英国2006公司法
英国公司法The-Companies-Act-2006
英国公司法The Companies Act 2006The Companies Act 2006 (c 46) is an Act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom which forms the primary source of UK company law. It had the distinction of being the longest in British Parliamentary history: with 1,300 sections and covering nearly 700 pages, and containing 16 schedules (The list of contents is 59 pages long) but it has since been superseded, in that respect, by the Corporation Tax Act 2009.The Act was brought into force in stages, with the final provision being commenced on 1 October 2009. It superseded the Companies Act 1985.The Act provides a comprehensive code of company law for the United Kingdom, and made changes to almost every facet of the law in relation to companies. The key provisions are:•the Act codifies certain existing common law principles, such as those relating to directors' duties.•it implements the European Union's Takeover and Transparency Obligations Directives.•it introduces various new provisions for private and public companies.•it applies a single company law regime across the United Kingdom, replacing the two separate (if identical) systems for Great Britain and Northern Ireland.•it otherwise amends or restates almost all of the Companies Act 1985 to varying degrees.[2]The Bill for the Act was first introduced to Parliament as "the Company Law Reform Bill" and was intended to make wide-ranging amendments to existing statutes. Lobbying from directors and the legal profession ensured that the Bill was changed into a consolidating Act, avoiding the need for cross-referencing between numerous statutes.The reception of the Act by the legal professions in the United Kingdom has been slightly lukewarm. Concerns have been expressed that too much detail has been inserted to seek to cover every eventuality.[3] Whereas a complete overhaul of company law was promised, the Act seems to leave much of the existing structure in place, and to simplify certain aspectsonly at the margins. In other areas, it is said to have complicated and obfuscated previously settled law and may make doing business more difficult for those operating small companies.Contents[hide]• 1 Implementation• 2 Directors• 3 General provisions• 4 Private companies• 5 Public and listed companies• 6 Contents•7 See also•8 Notes•9 References•10 External links[edit] ImplementationA small portion of the Act came into effect on Royal Assent in November 2006. The first and second Commencement Orders then brought further provisions into force in January 2007 and April 2007. The implementation timetable for the remainder of the Act was announced in February 2007, by Margaret Hodge, Minister for Industry and the Regions. The third and fourth Commencement Orders brought a further tranche of provisions into force in October 2007, and the fifth, sixth and seventh in April and October 2008. The eighth commencement order, made in November 2008, brought the remainder of the Act into force with effect from October 2009.The staggered timetable was intended to give companies sufficient time to prepare for the new regime under the Act, rather than implementing all 1,300 sections of the Act on one day.Another reason for the staggered implementation is that, despite the Act's size, a great many sections provide for subsidiary legislation to be brought in by Secretary of State, which has taken time to draft.Implementation of the Act is the responsibility of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills.[edit] DirectorsMain article: Board of directorsThe Act replaced and codified the principal common law and equitable duties of directors, but it does not purport to provide an exhaustive statement of their duties, and so it is likely that the common law duties survive in a reduced form. Traditional common law notions of corporate benefit have been swept away, and the new emphasis is on corporate social responsibility. The seven codified duties are as follows:1.S171 to act within their powers - to abide by the terms of thecompany's memorandum and articles of association and decisions made by the shareholders;2.S172 to promote the success of the company- directors must continueto act in a way that benefits the shareholders as a whole, but there is now an additional list of non-exhaustive factors to which the directors must have regard. This was one of the most controversial aspects of the new legislation at the drafting stage. These factors are:1.the long term consequences of decisions2.the interests of employees3.the need to foster the company's business relationships withsuppliers, customers and others4.the impact on the community and the environment5.the desire to maintain a reputation for high standards ofbusiness conduct6.the need to act fairly as between members3.S173 to exercise independent judgment - directors must not fettertheir discretion to act, other than pursuant to an agreement entered into by the company or in a way authorised by the company's articles4.S174 to exercise reasonable care, skill and diligence - this mustbe exercised to the standard expected of1.someone with the general knowledge, skill and experiencereasonably expected of a person carrying out the functionsof the director (the objective test) and also2.the actual knowledge, skill and experience of that particulardirector (the subjective test)5.S175 to avoid conflicts of interest- methods for authorising suchconflicts by either board or shareholder approval are also to be introduced6.S176 not to accept benefits from third parties7.S177 to declare an interest in a proposed transaction with thecompany- there are to be carve outs for matters that are not likelyto give rise to a conflict of interest, or of which the directors are already aware. There will be an additional statutoryobligations to declare interests in relation to existingtransactions.Although the changes to directors' duties were the most widely publicised (and controversial) feature of the legislation, the Act also affects directors in various other ways:•S239 The shareholders' ability to ratify any conduct of a director (including breach of duty, negligence, default or breach of trust) is regulated by the statute, although S 239.7 leaves the door open for common law principles, previously the only guide on this. Under the Act, directors who are also shareholders, or persons connected to them, are not entitled to vote in relation to any ratification resolution concerning their actions.•Existing restrictions on companies indemnifying directors against certain liabilities were relaxed to permit indemnities by group companies to directors of corporate trustees and occupationalpension schemes.