:''The following

outline Outline or outlining may refer to: * Outline (list), a document summary, in hierarchical list format * Code folding, a method of hiding or collapsing code or text to see content in outline form * Outline drawing, a sketch depicting the outer edge ...

is provided as an overview of and topical guide to commercial law:''

Commercial law Commercial law, also known as mercantile law or trade law, is the body of law that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of persons and business engaged in commerce, merchandising, trade, and sales. It is often considered to be a branc ...

– body of law that governs

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

and commercial transactions. It is often considered to be a branch of civil law and deals with issues of both

private law Private law is that part of a civil law legal system which is part of the ''jus commune'' that involves relationships between individuals, such as the law of contracts and torts (as it is called in the common law), and the law of obligations ( ...

and

public law Public law is the part of law that governs relations between legal persons and a government, between different institutions within a state, between different branches of governments, as well as relationships between persons that are of direct ...

. It is also called business law.

What ''type'' of thing is commercial law?

Commercial law can be described as all of the following: * Branch of law – law is a

system A system is a group of Interaction, interacting or interrelated elements that act according to a set of rules to form a unified whole. A system, surrounded and influenced by its environment (systems), environment, is described by its boundaries, ...

of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social

institution Institutions are humanly devised structures of rules and norms that shape and constrain individual behavior. All definitions of institutions generally entail that there is a level of persistence and continuity. Laws, rules, social conventions a ...

s to govern behavior, wherever possible.Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90; see " analytical jurisprudence" for extensive debate on what law is; in '' The Concept of Law'' Hart argued law is a "system of rules" (Campbell, ''The Contribution of Legal Studies'', 184); Austin said law was "the command of a sovereign, backed by the threat of a sanction" (Bix
John Austin
; Dworkin describes law as an "interpretive concept" to achieve justice (Dworkin, '' Law's Empire'', 410); and Raz argues law is an "authority" to mediate people's interests (Raz, ''The Authority of Law'', 3–36).

Branches of commercial law

* Companies law ** Corporate law ** Corporate governance *

Competition law Competition law is the field of law that promotes or seeks to maintain market competition by regulating anti-competitive conduct by companies. Competition law is implemented through public and private enforcement. It is also known as antitrust l ...

(antitrust) *

Consumer protection Consumer protection is the practice of safeguarding buyers of goods and services, and the public, against unfair practices in the marketplace. Consumer protection measures are often established by law. Such laws are intended to prevent business ...

* Contract law *

Environmental law Environmental law is a collective term encompassing aspects of the law that provide protection to the environment. A related but distinct set of regulatory regimes, now strongly influenced by environmental legal principles, focus on the manage ...

* Intellectual property law ** Copyright law ** Patent law ** Trademark law * International trade law *

Labour law Labour laws (also known as labor laws or employment laws) are those that mediate the relationship between workers, employing entities, trade unions, and the government. Collective labour law relates to the tripartite relationship between employee, ...

*Insurance law

By region

European company law European company law is a part of European Union law, which concerns the formation, operation and insolvency of companies (or corporations) in the European Union. The EU creates minimum standards for companies throughout the EU, and has its own cor ...

** French company law ** German company law ** United Kingdom company law ***

Unfair prejudice in United Kingdom company law Unfair prejudice in United Kingdom, company law is a statutory form of action that may be brought by aggrieved shareholders against their company. Under the Companies Act 2006 the relevant provision is s 994, the identical successor to s 459 Compa ...

* Corporate law in Vietnam *

United States corporate law United States corporate law regulates the governance, finance and power of corporations in US law. Every state and territory has its own basic corporate code, while federal law creates minimum standards for trade in company shares and governance ...

Closely related areas of law

Legal aspects of computing Information technology law (also called cyberlaw) concerns the law of information technology, including computing and the internet. It is related to legal informatics, and governs the digital dissemination of both ( digitized) information and s ...

* Ecommerce Law *

Privacy law Privacy law is the body of law that deals with the regulating, storing, and using of personally identifiable information, personal healthcare information, and financial information of individuals, which can be Personally identifiable information ...

