bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
5. Corporate personality
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter deals with the legal personality of a company which is separate from its members, capable of owning property, entering into contracts and being a party to legal proceedings. It considers the case Salomon v A Salomon and Co Ltd [1897] AC 22, in which the House of Lords affirmed separate corporate personality by rejecting attempts, on behalf of creditors, to impose liability for a failed company’s debts on its controlling shareholder. The consequences of separate corporate personality are also discussed, particularly with respect to a company’s human rights (or personal rights). In addition, the chapter examines the process known as ‘piercing the corporate veil’ in relation to the evasion principle; how an artificial entity can have legal personality; and a number of particularly significant court cases. Finally, it looks at corporate law theory and considers whether companies are grammatically singular or plural.
6. Shares
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter considers one way of becoming a shareholder of a company with a share capital: by taking shares from the company in exchange for a contribution of capital. The number and class of shares of the company that the member holds determines the extent of the member’s undertaking to contribute capital, and of entitlement to share in distributions and vote at meetings. Share allotment in exchange for a capital contribution is explained, and the need for public companies to have a minimum contributed capital is emphasised. The chapter also looks at possible remedies available to a person who has been induced to take an allotment of shares by a misrepresentation, including rescission of contract. Finally, it examines ways of altering a company’s share capital. The principles of financial accounting are briefly addressed in order to appreciate the subjects discussed.
8. Share transfer and company control
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter discusses some of the procedures to be followed when transferring some or all of a company member’s shares to another person, for sales on and off the London Stock Exchange, transfers of all or a part of a member’s holding and transfers of certificated and uncertificated shares. After describing share certificates and uncertificated shares, the chapter considers the problem of who should bear the loss when a transfer of shares is forged or fraudulent. It also explores transmission of shares on death or bankruptcy. Transferring shares may result in a change of control of a company. The chapter considers takeovers, the City Code and compulsory acquisition of remaining shares. There is full discussion of the provisions for disclosure of significant holdings both to warn of potential takeover moves and to disclose in the public interest who has significant control of a company.
9. Accounts
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter discusses the requirements calling for directors of a company to prepare accounts once a year, to be presented to the company’s members and filed at Companies House (unless the company is unlimited). The technical rules on the preparation of financial statements are explained. The role of the Financial Reporting Council as the regulator for accountancy, auditing and financial reporting is also considered. The chapter sets out the requirements for preparation of a strategic report and directors’ report. The requirements for group accounts and the procedures for revising accounts that are found to be erroneous are examined as well. The chapter considers a particularly significant case: Caparo Industries plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605.
10. Distributions and the maintenance of capital
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter examines the controls imposed on return of a company’s capital to its members, first by considering the common law general principle that return of capital to shareholders is illegal unless permitted by statute. It then discusses the problem of how to distinguish between a legal distribution of profits and an illegal return of capital; transfer of profits to a capital redemption reserve and use of profits to pay up bonus shares; company’s issuance and redemption of redeemable shares or purchase of its own shares; purchased shares as treasury shares; and how a company may reduce its issued share capital by special resolution. The chapter also looks at capitalisations and employees’ share schemes. It includes analysis of three court cases that are particularly significant to distributions and the maintenance of capital.
11. Borrowing and security
