10432 - International Commercial Law

Course contents

INTERNATIONAL COMMERCIAL LAW

Prof. Cosimo Sasso

 

This information is for the 2008/09 session.

Course content

1)      Introductory aspects. The parties and the sources of the international trade. The World Trade Organization

2)      Lex mercatoria. The multinational enterprise. International contract law. The function of the contract, its characteristics and structure

3)      The international sale contract. Incoterms

4)      The international commercial distribution agreements: agency contracts, franchising, supply agreements.

5)      Contracting over the intangible assets: patent rights, trade marks and technology licensing

6)      Company's merger transactions: the various kinds of mergers. The process of merger. Merger and acquisition with leveraged financial structures: the leveraged by out.

7)       Company's de-merger. Various problems related to the company's de-merger: regulatory and tax aspects of the de-merger. Evidence from the case law.

8)      Joint ventures' agreements: typologies of contract. Preliminary agreements: the letter of intent, the confidentiality agreement. Framework agreement and ancillary contracts. Assessment of a sample of joint venture agreement

9)      Shareholders agreements: function, content and structure

10)  Intra-communitarian corporate reorganizations. The cross-boarder mergers. 

11)  EU Directives relating to the tax implications of merger, de-merger, contribution in kind and exchange of share between companies

Readings/Bibliography

Reading list

1.- international contracts

ASTOLFI A., Incoterms, in Digesto, Sez. dir. commerciale, Utet, Torino, vol. VII, 199, pp. 315-320; M.J. BONELL, Contratti internazionali (principi dei), in Enc. giuridica Treccani, vol. IV, 1988, pp. 1-11; ID., Contratti internazionali (tecnica di redazione), in Enc. giur. Treccani, vol. IV, 1988, pp. 1-5; F. Galgano, Lex mercatoria, in Enc. diritto, appendice vol. V, Giuffrè, 2001, pp. 721-727.

 

For sections 3 and 4

See the material distributed during the Course

 

2.- Joint ventures

D. CORAPI, Joint-venture (aspetti societari), in  Digesto (dir. commerciale), 1992, pp. 74-83; ID., Imprese multinazionali, in Digesto, 1992, vol. VII (sezione commerciale), 249-256;  C. Garbarino, Imprese multinazionali nel diritto tributario, in Digesto (commerciale), vol. VII, 1992, pp. 258-270, A. Bollone, Confidentiality agreements, in Digesto (sez. diritto commerciale), Utet, vol. XI, 1995, pp. 593-599; 

3.- shareholders agreements

P.FIORIO, Patti parasociali, sub artt. 2341 bis, 2341 ter,Il nuovo diritto societario, Commentario diretto da Cottino, Bonfante, Cagnasso, Montalenti, Zanichelli, Vol I, 2004, pp. 132-162.

 

5.- The World Trade Organization

A. Parenti, Il WTO, Il Mulino, Bologna, 2007, pp. 119

 

6.- Merger and de-merger

O.Cagnasso, sub artt. 2501-2506-quater, in Il nuovo diritto societario Commentario diretto da Cottino, Bonfante, Cagnasso, Montalenti, Zanichelli, Vol II, 2004, pp. 2309-2368; AA.W, II nuovo diritto delle società, diretto da Abbadessa-Portale, vol.4, Torino, Utet, 2007, pp.331-364; pp.367-393; L.A.Bianchi, Le differenze da annullamento della partecipazione nel primo bilancio successivo alla fusione (art. 2504bis, comma 4, c.c.), ivi, pp.331-364; M.V.Benedettelli, Le fusioni transfrontaliere,  ivi, pp.367-393; A.Preto-C.Desogus, La direttiva comunitaria sulle fusioni transfrontaliere di società di capitali, in Contratto e impresa Europa, 2006, pp.234-262 ;

 

EU Directives and related statutory law on the subject.

 

7.- materials

Further notes, documentation, fac-simile contracts and cases will be distributed during the lectures.

Assessment methods

Oral exam

 

Office hours

See the website of Cosimo Sasso