Commercial Law

Jul 26 2016

CONSUMER DISPUTE ARBITRATION. Information duties for companies

From March 23 2016 there are new information duties for companies suppliers of goods or consumers and service providers in compliance with the new alternative dispute resolution mechanisms (extrajudicial) for consumer disputes law.

Thus, companies are obliged to inform consumers about the ADR entities (Alternative Resolution of Consumer Disputes), clearly, visible and apropriate to the type of good and service rendered, for example:
• through a label placed on the sales counter or posted on the wall;
• on the website, if any;
• the purchase and sale or provision of services between the two parties, where they assume the written form or constitute adhesion contracts;
• alternatively, on the invoice delivered to the consumer.

The law in question – Law No. 144/2015 of September 8th- intended to promote arbitration in consumer disputes, “when they are initiated by a consumer against a supplier of goods or service and respect contractual obligations arising from purchase and sale or provision of services concluded between a supplier of goods or provider of services established and consumers residing in Portugal and in the European Union “(v. Article 2 of Law No. 144/2015 of 8 September). Despite the rather broad wording that, in our view, may be creating confusion, the typical legal relationship covered by this legislation is that which opposes the supplier of services to the end consumer, and not the relationship that is established between the various intermediaries in the value chain of a product. In fact, under Article 2 of the Consumer Law in the most recent version approved by Law No. 47/2014, of 28/07 “is considered every consumer whom are provided goods, services or broadcast any rights, for non-professional use, a person exercising professional basis an economic activity aimed at obtaining benefits. ” The combination of the two diplomas results that are only covered those relations with the consignee of the goods or services provided by the company and not those that are established with companies that mediate the deal (see, for example with advertising agencies or particular promoter an event / product or service) and only to recipients who do not make professional use of the service (which leaves out all businesses, professionals and individual entrepreneurs) or that are already linked to another arbitration scheme (as is the case of essential public services such as electricity, gas, water and waste, electronic communications and postal services).

It is discussed further under this law if these obligations would meet excluding service providers who develop their activity exclusively through the internet, even those who have not joined any reconciliation entity, mediation or arbitration or are not nor should be linked (as is the case of essential public services such as electricity, gas, water and waste, electronic communications and postal services) to arbitration required for alternative resolution of consumer disputes. Unless better understanding, the letter and clearly diploma ratio point towards generalization since at no time discriminate this or that supplier of goods or services (having already the General Directorate of Consumer (DCC) from the yard sustain this thesis).

On the other hand, even in the case of final consumers subject to arbitration remains voluntary, which becomes mandatory are duties of information about the existence of alternative dispute resolution bodies conflicts, disclosure of which should be made on the internet site company and contract / invoice of service.

Oped that are little more than two months on application of this law its implementation is still unknown, since in addition to the large traders are still few companies to comply
the normative.

One final note. I perceive, understand and support the desire of the legislature to avoid the sphere of small disputes Courts consumption, because the arbitration process by consumer initiative at this stage is free. Already in deserves repair the burden of disclosure to run on behalf of service providers under the threat of fines of up to € 25,000 for companies, since public policy – although meritorious, as this at least in its intentions – they should not be borne solely by economic agents their recipients, otherwise constitute real tax.

Published in “Inovação & Estratégia” from the newspapper Público on 30/06/2016

Photo credits roya ann miller in Unspash

Jul 30 2014

Non-Disclousure Agreements

The confidentiality agreements also referred to in the business practice of the Saxon countries as NDA are contracts in which the parties enter into a pact to keep certain information confidential.

In Portugal confidentiality agreements may be found in contracts in practically all areas of law, but are more common in commercial and corporate law, labor law, and certain contracts of an equity and mandatory nature in Civil Law. One of the areas of greatest use is entrepreneurs who are starting a startup, whose undue disclosure of the business may make it difficult or difficult to carry out the project.

Confidentiality agreements may be unilateral or bilateral, depending on whether only one of the parties protects its secrecy, for example when a company seeking investors or both qualifies certain information as secret, for example in a partnership between two companies wishing to for reasons prevent such collaboration from being known to third parties.

In this way it seems important to us to establish the Principles by which all contracts should be governed, as well as to emphasize some practical applications in labor law:

1. The first of these principles is that of the contractual freedom that characterizes the contract as a legal business in which both parties are in agreement with the legal effects produced, establishing through the negotiable declarations harmonized with each other, a common legal discipline that will have repercussions in the their legal spheres.