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter considers borrowing as an important method of financing a company’s activities, and security as a right of recourse against company property if the loan is not repaid on time. It begins by discussing security for financial obligations, paying particular attention to security contracts, the redemption or discharge of security and the realisation of security. It then turns to the registration of non-possessory security contracts, the priorities of legal and equitable charges and floating charges as a form of security and their crystallisation. The extent to which the assets of a company to which anyone is considering extending credit are already charged as security is also explained. The chapter considers three particularly significant court cases: Evans v Rival Granite Quarries Ltd [1910] 2 KB 979; Re Spectrum Plus Ltd [2005] UKHL 41, [2005] 2 AC 680; and Re Yorkshire Woolcombers Association Ltd [1903] 2 Ch 284.
12. Marketable loans
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter is about arrangements by which a company borrows a large sum of money long term from investors, who in turn expect to receive interest payments in addition to the principal. Marketable loans are typically issued to financial institutions and specialist investors, and considered wholesale rather than retail investments, and the interests they generate are termed ‘debt securities’, ‘bonds’, or ‘debentures’. This chapter discusses transfers of debt securities, the nominal value of stocks, the duty of trustees to stockholders, the issuance of stock certificates in connection with marketable loans and convertibles. Regulations governing contracts for the allotment of debt securities, information for debenture holders and prospectuses and listing particulars are also examined.
14. Shareholders
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter focuses on the members or shareholders of a company and the way in which they take decisions on the company’s affairs by written resolution using a statutory procedure. It begins by considering the rules which determine who is a member of a company and the information on the members which a company must record. It then describes the mandatory rules of company law that allow members to participate in decision-making with regards to a company’s affairs; members’ class rights and the alteration of such rights; and the definitions of holding company, subsidiary and wholly owned subsidiary. Relevant provisions of the Companies Act 2006 governing written resolutions of private companies, meetings and annual general meetings, voting, adjournment of meetings and authorisation of political donations by companies are also discussed. The chapter analyses a number of particularly significant cases.
16. Directors’ duties
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter deals with the seven general duties of directors as spelled out in the Companies Act 2006: duty to act within powers; duty to promote the success of the company; duty to exercise independent judgement; duty to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence; duty to avoid conflicts of interest; duty not to accept benefits from third parties; and duty to declare interest in proposed transaction or arrangement. After providing a background on the codification of directors’ general duties, the chapter turns to the fiduciary duty of directors, including shadow and de facto directors. It also examines statutory requirements involving property transactions; loans, quasi-loans and credit transactions; associated companies and persons ‘connected’ with a director; equitable remedies for breach of duty; the ways in which directors can be relieved of liability; and secondary liability with regards to property.
17. Corporate officers and promoters
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter focuses on company officers (secretaries, auditors and managers) and promoters, with emphasis on their responsibilities and liabilities under the Companies Act 2006 (CA 2006) and the appropriate criminal sanctions for breach of its requirements. It first considers the term ‘officers’ of a company in the context of liability for criminal offences before turning to the appointment and qualifications of secretaries and the appointment and reappointment of auditors. The circumstances under which secretaries, auditors, managers and promoters become criminally liable are also explained. The chapter cites relevant legislation, including CA 2006 and UK Corporate Governance Code, and considers two particularly significant cases: Caparo Industries plc v Dickman [1990] 2 AC 605 and Stone and Rolls Ltd v Moore Stephens [2009] UKHL 39, [2009] AC 1391.
19. Acting for a company: agency and attribution
Authors: French Derek
Published: September 2017