Property law Property law is the area of law that governs the various forms of ownership in real property (land) and personal property. Property refers to legally protected claims to resources, such as land and personal property, including intellectual pro ...

* Tax law

Commercial law occupations

* Corporate lawyer

History of commercial law

* History of companies *

History of company law in the United Kingdom The history of company law in the United Kingdom concerns the change and development in UK company law within the context of the history of companies, deriving from its predecessors in Roman and English law. Company law in its current form date ...

** '' Lex mercatoria''

Business entities

Types of business entity A business entity is an entity that is formed and administered as per corporate law in order to engage in business activities, charitable work, or other activities allowable. Most often, business entities are formed to sell a product or a servi ...

* Juristic person ** Company (law) ** Corporate law *** Corporation ***

Incorporation (business) Incorporation is the formation of a new corporation. The corporation may be a business, a nonprofit organization, sports club, or a local government of a new city or town. In the United States Specific incorporation requirements in the United ...

**** Delaware corporation ( U.S.) ** Limited liability company ** Fiduciary *** Partnership ***

Agency Agency may refer to: Organizations * Institution, governmental or others ** Advertising agency or marketing agency, a service business dedicated to creating, planning and handling advertising for its clients ** Employment agency, a business that ...

**** Escrow *** Trustee of a trust or

executor An executor is someone who is responsible for executing, or following through on, an assigned task or duty. The feminine form, executrix, may sometimes be used. Overview An executor is a legal term referring to a person named by the maker of a ...

of an

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representat ...

; see also trusts and estates **** Charitable trust ** Foundation ** Association ** Cooperative

Contracts

* Contract **

Consideration Consideration is a concept of English common law and is a necessity for simple contracts but not for special contracts (contracts by deed). The concept has been adopted by other common law jurisdictions. The court in ''Currie v Misa'' declared ...

** Duress ** Warranty **

Breach of contract Breach of contract is a legal cause of action and a type of civil wrong, in which a binding agreement or bargained-for exchange is not honored by one or more of the parties to the contract by non-performance or interference with the other party ...

*** Remedy **** Lien ** Types of contracts *** Adhesion contract

Intellectual property

* Intellectual property ** Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs) ** Public domain ** Trade secret ** Patent ** Trademark *** Genericized trademark ***

People's Republic of China's trademark law The system of trademark law in mainland China is administered by the China National Intellectual Property Administration CNIPA (with an appeal function administered by the Trademark Review and Adjudication Board and the courts). Both are divisions ...

** Copyright *** Fair dealing *** Copyright infringement of software ***

List of copyright case law The following is a list of cases that deal with issues of concern to copyright in various jurisdictions. Some of these cases are leading English cases as the law of copyright in various Commonwealth jurisdictions developed out of English law while ...

Industrial design rights An industrial design right is an intellectual property right that protects the visual design of objects that are purely utilitarian. An industrial design consists of the creation of a shape, configuration or composition of pattern or color, or co ...

Dispute resolution

* Dispute resolution **

Alternative dispute resolution Alternative dispute resolution (ADR), or external dispute resolution (EDR), typically denotes a wide range of dispute resolution processes and techniques that parties can use to settle disputes with the help of a third party. They are used for ...

***

Mediation Mediation is a structured, interactive process where an impartial third party neutral assists disputing parties in resolving conflict through the use of specialized communication and negotiation techniques. All participants in mediation are ...

***

Conciliation Conciliation is an alternative dispute resolution (ADR) process whereby the parties to a dispute use a conciliator, who meets with the parties both separately and together in an attempt to resolve their differences. They do this by lowering te ...

*** Negotiation **

Arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ' ...

***

Binding arbitration Arbitration is a form of alternative dispute resolution (ADR) that resolves disputes outside the judiciary courts. The dispute will be decided by one or more persons (the 'arbitrators', 'arbiters' or 'arbitral tribunal'), which renders the ...

General commercial law concepts

Employment Employment is a relationship between two parties regulating the provision of paid labour services. Usually based on a contract, one party, the employer, which might be a corporation, a not-for-profit organization, a co-operative, or any othe ...

