Law Commons^™

Zombies Attack Inadvertent Partnerships!—How Undead Precedents Killed By Uniform Statutes Still Roam The Reporters, Joseph K. Leahy

University of Richmond Law Review

Recently, the Texas Supreme Court breathed new life into some ancient zombies—zombie precedents, that is!—which have long lurked in the shadows of the nation’s partnership formation caselaw. This Article tells the story of those undead cases—describing them, debunking them, and plotting their demise.

This zombie tale begins with the supposed black-letter law of partnership formation. In nearly every state, formation of a general partnership is governed by one of two uniform partnership acts. Under both acts, a business relationship ripens into a partnership whenever the statutory definition of partnership is satisfied. The parties’ intent to become “partners” (or not) is …

Cftc & Sec: The Wild West Of Cryptocurrency Regulation, Taylor Anne Moffett

University of Richmond Law Review

Over the past few years, a turf war has been brewing between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) over which agency should regulate cryptocurrencies. Both agencies have pursued numerous enforcement actions over the cryptocurrencies they believe to be within their jurisdiction. This turf war has many moving components, but the focus always comes back to one question: which cryptocurrencies are commodities, and which cryptocurrencies are securities? The distinction is important because the CFTC has statutory authority to regulate commodities, whereas the SEC has statutory authority to regulate securities. This Comment rejects the pursuit …

Cftc & Sec: The Wild West Of Cryptocurrency Regulation, Taylor Anne Moffett

Law Student Publications

Over the past few years, a turf war has been brewing between the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (“CFTC”) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”) over which agency should regulate cryptocurrencies. Both agencies have pursued numerous enforcement actions over the cryptocurrencies they believe to be within their jurisdiction. This turf war has many moving components, but the focus always comes back to one question: which cryptocurrencies are commodities, and which cryptocurrencies are securities? The distinction is important because the CFTC has statutory authority to regulate commodities, whereas the SEC has statutory authority to regulate securities. This Comment rejects the pursuit …

Agency: Married Women Traders Of Nantucket, 1765-1865, Mary L. Heen

Law Faculty Publications

Before the enactment of separate property and contract rights for married women, generations of married women in seaport cities and towns conducted business as merchants, traders and shopkeepers. The first part of this article shows how private law facilitated their business activities through traditional agency law, the use of powers of attorney, trade accounts and family business networks. These arrangements, largely hidden from public view in family papers, letters, and diaries, permitted married women to enter into contracts, to buy and sell property, and to appear in court. Private law, like equity, thus provided a more flexible alternative to the …

Boilerplate’S False Dichotomy, James Gibson

Law Faculty Publications

The argument against enforcing boilerplate contracts (contracts that no one reads) seems clear. Indeed, if this were a court case we would say that the jury is in; the evidence against boilerplate is overwhelming. Yet the judge has yet to render judgment. Courts continue to enforce boilerplate terms, and even those scholars who have exposed boilerplate as an emperor with no clothes are reluctant to gaze upon its nakedness and condemn its use.

This reluctance originates in an assumption that pervades the boilerplate debate—namely, that courts and commentators alike view boilerplate as necessary to the modern transaction. When asked to …

Ignorance Over Innovation: Why Misunderstanding Standard Setting Organizations Will Hinder Technological Progress, Kristen Osenga

Law Faculty Publications

On January 17, 2017, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) sued Qualcomm Inc. in federal district court, alleging antitrust violations in the company's licensing of semiconductor chips used in cell phones and more. The suit alleges, in part, that Qualcomm refuses to license its patents that cover innovations incorporated in technology standards (standard-essential patents, or SEPs), in contradiction of the company's promise to license this intellectual property on fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory (FRAND) terms. According to the FTC, Qualcomm's behavior reduces competitors' ability to participate in the market, raises prices paid by consumers for products incorporating the standardized technology, and at …

What's Driving Acquisitions? An In-Depth Analysis Of Ceo Drivers Determining Modern Form Acquisition Strategy, Jennifer E. Wuebker