This chapter deals with the legal relationship of agency that exists between the company and the agent, explaining the process involved in an agent’s authentication and the execution of documents for the company he or she represents. It then considers two ways in which a company may become contractually bound to another person (a ‘contractor’) under the provisions of the Companies Act 2006: through a written contract to which the company’s common seal is affixed, or when someone has made a contract on behalf of the company. It also discusses the company’s capacity to enter into contracts, with emphasis on the ultra vires rule, and attribution by a court so as to impose criminal liability on a company. A number of court cases relevant to the discussion are cited.
1. Introduction to contracts of sale of goods
Authors: Baskind Eric
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter provides a general introduction to sale of goods law in the UK. It explains the sale of goods contract, why there is a different framework for these types of contract under English law, and the specific legislation for contracts of sale of goods and other relevant transactions. The chapter considers the statutory definitions for contract, property, and goods, and discusses the distinction between sales and agreements to sell, between specific goods and unascertained goods, and between existing goods and future goods. The chapter introduces and provides an analysis of the Consumer Rights Act 2015 which subsequent chapters then build upon. Finally, it examines contracts other than of sale of goods.
2. Statutory implied terms
Authors: Baskind Eric
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter examines the significance of the terms implied into sale of goods contracts under the Sale of Goods Act 1979 and the statutory rights that are implied in a contract between trader and consumer by virtue of the Consumer Rights Act 2015. It explains the seller’s right to sell the goods, the goods being free from encumbrances and the buyer enjoying quiet possession of them, sales by sample, and the description and quality of the goods as well as their fitness for purpose. Digital content is also discussed in relation to consumer transactions. The chapter also considers the terms implied into other kinds of contract by different statutes, including the terms implied by the Supply of Goods and Services Act 1982.
3. Passing of property and risk
Authors: Baskind Eric
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, Key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter focuses on the transfer of property and risk from the seller to the buyer as agreed upon in a contract of sale of goods. It explains the difference between ownership and possession and discusses the rules on the passing of property, as well as which party bears the legal risk in cases where the goods are, for example, destroyed or in the event of insolvency. The rules relating to both consumer and non-consumer buyers are included. Finally, the chapter examines the unconditional appropriation of the goods to the contract, appropriation by delivery to a carrier, ascertainment and appropriation ‘by exhaustion’, and undivided shares in goods forming part of a bulk.
7. Transfer of ownership by a non-owner
Authors: Baskind Eric
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, Key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter, which focuses on the situation where a seller is able to transfer ownership of certain goods to a third party despite having no right to the goods, first explains the so-called nemo dat rule, which protects the true owner of the goods and the innocent purchaser gets no title whatever. It then considers several statutory exceptions to the nemo dat rule that protect the innocent purchaser. The chapter also examines how estoppel is applied, sale by a mercantile agent, void and voidable contracts, sale by a seller in possession after sale, sale by a buyer in possession after sale, sale of a vehicle acquired on hire purchase, the (now repealed) sale in market overt, and special powers of sale.
8. Delivery, acceptance, and payment
Authors: Baskind Eric
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, Key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter focuses on the duty of the seller to deliver the goods, and the duty of the buyer to accept them and to pay the price. It first explains the meanings of delivery, acceptance, and payment as well as the provision in the Sale of Goods Act 1979 in respect of these matters, and then considers the distinction between consumer and business buyers and cases where the wrong quantity of goods has been delivered. The chapter also discusses delivery by instalments, delivery to a carrier, and the right of the buyer not to return rejected goods.
9. Remedies of the unpaid seller
Authors: Baskind Eric
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, Key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter considers the remedies that are available to a seller against the buyer for breach of contract and the position when the buyer refuses delivery of the goods. These are real remedies and personal remedies, which are set out in Parts V and VI of the Sale of Goods Act 1979. An example of a real remedy is a lien over the goods, whereas two examples of a personal remedy are an action for the price and damages for non-acceptance of the goods.
11. Consumer credit
Authors: Baskind Eric
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, Key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses some of the key common law and statutory provisions relating to consumer credit agreements and the common issues that arise. It first explains the provisions of the Consumer Credit Act 1974, as amended by the Consumer Credit Act 2006. The chapter then considers the rights of debtors who take credit under a ‘regulated agreement’, along with the (previous) extortionate credit bargain provisions that have been replaced by a test which considers whether there was an unfair relationship between the debtor and the creditor. It also considers consumer hire agreements, exempt agreements, small agreements, and non-commercial agreements as well as the liability of the creditor for the seller’s misrepresentation or breach of contract, retaking of protected goods, and the debtor’s right to complete payments ahead of time.
13. The relationships created by agency—the rights and liabilities of the parties
Authors: Baskind Eric