•SS261-3 The Act gave shareholders a statutory right to pursue claims against the directors for misfeasance on behalf of a company (a derivative action), although the shareholders need the consent of the court to proceed with such a claim.•Certain transactions between the company and its directors which were previously prohibited by law have become lawful subject to the approval of shareholders (for example, loans from the company to its directors)•The Act requires at least one director on the board of the company to be a natural person, although corporate directors are stillpermitted.•The current age restriction of 70 for directors of public companies has been abolished. A new minimum age of 16 has been introduced for all directors who are natural persons (S157).•Directors will have the option of providing Companies House with an address for service, which will in future enable their homeaddresses to be kept on a separate register to which access will be restricted.[edit] General provisionsThe Act contains various provisions which affect all companies irrespective of their status:•Company formation- the procedure for incorporating companies will be modernised to facilitate incorporation over the Internet. It will become possible for a single person to form a public company.•Constitutional documents- a company's articles of association will become its main constitutional document, and the company'smemorandum will be treated as part of its articles. New modelarticles for private companies to be made under the Act are intended to reflect better the way that small companies operate, and will replace the existing Table A. Existing companies will be permitted to adopt the new model articles in whole or in part.•Corporate capacity - under the new Act a company's capacity will be unlimited unless its articles specifically provide otherwise, thus greatly reducing the applicability of the ultra vires doctrine to corporate law and removing the need for an excessively longobjects clause in the Memorandum of Association.•Execution of documents - Formalities for execution as a deed are to be further revised, so that a single director can execute adocument as a deed on behalf of the company by a simple signature in the presence of a witness.•Share capital- the requirement for an authorised share capital will be abolished. Companies will be able to redenominate their share capital from one currency to another without an order of the court.•Distributions in kind - The Act addresses the current uncertainty in the law in relation to the transfer of non-cash assets by acompany to a shareholder, and whether this should be treated as a distribution.[4]•Shareholder meetings - The Act enables shareholder meetings to be held more quickly. Special resolutions now require only 14 days' notice unless proposed at an AGM.•Shareholder communications - The Act made it easier for companies to communicate electronically (e.g. by email or by website) with their shareholders by express agreement (which agreement can be obtained under the articles, or by the shareholder failing toindicate that they do not wish to communicate via the website, as well as by more conventional methods).•Auditor's liability - auditors are now permitted to limit their liability for claims in negligence, breach of trust or breach of duty so long as:o the shareholders have approved the limitation in advance.o the court considers the limitation of liability to be 'fair and reasonable' [5]This change was made after intensive lobbying by the accounting profession in the United Kingdom.•Company Names Adjudicator- Section 69 of the Act provides for the appointment of a Company Names Adjudicator. A Company NamesTribunal was established on 1 October 2008 through which the Company Names Adjudicator will administer his powers via the UKIntellectual Property Office under the tribunal. Section 69 hasexpanded the grounds under which any person can object to aconflicting company name registration under the Act.[edit] Private companiesMain article: Private company limited by sharesOne of the more touted aspects of the new legislation was the simplification of the corporate regime for small privately held companies.A number of the changes brought about by the Act apply only to private companies. Significant changes include:•Company secretaries- a private company no longer needs to appointa company secretary, but may do so if it wishes.•Shareholders' written resolutions- the requirement for unanimity in shareholders' written resolutions was abolished, and therequired majority is similar to that for shareholder meetings - a simple majority of the eligible shares for ordinary resolutions, or 75% for special resolutions.•Abolition of AGMs- private companies are no longer required to hold Annual General Meetings, although they can elect to provide for them in their articles if they wish.•Short notice of meetings - private companies can convene meetings at short notice where consent is given by holders of 90% by nominal value of shares carrying the right to vote.•Allotment of shares - where private companies have only one class of shares, the directors will have unlimited authority to allotshares unless the articles otherwise provide.•Financial assistance- the Act abolishes the prohibition on private companies providing financial assistance for the purchase of their own shares, and the related "whitewash" exemption procedure.•Reduction of share capital - private companies will be able to reduce their share capital without the need to obtain a court order.•Filing of accounts- the period in which accounts must be filed has been reduced from 10 months to 9 months from the financial year end. [edit] Public and listed companiesMain article: Public limited companyThe Act also seeks to promote greater shareholder involvement, and a number of new requirements are introduced for public companies, some of the provisions of which only apply to companies whose shares are listed on the main board of the London Stock Exchange(but, importantly, not to companies whose shares are listed on AIM).•Business review - the Act imposes additional requirements for companies listed on the main board of the LSE in their annual report and accounts. These now include:1.main trends and factors likely to affect future development,performance and position of the business;rmation on environmental matters, employees and social issues;andrmation on contractual and other arrangements essential to thecompany's business.