The contractual freedom, as the most relevant part of Private Autonomy is thus, the possibility granted by the Legal Order to each of the parties to self-regulate their relations, through an agreement binding on both. Although such freedom does not appear expressly referred to in Article 405 of the Civil Code, it is implicit in the expression “to conclude contracts other than those provided for in this code” provided for in that article and also presupposed in articles 228 et seq.

As we can see from the foregoing, the freedom of the parties is related not only to the free choice of the contractual type, but also to the possibility of establishing the content of the respective contracts. It is, however, very important to emphasize that such contractual freedom, on pain of ceasing to be, will have to be established by the agreement and agreement of the parties which, together, will define the balance of effects and, consequently, avoid situations that may be detrimental to them.

2. Concerning the second Principle to be dealt with, it is the duty of Good Faith, which according to Professor Menezes Cordeiro’s theorization (Treaty I – Part I, page 407) is classified as accessory duties of protection, information and of loyalty, to be observed during the negotiations and in the execution of the contract. There is an unequivocal manifestation of this Principle in cases of Article 762, which consists in making illegitimate the exercise of certain legal positions when it is contrary to the fundamental vectors of the System.

If we relate this Principle to the first, we conclude that the freedom to contract is also subject to restrictions imposed by Good Faith “being illegitimate when it could intolerably harm the rights of others” (Civil Code Annotated, Abílio Neto). The Principle of Good Faith “consists of a fair conduct, which imposes the parties’ actions according to the standards of diligence, honesty and loyalty that are required of man in legal commerce”, thus translating “the duty to act, according to one conduct of equality and correction which is intended to contribute to the fulfillment of the legitimate interests which the parties intend to achieve by concluding the Contract “(STJ Agreement 11/11/1997).

Still in relation to the Primacy of the Underlying Materiality, which, together with the Trusteeship of Confidence, divides the Principle of Good Faith into two essential postulates, allows us to evaluate the conduct of the parties, not only for their conformity with the legal orders, but also according to the its material consequences for the proper protection of the securities at stake, almost automatically, we conclude that the clauses in question do not comply with the valuation required by the contractual agreement nor the balance of the parties’ positions. There is therefore no material conformity of the Conduct required by this Agreement with this principle.

Thus, citing Professor Menezes Leitão, “Good faith is thus an important General Principle of Law, whose application in the Law of Obligations is carried out by imposing behavior on the parties, in order to enable the proper functioning of the bond, in terms of full advantage of the service and avoiding the occurrence of damages to the parties “.

3. In practice, it is in the area of the employment contract that confidentiality agreements have developed in the last years in order to safeguard the secrets of the company, protecting the economic value of each of these information to which each worker has access. It points out that the duty to keep the employee’s secrecy is first and foremost an obligation that results as a corollary of the duty of loyalty enshrined in Article 128 (1) (f) of the Labor Code. The duty of loyalty comprises two distinct duties, namely the duty of non-competition and the duty of confidentiality. The first translates the obligation of the worker not to negotiate, on his own or another’s behalf, in competition with the employer. The duty of confidentiality, on the other hand, imposes a duty of confidentiality on employees with regard to information concerning the employer’s organization, methods of production or business, namely: (i) technical or industrial information relating to manufacturing procedures, software, industrial designs or company-specific know-how (see Article 57 (1) (b) of the Industrial Property Code); (ii) business information, including confidential customer lists and suppliers or pricing structures; and (iii) company organizational and financial information contained in social and economic reports, contracts, activity plans or projects.

But in spite of legal consecration, in many cases it is important to reinforce and specify the information that is protected or covered by the duty in a written document, an agreement signed previously between employer and employee, and valid even after the termination of the employment contract. This is the typical structure of a labor confidentiality agreement: (i) – Object of the contract and description of the information that is considered confidential; (ii) – Exceptions to the duty of confidentiality (iii) – Liability for the parties (disciplinary sanctions and possible stipulation of a penal clause after termination of employment); (iv) – Term of the agreement and duration of the obligation of confidentiality; (v) – Applicable Law and Dispute Resolution (submission of the agreement to Portuguese law, or otherwise, and resolution of disputes through the Jurisdiction of the Common Courts or Arbitral Courts).

Photo by Kristina Flour on Unsplash

Dec 16 2013

Aumento de capital social das sociedades. Entradas em espécie, com desenhos industriais.