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, Key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter focuses on the relationships created by agency, namely, the rights and liabilities of the agent, the principal, and the third party. It first explains disclosed agency as opposed to undisclosed agency with regards to the contract made by the agent, and then, after discussing the rights and liabilities of the principal and the third party, considers the rights of the agent against his principal, including remuneration, indemnity, and lien. The chapter examines the agent’s two kinds of duty to his principal-contractual duty and fiduciary duty-and discusses remedies for breach of fiduciary duty and how an agency may be terminated, as well as the effects of termination. It concludes by highlighting the provisions of the Commercial Agents (Council Directive) Regulations 1993.
2. Agreement problems
Authors: Poole Jill , Devenney James , Shaw-Mellors Adam
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter focuses on issues which may prevent the parties from reaching agreement. Agreement problems generally affect the agreement by rendering it void. It is necessary, however, to distinguish a void contract from one which is merely voidable. If an apparent agreement is too uncertain in its terms (e.g. because it is vague or essential terms are missing), the courts will not enforce it because they will not construct a binding contract for the parties. An apparent agreement may be void where the parties entered into the agreement under a ‘fundamental’ mistake which the law recognizes as preventing the parties from ever reaching agreement.
3. Enforceability criteria
Authors: Poole Jill , Devenney James , Shaw-Mellors Adam
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter examines the question of whether the promises contained in the agreement are enforceable so that there is a legally binding contract in place (formation). It considers the parties’ intention to be legally bound and the need to establish that the promises are part of a bargain. The same bargain requirement applies to alteration promises, although the treatment of alteration promises is not as strict. It is possible for freely made alteration promises to be enforceable when not ‘paid for’ with another promise or action, e.g. by means of the doctrine of promissory estoppel. Promises obtained by threats or extortion may be voidable for duress.
4. Privity and third party rights
Authors: Poole Jill , Devenney James , Shaw-Mellors Adam
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the doctrine of privity and third party rights. The doctrine of privity of contract provides that a person who is not a party to a contract (called a ‘third party’), cannot acquire rights under or enforce the provisions of that contract or rely on its protections even if the provisions were intended to benefit that third party. At common law there are complex, and sometimes artificial, ways to avoid this conclusion. More significant nowadays is the attempt to reform this principle by legislation in the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999, allowing some third party beneficiaries to enforce the provisions of contracts.
6. Exemption clauses and unfair contract terms
Authors: Poole Jill , Devenney James , Shaw-Mellors Adam
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the use and enforceability of exemption clauses (total exclusion or limitation of liability clauses inserted into contracts) and their legislative regulation. Whereas the regulation of such clauses is limited to the common law and UCTA 1977 in the case of commercial contracts (B2B), in the case of consumer contracts (B2C), the law intervenes to control a broader category of terms, ‘unfair contract terms’ (Consumer Rights Act 2015) with the critical test being ‘unfairness’.
7. Remedies for breach of contract
Authors: Poole Jill , Devenney James , Shaw-Mellors Adam
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter focuses on damages, the aim of which is generally to protect the claimant’s contractual expectation and put the claimant into the position they would have been in had the contract been properly performed. The lost expectation may be measured in terms of the difference between what the claimant expected to get and what was actually received. There are limitations on the claimant’s ability to be fully compensated for losses as a result of breach, i.e. remoteness, mitigation, contributory negligence, and the ability to recover for non-pecuniary losses in contract. This chapter also examines agreed damages clauses and the operation of the penalty rule.
8. Contractual impossibility and risk: frustration and common mistake
Authors: Poole Jill , Devenney James , Shaw-Mellors Adam
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter examines the law’s response to events that render performance of the contract impossible for reasons beyond the control of the contracting parties, and so provide an excuse for non-performance. The default legal doctrines—common mistake (initial impossibility) and frustration (subsequent impossibility)—may come into play in instances of impossibility of performance only where there is no express or implied allocation of the risk of the event in the contract. These default doctrines determine what is to happen to the existing and future obligations of the parties.
9. Misrepresentation
Authors: Poole Jill , Devenney James , Shaw-Mellors Adam
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the identification of actionable misrepresentations which affect the fairness of the process by which a contract was entered into, and render that contract voidable for misrepresentation (liable to be set aside and the parties restored to their pre-contractual positions). It identifies three types of misrepresentation depending on the state of mind of the misrepresentor: fraudulent, negligent, or innocent. It distinguishes between remedies available for the different types of pre-contractual statements, specifically rescission and damages for the different types of misrepresentations and briefly explains the distinction between commercial contracts and the remedies available to consumers under the CPRs 2008.
10. Undue influence
Authors: Poole Jill , Devenney James , Shaw-Mellors Adam
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. The doctrine of undue influence is an equitable doctrine allowing a contract to be set aside (the remedy of rescission) at the court’s discretion where there has been a wrongful (undue) exercise of influence by one party over the other. This chapter focuses on instances where the agreement cannot stand in light of undue influence, including instances where the undue influence was exercised by a third party and the contracting party had notice of that undue influence.
1. Introduction, principles, and key concepts
Authors: Spencer Maureen , Spencer John
Published: September 2017

