Commercial Law

Code:

D400

Acronym:

DCOM1

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Legal Sciences

Instance: 2004/2005 - A

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	Law

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
D	150	Official Study Plan - LD	4	-	13	-

Objectives

The aim of this course is provide students with solid concepts regarding the fundamental institutions of commercial law. Therefore, it starts with basis notions which are still crucial in portuguese trade law, such as "act of trade", "merchant" or "enterprise". Afterwards, the course focuses on insolvency law and on the regime of the bills of exchange. It concludes with the study of portuguese company law, where questions concerning contitution, organization, rights and duties of members and deliberations will be thoroughly analyzed.

Program

I – INTRODUCTION

1. Notion of Commercial Law
2. History of Commercial Law
3. Autonomy of Commercial Law
4. Interpretation and Integration of Trade Laws
5. Sources of Commercial Law

II - Acts of trade

1. Notion of acts of trade and its importance
2. Classification of acts of trade

III - Merchants
1. Persons that can or can't qualify as merchants.
2. Conditions for acquiring the condition of merchant.
3. Rights and duties of merchants

IV - The Enterprise

1. Notion and Elements
2. Contracts upon enterprises: transmission and bail.

V - DISTINCTIVE SIGNALS

1. Firm or merchant names.
2. Enterprise denominations
3. Trademarks

VI - INSOLVENCY LAW

1. The main guidelines of the new portuguese Insolvency Law
2. Insolvency procedure
3. The effects of insolvency

VII - BILLS OF EXCHANGE AND CHEQUES

1. The bill of exchange: notion, importance and characterization of its main features. Contracts upon bills of exchange.
2. The cheque: notion and regime; appliccable criminal rules.

VIII - COMPANIES

1. Introduction. General characterization of the different legal types of trading companies.
2. The constitution process and the problems raised therein.
3. Legal personality and capacity of companies
4. Rights and duties of partners and shareholders, especially the right to vote and to access company information and the duty to contribute with money or other goods.
5. Company capital and assets, reserves and profit distribution.

Main Bibliography

Abreu, Jorge Manuel Coutinho de, Curso de Direito Comercial, vol. I, 4ª ed., Almedina, Coimbra, 2004; vol. II, Das Sociedades, Almedina, Coimbra, 2002.

Ascensão, J. Oliveira, Direito Comercial, vol. III, Títulos de Crédito, Lisboa, 1992; vol. IV, Sociedades Comerciais – Parte Geral, Lisboa, 2000.

Cordeiro, António Menezes, Manual de Direito Comercial, I vol., Almedina, Coimbra, 2001; Manual de Direito das Sociedades, I – Das sociedades em geral, Almedina Coimbra, 2004

Correia, A. A. Ferrer, Lições de Direito Comercial, vol. I, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, 1973; vol. III, Letra de Câmbio, Universidade de Coimbra, Coimbra, 1975.

Complementary Bibliography

AA.VV. (Pedro Maia, Elisabete Ramos, Alexandre Soveral Martins e Paulo de Tarso Domingues, sob a coordenação de J.M. Coutinho de Abreu) Estudos de Direito das Sociedades, Almedina, Coimbra, 7.ª ed., 2004.

Antunes, J. Engrácia, Direito das Sociedades Comerciais – Perspectivas do seu Ensino, Almedina, Coimbra, 2000.

Domingues, Paulo de Tarso, Do Capital Social – Noção, Princípios e Funções, BFDUC, Studia Iuridica, 33, Coimbra Editora, Coimbra, 2.ª ed., 2003.

Furtado, Jorge H. C. Pinto, Títulos de crédito, Almedina, Coimbra, 2000

Lobo Xavier, Vasco da Gama , Sociedades Comerciais, Lições aos alunos de Direito Comercial do 4º ano jurídico, Coimbra, 1987

Pitão, França, Letras e Livranças, Almedina, Coimbra, 2002

Serra, Catarina, O novo regime português da insolvência – uma introdução, Almedina, Coimbra, 2004

Teaching methods and learning activities

Theoretical classes: Exposition of the contents of the discipline , use of case-studies
Practical classes: The students have to solve practical exercises

Evaluation Type

Evaluation with final exam

Eligibility for exams

The marks the student must get have to be equal or higher than 10, in a scale of [0,20] in one of the following hypotheses:
a)Average between the two examinations (“frequencies”);
b)Oral examination (if the student obtained in a) a mark between 7 and 9);
c)Written final examination;
d)Oral final examination (if the student obtained in c) a mark between 7 and 9.

Calculation formula of final grade

Are the marks obtained in the examinations referred in “Frequency Attaining” a), b), c) or d).

Examinations or Special Assignments

None

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

General Law and rules enforced in FDUP.

Classification improvement

Is obtained by doing a written or an oral examination