Lawyers tend to avoid referring to the “Vienna Convention” because there are in fact several Vienna Conventions, several relevant in international legal practice, including in technology law:
- The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties (VCLT) is an international agreement regulating treaties between states;
- The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods, usually referenced as the CISG;
- The Convention on Road Traffic, commonly known as the Vienna Convention on Road Traffic which establishes, amongst other things, how vehicles qualify to be driven across borders (technology lawyers are closely watching the proposed amendment relating to automated driving);
- The Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations; and the related, but not to be confused with,
- Vienna Convention on Consular Relations;
- The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer;
- Vienna Convention on Civil Liability for Nuclear Damage.
Not surprisingly, references to “the Vienna Convention” may lead to a puzzled ‘furrowing of the brow,’ while people work out which one is being referenced.