This chapter introduces the principles and key concepts underlying the law of evidence, with an emphasis on criminal evidence. It first explains the distinction between the law of evidence and evidence itself before turning to a discussion of fair trial by looking at Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR), now part of English law as a result of the Human Rights Act 1998. The chapter then considers the main provisions related to evidence, including the presumption of innocence; privilege against self-incrimination; the right to examine witnesses; and admissibility of evidence obtained through covert surveillance, entrapment, or disclosure. It concludes by highlighting the importance of analysis of the relevance of the facts in a trial.
2. Burden of proof and presumptions
Authors: Spencer Maureen , Spencer John
Published: September 2017

This chapter focuses on the burden of proof and presumption of innocence in criminal and civil cases under Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). It considers the influence of the UK’s Human Rights Act 1998 on the allocation of the burden of proof and compares legal/persuasive burden of proof with the evidential burden. It contains a detailed examination of the case law under this Act and the criteria developed to assess where reverse burdens should apply. It draws on academic commentary in making this analysis. It also looks at situations where the legal and the evidential burden may be split. It concludes with an overview of the law on presumptions.
3. Confessions and the defendant’s silence
Authors: Spencer Maureen , Spencer John
Published: September 2017

This chapter focuses on confessions and on the defendant’s pre-trial silence. It explains how a defendant may be convicted on the evidence of a confession alone. It analyses the definition of a confession as specified in section 82(1) of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), and how a confession proffered by the prosecution or by a co-defendant may be excluded by rule under PACE. The chapter also considers the preservation of the common law discretion to exclude confession evidence as well as the procedure for police interrogation of suspects under PACE. It concludes with an examination of how the jury at trial may draw an inference of guilt under sections 34, 36, and 37 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994.
4. Improperly obtained evidence other than confessions
Authors: Spencer Maureen , Spencer John
Published: September 2017

This chapter focuses on evidence that is relevant but improperly obtained and thus may be excluded by judicial discretion. It looks at the exclusionary discretion contained within section 78 of the UK’s Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), and explains how common law and statutory exclusionary discretion may be exercised in relation to other areas of evidence, such as character evidence and hearsay evidence, other than confessions. The chapter also looks at the most common areas of exclusion, other than confession evidence, including breach or evasion of legislation such as PACE and the Codes of Practice. It also reviews when a stay of prosecution might be the appropriate procedure. Finally, it discusses the relevant principles of Article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) that are enshrined in section 78 of PACE.
7. Competence and compellability, special measures
Authors: Spencer Maureen , Spencer John
Published: September 2017

This chapter focuses on the competence and compellability of witnesses in criminal and, in outline, in civil trials. It explains the main criminal law exceptions in relation to competence and universal compellability. It gives details on the complex and controversial position under section 80 of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984. The chapter outlines the Special Measures Directions (SMD) available under the Youth Justice and Criminal Evidence Act 1999 for vulnerable non-defendant witnesses in criminal trials and the more limited measures for vulnerable defendants. It concludes with an outline of the Criminal Evidence (Witness Anonymity) Act 2008.
10. Public interest immunity, closed material procedures, and disclosure
Authors: Spencer Maureen , Spencer John
Published: September 2017

