ABSTRACT
Every state has its own national system of private international law (internationales Privatrecht). Private international law can come into play when a legal problem contains a foreign element (Auslandsbezug/Auslandsberührung) or goes beyond a purely domestic situation. Accordingly, there is no need to refer to private international law if the set of facts (Sachverhalt) or legal relationship (Rechtsverhältnis) involved has no contact whatsoever with another country. However, the diversity of legal systems in the world occasionally makes it desirable to look to a lighthouse, which can help point the way to a fair solution in cases of conflict between different systems. This is the job of private international law.