•AGM and accounts- main list companies will be required to hold their AGM and file accounts within 6 months of the end of the financial year. They will also be required to:1.publish their annual report and accounts on their website;2.disclose results of polled votes at general meetings on theirwebsite;3.give certain minority shareholders the right to require independentscrutiny of any polled vote, the results of which must be published on the company's website.•Political donations and expenditure - the Act contains simplification and clarification of the existing provisionsrequiring shareholder approval for political donations andexpenditure, and clarifies a number of grey areas (such asexpenditure relating to trade unions).•Enfranchising indirect investors - nominee shareholders of main list companies will be able to nominate persons on behalf of whom they hold shares to receive copies of company communications and annual reports and accounts. All companies will also be able to include provisions in their articles to identify some other party to exercise additional rights of the shareholder. This is to address the concern that shares in publicly listed companies are frequently held in an intermediary's name, which makes it more difficult for the beneficial owners of the shares to exercise their rights as shareholder.•Voting by institutions - the Act empowers the government to introduce regulations in the future that would require institutions to disclose how they have voted. The government has indicated it will only introduce such regulations after full consultation and if a voluntary disclosure scheme does not work.•Paperless share transfers - the Act gives the government power to make regulations requiring (as well as permitting) paper-freeholding and transferring of shares in main list companies. Some law firms[who?] have expressed reservations as to how paper-free holding and transfers would work in practice.•Transparency Obligations Directive- the Act brings into force the European Directive imposing obligations on main list companies in relation to financial reporting, disclosure of major acquisitions or disposals of its shares and the dissemination of information about the company to its shareholders and the public generally. The Act gives the Financial Services Authority power to make rules to implement the requirements of the Directive, which would beimplemented by way of changes to the existing Listing Rules and Disclosure Rules. The Act also introduces a statutory compensation scheme for misleading or inaccurate statements in reports.•Takeovers - the EU Takeover Directive was implemented by interim regulations in the United Kingdom in May 2006. The Act extends the statutory basis for the regulations in relation to certain matters, such as the statutory footing of the Takeover Panel, and the City Code on Takeovers and Mergers. It also extended the "minority sweep up" provisions which were introduced by an amendment to theCompanies Act 1985, and addresses certain practical problems which had arisen in relation to their operation.[edit] Contents•Part 1 General introductory provisions, ss 1-6•Part 2 Company formation, ss 7-16•Part 3 A company's constitution, ss 17-38•Part 4 A company's capacity and related matters, ss 39-52•Part 5 A company's name, ss 53-85•Part 6 A company's registered office, ss 86-88•Part 7 Re-registration as a means of altering a company's status, ss 89-111•Part 8 A company's members, ss 112-144•Part 9 Exercise of members' rights, ss 145-153•Part 10 A company's directors, ss 154-259•Part 11 Derivative claims and proceedings by members, ss 260-269•Part 12 Company secretaries, ss 270-280•Part 13 Resolutions and meetings, ss 281-361•Part 14 Control of political donations and expenditure, ss 362-379 •Part 15 Accounts and reports, ss 380-474•Part 16 Audit, ss 475-539•Part 17 A company's share capital, ss 540-657•Part 18 Acquisition by limited company of its own shares, ss 658-737 •Part 19 Debentures, ss 738-754•Part 20 Private and public companies, ss 755-767•Part 21 Certification and transfer of securities, ss 768-790 •Part 22 Information about interests in a company's shares, ss 791-828•Part 23 Distributions, 829-853•Part 24 A company's annual return, ss 854-859•Part 25 Company charges, ss 860-894•Part 26 Arrangements and reconstructions, ss 895-901•Part 27 Mergers and divisions of public companies, ss 902-941 •Part 28 Takeovers etc., ss 942-992•Part 29 Fraudulent trading, s 993•Part 30 Protection of members against unfair prejudice, ss 994-999 •Part 31 Dissolution and restoration to the register, ss 1000-1035 •Part 32 Company investigations: amendments, ss 1035-1039•Part 33 UK companies not formed under companies legislation, ss 1040-1043•Part 34 Overseas companies, ss 1044-1059•Part 35 The registrar of companies, ss 1060•Part 36 Offences under the Companies Acts, ss 1121-1133•Part 37 Companies: supplementary provisions, ss 1134-1157•Part 38 Companies: interpretation, ss 1158-1174•Part 39 Companies: minor amendments, ss 1175-1181•Part 40 Company directors: foreign disqualification etc., ss 1182-1191•Part 41 Business names, ss 1192-1208•Part 42 Statutory auditors, ss 1209-1264•Part 43 Transparency obligations and related matters, ss 1265-1273 •Part 44 Miscellaneous provisions, ss 1274-1283•Part 45 Northern Ireland ss 1284-1287•Part 46 General and supplementary provisions, ss 1288-1292•Part 47 Final provisions, ss 1298-1300•Schedules 1-16[edit] See also•UK company law•US corporate law•German company law•European company law•Companies Act•Shareholder Rights Directive2007/36/EC。
英国公司章程_中文(3篇)
第1篇第一章总则第一条本章程依据《英国公司法》（Companies Act 2006）制定，适用于[公司名称]（以下简称“公司”或“本公司”），以规范公司的组织、管理和运营。
第二条公司为依照英国法律注册成立的[股份有限公司/有限责任公司]，其注册地为[注册地址]。
第三条公司的宗旨是：[公司宗旨描述，如提供某种产品或服务，追求某种社会或经济目标等]。
第二章股东第四条公司的股东为[公司名称]，其注册资本为[注册资本金额]英镑。
第五条股东的权利：1. 参加股东大会，有表决权；2. 依照公司章程和英国法律，转让或出售其持有的股份；3. 收取股息；4. 在公司清算时，依照其持股比例，分得剩余财产；5. 查阅公司章程、股东名册、董事会会议记录和财务会计报告；6. 法律、法规和公司章程规定的其他权利。
第六条股东的义务：1. 遵守公司章程；2. 按时足额缴纳股款；3. 不得滥用股东权利损害公司或其他股东的利益；4. 法律、法规和公司章程规定的其他义务。
第三章股东大会第七条股东大会是公司的最高权力机构，由全体股东组成。
第八条股东大会的职权：1. 审议和批准公司的年度报告和财务会计报告；2. 选举和罢免董事；3. 修改公司章程；4. 决定公司的合并、分立、解散和清算；5. 决定公司增资或减资；6. 决定公司发行新股；7. 决定公司利润的分配；8. 决定公司重要事项；9. 法律、法规和公司章程规定的其他职权。
第九条股东大会分为年度股东大会和临时股东大会。
第十条年度股东大会应当于每个财政年度结束后六个月内召开。
第十一条临时股东大会的召开，由董事会或持有公司10%以上股份的股东提议。
第十二条股东大会应当以书面形式通知全体股东，通知中应载明会议的时间、地点、议程和股东应准备的资料。
第四章董事会第十三条董事会由[董事会人数]名董事组成，由股东大会选举产生。
第十四条董事会的职权：1. 指导公司的经营和管理；2. 执行股东大会的决议；3. 选举和罢免董事长；4. 制定公司的发展战略、经营计划和投资方案；5. 决定公司的重大事项；6. 任命和解除公司高级管理人员；7. 制定公司内部管理制度；8. 法律、法规和公司章程规定的其他职权。
英国公司法的历史演进【最新法学论文】
硕士学位论文英国公司法的历史演进The Historical Revolution of The England Company Act作者姓名：周连斌指导教师：杨丽英西南政法大学Southwest University of Political Science and Law内容摘要公司不仅创造了当今世界的绝大部分财富，而且也成为人们最经常用以经营商务的工具。
而作为规范公司的组织与行为的公司法对公司的重要性不言而喻。
有限责任公司是英国最具创造性的发明。
英国公司法的产生可以追溯到19世纪。
1844年英国的《合作股份公司法》是世界上第一部认可公司独立法人地位的公司法。
1855年的《有限责任法》和1856年经修改的《合作股份公司法》奠定了现代公司法的基础,在根本上确立了有限责任和公司独立人格的关键原则。
