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일단 전문부터 붙이고…
Copyright (c) Queen’s Printer,
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Occupiers Liability Act
[RSBC 1996] CHAPTER 337
Contents
Section
1 Definitions
2 Application of Act
3 Occupiers’ duty of care
4 Contracting out
5 Independent contractors
6 Tenancy relationship
7 Application of Negligence Act
8 Crown bound
9 Act not to affect certain relationships
Definitions1 In this Act:
“occupier” means a person who
(a) is in physical possession of premises, or
(b) has responsibility for, and control over, the condition of premises, the activities conducted on those premises and the persons allowed to enter those premises,
and, for this Act, there may be more than one occupier of the same premises;
“premises” includes
(a) land and structures or either of them, excepting portable structures and equipment other than those described in paragraph (c),
(b) ships and vessels,
(c) trailers and portable structures designed or used for a residence, business or shelter, and
(d) railway locomotives, railway cars, vehicles and aircraft while not in operation;
“tenancy” includes a statutory tenancy, an implied tenancy and any contract conferring the right of occupation, and “landlord” must be construed accordingly.
Application of Act2 Subject to section 3 (4), and sections 4 and 9, this Act determines the care that an occupier is required to show toward persons entering on the premises in respect of dangers to them, or to their property on the premises, or to the property on the premises of persons who have not themselves entered on the premises, that are due to the state of the premises, or to anything done or omitted to be done on the premises, and for which the occupier is responsible by law.
Occupiers’ duty of care3 (1) An occupier of premises owes a duty to take that care that in all the circumstances of the case is reasonable to see that a person, and the person’s property, on the premises, and property on the premises of a person, whether or not that person personally enters on the premises, will be reasonably safe in using the premises.
(2) The duty of care referred to in subsection (1) applies in relation to the
(a) condition of the premises,
(b) activities on the premises, or
(c) conduct of third parties on the premises.
(3) Despite subsection (1), an occupier has no duty of care to a person in respect of risks willingly assumed by that person other than a duty not to
(a) create a danger with intent to do harm to the person or damage to the person’s property, or
(b) act with reckless disregard to the safety of the person or the integrity of the person’s property.
(3.1) A person who is trespassing on premises while committing, or with the intention of committing, a criminal act is deemed to have willingly assumed all risks and the occupier of those premises is subject only to the duty of care set out in subsection (3).
(3.2) A person who enters any of the categories of premises described in subsection (3.3) is deemed to have willingly assumed all risks and the occupier of those premises is subject only to the duty of care set out in subsection (3) if
(a) the person who enters is trespassing, or
(b) the entry is for the purpose of a recreational activity and
(i) the occupier receives no payment or other consideration for the entry or activity of the person, other than a payment or other consideration from a government or government agency or a non-profit recreational club or association, and
(ii) the occupier is not providing the person with living accommodation on those premises.
(3.3) The categories of premises referred to in subsection (3.2) are as follows:
(a) premises that the occupier uses primarily for agricultural purposes;
(b) rural premises that are
(i) used for forestry or range purposes,
(ii) vacant or undeveloped premises,
(iii) forested or wilderness premises, or
(iv) private roads reasonably marked as private roads;
(c) recreational trails reasonably marked as recreational trails;
(d) utility rights of way and corridors excluding structures located on them.
(4) Nothing in this section relieves an occupier of premises of a duty to exercise, in a particular case, a higher standard of care which, in that case, is incumbent on the person because of an enactment or rule of law imposing special standards of care on particular classes of person.
Contracting out4 (1) Subject to subsections (2), (3) and (4), if an occupier is permitted by law to extend, restrict, modify or exclude the occupier’s duty of care to any person by express agreement, or by express stipulation or notice, the occupier must take reasonable steps to bring that extension, restriction, modification or exclusion to the attention of that person.
(2) An occupier must not restrict, modify or exclude the occupier’s duty of care under subsection (1) with respect to a person who is
(a) not privy to the express agreement, or
(b) empowered or permitted to enter or use the premises without the consent or permission of the occupier.
(3) If an occupier is bound by contract to permit persons who are not privy to the contract to enter or use the premises, the duty of care of the occupier to those persons must, despite anything to the contrary in that contract, not be restricted, modified or excluded by it.
(4) This section applies to all express contracts.
Independent contractors5 (1) Despite section 3 (1), if damage is caused by the negligence of an independent contractor engaged by the occupier, the occupier is not on that account liable under this Act if, in all the circumstances,
(a) the occupier exercised reasonable care in the selection and supervision of the independent contractor, and
(b) it was reasonable that the work that the independent contractor was engaged to do should have been undertaken.
(2) Subsection (1) must not be construed as restricting or excluding the liability, imposed by any other Act, of an occupier for the negligence of the occupier’s independent contractor.
(3) If there is damage under the circumstances set out in subsection (1), and there is more than one occupier of the premises, each occupier is entitled to rely on subsection (1).