This chapter, which deals with public interest immunity (PII) and disclosure in criminal and civil cases, first explains exclusion of evidence on the grounds of the PII doctrine in relation to the public interest in non-disclosure of documents. It then considers disclosure in criminal proceedings under the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 (as amended by the Criminal Justice Act 2003) and the Criminal Procedure Rules 2014 as well as disclosure in civil proceedings under the Civil Procedure Rules. The chapter also examines areas of public interest that are covered by possible PII claims, including national security, defence and foreign policy, protection of children, the identity of police informers, and confidential records held by public bodies. It concludes with an outline of the Closed Material Procedures (CMPs).
International Law Concentrate
Authors: Bantekas Ilias , Papastavridis Efthymios
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. International Law Concentrate provides a comprehensive overview of international law and includes key information, key cases, revision tips, and exam questions and answers. Topics covered include the nature of international law and the international system, sources of international law, and the law of treaties. The book also looks at the relationship between international and domestic law. It considers personality, statehood, and recognition as well as sovereignty, jurisdiction, immunity, and the law of the sea. The book describes state responsibility and looks at peaceful settlement of disputes. Finally it looks at the use of force and human rights.
1. The nature of international law and the international legal system
Authors: Bantekas Ilias , Papastavridis Efthymios
Published: September 2017

This chapter briefly discusses the nature of the international legal system. The premise is that the structure of the international legal system is fundamentally different from that of national legal order: contrary to the vertical structure encountered in domestic settings, in international law the structure is horizontal. States enjoy sovereign equality, while both international law-making and international adjudication are based on the consent of the States. There are various theories that have attempted to describe the nature of the international law, including naturalism, positivism, formalism, and realism. Significant is also the existence of a certain hierarchy in the international legal system, in the sense that there are some peremptory norms of international law, such as the prohibition of torture and genocide, to which there is no derogation.
5. Personality, statehood, and recognition
Authors: Bantekas Ilias , Papastavridis Efthymios
Published: September 2017

This chapter examines the meaning of international legal personality and the range of actors that possess such personality, namely States, international organizations, individuals, multinational corporations, and several other non-State actors. Given the centrality of States, the criteria for statehood are analysed, and both traditional and contemporary criteria are discussed. Article 1 of the 1933 Montevideo Convention is used for assessment of whether an entity satisfies these criteria which include: permanent population, a defined territory, government, capacity to enter into foreign relations, and the relevance of human rights. Competing theories regarding the role of recognition by third States as an element of statehood are also considered. Equally, the rights and duties of non-State actors are analysed in terms of capacity conferred upon them under international law.
6. Sovereignty and jurisdiction
Authors: Bantekas Ilias , Papastavridis Efthymios
Published: September 2017

This chapter briefly looks at the nature of sovereignty and its parameters in international law, but essentially focuses on the function and nature of jurisdiction. It firstly examines the breadth of the space in which sovereignty is exercised, namely land, sea, and air. Thereafter, it assesses territorial jurisdiction (in both its objective and subjective dimension) and examines the practice of the four extraterritorial principles of jurisdiction, namely nationality-based, the protective principle, passive personality, and universal jurisdiction. The chapter then considers instances where national courts refuse to exercise their ordinary jurisdiction, namely instances where the accused is covered by the privilege of immunity or because his or her arrest was illegal. Finally, it looks at the US practice of extraterritorial jurisdiction whereby sometimes the sovereignty of other nations was breached.
7. Immunity
Authors: Bantekas Ilias , Papastavridis Efthymios
Published: September 2017