I. QUANTO À NATUREZA DAS ENTRADAS EM ESPÉCIE- CARACTERIZAÇÃO:

A obrigação de “entradas” i.e., a obrigação de os sócios de uma sociedade por quotas, entrarem com património para o capital da sociedade, é por definição uma obrigação que exclui as obrigações de indústria – ou seja, uma entrada com “trabalho” do sócio – mas admite as entradas em espécie desde que haja uma atribuição de um valor nominal de quota, a essas mesmas entradas em espécie, como se infere da redação do art.º
202.º n.º 1 do Código das Sociedades Comerciais português (CSC).
A obrigação dos sócios entrarem para as sociedades com bens suscetíveis de penhora, decorre do art.º 20.º a) do Código das Sociedades Comerciais.

Um bem imóvel, ou móvel como um título – um desenho industrial – sendo caracterizado como entrada em espécie, por oposição a entrada em dinheiro, é um bem suscetível de penhora, nos termos do art.º 821.º n.º 1 do Código de Processo Civil (CPC) e no âmbito do direito substantivo, nos termos do preceituado no art.º 202.º n.º 1, 204.º e 205.º n.º 1 do Código Civil.

À entrada em espécie, por ser caracterizada pela entrada de capital, no caso vertente, de um bem móvel – um título – deverá de ser atribuído, todavia, um valor nominal, para que se possa valorar ou avaliar da sua importância na quota do sócio que entrou com um bem móvel na sociedade por quotas.

Isto é, para que se determine o valor da quota, após a entrada de um bem em espécie, deverá sobre esse bem incidir uma avaliação para a obtenção um valor nominal.

Sobre esta matéria dispõe o art.º 25.º n.º 1 do CSC que “O valor nominal da parte, da quota ou das ações atribuídas a um sócio no contrato de sociedade não pode exceder o valor da sua entrada, como tal se considerando ou a respetiva importância em dinheiro ou o valor atribuído aos bens no relatório do revisor oficial de contas, exigido pelo artigo 28.º”

O que nos quer dizer que, para aferir do valor nominal desta entrada em espécie e a sua expressão na quota da sociedade é necessária a intervenção de uma outra entidade – um Revisor Oficial de Contas (ROC).

II. ENTRADAS EM ESPÉCIE PARA AUMENTO DE CAPITAL, INTERVENÇÃO DO REVISOR OFICIAL DE CONTAS (ROC) E AVALIAÇÃO DE DIREITOS DE PROPRIEDADE INDUSTRIAL (DESENHOS
INDUSTRIAIS):

De acordo com o preceituado no art.º 89.º n.º 1 do CSC, aplica-se às entradas nos aumentos de capital, o mesmo quanto às entradas para constituição de sociedade, logo a parte final do art.º
25.º n.º 1 e o art.º 28.º do CSC.

O art.º 28.º do CSC estipula o regime quanto à verificação de entradas em espécie da seguinte forma: “n.º 1. As entradas em bens diferentes de dinheiro devem ser objecto de um relatório
elaborado por um revisor oficial de contas sem interesses na sociedade, designado por deliberação dos sócios na qual estão impedidos de votar os sócios que efectuam as entradas.”

Do artigo 28.º, n.º 2 resulta que “O revisor que tenha elaborado o relatório exigido pelo número anterior não pode durante dois anos contados da data do registo do contrato de sociedade exercer quaisquer cargos ou funções profissionais nessa sociedade ou em sociedade que com ela se encontrem em relação de domínio ou de grupo.
O relatório do Revisor deve, pelo menos:
“a) Descrever os bens;
b) Identificar os seus titulares
c) Avaliar os bens, indicando os critérios utilizados para a avaliação;
d) Declarar se os valores encontrados atingem ou não o valor nominal da parte, quota ou acções atribuídas aos sócios que efetuarem tais entradas, acrescido dos prémios de emissão, se for caso disso, ou a contrapartida a pagar pela sociedade;
e) No caso de acções sem valor nominal, declarar se os valores encontrados atingem ou não o montante do capital social correspondentemente emitido.” (Cfr. n.º 3 artigo 28.º CSC)

O n.º 4 deste artigo refere-nos que “o relatório deve reportar-se a uma data não anterior em 90 dias à do contrato de sociedade, mas o seu autor deve informar os fundadores da sociedade de alterações relevantes de valores ocorridas durante aquele período, de que tenha conhecimento.”

