Commercial Law Commons^™

The Constitutionality Of The Multistate Tax Compact, Robert M. White

Vanderbilt Law Review

It is now firmly established that states have the constitutional power to tax multistate businesses on net income reasonably attributable to activity within the taxing state. Within this legal frame-work, limited only by Public Law 86-272, the states have fashioned separate and diverse rules for the taxation of multistate corporations.'The recently formed Multistate Tax Compact provides an efficient alternative to both the present disarray of state statutes and possible federal regulation of interstate taxation. The principal purposes of the Compact are to establish uniform rules for determining state tax liabilities of multistate taxpayers, to eliminate ineffective tax administration and the …

Parity Codetermination In West German Companies And International Law, Wilhelm Wengler

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

German Law on joint stock companies, in conformity with that of nearly all other countries, has long provided that the organs of the joint stock company (Aktiengesellschaft) consist either exclusively of the shareholders themselves (i.e., the general meeting of shareholders) or are elected by them (i.e., the Aufsichtsrat or supervisory board), or that such an elected organ in turn appoint another organ (i.e., the Vorstand or executive board). Ever since the "old" Labor Management Relations Act (Betriebsverfassungsgesetz) of October 11, 1952, however, only two-thirds of the membership of the supervisory boards of the larger joint stock companies are elected by …

The International Centre For Settlement Of Investment Disputes And Development Through The Multinational Corporation, C. F. Amerasinghe

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The multinational corporation (MNC) as a significant phenomenon in development economics has probably come to stay. The problem for developing countries is how to harness the MNC's power for their own development, and at the same time, limit its all-too-available capacity and potential for unlimited exploitation and influence. Clearly, as pointed out by the Report of the Group of Eminent Persons, there remains much to be done substantively through the medium of the international convention and international organization, both to promote the role of the MNC in development and to control its operations in such a way as to ensure …

Recent Cases, Susan E. Dominick, Robert D. Butters, Walter T. Eccard

Vanderbilt Law Review

The first amendment guarantee of free exercise of religion, although couched in absolute terms, has never been considered an absolute right. The first significant free exercise case, Reynolds v.United States,' upheld the conviction of a Mormon polygamist who claimed a religious exemption from the bigamy laws on the basis of the first amendment. The Court held that while Congress was left powerless to legislate in matters of mere opinion, it was nonetheless" left free to reach actions which were in violation of social duties or subversive of good order."'

Susan E. Dominick

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The instant decision appears to be the …

Tax Problems Associated With The Incorporation Of A Partnership: Revenue Ruling 70-239h, Peter Olsen

Vanderbilt Law Review

The publication of Revenue Ruling 70-239 creates concern with respect to the possible impact of the very broad language of the Ruling in areas not specifically covered. This concern relates to the availability of an ordinary loss deduction under section 1244; various personal holding company and "subchapter S" problems; the impact on section 357(c) and section 1239; the effect on basis computations and the control requirement of section 351; and holding period considerations under section 1223. This article will attempt to examine Revenue Ruling 70-239 with a view to (1) evaluating the accuracy of the conclusion that all three corporation …

The Canada Business Corporations Act: Some Aspects Of Transnational Interest, Robert W.V. Dickerson, David L. Vaughan

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

With passage into law on March 24, 1975, of the Canada Business Corporations Act (CBCA) it is probably safe to say by way of provocative introduction that Canada has enacted the most modern corporation law in the English-speaking world. The Act is to be proclaimed in force at the end of December, 1975. Although the predecessor statute, the Canada Corporations Act, will remain in force, no new corporations may be incorporated under it.

The Role Of The Corn Products Doctrine In Foreign Exchange Transactions, Charles H. Manning

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Exchange rate gain or loss may result from fluctuations of exchange rates or from formal governmental action such as revaluation and devaluation. In evaluating the significance of foreign exchange transactions and their tax consequences, the types of transactions that produce exchange rate gain or loss must be distinguished. The first type of transaction is currency speculation in which exchange rate gain or loss is the only profit or loss realized. The second type of transaction involves the purchase and sale of inventory in which the exchange rate gain or loss is ancillary to the monetary gain or loss realized on …

The Original Issue Discount Deduction In Bonds-For-Noncash Property Exchanges, Charles L. Almond

Vanderbilt Law Review

The first codification of the United States Internal Revenue laws gave a corporation a deduction from income of "[a]ll interest paid or accrued within the taxable year on its indebtedness. ...This same language is presently in force in the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. The statutory language authorizing the interest deduction has never dealt explicitly with the deductibility of discount arising upon a corporation's original issuance of bonds. Treasury Regulations promulgated pursuant to the interest deduction sections, however, have recognized continually that the statutory language embodies a deduction for original issue discount. 'The latest pre-1969 regulation, which limits itself to …

