Fiduciary Duties in Company Law:A German Perspective

As Chinese practitioners and scholars ponder the scope of fiduciary obligations under the country’s company law,this paper offers a comparative perspective from German law.Although German corporate law has not rejected legal transplants,the common law trust has never been accepted as an organizational device for administering third-party funds or doing business.Nonetheless,the German judiciary has developed a sophisticated concept of fiduciary obligations where the statutes remain silent.This paper explores the application of fiduciary obligations to limited partnerships,limited liability companies,and stock corporations.It takes a membership perspective to ascertain the legal relationships between a corporation and its shareholder-members and among fellow-shareholders,as business entities evolve from personalistic to capitalistic settings.Fiduciary obligations also inform the relationship between the corporation and its directors and corporate officers.Although German law does not classify directors and corporate officers as the shareholders’direct trustees,shareholders stand nonetheless to benefit from the way directors and corporate offices discharge their duties towards the respective corporate entities.Moreover,criminal law rules on embezzlement operate to protect the corporation and the monies it administers from overly risky business projects.

Auditors＇ Role, Responsibilities, Duties, and AIS to Prevent Errors and Frauds：An Evidence From Lebanon

The paper is about how Lebanese auditors detect fraud in the course of their work and what they advise companies to implement in order to avoid fraudulent acts. For this purpose, various interviews were carded out from different experienced and well-reputed external auditors. This was also for their wide knowledge of all kinds of frauds. Data were taken from primary as well as secondary resources. The paper presents the theoretical and practical aspects. The theoretical part contains the accounting scandals, frauds, auditing processes, and auditor＇s responsibilities and tools for auditors to detect fraud. The practical part consists of case study analysis and detailed research processes.

Knowledge, Understanding and Attitude Toward Civic Rights and Duties in Administrative Affairs and People＇s Participation in Local Administration of Mahasarakham Municipality

This research aimed to study on the people and the local government. The samples were 395 respondents over 18 years old, selected locally of Mahasarakham Municipality, Thailand. The research found that the level of knowledge, understanding, and attitudes toward civic rights and duties of administrative affairs was at a high level but participation in the local administration was rated at a low level. The relationship between knowledge, understanding, and attitudes toward civic rights and duties of administrative affairs of the community was positive correlated. The relationship between knowledge and understanding toward civic rights and duties and participation in the community administration and the relationship between attitudes toward civic rights and duties in administrative affairs and participation in the local government administration were not correlated. Some recommendations were the local government organizations should promote and provide more information to build the right understandings and improve good attitudes toward civic rights and duties in administrative affairs. Local administrators and local leaders should play an important role to advocate and encourage public opinions toward a political ideology to ensure the public mind and make the vision ＂people-centered＂. Most importantly, the State shall pursue directive principles of State policies in relation to public participation.

15% Custom Duties in 2000

China’s foreign trade minister Shi Guangshengrecently promised that China will continue tolower its customs duties and establish an effective,flexible import coordination mechanism. By theyear 2005, the average import tariffs of industrialgoods will be cut to 10%. Currently, China’saverage import tariff is 17%. Non-tariff

CHINESE CUSTOMS TO IMPOSE EXPERIMENTAL SPECIFIC AND COMPOUND IMPORT DUTIES

By a State Council decision, effective on July 1, Chinais to impose specific duties on three import commodities including beer, and compound duties on two otherimport commodities including video player on an trial basis. As this is an unprecedented experiment in China, Office of the Customs Tariff Commission under the StateCouncil, and the Customs Tariff Department of the GeneralAdministration of Customs are carrying out public consultation on these trial policies. In order to give the public abetter idea concepts, characteristics and purposes of specific and compound duties, our reporter visited the officerin charge at Guangzhou Customs.