从此企业家能够开发有风险的产业,投资人能够聚集各种资源,金融家能够投资于缺乏资金的发明人等等。
同时,人们也逐渐认识到有限责任公司本身所赋与的有限责任和独立人格的特性已被董事会成员或公司的执行官滥用,由此,针对公司创设和运作规则等方面的法律应运而生。
而这些法律的目的主要是为在市场上吸收更多的资本金并设法营造和鼓励更多经济活动。
19世纪和20世纪,英国公司法历经多次修改,每一次修改都是在高层次上将当时的需求纳入立法中。
1972年英国加入了欧洲经济共同体,因此其立法不得不融合和执行欧共体的相应法律规则。
这些变化最终在1985年的公司法中得到整合和反映,在此基础上,1989年颁布的公司法作了进一步的修改,核心内容基本未变。
自19世纪以来,在英国公司法的发展过程中积淀了太多法令和案例。
随着社会环境的发展和变化,英国公司法相应作了不断的调整,重新评估并减轻法规的束缚,从而达到“有所为”的法律构架并进而夯实了英国的法律环境。
本文从公司的历史起源谈起，进而引出英国公司法，阐述其历史及其演进过程，通过对英国公司立法的历史进行梳理，揭示了其发展的规律及发展的趋势。
英国公司法
英国公司法（Company Law）第一章注册公司的法律特征Company Law: Fundamental Principles, （2nd ed.） Stephen Griffin LLB, PITMAN Publishing, 1996THE LEGAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A REGISTERED COMPANY本章主要讲述了注册公司的基本法律特征及其发展的历史。
公司在一定意义上可以被看作是一个虚构的实体，它只不过是其管理者和员工按照团体模式经营的一种方式或手段。
依照大陆法系的分类，这种观点似乎可以被看作是法人拟制说。
但是在法律上，按照公司法的规定注册的公司，这种虚构的本质在这种程度上被忽视了，从公司成立之日起，它就是一个公司实体。
正因为如此，注册公司是一个独立的法律主体，它像一个自然人那样享有权利和承担义务。
这是公司的第一个重要的特征。
除此之外，大量的公司都具有有限责任的特点。
公司的有限责任分为股份的有限和保证的有限。
（除有特别说明，本书将主要讲股份的有限。
）有限责任是指公司股东一旦（以股票的名义价值）完全出资认购了所持有的股份，他就不再对公司的债务承担任何责任。
公司的成立导致了公司和其股东地位的分离。
因此，公司的存在不再依赖于其成员的存在于否。
成立这样一个公司最大的好处是股东的有限责任，但最大的缺点是商业隐私的缺失。
与合伙不同，注册公司必须满足许多关于披露信息的要求。
公司的概念产生于19世纪中期，但在此之前，就已存在现代公司的前身。
首先产生的是特许公司。
从17世纪起，随着世界船舶贸易的发展，特许的股份公司产生了。
股份公司是一个通过王室特许产生的，有着复杂形式的合伙企业。
特许状通常授予其在特定贸易中的垄断权。
这种公司虽然也具有独立的法律身份，但是除非特许状有特殊规定，这种企业的成员没有任何形式的有限责任。
随着股份公司的发展，股票交易也日益增多。
到18世纪前期，股票成为一些公司投机的手段。
英国公司法
英国公司法（CompanyLaw）第一章注册公司的法律特征作者：明月孤岑文章来源：竹月斋发表于2006年10月12日阅读1685人次推荐级别：☆Company Law: Fundamental Principles, （2nd ed.） Stephen Griffin LLB, PITMAN Publishing, 1996THE LEGAL CHARACTERISTICS OF A REGISTERED COMPANY本章主要讲述了注册公司的基本法律特征及其发展的历史。
公司在一定意义上可以被看作是一个虚构的实体，它只不过是其管理者和员工按照团体模式经营的一种方式或手段。
依照大陆法系的分类，这种观点似乎可以被看作是法人拟制说。
但是在法律上，按照公司法的规定注册的公司，这种虚构的本质在这种程度上被忽视了，从公司成立之日起，它就是一个公司实体。
正因为如此，注册公司是一个独立的法律主体，它像一个自然人那样享有权利和承担义务。
这是公司的第一个重要的特征。
除此之外，大量的公司都具有有限责任的特点。
公司的有限责任分为股份的有限和保证的有限。
（除有特别说明，本书将主要讲股份的有限。
）有限责任是指公司股东一旦（以股票的名义价值）完全出资认购了所持有的股份，他就不再对公司的债务承担任何责任。
公司的成立导致了公司和其股东地位的分离。
因此，公司的存在不再依赖于其成员的存在于否。
成立这样一个公司最大的好处是股东的有限责任，但最大的缺点是商业隐私的缺失。
与合伙不同，注册公司必须满足许多关于披露信息的要求。
公司的概念产生于19世纪中期，但在此之前，就已存在现代公司的前身。
首先产生的是特许公司。
从17世纪起，随着世界船舶贸易的发展，特许的股份公司产生了。
股份公司是一个通过王室特许产生的，有着复杂形式的合伙企业。
特许状通常授予其在特定贸易中的垄断权。
这种公司虽然也具有独立的法律身份，但是除非特许状有特殊规定，这种企业的成员没有任何形式的有限责任。
英国公司法不公平损害制度沿革
英国公司法不公平损害制度沿革作者：王琳来源：《法制与社会》2010年第10期摘要“资本多数决”规则为中心的公司治理结构是基础,尽管它对于维护公司独立法人资格、促进公司决策效率的提升,但是无法避免陷入“多数人暴政”的制度危险,也正是多数股东(或控股股东)所造成的少数派股东的一种侵害。
英国成文公司法将股东因不公平损害行为受到的侵害作为一种救济类型,由于其避免了“福斯规则”下的繁琐举证而广受少数股东的青睐。
作为替代衡平和正义解散公司的制度,压制行为存在程序上的障碍与实体上的狭隘等缺陷。
关键词英国公司法压制不公平损害中图分类号:D9516 文献标识码:A 文章编号:1009-0592(2010)04-028-02中小股东权利遭受侵害在近现代公司运行中普遍存在。
而由“资本多数决原则”支撑的公司决策基础及其“公司法人独立人格”制度,使人们不免担心对中小股东的保护会造成对公司事务过度的干涉,危及法人独立人格,影响公司的决策和运营效率。
伴随着现代公司制度下所有权与经营权的分离,股东组成日益分散。
股东会支配地位的淡化使各国立法纷纷致力于探索制定相关规定以保护中小股东权益。
其中尤其以英国成文公司法为典型。
伴随着英国成文法改革的进程,不公平损害制度也历经了巨大的变化。
不公平损害制度日益成为广受中小股东欢迎的救济制度。
一、英国1948年公司法:“压制行为”(一)衡平与正义解散公司在英国1948年公司法出台以前,除非少数股东能够证明存在“福斯规则”的例外情形,股东不能从法院那里获得救济以阻止多数股东在执行公司事务过程中对其构成的不适当、不公平和压制行为。
对于多数股东实施的压制行为,仅在有限的情形下,少数股东可以获得法院以“解散公司”形式的救济。
①这类有限的情形通常是法院基于衡平法上的“公平和正义”的基础解散公司。
且不论这种救济措施少有发挥救济功能,其解散公司这种单一的救济手段,对股东、债权人、雇工等伤害巨大,而且少数股东也无法从公司解散中获益,因为公司资产可能会严重贬值,解散公司无异于“杀死了下金蛋的鹅,对任何人均无益”,因而于各者均不利,更无法实现发挥保障受压迫股东利益的预期效果。
英国2006公司法
英国2006公司法前言从教材所能引用的最早判例,1612,至今,英国公司法已经发展了三百多年。
从第一部成文法即1844年股份公司法,到这一轮公司法改革之前曾经发挥重要作用的《1985年公司法》,这期间经历数次大的改革或修订。
比较有名的几次,例如引入有限责任公司的《1855年有限责任法》,标志着公司法进入崭新时代的《1856年股份有限公司法》,规定银行业可以采取股份公司形式的1857年和1858年股份银行公司法,引入私人公司、大幅度整合以前法律《1908年公司法》,增加控股公司与子公司之间关系、规定可赎回优先股的《1929年公司法》,强调会计公开的《1948年公司法》,修改公司信息披露方面规定的《1967年公司法》,加强公司信息披露要求的《1976年公司法》,引入欧盟公司法指令的1980和1981年公司法,以及融合了先前法律、其后施行二十多年的《1985年公司法》。
1998年英国又一次迎来了大规模的公司法改革。
这次改革的成果是,产生了英国历史上最长的一部成文法,即《2006年公司法》。
一、英国公司法改革进程这一轮公司法改革从1998年开始，到2006年暂告结束。
1998年，1英国政府(贸易工业部)成立公司法审议指导小组(Company Law Review Steering Group)，肩负着提出全面修改意见的任务，开始对以前公司法的实施情况进行综合审议。
审议分成四个阶段并且在各个阶1 “贸易工业部”(Department of Trade and Industry)已经改名为“商业/企业和管理改革部(Department of Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, BERR)”。
1段发表了相关的报告:1999年2月发表的《战略性框架》(The Strategic Framework)阐述了审议的方法、方向、一些基本问题以及今后的工作;2000年3月发表的《发展框架》(Developing the Framework)分析了公司治理结构和小公司、私人公司，提出了建议;2000年11月发表的《完善结构》(Completing Framework)则进一步修改报告并且提出了建议。
公司法(英文版)
新《公司法》(英文版法条)Company Law of the People's Republic of China(The Company Law of the People’s Republic of China has been amended and adopted by the18th meeting of the Standing Committee of the Tenth National People's Congress on October27,2005.This Law,as amended, is hereby promulgated and will come into force on January1,2006.)Chapter One:General Provisions.1Chapter Two:Incorporation and Organizational Structure of a Limited Liability Company.6Section One Incorporation.6Section Two Organizational Structure.9Section Three Special Provisions on One-Person Limited Liability Companies.14Section Four Special Provisions on Wholly State-owned Companies.15Chapter Three:Share Transfer of a Limited Liability Company.16Chapter Four:Establishment and Organizational Structure of a Joint Stock Limited Company.18Section One Establishment18Section Two General Meeting of Shareholders.23Section Three Board of Directors and General Manager25Section Four Board of Supervisors.27Chapter Five Issue and Transfer of Shares of Joint Stock Limited Companies.28Section One Issue of Shares.28Section Two Assignment Of Shares.31Chapter Six:Qualifications and Obligations of Directors,Supervisors and Senior Officers.32Chapter Seven:Company Bonds.35Chapter Eight:Financial and Accounting Affairs of Company.36Chapter Nine:Merger and Division of Company,Increase and Decrease of Registered Capital38Chapter Ten:Dissolution and Liquidation of Company.40Chapter Eleven:Branch of Foreign Company.42Chapter Twelve:Legal Liabilities.43Chapter Thirteen:Supplementary Provisions.47Chapter One:General ProvisionsArticle1This Law is enacted in order to standardize the organization and activities of companies,to protect the legitimate rights and interests of companies,shareholders and creditors,to maintain the socio-economic order and to promote the development of the socialist market economy.Article2The term'company'referred to in this Law means a limited liability company or a joint stock limited company incorporated within the territory of the People's Republic of China in accordance with this Law.Article3A company is an enterprise legal person that shall enjoy the right to the entire independent property of the legalperson.A company shall be liable for its debts to the extent of all its assets.In the case of a limited liability company,shareholders shall assume liability towards the company to the extent of their respective capital contributions.In the case of a joint stock limited company,shareholders shall assume liability towards the company to the extent of their respective shareholdings.Article4The shareholders of a company shall