Recent Developments, Author Unidentified

Vanderbilt Law Review

The frequent criticism of the strict locality test as the sole determinant of admiralty jurisdiction resulted in the Supreme Court's requirement of a significant relationship with traditional maritime activity in Executive Jet. The Court's failure to give lucid guidance to later courts in applying the new requirement in non-aviation cases was partially remedied by the Fifth Circuit's implementation of the maritime-nexus test utilizing a factor analysis in Kelly. For those courts that follow Kelly, this new interpretation of the test will provide needed guidelines for determining when admiralty should properly exercise jurisdiction. The courts should not limit themselves, however, to …

Recent Cases, Author Unidentified

Vanderbilt Law Review

Civil Procedure--Service of Process--California Long-Arm Statutes Abrogate State's Immunity Doctrine

Seeking recovery of money owed him by defendant European corporations;' plaintiff brought suit in a California state court.While attending federal district court in Florida for the sole purpose of giving a deposition in a trademark infringement suit instituted by one of the corporations, defendants' representative was personally served with process in the California action on behalf of himself and the defendant corporations. Defendants moved to quash service of process on the ground that the immunity rule prohibited service of civil process upon a witness in attendance in a court outside …

Recent Decisions, Dennis L. Bryant, Kurt H. Decker, Paul S. Parker, Charles M. Jackson, Daniel A. Green, Douglass H. Mori

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

ADMIRALTY--NON-LIEN MARITIME CLAIM--SALVOR WAIVED SALVAGE LIEN BY SEIZING VESSEL PRIOR TO EXPIRATION OF AGREED PAYMENT PERIOD BUT SALVAGE CLAIM COULD BE SATISFIED FROM REMNANTS AND SURPLUS

Dennis L. Bryant Lt., US. Coast Guard

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COMPTROLLER GENERAL--ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OPINION BINDING ON COMPTROLLER GENERAL IN EXIMBANK CREDIT EXTENSIONS TO COMMUNIST COUNTRIES

Kurt H. Decker

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FOREIGN RELATIONS LAW--ACQUISITION OF CONTROL OF DOMESTIC MULTINATIONAL CORPORATION BY A WHOLLY OWNED FOREIGN GOVERNMENTAL CORPORATION DOES NOT PER SE CREATE AN UNREASONABLE CONFLICT OF INTEREST BETWEEN THE OBJECTIVES OF THE ACQUIRER AND ITS DUTIES TO THE DOMESTIC CORPORATION AND ITS SHAREHOLDERS; NOR IS THE ACQUISITION CONTRARY …

An Evaluation Of The Need For Further Statutory Controls On Foreign Direct Investment In The United States, Gregory E. Andrews

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Negative opinions about the expansion of direct foreign participation in the American economy have ranged from xenophobic fears of a foreign economic takeover of the United States to more responsible concerns for the possible need to inhibit foreign penetration of certain critical industries and raw material sectors. These fears and negative reactions have been exacerbated by a paucity of available information to verify or rebut them. A number of congressional committees, therefore, have responded by scheduling investigatory hearings on foreign direct investment, while several members of Congress recently have sponsored legislation in this area. Senator Daniel Inouye (D-Hawaii), has introduced …

Establishing An International Commercial Arbitration Council: A Preliminary Proposal, Martin Domke

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

There has been, in recent years, a substantial growth of international trade. This phenomenon has not confined itself to the more economically developed nations of the world. The developing countries, with different economic and social structures, have also participated in the increased trade activity. Moreover, it can be expected that this trend will continue in the coming years, steadily forging more and more links between countries in all parts of the world.

Growth of trade activity is necessarily accompanied by a corresponding increase in the number of disputes between parties to commercial agreements. The business community is in general accord …

The Import Surcharge Of 1971: A Case Study Of Executive Power In Foreign Commerce, David Pollard, David A. Boillot

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The importance of foreign trade in the conduct of foreign affairs demonstrates that many foreign commerce questions contain foreign affairs overtones. For example, President Nixon has recently noted that congressional restrictions on granting the Soviet Union most-favored-nation treatment would be "a hurdle to further detente." Although article I, section 8 of the Constitution vests the power to regulate foreign commerce in the legislative branch, the Congress has delegated a great deal of that power to the Executive. Moreover, it appears that the President possesses certain inherent powers in foreign commerce as a result of his extensive, albeit undefined, authority in …

Characterization Of Shareholder-Creditor Bad Debt: United States V. Generes Sounds The Knell For Deductions From Ordinary Income, Bland W. Cannon, Jr.