University of Richmond Law Review

Part I provides an overview of the acquisition landscape, including

a brief history of the prevalence and success of acquisitions

as well as an analysis of acquisitions today. Part II outlines

the acquisition process and highlights the importance and dynamics

of decision making, both in principle and in practice. Part

III explores two theories of acquisitive strategy driving CEO decision

making: value enhancement and private interest. Part IV

analyzes the implications of CEO personality and psychological

drivers on acquisition strategy and decision making. This article

argues that CEO traits are central decision drivers, but that no

particular set of traits …

An App For Third Party Beneficiaries, David G. Epstein

Law Faculty Publications

Every year, more than 100 reported court opinions consider the question of whether an outsider can sue for damages under a contract made by others-in part because the law is so ambiguous. While contract enforcement by a third party is controlled largely by the facts of the particular case, it also materially depends upon the relevant legal standards. At present, not just the standards, but also the reasons for these standards, are unclear. Eighty years ago, Lon Fuller, a professor teaching contracts at a then-Southern law school, and William Perdue, a student at that school, significantly clarified and improved decision …

An App For Third Party Beneficiaries, Alexandra W. Cook, J. Kyle Lowder, Michelle Sonntag

Law Student Publications

Every year, more than 100 reported court opinions consider the question of whether an outsider can sue for damages under a contract made by others-in part because the law is so ambiguous. While contract enforcement by a third party is controlled largely by the facts of the particular case, it also materially depends upon the relevant legal standards. At present, not just the standards, but also the reasons for these standards, are unclear. Eighty years ago, Lon Fuller, a professor teaching contracts at a then-Southern law school, and William Perdue, a student at that school, significantly clarified and improved decision …

Forfeiting Federalism: The Faustian Pact With Big Tobacco, Ryan D. Dreveskracht

Richmond Public Interest Law Review

This article discusses the effects of the largest legal settlement in United States history: the so-called Master Settlement Agreement , or "MSA." Part I discusses the settlement generally, and its intended effect on the U.S. tobacco market. Parts II through IV discuss the unintended consequences of the settlement.' Part II considers how states got into their current disarray, and how a perceived state windfall of billions of dollars ended up putting states on what by all accounts now appears to be very real risk of insolvency. Part III examines how the major tobacco companies are using the states' dire financial …

Forfeiting Federalism: The Faustian Pact With Big Tobacco, Ryan D. Dreveskracht

Richmond Journal of Law and the Public Interest

This article discusses the effects of the largest legal settlement in United States history: the so-called Master Settlement Agreement , or "MSA." Part I discusses the settlement generally, and its intended effect on the U.S. tobacco market. Parts II through IV discuss the unintended consequences of the settlement.' Part II considers how states got into their current disarray, and how a perceived state windfall of billions of dollars ended up putting states on what by all accounts now appears to be very real risk of insolvency. Part III examines how the major tobacco companies are using the states' dire financial …

Deconstructing Duty Free: Investor-State Arbitration As Private Anti-Bribery Enforcement, Andrew B. Spalding

Law Faculty Publications

Duty Free rests upon a kind of three-legged stool of legal argumentation. Those legs are: 1) the common law of contract; 2) principles of state liability for official misconduct; and 3) global anti-corruption policy. As this article will show, each leg of that stool is fundamentally flawed; the legal arguments are unpersuasive and occasionally incorrect. This article seeks to deconstruct that stool, exposing the fatal structural flaws in each leg. It thus clears the way for building an arbitral jurisprudence of corruption that actually does what Duty Free attempted: advance global anti-corruption policy in a way that will inure to …

The Compensation Myth And U.C.C. Section 2-713, David Frisch

Law Faculty Publications

This article seeks to bring greater discipline to the analysis of market damages by probing two basic assumptions that are routinely made in discussions of section 2-713: (1) that overcompensation concerns justify judicial interference with the buyer's choice of remedy; and (2) that the relevant market price, in all cases, is the market price that the aggrieved buyer would be required to pay if she wished to make a substitute purchase of goods elsewhere.