“O relatório do revisor deve ser posto à disposição dos fundadores da sociedade pelo menos 15 dias antes da celebração do contrato; O mesmo se fará quanto à informação referida no n.º 4 até essa celebração, e faz parte integrante da documentação sujeita às formalidades de publicidade prescritas nesta lei, podendo publicar-se apenas menção do depósito do relatório no registo comercial.” (Cfr. n.º 5 e 6 do artigo 28.º do CSC)

Este preceito determina condicionantes a nível de prazo para elaboração de relatório e independência dos Revisores Oficiais de Contas em relação à sociedade, aos sócios e à sua
atividade, devendo tanto a deliberação de entradas em espécie como de designação do ROC ou sociedade de ROC (SROC), caber à Assembleia Geral.

Em termos doutrinários, assumem particular relevância dois comentários pertinentes com interesse para com o caso concreto, sobre a aplicação deste art.º 28.º do CSC constantes do Código das Sociedades Comerciais anotado, em edição coordenada pelo Prof. António Menezes Cordeiro, e dos quais resultam o seguinte:
“II-Entradas em espécie:
O objecto nas entradas em espécie lidamos com quaisquer direitos patrimoniais susceptíveis de penhora – 20.º alínea a) –E que não consistam em dinheiro. Podem consistir:
(a) na propriedade sobre móveis ou imóveis; (b) ou qualquer outro direito de gozo, real, oupessoal, sobre coisas, (c) em direitos sobre bens imateriais, como patentes, licenças, técnicas de produção, marcas, insígnias ou Know-how”,
“III – A avaliação
O problema-. O dinheiro vale pelo valor facial (nominalismo). Logo, não se põe aí qualquer problema quanto à sua avaliação. Já nas entradas em espécie, essa facilidade não opera, pelo que se põe o problema da sua valoração: O valor que representam não pode serinferior ao valor formal da entrada.”

Sobre o primeiro aspeto, verifica-se que um desenho industrial – assim considerado como um título de propriedade industrial – é suscetível de ser encarado como passível de constituir uma entrada em espécie. Para além da legislação especial sobre estes Direitos, os modelos e desenhos industriais como direito de origem portuguesa, são regulados pelo Código daPropriedade Industrial (Decreto-Lei 143/2008 de 25 de Julho) e na sua via comunitária, pelo Regulamento (CE) n.º 6/2002.

Sobre o segundo aspeto, suscita-se-nos a questão da avaliação: a avaliação do bem deve corresponder ao valor formal (nominal) da entrada e não mais, nem menos, cabendo ao ROC proceder à sua avaliação, valorizando aspetos essenciais como qual a relevância para a atividade da empresa de determinada patente, desenho industrial, marca, know-how. É da relevância económica do bem que resulta o seu valor nominal, e em concreto o valor da entrada do sócio.

Crédito da foto de destaque: Robin Röcker em Unsplash

Jan 03 2012

Dissolution and liquidation of commercial companies

The dissolution of a company results in the cessation of its commercial activities and because it is translated into a manifestation of private autonomy, with patrimonial content, could not occur at the sole discretion of the State or any other entity, so they are listed in the law cases of dissolution.

Thus, the dissolution is provided for under articles 141 and following of the Portuguese Commercial Companies Code, hereinafter referred to as CSC.

And after analyzing the legal precepts related to the dissolution, it is possible to disclose two types of dissolution of a commercial company, these being the immediate dissolution and the unofficial dissolution, that is, by judicial decision or deliberation, in articles 141 and 143, respectively, of the CSC.

With regard to the immediate dissolution, Article 141 of the CSC provides as follows:

“1 – The company dissolves in the cases provided for in the contract and also:

(a) by the expiry of the period laid down in the contract;

b) By resolution of the partners;

c) For the complete accomplishment of the contractual object;

d) For the illegality supervenience of the object contractual;

e) By declaration of insolvency of the company. ”

From what can be understood that the causes of immediate dissolution can be foreseen in the own agreement of society or in the law. It should be noted that the legal list above mentioned is exhaustive and as regards point a), as indicated by Prof. Dr. António Menezes Cordeiro, the “deadline set in the contract” is an event of rare verification because normally there is no duration for the company.

In fact, what has happened in recent times is the increase in insolvency cases as a cause of the dissolution of commercial companies, due to the economic and financial crisis that our country is experiencing.