Vanderbilt Law Review

The primary focus of this Note is on the development of the judicial doctrines interpreting the provisions of section 166 as applied to share-holder losses on loans to related corporations. Whether, in any given case, advances by shareholders will be considered loans or capital investments is beyond the scope of this work. For purposes of this study, the existence of a valid debtor-creditor or debtor-guarantor relationship between the corporation and its shareholder will be assumed. A brief description of the statutory scheme of the bad debt and loss provisions will be followed by a discussion of the origins and development …

Editor's Foreword, Harold G. Maier

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This issue of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law includes two presentations to the 1972 Symposium of the Vanderbilt International Law Society and Regional Meeting of the American Society of International Law. First, Henry Harfield of the New York Bar discusses the relevance of international and transnational law to international commercial transactions, with a special emphasis on the usefulness of the Uniform Customs and Practices for Commercial Documentary Credits. Secondly, Sheldon S. Cohen, a member of the District of Columbia Bar and past Commissioner of Internal Revenue, focuses on the United States tax implications of changing currency values. While four …

The Andean Common Market's Common Regime For Foreign Investments, Dale B. Furnish

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The ACM's Common Regime of Treatment of Foreign Capital seems to be a well-balanced set of rules representing an ambitious attempt at reconciling national and regional development interests with the need for foreign capital and technology on terms equitable and remunerative to those who supply them. As in the case of virtually every piece of development legislation based heavily on economic theory and aimed at wholesale change of an existing situation, the Common Regime has plunged into largely uncharted areas in which its ultimate effects are impossible to predict. It is not, however, a "lyrical" piece of drafting. Because it …

The Disc Provisions: Tax Incentive To Increase Exports, William J. Chadwick

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The significant tax incentive afforded by the DISC provisions requires all United States companies selling or leasing goods abroad, or rendering services abroad, to reappraise their present corporate and tax structures. Those companies that have not exported in the past or have done so on a limited basis should reconsider their prior positions and calculate the benefits to be derived from export transactions. Notwithstanding inherent complexities and uncertainties in the new law from a tax standpoint, export transactions are now more profitable to a United States company than comparable sales made within the United States. Additionally, the DISC provisions remove …

Report On The Regional Meeting At The Vanderbilt University School Of Law, Harold G. Maier

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

This issue of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law includes two articles that are based on papers presented at the Regional Meeting by Henry Harfield and Sheldon Cohen. Both articles deal with current and timely questions in the international commercial field. As an introduction to those papers it may be useful to comment briefly on several of the more important questions that were raised during the panel discussion of the papers which closed the conference. This may be particularly helpful in view of the fact that Professor Friedmann's untimely death prevented him from completing the revision of his remarks for …

The Common Commercial Policy Of The Eec: Developments In The Final Stage, Joseph J. Norton

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The free movement of goods, persons and capital and the freedom of establishment and services throughout the EEC were the four fundamental objectives the Treaty of Rome sought to accomplish in establishing the Community. In addition, the Treaty provided for the implementation of common Community policies toward agriculture, as well as transport and commercial relations with third countries. It also outlined specific rules for competition. Through the attainment of these freedoms and the implementations of these sectoral policies during a twelve year transitional period, the full measure of integration envisioned by the Treaty of Rome was to be achieved.

The …

Section 355'S Active Business Rule--An Outdated Inefficacy, John A. Stemmler

Vanderbilt Law Review

In order to delineate the problems inherent in the active business rule, this Note first will examine the legislative history of tax-free separations, isolating the primary purpose and policy of section 355. Regulatory and judicial interpretations of section 355 will also be analyzed to determine their propriety in light of the statute's purpose and to illustrate the confusion that exists in the area. This, in turn, will lead to a suggested approach for dealing with section 355 transactions in the future.

The Taxation Of Stock Dividends And The Tax Reform Act Of 1969--Foreboding Implications And Constitutional Uncertainties, John A. Pickens

Vanderbilt Law Review

Federal income taxation of stock dividends has followed a diverse course. Since the introduction of a federal income tax on all stock dividends in 1916, five major changes have occurred in this area. The most recent of these changes is embodied in section 421 of the Tax Reform Act of 1969, which amends section 305 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954. When the 1969 Amendments are compared with the treatment of stock dividends under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, they can be viewed, in conjunction with the regulations issued in 1969 under the 1954 Code, as initiating a …

Recent Cases, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

Plaintiff, a West German foundation, sued to enjoin infringement of United States trademarks by defendant, an East German "peoples-owned enterprise." The original Carl Zeiss Stiftung was created at Jena in 1889 with the required approval of the Duchy of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach for the purpose of owning and operating an optical business for profit. In 1945, before Jena became part of the Soviet Zone, United States military authorities evacuated all members of the Zeiss Board of Management, as well as key personnel, to Heidenheim, Wuerttemberg, in the United States zone. In 1948, the Soviet Union expropriated all Zeiss assets in Jena, including …