enjoy such rights as benefiting from assets of the company,making major decisions and selecting managerial personnel in accordance with the law.Article5In conducting its business,a company must abide by laws and administrative rules and regulations,observe social morals and business ethics,conduct businesses in good faith,subject itself to the supervision of the government and the public and fulfill social responsibilities.The company's lawful rights and interests are protected by law and shall not be infringed upon.Article6A company shall apply to the company registration authority for establishment panies meeting the conditions set by this Law shall be registered as limited liability companies or joint stock limited companies;while companies failing to meet the conditions set by this Law shall not be registered as limited liability companies or joint stock limited companies.Where laws,administrative rules and regulations provide that incorporation of companies must be subject to examination and approval,the procedures of examination and approval shall be completed according to law prior to the registration of such companies.The public may inquire about registration items from the company registration authority.The company registration authority shall provide such inquiry service.Article7The company registration authority shall grant registration and issue a business license to a company that is established in accordance with the law.The date of the issuance of the company business license shall be the date of the incorporation of the company.The business license shall specify the name and domicile of the company,registered capital,paid-in capital, business scope,the name of the legal representative,etc.In the event of any change to the registration item of the business license,a company shall undergo alteration registration procedures with the company registration authority in accordance with the law,after which a new business license shall be issued to the company.Article8A limited liability company established according with this Law must clearly indicate the words'limited liability company'in its name.A joint stock limited company established according to this Law must clearly indicate the words'joint stock limited company'or‘joint stock company’in its name.Article9If a limited liability company is to be converted into a joint stock limited company,it shall satisfy the requirements for a joint stock limited company stipulated by this Law.If a joint stock limited company is to be converted into a limited liability company,it shall satisfy the requirements for a limited liability company stipulated by this Law.Where a limited liability company is converted into a joint stock limited company or vice versa,the claims and debts of the original company shall be succeeded to by the company into which it is converted.Article10A company's domicile shall be the place where its main administrative organization is located.Article11Articles of association must be formulated in accordance with the law when a company is incorporated.A company's articles of association shall have binding force on the company,its shareholders,directors, supervisors and senior officers.Article12A company's scope of business shall be defined in its articles of association and registered in accordance with the law.A company may change its scope of business by amending its articles of association but shall register such amendments with the company registration authority.Items within the company's business scope that are subject to verifications under laws,administrative rules and regulations shall be approved in accordance with the law.Article13The legal representative of a company may be represented by the chairman,executive director or manager of a company in compliance with its articles of association and registered in accordance with the law.In the event of any change of the legal representative of a company,such change shall be registered in accordance with the law.Article14A company may establish branches.The company,in establishing its branch(es),shall conduct establishment registration procedures with the company registration authority and obtain the business license(s).The branches shall not possess the status of enterprise legal persons and whose civil liabilities shall be borne by the company.A company may establish subsidiaries,which shall possess the status of enterprise legal persons,and shall independently bear civil liabilities in accordance with the law.Article15A company may invest in other enterprises,however,unless otherwise stipulated by the law,the company making such investment shall not bear joint and several liability for the debts of the enterprise in which the company invests.Article16Investments in other enterprises or provisions of security by a company shall be determined by its board ofdirectors,shareholders meeting or general meeting of shareholders in compliance with its articles of association.Where the limit of the aggregate amount of investment or security extended by a company or,the amount of investment or security extended in each case is set out in the articles of association,the actual amount of investment or security shall not exceed such limit.Security provided by a company to its shareholders or actual controller shall be determined by the shareholders meeting or the general meeting of shareholders of the company.The shareholders described in the preceding paragraph or the shareholders dominated by the actual controller described in the preceding paragraph shall not participate in the voting process on the matters described in the preceding paragraph.The vote on such matters shall be adopted by more than half of all the other shareholders attending the meeting.Article17Companies must protect the lawful rights and interests of their staff and workers,sign labor contracts with them and cover them with social insurances in accordance with the law,and strengthen labor protection so as to achieve safety in production.Companies shall apply various forms to strengthen professional education and on-the-job training of their staff and workers so as to improve their skills and capabilities.Article18Company's staff and workers shall,in accordance with the Trade Union Law of the People’s Republic of China, organize a trade union to carry out the trade union activities and protect the lawful rights and interests of the staff and workers.The company shall provide its trade union with conditions necessary for carrying out its activities.The trade union may represent the staff and workers to enter into a collective contract with the company in respect of the remuneration,work hours,welfare,insurance,labor