President Jiang With NPC Deputies From Tibet

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Tibetan NPC Deputies On Economic Development

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Xu Chongde on Quota of Women Deputies to NPC

In 2007 women in China have heard an inspiring piece of news： ＂Of deputies to the 11th National People Congress （NPC）, the proportion of women deputies shall not be lower than 22%.＂ This is a provision of Decision on the Number of Deputies to, and Election of the 11th NPC adopted by the 10th NPC at its Fifth Session concluding on March 16.

NPC Deputies Speak of State Affairs

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NPC Deputies More Actively Involved in Politics

Putting forward bills and proposals is the right of people’s deputies endowed by law and the Constitution and one of the important ways for them to participate in the management of state affairs on behalf of the people. It is also one of the major channels to voice the popular feelings and wills. With the deepening of democracy and legal construction in recent years, people’s deputies have become more conscious of participating in state manage-

社会风险融入公司治理下的董事合规义务——困境、重释与平衡

出于可持续发展的要求,社会风险的概念需融入公司治理,并凭借公司内部的源头预防优势来应对风险现实化后的公共损害。但传统的公司法及公司目的是以股东利益为导向,董事对社会因素的考量面临多元目标冲突和履职技术受限等困境。故要将董事的监督义务重释为“构建公司社会风险防范体系”的强制性“合规义务”,以公共利益为管理导向,在受托于公司的前提下,与忠实、注意义务并列成为信义义务的子集。董事应在履职中采纳ESG方法,通过设置董事(会)级别的领导机关和“预防、侦察、调查与补救”的类型化流程,缓解风险多元化和技术化的挑战。而专业判断规则与责任区分规则,有助于平衡义务强化下的后端责任,避免董事对合规的过度反应产生的经营懈怠。

公司董事对第三人信义义务研究

董事对第三人承担责任是基于董事对第三人的信义义务,公司运营状态、董事身份和第三人类型,均对董事所需要承担的义务程度产生影响。司法实践中董事实施不当行为之后的归责原则和举证责任分配等方面有不同的学说理论。通过线上案例库下载的十余份关于董事义务的案例进行研究,分析董事违反信义义务后的相关责任承担,讨论公司董事应当在何种情形下承担董事信义义务,以及对信义义务的构成要件、责任类型和追责机制进行探析,提出了商业判断规则、公司决议和董事责任保险三种方式对公司治理进行优化。

公司法上的受信义务:评新《公司法》的相应修改

新《公司法》关于受信义务的规定体现了创新精神:一是突出了关联交易、公司机会和竞业限制的重要性,完善了程序规则,重组了公司管理者的禁止性行为;对注意义务的界定突破了该条无法进入司法裁判的困境;将公司控股股东、实际控制人纳入了受信义务体系,并将股东代表诉讼扩及公司全资子公司。二是增加了董事、高管对第三人的赔偿责任。三是增加了董事责任保险。但新《公司法》依然与现实需求存在差距:一是关联交易的规定依然缺乏实质公平的裁判标准;公司机会缺乏界定,将导致司法审判困难;竞业限制不能适应现代企业;管理报酬未被纳入忠实义务,司法审判无据可循。二是注意义务规定不周延,未能对管理者的经营义务与监管义务区别对待。三是审计委员会取代监事机构的情形,股东代表诉讼之先诉请求不明确。新《公司法》关于受信义务的上述修改和问题有必要进行系统性分析与评估,从中也能间接省察今后的完善方向。

公司法上信义义务的体系构成——兼评新《公司法》相关规定

信义义务起源于信托法上的受托人义务,在普通法系衡平法传统影响下,其在英美等国的适用早就超越了信托法范畴,成为公司法领域通用的原则。无论是从“委托—代理”视角,还是信托关系视角来看,公司法制度引入信义义务理论都有必要。董、监、高之所以对公司负有信义义务,是因为他们在公司担任特定职务,与公司存在特定的法律关系,“公司利益至上”是其信义义务的内核。新《公司法》构建了较为完整的信义义务规则体系。在控股股东与实际控制人实际履行董、监、高职能的情况下,他们的行为后果对于公司利益的影响与董、监、高并无差异,理应对公司负信义义务;同时完善信义义务的例外和救济条款,增加了对全资子公司的“双重股东代表诉讼”制度。