Sexual harassment Sexual harassment is a type of harassment involving the use of explicit or implicit sexual overtones, including the unwelcome and inappropriate promises of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. Sexual harassment includes a range of actions fro ...

Non-disclosure agreement A non-disclosure agreement (NDA) is a legal contract or part of a contract between at least two parties that outlines confidential material, knowledge, or information that the parties wish to share with one another for certain purposes, but wish ...

Bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the debtor ...

Blue law Blue laws, also known as Sunday laws, Sunday trade laws and Sunday closing laws, are laws restricting or banning certain activities on specified days, usually Sundays in the western world. The laws were adopted originally for religious reasons ...

Civil law notary Civil-law notaries, or Latin notaries, are lawyers of noncontentious private civil law who draft, take, and record legal instruments for private parties, provide legal advice and give attendance in person, and are vested as public officers wit ...

* Class action * Cyber law ** Online Copyright Infringement Liability Limitation Act *

estoppel Estoppel is a judicial device in common law legal systems whereby a court may prevent or "estop" a person from making assertions or from going back on his or her word; the person being sanctioned is "estopped". Estoppel may prevent someone from ...

Financial regulation Financial regulation is a form of regulation or supervision, which subjects financial institutions to certain requirements, restrictions and guidelines, aiming to maintain the stability and integrity of the financial system. This may be handled ...

* Fraud deterrence * International trade law * Law and economics * Land use * Letter of credit * Malpractice * Notary public *

Negotiable instruments A negotiable instrument is a document guaranteeing the payment of a specific amount of money, either on demand, or at a set time, whose payer is usually named on the document. More specifically, it is a document contemplated by or consisting of a ...

Real property In English common law, real property, real estate, immovable property or, solely in the US and Canada, realty, is land which is the property of some person and all structures (also called improvements or fixtures) integrated with or affixe ...

** Security interest ***

Mechanics lien A mechanic's lien is a security interest in the title to property for the benefit of those who have supplied labor or materials that improve the property. The lien exists for both real property and personal property. In the realm of real property, ...

* Product liability ** Negligence ** Proximate cause **

Mandatory labelling Mandatory labelling or labeling (see spelling differences) is the requirement of consumer products to state their ingredients or components. This is done to protect people with allergies, and so that people can practice moral purchasing. Mandator ...

* Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act *

Release Release may refer to: * Art release, the public distribution of an artistic production, such as a film, album, or song * Legal release, a legal instrument * News release, a communication directed at the news media * Release (ISUP), a code to ident ...

Torts A tort is a civil wrong that causes a claimant to suffer loss or harm, resulting in legal liability for the person who commits the tortious act. Tort law can be contrasted with criminal law, which deals with criminal wrongs that are punishable ...

* Uniform Commercial Code *'' Lex mercatoria''

Commercial law organizations

* ''

International Technology Law Association The International Technology Law Association (ITechLaw) is an international association that provides education and networking opportunities for technology professionals and students in the area of technology-related legal issues. About Founded ...

'' * ''

Student Intellectual Property Law Association The Student Intellectual Property Law Association (SIPLA) is an American voluntary association for law students interested in intellectual property (IP) law. SIPLA chapters typically organize at law schools with an intellectual property curriculum. ...

'' * ''

American Law and Economics Association The American Law and Economics Association (ALEA), a United States organization founded in 1991, is focused on the advancement of economic understanding of law, and related areas of public policy and regulation. It promotes research in law and econo ...

Commercial law publications

* ''

Columbia Business Law Review ''Columbia Business Law Review'' (CBLR) is a law journal published by students at Columbia Law School. It is the second most-cited student-edited business law journal and the sixth most-cited business law journal. ''CBLR'' publishes three issues ...

'' * '' Currents'' * ''

European Business Law Review The ''European Business Law Review'' () is a law journal covering business law, broadly defined and including both European Union law and the laws of the Member States and other European countries. It is published by Kluwer Law International Wo ...

'' * '' Florida State University Business Review'' * '' Law and Business Review of the Americas''

References

External links

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