security,etc.in accordance with the law.Companies shall,through the congress of the workers and staff members or other forms,practice democratic management in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution and relevant laws.A company shall seek advices from its trade union when discussing and deciding upon important issues on the restructuring or operation of the company,or formulating important rules and regulations and shall,through the congress of the workers and staff members or other forms,seek advice and suggestions from its staff and workers.Article19The organizations of the Communist Party of China may be established in companies and carry out their activities in accordance with the Constitution of the Communist Party of panies shall provide the organizations of the Communist Party of China with conditions necessary for carrying out their activities.Article20The shareholders of a company shall exercise their shareholders’rights in compliance with laws, administrative rules and regulations as well as the articles of association of the company,shall not abuse their shareholders’rights to injure the interests of the company or other shareholders,or take advantage of the company’s independent status or the limited liability of shareholders to injure the interests of the company’screditors.Where the abuse of shareholders’rights causes any loss to the company or other shareholders,such abusive shareholder shall be liable for compensation in accordance with the law.Where shareholders of a company take advantage of the company’s independent status or the limited liability of shareholders to disregard debts and seriously injures the interests of the company’s creditors,such shareholders shall bear joint and several liability for the debts of the company.Article21The controlling shareholders,actual controllers,directors,supervisors or senior officers of a company shall not take advantage of their affiliations with others in an attempt to harm the company’s interests and,where any losses are incurred in violation hereof,shall be liable for compensation.Article22Any resolution against laws and administrative rules and regulations that is adopted by the shareholders meeting,the general meeting of shareholders or the board of directors of a company shall be null and void.Where the convening of shareholders meeting,general meeting of shareholders or board of directors of a company or the voting method violates laws,administrative rules and regulations or the articles of association of the company,or the resolution thereof contravenes the articles of association of the company,shareholders may,within sixty(60)days of the resolution,apply to the people’s court for revocation.Where shareholders file suit in accordance with the provisions of the preceding paragraph,a people’s court may,at the company’s request,order the shareholders to provide relevant security.Where the company has effected alteration registration according to the resolution of shareholders meeting, general meeting of shareholders or board of directors,the company shall,after the people’s court declares such resolution null and void or revokes the same,shall apply to the company registration authority for cancellation of its alteration registration.Chapter Two:Incorporation and Organizational Structure of a Limited Liability CompanySection One IncorporationArticle23The following conditions shall be fulfilled for the incorporation of a limited liability company:(1)The number of shareholders conforms to the statutory quorum;(2)The capital contributions of the shareholders reach the statutory minimum amount of capital;(3)The shareholders have jointly formulated the articles of association of the company;(4)The company has a name and an organizational structure established in compliance with the requirements for a limited liability company;and(5)The company has a domicile.Article24A limited liability company shall be incorporated by not more than fifty(50)shareholders.Article25The articles of association of a limited liability company shall specify the following particulars:(1)the name and domicile of the company;(2)the scope of business of the company;(3)the registered capital of the company;(4)the names or titles of the shareholders;(5)the method,amount and time of capital contributions by the shareholders;(6)the organization of the company,its method of creation,functions and powers and therules of procedure;(7)the legal representative of the company;(8)other items which the shareholders deem necessary to be specified.Shareholders shall sign and execute the article of association of the company.Article26The registered capital of a limited liability company shall be the amount of the paid-up capital contributions of all its shareholders as registered with the company registration authority.The amount of the initial investment contributed by all shareholders shall not be lower than twenty percent(20%)of the registered capital or the minimum amount prescribed by the law,the remaining of which shall be fully paid up within two years of the establishment of the company.In the case of an investment company,the remaining amount of the registered capital may be paid up within five years of the establishment of the company.The minimum amount of the registered capital of a limited liability company shall be RMB30,000.Where laws and administrative regulations provide for more than the minimum amount,such provisions shall apply.Article27Except for assets forbidden to be used as contribution by laws and administrative regulations,a shareholder may make its capital contributions to a company in currency or by contributing such non-currency property as material objects,intellectual property rights and land-use rights that can be evaluated in the form of currency and transferred in accordance with the law.The non-currency property to be contributed as capital shall undergo an asset valuation and verification,and shall not be overvalued or undervalued.Where there are other provisions of laws and administrative regulations on the valuation and verification of non-currency property,such provisions shall apply.The amount of the capital contributions in currency shall not be lower than thirty percent(30%)of the amount of the registered capital of the limited liability company.Article28Each shareholder shall make in full the amount of the capital contribution subscribed for under the articles of association of the company.Where a shareholder makes its capital contribution in currency,it shall deposit the full amount of such capital contribution in currency in the bank account opened by the limited liability company to be established.Where a shareholder