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 reject...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.展开更多
The principle of ＂equal shares, equal rights＂ was established by the Company Law of 1993 of the People＇s Republic of China. At the initial stage only issuance of common stocks was allowed and the issuance of prefer...The principle of ＂equal shares, equal rights＂ was established by the Company Law of 1993 of the People＇s Republic of China. At the initial stage only issuance of common stocks was allowed and the issuance of preferred stocks was interpreted as prohibited. The Company Law of 2006 has changed the rigidity of provisions of the Company Law of 1993 and laid down the legal foundation for issuance of preferred stock. The Rule for Administration of the Pilot Project for Preferred Stocks released on March 21, 2014 by the China Securities Regulatory Commission started the issuance of the preferred stocks in the Chinese capital market. The establishment of the legal system for issuance of preferred stock in China is not the symbol of overthrowing the principle of ＂equal shares, equal rights,＂ but the expansion and development of the principle of＂equal shares, equal rights＂ in a new era.展开更多
文摘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.
文摘The principle of ＂equal shares, equal rights＂ was established by the Company Law of 1993 of the People＇s Republic of China. At the initial stage only issuance of common stocks was allowed and the issuance of preferred stocks was interpreted as prohibited. The Company Law of 2006 has changed the rigidity of provisions of the Company Law of 1993 and laid down the legal foundation for issuance of preferred stock. The Rule for Administration of the Pilot Project for Preferred Stocks released on March 21, 2014 by the China Securities Regulatory Commission started the issuance of the preferred stocks in the Chinese capital market. The establishment of the legal system for issuance of preferred stock in China is not the symbol of overthrowing the principle of ＂equal shares, equal rights,＂ but the expansion and development of the principle of＂equal shares, equal rights＂ in a new era.
