legislature
national, local level
enacts statutes, acts, decrees
European parliament and specific regulations
can be delegated → regulation
executive
implements
monitors
enforces
judiciary
dispute resolution
lex mercatoria
a set of rules created by merchants to regulate their mutual dealings
international public law
rules between states or state actors
international private law
rules between private parties and international dimension
european union law
order by a delegation of powers from eu states. EU makes common rules its member states in specific area.
EU takes precedence over domestic
public law
the part of law in which the government plays a role
criminal law
constitutional law - creation of legislation, gov powers
administrative law - social security law, environmental law, tax law
international law
private law
family law
contract law
tort law - civil suits
property law
international law
legal subjects
natural persons - human beings
juridical person (legal)
person capable of having rights and obligations
companies, associations, foundations, etc
juridical act
an act performed with intention to bring about legal effects
validity
effectiveness is not a condition for validity
Informed voluntary consent
Legal age
Legal capacity (mental or legal state)
void
non existent
contract resulting in restraint of trade or legislation - contract void
prohibited contract = void
contract law approaches
civil law approach: performance rather than damages
no performance = forced by law
common law approach: damages rather than performance
view of contract as a economic device
unequal bargaining position
contract law assumes equal position for all parties
the protects unequal positions
labour law
consumer protection
solutions:
contract in writing
information duties
valid contract criteria
acceptance
consideration
legal intent
competency
pre-contractual liability
the obligation to compensate damage caused by negotiating a contract without the intention to conclude it and by terminating contractual negotiations without just cause.
used in civil court arguing fairness
offer
a statement by one party of willingness to enter into a contract on stated terms
any form of communication
made to a specific person but can be addressed to a group
termination of an offer
rejection
withdraw
lapse of contract
death of offeror
counteroffer
defect in consent
reasons to void contract
mistake
fraud
deceit
if the deceit is caused by a third party the benefitting party cannot take advantage of the contract if they knew or were supposed to
coercion
exploitation
injustice
subject matter
morality
impossible
illegal activity
cause/motive
injustice
captured by mistake, fraud and exploitacion
law exceptions for the state, state agencies and incapacitated ( minors or mentally impaired)
unjust deviation of 20% from the contract price
time limits
company
legal structure separate from natural person
every company is a merchant
any transaction
people involved in a company
shareholders
employees
board
regulators
stakeholders
advantages of a company
multiple sources of funding
multiple sources of experience and expertise
limited liability
disadvantages of a company
sharing profit
making decisions
taxation
company rule book
memorandum
articles of association
company constitution
how company appoints/removes officers
shareholder meetings
capital
company objectives
contribution investment
in cash or in kind
contribution of labor permitted
social influence or reputation cannot be considered a contribution
types of companies
sole proprietor
general or commercial partnership
professional or public partnership
private limited company
european structures
european economic interest grouping
pooling resources
minimises barriers
produce better results
european cooperative society
members must be based in different countries
holding company
parent company
owns 51% of another company
cannot own shares in another holding company
exercises control through appointing directors
specified in memorandum
consolidated balance sheets required by law
directors
not all companies
some managers who are shareholders hold the same function
personally liable for mistakes when undertaking their duties in a public company
intellectual property
Intellectual property right = your right to protect your intellectual creation and commercialize it.
Preserving the balance between liability in making profit and societal benefit
patent
exclusive right granted for an invention which is a product or a process
new
innovative
capable of industrial application
20 years
copyright
rights of creators over their literary and artistic works
time bound
until end of authors life +70 years
for corporation ( 95 years after publication or 120 years after creation)
obtained by creating work
trademark
a sign capable of distinguishing the goods or services of one enterprise from those of other enterprises
registered at trademark office
required fees
liability
Legal relation that binds the customer to the company (in case of problems)
Duty of care is owed
Duty is breached
Damage is present
Damage is caused by act or act of omission
four elements of liability
mistake
damage
responsible party
compensation
responsible party
manufacturer
negligence
breach of warranty
fault based liability
operator
wilful misconduct
distributor
wrong delivery
breaking upon delivery
consumer
wrong usage
state
not enforcing laws
its a chain
fault based liability
strict liability
strict liability
when a defendant is liable for committing an action, regardless of what his/her intent or mental state was when committing the action
fault based liability
wrong doing is able to blame on something or someoen’s mental capacity
labour law actors
workers
employing entities
states
unions
EU labour law
informing conditions and co-working
consulting workers
issues covered by EU labour law
working hours
protection for new forms of employment
teleworking
minimum wages
workers health and safety
work-life balance
gender equality
workers mobility within eu
use for international labour laws
competition
world peace
social justice
consolidation of national labour legislation
source of inspiration for national action
international labour organisation instruments
freedom of association and protection of the rights to organise convention 1948
right to organise collective bargaining convention 1949
forced labour convention 1930
abolition of force labour convention 1957
discrimination conevntion 1958
equal remuneration convention 1951
equal pay for men and women for work of equal value
minimum age convention 1973
tortfeasor
a person committed tort
caused harm to legally protected interest
liability approaches
strategic approaches: company passes on product liability costs to consumers
operations approach: warranties and warnings/failures