应用于高性能延迟锁相环的占空比修正电路设计

设计了一款应用于高性能延迟锁相环的占空比修正电路。该电路主要由差分放大电路、占空比调整电路、缓冲器电路和占空比检测电路组成,采用TSMC 40 nm CMOS工艺和1.1 V的电源电压。仿真的结果表明,时钟频率2 GHz~8 GHz,占空比20%~80%的输入时钟信号,经过占空比修正电路调节后,输出时钟信号占空比变为50%±0.2%,可应用于高性能延迟锁相环中。

“避风港”规则的实践困境与完善路径

“避风港”规则是判定网络侵权责任的重要规则之一,在互联网发展早期较好地平衡了权利保护与产业发展的关系。但随着新技术新业态的快速发展,“避风港”规则在新技术环境下面临着一系列实践困境:网络内容分享平台驶入“避风港”的条件不明确,对特定侵权内容的通知处置难以遏制重复侵权,公法审查义务可能会架空“避风港”规则的适用。摆脱这些困境,就应该在《民法典》解释论框架下,合理划定新技术环境下平台应尽的注意义务,适当扩展解释“必要措施”以遏制重复侵权,澄清私法注意义务与公法审查义务的关系。

行政公益诉讼适格被告认定的特殊规则——以监督管理职责为逻辑起点

法定职责是普通行政诉讼中确定适格被告资格的核心要件。以负有法定职责作为适格被告的认定标准增加了启动行政公益诉讼的难度。与以“个人利益中心论”为理论基础的普通行政诉讼不同,行政公益诉讼是以保护国家利益和社会公共利益为目的的客观诉讼,应以功能主义模式为进路,确定行政公益诉讼中案件适格被告的认定规则。立足于监督行政机关依法履职、实现法律统一实施的制度设计,应将内部层级监督职责、宏观管理职责、行政决策职责、规范性文件制定职责等纳入公益诉讼案件行政机关负有的监督管理职责中。凡具有监督管理职责的行政机关,均具备行政公益诉讼的被告资格。

数字守门人理论:溯源、误读与构建

在数字市场治理的讨论中,数字平台经常被称为数字守门人。“数字守门人”概念主要涉及两种不同的守门人理论,一是讨论中介机构履行第三方监管义务的传统守门人理论,二是讨论超大型平台履行促进竞争义务的新型守门人理论。两种理论在概念逻辑、义务产生机制和义务设立方式上存在本质区别。将两种理论混为一谈,会产生提高第三方监管义务的设立标准、将反垄断义务转换为事前义务的问题。事实上,传统守门人理论已经为数字平台第三方监管义务的设立初步提供了可资借鉴的分析方式,而新型守门人理论则未能证成为超大型平台设立促竞争义务的正当性与可行性。因此,为了有效回应数字市场治理实际需要,构建逻辑自洽的数字守门人理论应聚焦于数字平台的第三方监管义务,在具体内涵阐释、义务标准构建上进一步完善传统守门人理论。

通用人工智能提供者内容审查注意义务的证成

通用人工智能可自发或受用户操控被动生成有害信息,它的提供者作为新型的网络内容提供者,负有数字内容“守门人”职责,同时负有网络空间的安全保护义务,应承担内容审查的注意义务,从而预防有害信息的侵权风险。“以数据为中心”的内容生产方式和算法黑箱效应降低了通用人工智能提供者对内容的管控力,导致对生成内容的普遍审查难以被实现。应针对有害信息,结合内容生产场景、提供者风险预见能力差异化构建内容审查的注意义务。该注意义务以技术性审查为标准,提供者采取符合技术特点的内容审查机制,便应当认定履行了相关义务。