<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The article discusses the issue of the degree of social harmfulness of acts detrimental to goods obtained through immoral means (specifically, infringement of copyright to legally produced pornographic films). All film productions (also those of a pornographic nature) are works within the meaning of the Polish Act of 4 February 1994 on Copyright and Related Rights. The protection of rights to them is not limited by any moral assessments, but by objectively verifiable features of the work. For legal pornographic works, while their content itself may be regarded as controversial or even unacceptable from the point of view of social norms, the assessment of the social harmfulness of the act is determined not by their content but by the degree of the infringement of the object of protection. The moral assessment of the content contained in the work is irrelevant, if the content is in itself legal and disseminated lawfully, because the protection of non-property rights and, in particular, property rights to a work is not about the protection of the content of those works, but about the author’s rights. The finding that the act involved the dissemination of a someone else’s pornographic work cannot serve as a basis for considering the degree of social harmfulness of the offence as negligible. It is only the degree of copyright infringement that matters in the specific case.
</abstract>

PhD, Professor at the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology

University of Maria Curie-Sklodowska, Faculty of Law and Administration

Professor at the Department of Criminal Law and Criminology

Social Harmfulness of Offences Committed Against Goods Acquired Through Immoral Means

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The article discusses the statutory features of the offence of incest in the Polish Penal Code from 1997 (Article 201) and the results of empirical research carried out. Doubts were raised in doctrine about the rationalization of the prohibition of incest and the definition of the object of protection of this crime. The conduct that constitutes the actus reus as well as the subject and the subjective side of the offence of incest were also analysed. The research material was the files of cases under Article 201 of the Penal Code registered in all public prosecutor’s offices in Poland in 2013–2014 (389 cases). Research was intended to was primarily to identify the criminological picture of the offence of incest and its scale compared to total crime figures in Poland and the policy of punishing. The next aim of the research was to characterise the families, in which incestuous acts took place, and thus to answer the key questions in this context: whether incest is a factor determining the so-called family pathology or maybe it is a phenomenon conditioned by it and whether it occurs spontaneously or is connected with sexual violence in the family. The results of the research show that the so-called “regular incest” (voluntary on both sides), qualified only under Article 201 of the Polish Penal Code, is relatively rare in the practice of the judiciary. Most cases of incestuous sexual relations were combined with the crime type of sexual abuse of a minor or rape. These results seem to confirm the thesis that incest is rarely the only committed offence, but is most often related to domestic sexual violence. They also support the thesis that incest is a phenomenon conditioned by already existing family dysfunctionality, not its cause.
</abstract>

Incest. Penal-Law and Criminological Aspects

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The aim of this paper is to compare the American and European standards of the inadmissibility of evidence of unlawful police entrapment. In US criminal procedure, which permits active forms of entrapment, the US Supreme Court and most federal courts apply a subjective test for the entrapment defence, focusing on the predisposition of the person provoked to commit the crime and, less often, an objective test examining the legality of government agents’ actions. The Strasbourg standard (including German cases) is based on two tests: a substantive one (examining both the predisposition of the person being provoked and the legality of the police actions) and a procedural one, which consists in verifying the reliability of the national courts’ recognition of the charge of incitement to commit a crime by the police The basic difference between the analysed standards is to be found in the effects of illegal entrapment. In the US system, it is a justification to the perpetrator’s responsibility for a crime committed as a result of entrapment, and the Strasbourg standard allows for sanctioning the negative effects of such illegal evidence to be convalidated in criminal trial when the Court considers that “the trial as a whole was fair”.
</abstract>

Inadmissibility of Police Entrapment Evidence in the US and German Trials in the Light of the Case-Law of the US Supreme Court and the ECTHR

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The paper covers the issue of the accelerated penal procedure. It discusses conditions for the application of this mode under Polish law and presents them against the background of regulations in force in other countries, including Germany, France, Spain, Portugal and Belgium. The assumption of the study was to assess Polish legal solutions and to demonstrate the basic similarities and differences between laws of the aforesaid countries.
</abstract>

Accelerated Proceedings in Criminal Cases Viewed from Comparative Law Perspective

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The copyright law enshrines the principle that copyright protection can be considered only in the case of works of human origin, which is mitigated in the Anglo-Saxon systems by introducing the category of computer-generated works. Nowadays we are dealing with a situation where, first of all, we are unable to precisely indicate the features of the subject of protection and copyright law grapples with an unresolved problem of distinguishing a work from other objects. Secondly, in the case of new phenomena such as the creation of AI, androids or cyborgs, there are difficulties with attributing the authorship of the work. This results in a too high level of uncertainty of legal effectiveness. The aim of the paper is to present the phenomenon of the work of cyborg artists in the context of the anthropocentric approach to the authorship of the work, which is dominant in copyright law. The central problem here is the question of the copyright status of works that arise as a result of shifting the boundaries of human possibilities.
</abstract>

