United Kingdom commercial law is the law which regulates the sale and purchase of goods and services, when doing business in the United Kingdom.
History
Lex Mercatoria Hanseatic league Guild Mercantilism Freedom of contract Laissez faire
Foundations
Personal property
Real property and personal property Ownership Equitable ownership Possession Attornment Bailment
Contracts
Commercial contracts
Agency
In the case of Watteau v Fenwick, 1 QB 346 Lord Coleridge CJ on the Queen's Bench concurred with an opinion by Wills J that a third party could hold personally liable a principal who he did know about when he sold cigars to an agent that was acting outside of its authority. Wills J held that "the principal is liable for all the acts of the agent which are within the authority usually confided to an agent of that character, notwithstanding limitations, as between the principal and the agent, put upon that authority." This decision is heavily criticised and doubted,e.g. GHL Fridman, 'The Demise of Watteau v Fenwick: Sign-O-Lite Ltd v Metropolitan Life Insurance Co' (1991) 70 Canadian Bar Review 329 though not entirely overruled in the UK. It is sometimes referred to as "usual authority" (though not in the sense used by Lord Denning MR in Hely-Hutchinson, where it is synonymous with "implied actual authority"). It has been explained as a form of apparent authority, or "inherent agency power".
Hely-Hutchinson v Brayhead Ltd 1 QB 549 Creation and authority of agents Disclosed and undisclosed agency Agent duties and rights Termination of agency
Sale of goods
Sale of Goods Act 1979
Sale of Goods Act 1979, the primary statute applicable to the sale of goods.
Property passing and delivery Title retention clause
Terms, acceptance and rejection Unfair Contract Terms Act 1977 Consumer Protection (Distance Selling) Regulations 2000
Remedies and duties
United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods UNCITRAL Model Law on International Commercial Arbitration
Bills of exchange and banking
Negotiable instrument Bill of exchange Bank regulation Payment systems Cheques
Assignment and receivables
International sales
United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods Free alongside ship contract Free on board contract Cost, insurance, freight contract
Commercial credit and security
Possessory security
Pledges Liens
Non-possessory security
Mortgage Equitable charge Equitable lien
Guarantees
Insurance law
Life Assurance Act 1774 uberrimae fidei Subrogation Marine insurance and Marine Insurance Act 1906
Insolvency law
See also International commercial law Islamic Commercial Law UK competition law UK labour law UK company law European Union Value Added Tax Bill of lading Principal (commercial law) Centre for Commercial Law Studies
Notes
References L Sealy and RJA Hooley, Commercial Law: Texts, Cases and Materials (4th edn OUP, Oxford 2008) Roy Goode, Commercial law (3rd edn Penguin, London 2004)