INTERNATIONAL AND DOMESTIC ARBITRATION IN SWITZERLAND

Contents XI 2. Objective arbitrability ( ratione materiae )...........................................132 3. Consent to arbitrate.............................................................................132 a. Conflict of laws rule in favorem validitatis ..................................133 b. Issues not covered by the rule in favorem validitatis ....................134 c. The three alternatives under Art.178(2) PILA..............................135 i. The law chosen for the arbitration agreement .......................135 ii. The law applicable to the main contract................................136 iii. Swiss law ..............................................................................137 d. Relationship between Art.178(2) PILA and Art.V(1)(a) NYC.....138 e. Absence of rules for domestic arbitration.....................................138 4. Form of the arbitration agreement ......................................................139 a. Significance of mandatory formal requirements...........................139 b. The NYC as a lodestar for the form requirement .........................140 c. Form of the arbitration agreement under Chap.12 PILA ..............140 i. Content of Art.178(1) PILA..................................................141 ii. Relationship to Art.II(2) NYC ..............................................144 iii. Elements to be covered by the formal requirement...............146 d. Form of the arbitration agreement under Part 3 CCP ...................146 e. Agreement as to (stricter) form ....................................................147 f. Forfeiture of the defence of lack of form......................................148 g. Art.178(1) PILA and international practice..................................149 5. Specific problems of validity..............................................................150 a. Conclusion of an arbitration agreement by an agent ....................150 b. Conclusion of an arbitration agreement by reference ...................153 i. Compliance with the formal requirement..............................153 ii. Consent to arbitrate...............................................................154 iii. Relationship to Art.30(2) FC ................................................156 c. Arbitration clauses in articles of association ................................157 d. Arbitration clauses in unilateral legal acts....................................161 VI. Interpretation of an arbitration agreement.................................................163 1. Application of general principles of contract law ...............................163 a. Introduction ..................................................................................163 b. Subjective interpretation...............................................................165 c. Objective interpretation................................................................165 d. Question of fact v. question of law ...............................................166 2. Specific standards of interpretation for arbitration agreements ..........167 a. Restrictive interpretation of formation and conclusion.................167 b. Liberal interpretation of content and scope ..................................169 3. Pathological arbitration agreements....................................................170 VII. Effects of an arbitration agreement ...........................................................171 1. Exclusion of the state courts ...............................................................171 2. Material scope of application ( ratione materiae )................................173