Cyborg Artwork

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

Liability for damage caused as a result of an aviation accident means first of all liability of an air carrier for damage done to passengers and liability of an aircraft user for damage done to third persons. However, it is also possible to impute liability to other entities, such as an aircraft manufacturer, a service institution, en entity managing an aerodrome, an institution providing air traffic services, or even aviation supervision authorities. The article analyses potential grounds for those entities’ liability. Liability of aviation personnel is not covered in the article.
</abstract>

Civil Liability of Entities Other Than Aircraft Operators for Aviation Accidents

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The article constitutes a comparative legal study of mediation based on for procedural regulations, i.e. Act of 6 June 1997: Code of Criminal Procedure, Act of 17 November 1964: Code of Civil Procedure, Act of 14 June 1960: Code of Administrative Procedure, and Act of 30 August 2002: Law on the Proceedings before Administrative Courts carried out with the use of a dogmatic method. The author analyses the solutions that, in his opinion, make it possible to propose a thesis on far-reaching convergence of the basic, and at the same time of normative provenance, principles of mediation. The principles include amicability, voluntariness (optionality), commonness, loyalty to parties, confidentiality and non-openness of mediation, as well as a mediator’s impartiality. The above-mentioned convergence does not mean complete homogeneity of particular solutions or their non-defectiveness, which is exemplified by Article 2591 CPC and Article 83 § 4 CAP. It is also shown that the domestic solutions are in conformity with the solutions recommended by the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
</abstract>

Convergence of the Basic Principles of Mediation in Criminal, Civil, Administrative and Judicial-Administrative Matters

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The aim of the article is to discuss the effects of the amendment to Code of Civil Procedure introduced by Act of 28 May 2021 within the scope of a change of a court bench composition in appeal proceedings. The new solutions are controversial and in some aspects interfere with the principle of judicial independence. By reversing the principle of a collective composition in favour of a one-person composition, there were insufficient guarantees for the continuation of the so-called unchanged bench composition for old cases, which may violate the principle of invariability of a bench composition. Secondly, entrusting a decision on a court composition to a court president that is an administrative body did not provide sufficient guarantees for respect for judicial independence. A court president’s decision on whether it is necessary to designate a bench due to the complexity or precedent-like nature of a case also raises objections. It is not within a court president’s competence to assess a nature of a case on which a judge adjudicates. On the other hand, classified conditions for establishing collective benches cause that the discussed regulation will be very rarely applied.
</abstract>

Second Instance Court’s Bench Composition in Civil Proceedings

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The present study concerns the issue of suability of a rector’s decision on the suspension of a student’s rights. The author tries to define the appellate measures that a student has the right to use and the consequences of lodging them. The critical issue consists in the necessity to delimit a student’s suspension as a disciplinary penalty imposed as a result of a disciplinary proceeding conducted by the disciplinary commission in the mode and on terms specified in the Act on Higher Education and Science and appropriate application of the Code of Criminal Procedure and suspension as a result of an administrative decision issued by a university rector before the initiation of an explanatory proceeding or in the course of a disciplinary proceeding. The starting point was to define the legal nature of the relationship between a student and a university as an administrative institution managed by a rector. The considerations lead to the necessity to adopt a presumption that a rector’s decision in a case in question is a form of an administrative decision. Only the adoption of this optics leads to the reconstruction of appellate measures that enable a student – in case of those that are not final – to use non-devolutive appellate measures in the form of a motion to reconsider a case, which is classified as a horizontal instance, or a complaint to an administrative court in accordance with Article 52 § 3 Act on Proceedings before Administrative Courts. The legislator left the choice of the legal remedy to a student. A student still has the right to lodge a complaint about a final decision to an administrative court.
</abstract>

Suability of a Rector’s Decisions to Suspend a Student’s Rights

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The article discusses the issues related to the legalisation of an advertising medium located by a public road at the distance that is shorter than the one required by the Act on public roads. Both the type of the medium and its location affect the obligation to notify an organ or obtain a building permit. A special issue in this regard is the possibility of obtaining a road administrator’s consent for the placement of an advertising device in spite of the fact that the minimum distance of advertisements from the outer edge of a road was not taken into consideration in the course of the legalisation proceeding. Despite the lack of legal regulations of this matter, possible solutions are indicated.
</abstract>

The Issue of Legalising an Advertising Medium Located by a Public Road at a Distance Shorter than the One Required by Act on Public Roads