makes its capital contribution in the form of non-currency property,the property rights therein shall be transferred in accordance with legally prescribed procedures.Shareholders failing to make full capital contributions they have subscribed for in accordance with the preceding paragraph shall,they shall,in addition to making the contributions in full,be liable for breach of contract towards the shareholders who have made full capital contributions.Article29After all shareholders have made their capital contributions in full,such contributions must be verified by a statutory capital verification institution which shall issue capital verification certificates.Article30After the initial capital contributions of the shareholders have been verified by a statutory capital verification institution,application shall be made to the company registration authority for registration of the incorporation of the company by a representative designated by all the shareholders or by an agent jointly entrusted by them, who shall submit such documents as an application for registration,the articles of association and the capital verification certificate.Article31Where,after the incorporation of a limited liability company,it is discovered that the actual value of the non-currency property contributed as capital is notably less than the value stated in the articles of association, the shareholders that made such contributions shall make up the difference.Those who are shareholders at the time of the incorporation of the company shall bear joint and several liability therefor.Article32After a limited liability company has been incorporated,it shall issue capital contribution certificates to its shareholders.A capital contribution certificates shall specify the following items:(1)the name of the company;(2)the registration date of the company;(3)the registered capital of the company;(4)the name or title of the shareholder,the amount and date of its capital contribution;(5)the serial number of the capital contribution certificate and the date of its verification and issuance.A capital contribution certificate shall bear the seal of the company on it.Article33A limited liability company shall prepare a roster of its shareholders with the following items therein:(1)the names or titles and domiciles of the shareholders;(2)the amounts of capital contributions of the shareholders;and(3)the serial numbers of the capital contribution certificates.The shareholders recorded in the roster of shareholders may claim and exercise the right of shareholders on the strength of the roster of shareholders.The company shall register the names of shareholders and the amount of capital contributions of the shareholders with the company registration authority and,in the event of any change thereof,apply foralteration registration.Unless duly registered,the above-mentioned items and any changes thereof shall not be a defense against a third party.Article34A shareholder shall have the right to view the articles of association,the minutes of shareholders meetings, resolutions of board of directors and board of supervisors and the financial and accounting reports of the company.Shareholders may view the accounting books and reports of the company.For this purpose,they shall submit a written request and state reasons.Where the company reasonably believes that shareholders have unjust purposes in viewing the accounting books and reports which may harm the legal rights and interests of the company,the company may refuse such request and shall,within fifteen(15)days of such request,reply in written form and state reasons.Given such,shareholders may apply to the people’s court for an order under which the company shall provide the shareholders with such references.Article35Unless otherwise agreed upon by all shareholders,shareholders shall draw dividends in proportion to their actual capital contributions and,where a company increases capital,shall have priority in subscription for new shares in proportion to their actual contributions.Article36Once a company is registered,its shareholders shall not withdraw their capital contributions.Section Two Organizational StructureArticle37The shareholders meeting of a limited liability company shall be composed of all the shareholders.The shareholders meeting shall be the organ of power of the company and shall exercise its functions and powers in accordance with this Law.Article38The shareholders meeting shall exercise the following functions and powers:(1)to decide on the business policy and investment plan of the company;(2)to elect and recall directors and supervisors whose posts are not taken by the representatives of the staff and workers,and to decide on matters concerning the remuneration of directors and supervisors;(3)to examine and approve reports of the board of directors;(4)to examine and approve reports of the supervisory board or supervisors;(5)to examine and approve the annual financial budget plan and final accounts plan of the company;(6)to examine and approve plans for profit distribution of the company and plans for making up losses;(7)to adopt resolutions on the increase or reduction of the registered capital of the company;(8)to adopt resolutions on the issuance of company bonds;(9)to adopt resolutions on matters such as the merger,division,transformation,dissolution and liquidation of the company;(10)to amend the articles of association of the company;(11)to exercise other functions and powers provided for in the articles of association.Where a unanimous consent on the matters described above is achieved in writing by shareholders,the company may directly make decisions that shall be signed and executed by all shareholders instead of convening a shareholders meeting.Article39The first meeting of the shareholders of a company shall be convened and presided over by the shareholder who has made the biggest capital contribution to the company and shall exercise its functions and powers in accordance with this Law.Article40Shareholders meetings shall be divided into regular meetings and interim meetings.Regular shareholders meetings shall be convened on time as stipulated by the articles of association of the company.Interim shareholders meetings may be convened upon proposal made by shareholders representing more than one-tenth of voting rights or by more than one-third of directors,or at the request of board of supervisors or the supervisors of a company absent a board of supervisors.Article41Where a limited liability company has a board of directors,its shareholders meeting shall be convened by the board of directors and presided over by the chairman of the board.Where the chairman of the board