Product liability is a field of law that accounts for the responsibility of producers, manufacturers, suppliers, and other stakeholders who avail products to the general public for the injuries those products cause the public. Most of these claims are associated with negligence, breach of warranty, strict liability in addition to other forms of consumer protection claims. These laws are determined at the National level. A product liability and negligence claim justified by the product having either a manufacturer’s defect, a designing defect, or failure to warn the consumer. Generally, claims of product liability are not only based on negligence but also a strict liability. This theory of strict liability states that the manufacturer should be held liable even though the customer acted negligently. Failure to warn customers is viewed by some legal commentators as being negligent. The theory of strict liability focuses on the product of the manufacturer rather than Continue reading
Legal Environment of Business
Memorandum of Association of a Company
The Memorandum of Association is the charter of the company, and provides the foundation on which the structure of the company is built. It defines the scope of the company’s activities as well as its relation with the outside world. Section 2(28)of the Companies Act defines a Memorandum as “the memorandum of association of a company as originally framed or as altered from time to time in pursuance of any previous Company Laws or of this Act”. Section 13 of the Act specifies the contents of the memorandum. The importance of the Memorandum is that it lays down the ambit of the powers of the company, the area within which the company can operate and beyond which it cannot go. The purpose of the Memorandum is to enable the shareholders, creditors and those who deal with the company to know what is its permitted range of enterprise. The Memorandum of Continue reading
Doctrine of Ultra Vires
‘Ultra’ means beyond and ‘vires’ means powers. The term ultra vires a company means that the doing of the act is beyond the legal power and authority of the company. The doctrine of ultra vires is important in defining the limits of the powers conferred on the company by its Memorandum of Association. According to this doctrine, the vires (power) of a company to enter into a contract or transaction is limited by the ambit of the Objects Clause of the Memorandum and the provisions of the Companies Act. Whatever is not permitted by the Objects Clause and the Act, is prohibited by the doctrine of ultra vires. If a company engages in any activity or enters into any contract which is ultra vires (outside the power conferred by) the Memorandum or Act, it will be null and void so far as the company is concerned and it cannot be Continue reading
Directors of a Company
A company, though a legal entity in the eyes of the law, is an artificial person, existing only in contemplation of law. It has no physical existence. It has neither soul nor a body of its own. As such, it cannot act in its own person. It can do so only through some human agency. The persons who are in charge of the management of the affairs of a company are termed as directors. They are collectively known as Board of Directors. The Companies Act defines a ‘director’ as “any person occupying the position of a director by whatever name called” [Sec.2(13)]. This is however, an inadequate definition. In the absence of a precise definition, we can only determine whether a person is a director or not a director by referring to the nature of his office and functions. According to the functions performed by him, a director may be Continue reading
Strategies Adopted in Proxy Battles
To win over proxy wars (in the case of takeover bids), where the corporate board or equity holders meetings are exposed to proxy wars, the directors have to adopt strategies based on the steps given below: Collection of material information Construction of proxy fight team Mass contact with shareholders Board of Directors of a company while facing a takeover bid have to work hard to defeat such a bid. Therefore they should collect all possible information about the affairs of their own company, competitors, the takeover — bidder and the opponents. Particularly the management of a company with small holdings on their board face stiff problem. In that case the only remedy is to allow board members to increase shareholdings. To face the opponents, the board must use all the material information available for their defense. The proxy fight team includes experts and persons of experience to help the management Continue reading
Contingent Contracts
A contract may be unconditional or absolute on the one hand and conditional or contingent on the other. The absolute or unconditional contract is one without any reservations or conditions and is to be performed under any event. On the other hand, conditional or contingent contract is one in which a promise is conditional and the contract shall be performed only on the happening or not happening of some future uncertain event. The event must be collateral to the contract. The condition may be precedent or subsequent. For example, goods are sent on approval, the contract is a contingent contract depending on the act of the buyer to accept or reject the goods. According to the section 31 of the contract Act 1872, “A Contingent contract is a contract to do or not to do something, if some event, collateral to such contract, does or does not happen.” A Contingent Continue reading