CorporationLaw公司法

CorporationLaw(公司法）P148IntroductiontoCorporationLawPartOne:BasicNormsIntheUntiedStates,businessorganizationsmaybeclassifiedintothreemainclasses:individualproprietorships,partnerships,andcorporations.Thelawsthateffecttheseformsofbusinessenterprisearediverse.ThereissinglecodeorstatutethatgovernstheU.S.Lawofbusinessenterprises.Eachstateprescribersdifferentlawsforcorporations.Thecorporatelawsofeachstatearesimilarbutnotidentical.AlistingofsomeofthecategoriesoflawsapplicabletoU.S.businessenterprisesareasfollows:CloseCorporationLawsSeveralstateshaveadoptedCloseCorporationActsthatauthorizecorporationstodesignatethemselvesasclosecorporations,andwhensodesignatedsuchcorporationsarerequiredtorestrictthenumberandtheidentityoftheirshareholder.Partnerships:Innearlyallstates,theformationandstructureofpartnershipsisregulatedforgeneralpartnershipsbytheUniformPartnershipActof1976(UPA)andtheRevisedUniformLimitedPartnershipActof1976(forlimitedpartnership)adoptedbythesestateswithminordeviations.CorporationCodesCorporationshavenouniformlaw.Lawsgoverningcorporationsaretobefoundinindividualstate'sbusinesscorporationacts.Suchactsprovidetheproceduresforformationanddecisionmakingforanyenterprisethatisincorporatedunderthem.There,doesexist,however,aModelBusinessCorporationActof1984(ModelCorporationAct).TheModelCorporationActisfollowedbyonlyhalfofthestates.Anenterprisedoesnothavetoincorporateunderthecorporationcodeofthestateinwhichitoperate.Forexample,itiscommontofindcorporationsincorporatedunderDelawarelawbuthavingofficesanddoingbusinessinCalifornia.UndertheprevailingU.S.ruleofconflictoflaws,theinternallawofthecorporation.InternalmattersofacorporationaregovernedbyitsownArticlesofIncorporationandBylaws.FederalSecuritiesActsTheU.S.hasfederallawsregulatingsecuritiesactivitiesintheUnitedStates.TheFederalSecuritiesActsare:theSecuritiesActof1933(the1933SecuritiesAct)andtheSecuritiesExchangeActof1934(the1934SecuritiesAct)andthevariousregulationsissuedbytheSecuritiesandExchangeCommission(thesecuritiesregulatingbodyoftheU.S.government),whichareacomponentofAmericanbusinesslaw.The1933SecuritiesActregulatesprincipallytheissuanceofnesecuritiestoraisecapitalfortheissuingenterprisewhilethe1934SecuritiesActregulatesthemechanismsbywhichinvestorsbuyandsellexistingsecurities.BlueSkyLawsBlueSkyLawsarestatesecuritieslaw.ThefederalsecuritieslawspreempttheStateBlueSkyLaws.TheBlueSkyLawswerecreatedtoregulatesecuritiesindustrybeforethedevelopmentoffederalsecuritieslaws.Todaytheyremaininforcetosuppressviolationsofsecuritiesregulationsthatarenotregulatedbythefederalsecuritieslawsandthatareintrastateinnature.FederalAntitrustLawsAntitrustlawsarechieflytoregulatemarketbehaviorandtoencouragecompetitionthroughthepreventionofmonopolizationandthelimitationofrestraintoftrade.PartTwo:FormsofBusinessA.ProprietorshipsAnyindividualmaysetupabusinessalonebyobtainingalicensetodobusinessfromthecountryinwhichheorsheintendstosetupthebusiness.Thisformofbusinessiscalledaproprietorship.Unlikecorporationsandlimitedliabilitypartnershipnootherpermissionorformalityisrequiredandthestatecorporationdivisionisnotinvolved.Proprietorshiparenotseparatelegalentitiesandareusuallyfoundinsmallretailshopsandinserviceenterpriseslikeconsultingfirmsandinsuranceagencies.Innumber,proprietorshipsarethemostcommonformofenterpriseintheUnitedStates.Theyareinsignificant,however,intermsoftherevenuetheygenerate.B.PartnershipsPartnerships.Likecorporations(andunlikeproprietorships)haveseparatelegalentities.Anon-U.S.corporationorindividualcanformapartnershipwithanindividual,acorporationoranotherpartnershipdoingbusinessintheUnitedStatesandviceversa.Forapartnershiptoexistthereisnorequirementthattherebeawrittenpartnershipagreement.Normally,however,awrittenpartnershipagreementshouldbeenteredinto.Apartnershipcanarisesimplyoutoftheactsofthepartnerspartnershipiftheyholdthemselvesaspartnerstothegeneralpublic.InsituationswherethereisnopartnershipagreementtherelationshipbetweenthepartiesisdeterminedbythetermsoftheUniformPartnershipAct(UPA)whichhasbeenadoptedbyallthestates.TheUPAsetsouttherulesfordeterminingwhetherornotapartnershipexists.Forexample,thereceiptbyapersonofaprofitsisapartnerinthebusinessisprimafacieevidencethattherecipientoftheprofitsisapartnerinthebusiness.(Unless,ofcoursethereisanothergoodreasonfordoingso,i,e.,salary.)However,thefactthattwoormorepersonsownpropertyincommondoesnotitselfcreateapartnershipbetweenco-ownersTherearetwotypesofpartnershipgeneralpartnershipandlimitedpartnership.1.GeneralPartnershipWhentwoormoreindividualssetupabusinessenterprisetogetherasco-ownersoftheenterpriseanddonotorganizethemselvesasacorporationtheyhaveformedapartnership.Therearenoformalrequirementfortheformationofapartnershipandbusinessmenmaybepartnersintheeyeofthelawwithoutknowingit.Unlessthereisapartnershipagreementwhichspellsoutthetermsofthepartnership,partnersshareequallyintheassetsandliabilitiesofthepartnershipuponthedissolutionofthepartnership.Inapartnership,thereisnoseparationbetweenthepartner'sliabilitiesandthoseofapartner