Tenancy relationship6 (1) If premises are occupied or used under a tenancy under which a landlord is responsible for the maintenance or repair of the premises, it is the duty of the landlord to show toward any person who, or whose property, may be on the premises the same care in respect of risks arising from failure on the landlord’s part in carrying out the landlord’s responsibility, as is required by this Act to be shown by an occupier of premises toward persons entering on or using the premises.
(2) If premises are occupied under a subtenancy, subsection (1) applies to a landlord who is responsible for the maintenance or repair of the premises comprised in the subtenancy.
(3) For the purposes of this section
(a) a landlord is not in default of the landlord’s duty under subsection (1) unless the default would be actionable at the suit of the occupier,
(b) nothing relieves a landlord of a duty the landlord may have apart from this section, and
(c) obligations imposed by an enactment in respect of a tenancy are deemed to be imposed by the tenancy.
(4) This section applies to all tenancies.
Application of Negligence Act7 The Negligence Act applies to this Act.
Crown bound8 (1) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (2), the Crown and its agencies are bound by this Act.
(2) Despite subsection (1), this Act does not apply to the government or to the Crown in right of Canada or to a municipality if the government, the Crown in right of Canada or the municipality is the occupier of
(a) a public highway, other than a recreational trail referred to in section 3 (3.3) (c),
(b) a public road,
(c) a road under the Forest Act,
(d) a private road as defined in section 2 (1) of the Motor Vehicle Act, other than a private road referred to in section 3 (3.3) (b) (iv) of this Act, or
(e) an industrial road as defined in the Industrial Roads Act.
Act not to affect certain relationships9 This Act does not apply to or affect the liability of
(a) an employer in respect of the employer’s duties to an employee,
(b) a person under a contract for the hire of, or for the carriage for reward of persons or property in, any vehicle, vessel, aircraft or other means of transport,
(c) a person under the Hotel Keepers Act, or
(d) a person under a contract of bailment.
Copyright (c) Queen’s Printer, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
출처:
http://www.qp.gov.bc.ca/statreg/stat/O/96337_01.htm이건 캐나다 BC주에 있는 Occupiers’ Liability Act 라고 하는 것의 전문인데, 쉽게 말해 집,가게,건물 주인이 지켜야할 책임들을 나열해 놓은 것입니다. 캘리포니아에 civil code에도 비슷한 조항이 있는 것으로 아는데, 기본적으로 집주인이 방문자들에 대해서 지켜야 하는 최소한의 의무들을 명시해 놓고 있죠.
최근 이 게시판에서 이뤄지고 있는 hoopla를 지켜보고 있으니, 이 OLA를 기준으로해서 의견충돌에 대한 해결책을 강구해 보는 것은 어떨까 하는 생각이 들었습니다.
결론부터 얘기하자면, 저는 운영자의 negligence가 가장 큰 breach of duty라고 생각합니다. 물론 나름대로 게시판 밴덜리즘에 대한 ‘적절한 조치’를 취하였다고 생각하시겠지만, 사고가 재발한다면 적절한 조치였다고 볼 수가 없습니다. 따라서 집주인의(occupier) negligence가 적용되는 거고요, defence는 거의 없다고 보셔야 합니다.
어떤 분이 이 곳은 개인홈페이지기 때문에 게시판 밴덜리즘에 대한 책임을 질 필요가 없다는 주장을 하였던 걸로 기억하는데, 그것은 사실과 다릅니다; 보다시피 이 곳은 어느 누구든지 와서 자유롭게 게시가 가능한 public domain 입니다. private domain이 되기 위해선 invite-only 또는 홈페이지 소유주의 의견 만을 볼 수 있는 사이트여야겠습니다. 따라서 이 주장 역시 defence로 쓸 수 없습니다.
섹션 3를 보면 집주인으로서 방문자들에게 지켜야할 의무를 크게 3가지로 명시해 놓았습니다.
(a) condition of the premises,
(b) activities on the premises, or
(c) conduct of third parties on the premises.여기서 항목 (c)를 보면 제3자의 행동에 대한 책임도 포함하고 있습니다. 그러니까 특정 방문자의 행동으로 인해서 다른 방문자들이 불편을 겪게 된다면 그에 대한 책임 역시 집주인이 지게 된다는 조항입니다.
아래 게시물 중에 어떤 분이 이제 FBI에서 인터넷 게시판에서 이뤄지는 언어폭력, 밴덜리즘도 federal offense로 여기고 단속하게 되었다는 말씀을 언급하셨더군요. 그런 행동을 하는 개인의 잘못도 문제가 되지만, 제 개인적으로는 그런 일이 생겨도 주인으로서의 의무를 소홀히한 운영자에게도 무시할 수 없는 법적 책임이 있다고 말씀드리고 싶습니다.
개인적으로 몇 가지 대안을 말씀드리자면, 최소한 댓글은 registered member들만 쓸 수 있도록 조정하시고, 가급적이면 phpBB3 또는 gnuboard4 같은 플랫폼 사용을 고려하셔서 회원들 간의 자발적인 정화기능을 도모하시기를 바랍니다.
이상 쉬팍이었습니다.