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

The entry into force of Directive 2000/60/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 October 2000 establishing a framework for Community action in the field of water policy has introduced a new pricing system for water services. The Directive identifies the polluter-pays principle and the principle of cost recovery as a basis for action to be taken by the Member States when setting up pricing systems for water services. The provisions of Article 2(38) and Article 9 of the Directive raised questions of interpretation. The research issue of this study is to determine the discretionary scope of the Member States of the European Union for the protection of waters under a pricing system for water services, and to interpret the concept of “services” used in the Directive in the context of the cost recovery principle and the polluter-pays principle. The author, on the basis of the adopted research method, i.e., interpretation of law, views of legal academics and commentators, case-law of the Court of Justice of the European Union, states that the Directive provides for a mechanism whereby each EU Member State determines the individual uses of water in a pricing system for water services on the basis of a country-specific definition of “water services”. The pricing system for water services is only one of the legal instruments for setting the principle of cost recovery and the polluter-pays principle in the Member States’ water management system, and its scope is based on geographical, economic and natural criteria.
</abstract>

European Pricing System for Water Services as an Instrument for Shaping the Principle of Cost Recovery and the Polluter Pays Principle

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

In the ongoing climate crisis, more and more states of the world undertake initiatives that would reduce negative impact of dangerous growth of global average temperature, including droughts, drowning of coastal cities and water shortage. Recently, an ambitious idea to provide huge supplies of water for the population of the United Arab Emirates was initiated by one of Emirati businessmen – Mr Abdulla Alsheni, who plans to tow a huge Antarctic iceberg to the coast of Emirates. The plan itself is a logistic challenge, but at the same time may raise certain concerns on its compliance with international law. Hereby article has as an aim response to a question whether an act of towing an Antarctic iceberg would breach international law provisions, particularly those related to Antarctic Treaty System and law of the seas.
</abstract>

United Arab Emirates “Iceberg Project” – Would an Ambitious Concept Comply with International Law?

<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

This paper has discussed a variety of terms used in classical Roman law to denote land, namely: praedium, fundus, locus, possessio, villa, ager, solum. Apart from those, terminology used for land in the classical law period comprised: res quae solo continentur/tenentur (things related to land), res solo cohaerentes (things attached to land) or simply res soli (real property), while the term res immobiles, meaning real property, appeared in the sources of Roman law as late as in the post-classical period.
The analysis of the selected sources of Roman law indicates that the scope of those terms was wider or narrower, which means that they sometimes coincided or overlapped, and as a result they were sometimes used interchangeably. The terminology in this respect fluctuated, and the scope of individual terms was being determined by Roman jurists when resolving individual cases. The preserved sources of Roman law indicate that although attempts were made to define individual terms used in respect of land, Roman lawyers did not fully develop a complete division of land into individual categories.
</abstract>

Terminology used to Denote Real Property in the Sources of Classical Roman Law

AHEAD OF PRINT

Volume 18 (2024): Issue 1 (March 2024)

Volume 17 (2023): Issue 4 (December 2023)

Volume 17 (2023): Issue 3 (September 2023)

Volume 17 (2023): Issue 2 (June 2023)

Volume 17 (2023): Issue 1 (March 2023)

Volume 16 (2022): Issue 4 (December 2022)

Volume 16 (2022): Issue 3 (September 2022)

Volume 16 (2022): Issue 2 (June 2022)

Volume 16 (2022): Issue 1 (March 2022)

Ius Novum

Ius Novum is an all-Poland scientific journal that presents analytical articles on the science of law, with focus on Central and Eastern European countries. The journal covers a range of basic areas of law, including constitutional law, civil law and procedure, criminal law and procedure, administrative law and procedure, financial law, business law, and international law.　  The journal aims to create a modern forum for the exchange and debate of opinions among scholars of jurisprudence by popularising research results at both domestic and international levels. It takes into account the significance of the impact of legal studies on the social and economic environment of Central and Eastern Europe.  The journal publishes original scientific papers of considerable cognitive value for all representatives of legal science and practice. These papers can be of interest not only to domestic, but also, or even primarily, to international scientific circles. The journal presents innovative dogmatic analyses of current legal solutions, forecasts for the direction of development in various areas of law, legal evaluations of new social phenomena, assessments of the quality of law enactment and application, signals of the efficiency of adopted legal regulations, and discussions on problems concerning legal certainty. Additionally, the journal features empiric research findings of great social importance.   The journal is open not only to the scientific and teaching staff of Lazarski University, but also to representatives of jurisprudence from other academic centres within the international scientific community. We welcome independent scholars with recognised achievements, as well as young scientists who wish to contribute their interesting and innovative ideas to the discourse on law.   The quarterly publishes original articles using research apparatus, and exceptionally, glosses that concern and resolve especially significant scientific issues.　  Archiving  Sciendo archives the contents of this journal in Portico - digital long-term preservation service of scholarly books, journals and collections.  Plagiarism Policy  The editorial board is participating in a growing community of Similarity Check System's users in order to ensure that the content published is original and trustworthy. Similarity Check is a medium that allows for comprehensive manuscripts screening, aimed to eliminate plagiarism and provide a high standard and quality peer-review process. 