Regarding the causes of unofficial dissolution, this is verified within the scope of article 143 of the CSC, in the following terms:

“The competent registry service must initiate the administrative procedure for dissolution of its own motion if it has not yet been initiated by the parties concerned when:

a) For two consecutive years, the company has not deposited the accounting documents and the tax administration has informed the competent registry office of the omission of delivery of the tax return for the same period;

b) The tax administration has communicated to the competent registry service the absence of actual activity of the company, verified in accordance with tax legislation;

c) The tax administration has communicated to the competent registry service the unofficial declaration of the company’s cessation of business, in accordance with the tax legislation. ”

With regard to the dissolution procedure, we are told in Article 144 of the CSC that there is a legal statute to regulate this matter. This being the one of the Legal Regime of the administrative procedures of dissolution and liquidation of commercial entities approved by Decree-Law Nº 76-A / 2006, of March 29, usually denominated by RDA.

Furthermore, Article 145 (2) of the CSC states that there is no mandatory form for dissolution since it has been decided by the general meeting of the company. However, in any of the other cases, there is a legal obligation to require the registration of the dissolution in any trade register, the right of which belongs to any member.

Liquidation of commercial companies

With regard to liquidation in the area of company law, this translates, in the understanding of Prof. Dr. António Menezes Cordeiro, in the “set of acts aimed at ending the collective way of functioning of the Law, before a legal person. In practical terms, settlement involves the removal of all legal situations relating to the company in liquidation, the resolution of all outstanding problems that may involve it, the pecuniary realization (if any) of its assets, the payment of all debts and the calculation of the final balance, to be distributed by the partners “.

Settlement is governed by Article 146 et seq. Of the CSC and the analysis, first of all, of the first article, which establishes the general rules regarding this legal-commercial institute, it can be concluded that the liquidation occurs immediately after the dissolution of the company .

Being that according to the understanding of Prof. Dr. Raul Ventura, the liquidation can be understood in two senses: (a) legal status of the company, after dissolution and before its total extinction and (b) process or set of related acts to be practiced during this process “, ( Cf. “Dissolution and liquidation of companies, pp. 210”)

This implies the idea that as a legal situation, liquidation operates in the sense that the acts of the company are oriented towards the cessation of the most varied relations of society, in which it became involved in the pursuit of its corporate purpose.

As a proceeding, liquidation refers to all operations aimed at terminating the company.

There are thus two special liquidation formulas, these being the immediate sharing and settlement by global transmission, under the terms of article 147, paragraph 1 of the CSC. Since the former results from the non-existence of debts of the company and the second is the transfer of the assets of the company to the sphere of one or more partners, and the remaining money is delivered. It should be noted that this form of liquidation should be when it appears in the articles of association or results from deliberation.

The liquidation process is regulated in article 149 of the CSC and the liquidation period is conditioned by the terms provided in article 150, no.1 and 2 of the CSC, two years after the dissolution of the company , under penalty of the informal promotion of liquidation by administrative means, in accordance with paragraph 3 of the same article.

The figure of the liquidator

It may be said that the liquidator is the main figure in any case of dissolution and liquidation of a company since, according to article 151, paragraph 1 of the CSC, “the members of the company’s management become liquidators of the company from the moment it is considered dissolved “.

And what will be the liquidators and what makes them so important to the process of dissolution and liquidation of a trading company?

This question requires a multi-level response, but in a very practical liquidator idea it is either those who are responsible for carrying out the generality of the acts included in the liquidation procedure, most of which correspond to members of the administration, as is clear from Article referenced above.

It should be noted that the powers, duties and responsibilities of the liquidator (s) are legally stipulated in Article 152 of the CCC. However, there will be no doubt that the duties and obligations of the liquidator, conferred by the legislature, set forth in number 3 of this article, as indicated below, will be more important:

“3. The liquidator shall:

a) Finalize the pending business;

b) To fulfill the obligations of society;

c) Charge the credits of the company;

d) Reduce residual assets to cash, except for the provisions of article 156, paragraph 1;

e) Propose the sharing of social assets. ”

The liquidator, or liquidators, as stated above, may be appointed in several ways. From the outset, with the dissolution of the company, the members of the administration automatically switch to liquidators.

However, it is possible to have a clause or deliberation to the contrary, and may be the dismissal and appointment of other liquidators, even in addition or replacement of existing ones.

Moreover, if there is no liquidator, there is still the possibility of being required by the Fiscal Council, any partner or creditor, the appointment of a liquidator, which may be any individual, except as a of statutory auditors, who have the power to do so).

The essentiality of the liquidator is easily obtained, in the context of the dissolution and liquidation of the company, in the settlement of the social liabilities. Let us see:

Under Article 154 (1) of the CSC, the liquidator is entitled to “pay all debts of the company for which the company’s assets are sufficient” and must share the remaining assets with the shareholders in accordance with Article 156. Of the CSC.

Revised 12/18/2017

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