Case Comments--International Law--Corporations--State Denied Standing To Sue For Injury, Journal Staff

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

The Barcelona Traction, Light and Power Company, Ltd.,(hereinafter referred to as Barcelona Traction) was incorporated under Canadian law in 1911 with its main office in Toronto. Several subsidiaries were formed, all under Canadian law, to develop, produce, and distribute electric power in the vicinity of Catalonia, Spain. To finance these operations, the company issued both peseta and sterling bonds, the shares in some of the subsidiaries providing security to a Canadian bank for the sterling bonds. Revenue produced by the subsidiaries from their operations in Spain was used to service the bond interest. Servicing was suspended for the duration of …

The Multinational Corporation As A Challenge To The Nation-State: A Need To Coordinate National Competition Policies, G. Philip Nowak

Vanderbilt Law Review

The recent growth and development of the multinational corporation presents the international community with a unique challenge. For the first time man has an instrument which enables him to use the world's resources with maximum efficiency. He is no longer restricted by national boundaries, but is able to allocate resources on a world wide basis. In addition, the multinational enterprise provides a means for linking the developing countries to an international productive scheme. These countries are now able to undertake production of goods in which they have a comparative advantage and more rapidly increase their rate of economic development.Since the …

Recent Cases, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

Constitutional Law--Armed Forces--Courts-Martial Jurisdiction over Military Personnel Limited to Service--Connected Offenses

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Constitutional Law--Desegregation--Public Housing Authority Required to Build Most Units in White Neighborhoods

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Constitutional Law--Double Jeopardy--Fifth Amendment's Guarantee against Double Jeopardy is Applicable to the States through the Fourteenth Amendment

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Constitutional Law--Garnishment--Prejudgment Wage Garnishment, in Absence of Conditions Requiring the Special Protection of a State or Creditor Interest, Violates the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment

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Constitutional Law--State Taxation--State Use Tax Invalidly Applied to Fuel Gas Used as an Integral Part of Interstate Commerce

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Corporations--Corporate Director Accountable to Corporation Under State Law for Profits …

The Priority Conflict Between A Purchase Money Security Interest And A Prior Security Interest In Future Accounts Receivable, Howell J. Reeves

Vanderbilt Law Review

Article 9 of the Uniform Commercial Code established an exhaustive scheme for the determination and control of security interest in personal property and fixtures' which is now the law of all but one of the states and the District of Columbia Not the least momentous of the provisions in Article 9 are those that govern priorities among conflicting security interests in the same collateral. The purpose of this inquiry is to examine the rules of priority that the U.C.C. provides for a conflict between the holder of a purchase money security interest in inventory and proceeds and a holder of …

Insider Liability For Short-Swing Profits Pursuant To Mergers And Related Transactions, James P. Hemmer

Vanderbilt Law Review

This article considers the problems presented by the application of section 16(b) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 to corporate merger transactions. Mr. Hemmer argues that the"matching across" proposal, which has been suggested by some commentators, should not be applied to the merger situation. Instead, the author advocates that the "possibility of abuse" test, which the courts have applied to conversion transactions, should also. be applicable to the corporate merger. Mr. Hemmer feels this approach will prevent the abuses for which section 16(b) was enacted and, at the same time, provide the courts with a flexible test for this …

Bank Merger Policy And The Third National Bank Decision, Benjamin J. Klebaner

Vanderbilt Law Review

As measured by regional standards, banking in Tennessee's capital for years centered around three very large institutions and one of middle size. The latter, Nashville Bank and Trust Company(hereinafter Nashville Bank), merged into Third National Bank (the second largest bank in the area) in August, 1964, after the Justice Department failed to secure a preliminary injunction blocking the merger. This left Davidson County (the county in which Nashville is located) with seven banks, four of which were quite small. Nashville Bank was less than one-fourth the size of third-ranking Commerce Union Bank, but almost seven times as large as the …

Recent Cases, Law Review Staff

Vanderbilt Law Review

Corporations--Equity--Specific Performance of Stock Option Granted Because of Tax Advantage Feature of Option

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Property--Landlord-Tenant--Rabbinical Court Establishes Far-Reaching Standard of Landlords' Obligations to Tenants

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Taxation--Federal Estate Taxation--Under Treasury Regulation Section 20.2031-8(b), Value of Shares in Mutual Funds Is Public Offering Price on Date of Death Rather Than Redemption Price

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Taxation--Mineral Rights--Carried Interest Loses Deduction for Depletion, Depreciation, and Intangible Drilling Costs During Recoupment