this letter with the ring itself. A gives to B only the letter and tells B that the ring is now theirs, the ring being held in a manor far away. As a matter of positive law, it is unclear whether A's acts are sufficient to transfer A's title to B, and, if sufficient, how this transfer ought to be conceptualised. If the butler of the manor were to write to B separately, informing B that they now hold the ring on B's behalf, this would likely be sufficient to transfer A's title to B. However, it remains unclear why writing from a third party might be sufficient, whereas mere words or writing from A will normally be insufficient. The above example serves to illustrate that much of the law concerning delivery remains obscure. One notable contribution has been driven to find that the need for delivery to transfer legal title cannot be justified and is a mere remnant of earlier law. However, this conclusion cannot be so plainly accepted. The conclusion is unsatisfactory in light of the increasingly important role delivery is playing in our law and given the rich continental scholarship on the substantially similar concept of traditio which was unaddressed by that contribution. This project is an attempt to provide a coherent rationale for delivery in English law.This project seeks to make three valuable contributions to personal property scholarship. First, the project will be a valuable contribution in its holistic account of the positive law on delivery. Secondly, as delivery interacts with a number of fundamental concepts in property law, such as possession and attornment, the project will provide a valuable account of how these concepts function in the conveyance setting. Finally, insofar as there are calls for new regimes for the transfer of title to chattels, an analysis of the various issues involved with delivery, and its best justification, will be helpful in drafting alternative legislation to the Sale of Goods regime. III. Research Methods:The proposed research is wholly doctrinal. It aims to develop an accurate and conceptually satisfactory account for the operation of delivery as a means of conveying legal title to chattels. In doing so, this research will require substantial comparative scholarship. Roman and continental systems have a closely analogous concept, known as traditio. A careful study of Roman, early modern civilian, and modern German and French scholarship will help identify important questions that an account on the English concept of delivery must address. For example, a civilian lens may help assess what degree of control (e.g. detention or possession) must be transferred for an effective delivery). The research will also require some degree of historical analysis of the law and the relevant legal decisions. In particular, the influence of civilian systems and scholarship on the English legal profession during the 17th and 18th centuries will be particularly important in understanding the reason for changes in the law governing delivery.