Immunity is a procedural bar whereby the courts of a country are precluded, while the immunity persists, from entertaining a suit, civil or criminal, against a person or entity. This chapter distinguishes personal from functional immunities and then goes on to demonstrate the difference between acts undertaken in a public capacity, which always attract immunity, and those undertaken in a private capacity, which do not as a rule attract immunity. The chapter shows that in recent years the characterization of an act as being of a public nature has been restricted by the practice of states and national courts.
Intellectual Property Law Concentrate
Authors: Press Tim
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. Intellectual Property Law Concentrate is the essential study and revision guide for intellectual property law students. The clear, succinct coverage enables you to quickly grasp the fundamental principles of this area of law and helps you to succeed in exams. After an introduction to intellectual property and common themes, the book covers: copyright; computer programs and databases; moral rights; performers’ rights; trade secrets and confidential information; patents; designs; and passing-off and trade marks. Written by experts and covering all the key topics so you can approach your exams with confidence, the book is: clear, concise, and easy-to-use, helping you get the most out of your revision; full of learning features and tips to show you how best to impress your examiner; and accompanied by an Online Resource Centre including multiple-choice questions and interactive flashcards to test your understanding of topics. Its ‘Exam essentials’ feature prepares you for the your intellectual property law exam by giving help and guidance on how to approach questions, structure answers, and avoid common pitfalls.
1. Introduction to intellectual property and common themes
Authors: Press Tim
Published: September 2017

This book focuses on intellectual property (IP) rights as they apply in the UK, including rights created by the EU. Legal systems around the world have seen fit to create these rights or causes of action to protect intangible concepts such as inventions, literature, brands, designs, and so on. It is said that IP protects the products of the mind, but that does not really apply to brand protection or to the protection of some types of information. As IP rights are so diverse, the theoretical bases for legal protection vary and are dealt with separately in their relevant chapters. However, there are some common approaches, namely, the neo-classical micro-economic theory, rights-based, and other approaches. Common legal topics are dealt with here as they affect more than one IP right. Particular issues flowing from them will be mentioned in the following chapters.
4. Moral rights
Authors: Press Tim
Published: September 2017

There are two different types of rights labelled as ‘moral rights’ in the CDPA: rights for authors referred to as the rights of paternity and integrity; and other rights of all individuals : the right not to be falsely attributed as author of a work; and a right of privacy in privately commissioned photographs and films. These protect non-commercial aspects of the relationship between authors and their works. Thus, they cannot be assigned, and may be enforced even after the author has assigned or licensed their economic rights, and even against the owner or licensee. The rights last as long as copyright does and pass to the author’s beneficiaries on death. Different countries have implemented the Berne rights in different ways. Authors’ moral rights were introduced in 1988 to implement the Berne Convention; the UK does not protect them as fully as other countries, particularly civil law countries, do.
7. Patents
Authors: Press Tim
Published: September 2017

This chapter discusses patents, which are granted for new and inventive technological developments but not for developments in the creative or non-technological arts. Areas on the borderline between technical and other forms of creativity are the subject of difficulty and controversy. Patents last for 20 years from application, but may be revoked at any time on the grounds that the invention does not meet the requirements for patentability. Manufacturing or dealing in products, or carrying out processes, as described in the patent’s claims, infringes the patent. Unlike copyright, where both economic and individual rights are important, the main reasons for the grant of patents are economic, to encourage technological development. Patents are considered essential to many industries such as the pharmaceutical industry, where there is also a strong public interest in the development and accessibility of technology. The law must strike a balance between the public and private interests.
9. Passing-off and trade marks
Authors: Press Tim
Published: September 2017