Advancing An Adaptive Standard Of Strict Scrutiny For Content-Based Commercial Speech Regulation, Nat Stern, Mark Joseph Stern

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

Deepening Confidence In The Application Of Cisg To The Sales Agreements Between The United States And Japanese Companies, Yoshimochi Taniguchi

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

Parties to contracts between U.S. and Japanese companies usually agree to exclude the application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (“CISG”) from the sales agreement due to concerns about how the CISG will be interpreted and/or incompatibility with U.S. or Japanese law or both. In this paper, the author will suggest that the more countries amend their laws in accordance with CISG standards and the more national courts develop a unified interpretation of the CISG, the more the CISG will represent harmonized law, and as such, contracting parties should not exclude it.

This …

Close The Loophole: The Marketplace Fairness Act And Its Likely Passage, Bryan J. Soukup

Law Student Publications

In this stagnant economy, brick and mortar retailers (brick and mortars) are voicing increasingly strong objections to the current state of online tax collection considering they must always collect state sales tax. Due in part to this uneven playing field, brick and mortars lose thousands of dollars a day in sales to online retailers. States, too, are losing revenue in the form of unpaid use taxes and, like the brick and mortars, are proponents of legislation allowing states to require online retailers to collect sales tax from their customers. Proponents of federal legislation on this issue point to the fact …

Fifty: Shades Of Grey--Uncertainty About Extrinsic Evidence And Parol Evidence After All These Ucc Years, David G. Epstein

Law Faculty Publications

Lawyers and judges have been working with the Uniform Commercial Code for about fifty years. Most states adopted the Uniform Commercial Code between 1960 and 1965.

Notwithstanding these years of experience and the importance of certainty to parties entering into commercial transactions, there is still considerable confusion over the use of extrinsic evidence, parol evidence and the parol evidence rule in answering the questions (1) what are the terms of a contract for the sale of goods and (2) what do those contract terms mean. No "black and white rules"-just various "shades of grey."

This essay explores the reasons for …

Mixed Agendas And Government Regulation Of Business: Can We Clean Up The Mess?, Thomas M. Arnold, Jerry L. Stevens

University of Richmond Law Review

The purpose of this article is first to navigate through variousperspectives on government regulation in an effort to develop areasonable and consistent view for regulatory proposals. Parts II and III of this article provide a brief outline of our current regulatory environment and its evolution. Part IV presents arguments for an efficient regulation of business by using market based regulation with a separation of efficiency and equity issues, where feasible. Examples of this regulatory approach appear throughout the article along with suggested reforms.

The Immediate And Lasting Impacts Of The 2008 Economic Collapse--Lehman Brothers, General Motors, And The Secured Credit Markets, Edward J. Estrada

University of Richmond Law Review

This article analyzes the early days of the credit crisis as well as two of the largest casualties of that period-Lehman Brothers and General Motors. In addition, by focusing on the bankruptcy proceedings of these two entities as well as other judicial decisions rendered since the financial crisis began, it examines the role that courts have played in the crisis.

Orderly Liquidation Authority: A New Insolvency Regime To Address Systemic Risk, Hollace T. Cohen

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Silver Lining In The Red Giant: China's Residential Mortgage Laws Promote Temperance Among The Surging Middle Class, Clayton D. Laforge

University of Richmond Law Review

This comment examines the rise of China's middle class and proactive governance to protect its economy from a housing bubble during the global downturn. An analysis of recently enacted Chinese labor and corporate laws demonstrates how the government facilitated the rise of the middle class. The comment discusses the ramifications of strict domestic residential mortgage regulations and how China's tempered investment structure secured its domestic housing market. Part II of this comment examines China's investment and consumption patterns compared to domestic growth. Part III discusses how the surging middle class grew to seek investment opportunities in the real estate market …

A Critical Look At The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement, David M. Quinn

Law Student Publications

This Article examines two of the more credible criticisms leveled against the ACTA and evaluates the credibility of each. First, some allege that the agreement is a treaty masquerading as an executive agreement. The distinction is significant because treaties may modify U.S. law and require congressional approval, while executive agreements must accord with existing law and require only presidential approval. The second criticism is the systemic lack of transparency throughout the negotiation process. Though these are not the only criticisms – far from it – they are the two most significant and stand on the most solid ground.

The Recent Amendments To Ucc Article 9: Problems And Solutions, David Frisch

University of Richmond Law Review

This article examines three of the forthcoming amendments to Article 9 in some detail: (1) the required name of an individual on a financing statement; (2) the perfection of collateral following the debtor's relocation to a new jurisdiction; and (3) collateral acquired by a new debtor. In the interest of brevity, the discussion of other, less noteworthy, amendments of the statutory text and Official Comments is not as complete. The primary purpose of this article is to offer guidance to legal professionals confronting particular issues under current and future Article 9.

The United Nations Sale Convention: Delimitation, Influences, And Concurrent Application Of Domestic Law, Tamo Zwinge

Richmond Journal of Global Law & Business

The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods ("CISG"or "Convention") aims to create uniform international sales law to facilitate international trade. However, there are numerous sources of divergence in interpretation and application of the Convention in different jurisdictions. It is therefore possi- ble that courts of different countries interpret the words of the Convention differently. This article investigates the major influences of domestic law on the Convention's interpretation and application. Notably, the so-called "homeward trend" of interpreters is discussed. Furthermore, the article scrutinizes the scope of Article 4 of the CISG in order to delimitate the …

Commercial Law's Complexity, David Frisch

Law Faculty Publications

This Article proceeds as follows. Part I briefly surveys prevailing ideas about the social costs of complexity and identifies additional costs that have escaped the attention of earlier commentators. The aim is to demonstrate why reducing the complexity of the commercial law system matters. Part II describes three legislative responses-two already enacted ·and one proposed- representing efforts to mediate the tension between the need for precise regulation and the generation of overly complex rules that often results. Part III provides a closer examination of these legislative responses and demonstrates that, taken together, they create an opportunity for the implementation of …

The Recent Amendments To Ucc Article 9: Problems And Solutions, David Frisch

Law Faculty Publications

This article examines three of the forthcoming amendments to Article 9 in some detail: (1) the required name of an individual on a financing statement; (2) the perfection of collateral following the debtor's relocation to a new jurisdiction; and (3) collateral acquired by a new debtor. In the interest of brevity, the discussion of other, less noteworthy, amendments of the statutory text and Official Comments is not as complete. The primary purpose of this article is to off er guidance to legal professionals confronting particular issues under current and future Article 9.

Amended U.C.C. Article 2 As Code Commentary, David Frisch

Law Faculty Publications

In this short article, I suggest what is a valuable, if partial, corrective to the actual difficulties arising in the application of a statute that has not been subjected to significant changes for more than five decades. I begin in Part I by summarizing one of the sources from which information as to the proper application of Article 2 may be derived, and suggest that another appropriate source should be Amended Article 2. Part II will illustrate the soundness of the suggestion by applying Amended Article 2 to four issues, in order to conclude that specific outcomes can be predicated …

Proposed Legislation: A (Second) Modest Proposal To Protect Virginia Consumers Against Defective Products, Peter N. Swisher

Law Faculty Publications

The purpose of this article is to suggest a viable, necessary, and eminently reasonable legislative alternative that the Virginia General Assembly should enact for legitimate and pressing public policy reasons in order to properly protect Virginia consumers from defective and unreasonably dangerous consumer products. Adopting this alternative would bring the Commonwealth of Virginia into the mainstream of twenty-first century American, and transnational, products liability law.

Rational Retroactivity In A Commercial Context, David Frisch

Law Faculty Publications

This Article focuses on the commercial law context. While transition issues have previously received scant attention, this area of the law is proceeding at an accelerating rate, making transition policy crucially important at this time. In particular, this Article will consider the plausibility and implications of a retroactivity norm in the commercial law context by examining the recent revisions and amendments to Articles 1 and 2 of the Code. Two claims will be advanced: The incentive-based analysis of retroactivity issues in other contexts does not necessarily comport with the realities of commercial law, and consideration of both expectations and incentives …

Reconciling Shareholder Limited Liability With Vicarious Copyright Liability: Holding Parent Corporations Liable For The Copyright Infringement Of Subsidiaries, Joshua M. Siegel

University of Richmond Law Review

No abstract provided.