Passing-off is a common law cause of action that protects traders with goodwill in their business against misrepresentations made by their competitors which confuse customers as to the source of goods or services. The typical passing-off scenario is where a trader, by the use of a brand name, logo, slogan, or packaging, deceives customers into thinking that its products or services are associated with another trader. Trade marks can be registered for signs or symbols that identify products or services as coming from a particular trader, so to be registrable a trade mark must be distinctive of a trader’s goods and not similar to any earlier registered mark, or a non-registered mark that is in use. Registration of a trade mark gives substantial advantages over relying on passing-off. The law of registered trade marks has been harmonized by the European Union.
1. Introduction to constitutional law
Authors: Faragher Colin
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the definition of constitutional law and the characteristics of the British Constitution. Constitutional law looks at a body of legal rules and political arrangements concerning the government of a country. A constitution may take the form of a document or set of documents which declare that a country and its chosen form of government legitimately exists. The British Constitution is largely unwritten, flexible in nature, and based on absolute parliamentary sovereignty. The UK is also a unitary state. There is a central government, as well as devolved legislative and executive bodies in Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, and England. It is also a constitutional monarchy. This means that the head of state is a king or queen and that they exercise their powers in and through a parliamentary system of government in which the members of the executive are accountable to a sovereign parliament.
3. The rule of law
Authors: Faragher Colin
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the meaning of the rule of law; government according to law; the key features of a legal system based on the rule of law; whether the UK legal system complies with Dicey’s conception of the rule of law, whether wide arbitrary and discretionary powers are ever justified, privileges and immunities and whether the courts ought to be able to extend the criminal law.
5. The monarchy and the Royal Prerogative
Authors: Faragher Colin
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. The UK is a constitutional monarchy: the monarch exercises their legal powers as part of a system of government which is parliamentary and democratic. The legal source of the monarch’s powers, as head of state, is the Royal Prerogative exercised in accordance with binding political rules and practices. This chapter discusses the special privileges and immunities of the monarch; the powers and duties of the monarch; and the monarch and the organs and functions of government.
10. Introduction to administrative law: the foundations and extent of judicial review
Authors: Faragher Colin
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the concept of judicial review. Judicial review allows a High Court judge to examine the lawfulness of decisions made by public bodies carrying out their public functions and enactments where there is no right of appeal or where all avenues of appeal have been exhausted. The defendant must be a public body, the subject matter of a claim must be a public law matter, and the claimant must have the right to claim. This chapter also looks at the basis procedure for judicial review.
11. Grounds for judicial review: illegality
Authors: Faragher Colin
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the grounds for judicial review. This chapter looks at the classification of grounds for judicial review, illegality, ultra vires, jurisdictional and non-jurisdictional error, subjective discretion, and the ultra vires doctrine, improper purpose with or without express stipulation in the empowering statute, mixed motives, relevant and irrelevant considerations with or without express stipulation in the empowering statute, lack of evidence, and unlawful failure to exercise a discretionary power by policy, estoppel based on a representation made by an official, agreement, or wrongful delegation.
12. Grounds for judicial review: irrationality, proportionality, merits-based judicial review, and the Human Rights Act 1998
Authors: Faragher Colin
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the grounds for judicial review. These include irrationality—meaning unreasonableness—which is now linked to the principle of proportionality. In addition, the relevant case law and key principles concerning distinction between procedural and merits based judicial review are fully explained. The impact of the Human Rights Act 1998 on judicial review is assessed generally. The emergence and development of the ‘outcomes is all’ approach to judicial review where breach of convention rights is alleged is explored by examining a number of significant House of Lords cases.
14. Introduction to human rights in UK law
Authors: Faragher Colin
Published: September 2017

Each Concentrate revision guide is packed with essential information, key cases, revision tips, exam Q&As, and more. Concentrates show you what to expect in a law exam, what examiners are looking for, and how to achieve extra marks. This chapter discusses the European Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (ECHR) and the Human Rights Act (HRA) 1998. The ECHR guarantees civil and political rights. These are the right to life; the prohibition of torture, inhuman, and degrading treatment or punishment; the prohibition of slavery and forced labour; the right to liberty; the right to a fair and unbiased hearing; the prohibition of retrospective legislation; the right to respect for private and family life; freedom of conscience and religion; freedom of expression; freedom of association; the right to marry and found a family. The ECHR has been expanded by a series of supplementary treaties called protocols. The First and Sixth Protocols give individuals additional rights which were incorporated into British law by the HRA 1998.