is unable to or does not perform his function,the meeting shall be presided over by a vice-chairman.Where the vice-chairman is unable to or does not perform his function,the meeting shall be presided over by a director jointly nominated by more than half of the directors.Where a limited liability company does not form a board of directors,the shareholders meetings shall be convened and presided over by the executive director.Where the board of directors or executive director cannot or does not perform its function,the shareholders meeting shall be convened and presided over by the board of supervisors or the supervisor in the absence of a board of supervisors.Where the board of supervisors or supervisor cannot or does not perform its function,the meeting shall be convened and presided over by shareholders representing more than one-tenth of the voting rights.Article42All shareholders shall be notified fifteen(15)days prior to the convening of a shareholders meeting,unless otherwise stipulated by the articles of association or agreed upon by all shareholders.The shareholders meeting shall prepare minutes regarding the decisions on matters considered at the meeting, which shall be signed by the shareholders present at the meeting.Article43Shareholders shall exercise their voting rights at the shareholders meeting in proportion to their capital contributions,unless otherwise stipulated by the articles of association.Article44Except as provided for in this Law,the rules of deliberation and voting procedures of the shareholders meetingshall be stipulated by the articles of association of the company.Resolutions of the shareholders meeting on the increase or reduction of the registered capital,the division, merger,dissolution,or transformation of the company must be adopted by shareholders of the company representing two-thirds or more of the voting rights.Article45Except as otherwise provided for in Article51of this Law,a limited liability company shall have a board of directors,which shall be composed of three to thirteen members.The members of the board of directors of a limited liability company invested in and established by two or more State-owned enterprises,or by two or more other State-owned investment entities shall include representatives of the staff and workers of the company.The members of the board of directors of other limited liability companies may also include representatives of the staff and workers.Such representatives of the staff and workers shall be democratically elected by the workers and staff members of the company through the congresses or assemblies of the staff and workers or other forms.A board of directors shall have a chairman and may have a vice-chairman.The method for the creation of the chairman and vice-chairmen shall be stipulated in the articles of association of the company.Article46The term of the directors shall be prescribed by the articles of association,provided that each term may not exceed three(3)years.A director may continue to serve his post if he is re-elected upon the expiration of his term.Where a new elect is not yet available upon expiration of a director’s term,or the number of the directors on the board is less than the quorum due to the resignation of a director within his term,such director,before the new elect takes his office,shall continue the performance of his duties in accordance with laws, administrative regulations and the articles or association.Article47The board of directors is accountable to the shareholders meeting and shall exercise the following powers:(1)being responsible for convening shareholders meetings and presenting reports thereto;(2)implementing resolutions adopted by the shareholders meeting;(3)determining the company's operational plans and investment programs;(4)preparing annual financial budget plans and final accounting plans of the company;(5)preparing profit distribution plans and plans to cover company losses;(6)preparing plans for increasing or reducing registered capital of the company or issuing company bonds;(7)drafting plans for merger,division,change of corporate form or dissolution of the company;(8)determining the structure of the company's internal management;(9)appointing or removing the general manager of the company,appointing or removing,upon the general manager's recommendation,deputy managers of the company and the officer in charge of finance,and determining the remuneration for those officers;(10)formulating the basic management scheme of the company;(11)exercising other powers stipulated by the articles of association.Article48A meeting of the board of directors shall be convened and presided over by the chairman.Where the chairman is unable to or does not perform his duties,the meeting shall be convened and presided over by the。
英国公司法(修改版)
第一章 英国公司法概况
（一）从公司的角度 我国《公司法》第七十五条 有下列情形之一的，对股东会该项决议投反对票 的股东可以请求公司按照合理的价格收购其股权： （一）公司连续五年不向股东分配利润，而公司 该五年连续盈利，并且符合本法规定的分配利润条 件的； （二）公司合并、分立、转让主要财产的； （三）公司章程规定的营业期限届满或者章程规 定的其他解散事由出现，股东会会议通过决议修改 章程使公司存续的。
第一章 英国公司法概况
4. 验资程序 自行申报出资，无须验资；全部出资必须 经依法设立的验资机构验资并出具证明。 （已修改）
5. 有无章程 无须拟定企业章程；必须由股东共同制定 章程。
第一章 英国公司法概况
6. 治理结构
投资人可自行管理企业事务，也可委托或聘用 他人管理；设股东会、董事会与监事会或执行董事 与监事。
第一章 英国公司法概况
独资企业与有限责任公司的区别：
1. 企业名称 2. 营业执照 3. 投资人数
不得含“有限”字样；必须在名称中标明“有限责任公 司”或者“有限公司”字样。
领取的是非法人性“营业执照”；领取的是“企业法人 营业执照”。
仅为一个自然人投资；一个股东以上五十个股东以下 （我国），股东既可为自然人，也可为法人。
第一章 英国公司法概况
判决：
公司停产后两股东签署了“股东会纪要”，两 股东均应自觉按“纪要”办。两股东在是否应对乙 公司进行起诉问题上产生分歧，且至今未能取得一 致意见，故应视为本案的起诉不是甲公司的真实意 思表示，故驳回原告甲公司的起诉。案件受理费 50元由原告负担。
第一章 英国公司法概况
三、集中或专门管理
论公司章程防御性条款的法律效力
论公司章程防御性条款的法律效力王建文;孙清白【摘要】Company Act 2006 of UK includes entrenched provisions of the articles. As a way of pro-tecting the rights and benefits of certain shareholders,entrenched provisions have different types. Within Britain's law,entrenched provisions cannot violate mandatory rules,deprive shareholders of their statutory rights or burden them with obligations without prior consent. In addition,entrenched provisions should be made for the benefit of the company as a whole. Within China's law,entrenched provisions can be widely used. Based on the law and relevant cases,the validity of entrenched provi-sions can be analyzed into different types.%英国《2006年公司法》将防御性条款纳入法律规制。
作为一种保护特定股东权益的制度设计，防御性条款可以有多种类型。
英国法中的防御性条款除不能反强制性规定，未经允许剥夺股东法定权利以及施加股东义务外，还要遵循普通法上的善意地为了公司整体利益原则。
防御性条款在我国法律框架下有极大适用空间，结合现行法律和相关案例，可以对防御性条款的法律效力作出类型化分析。
英国公司法
英国公司法（Company Law）第十章有限责任公司股份的法律性质和特征--------------------------------------------------------------------------------作者：明月孤岑文章来源：竹月斋发表于2006年10月21日Company Law: Fundamental Principles, （2nd ed.）Stephen Griffin LLB, PITMAN Publishing, 1996THE LEGAL NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF HOLDING SHARES IN A LIMITED COMPANY本章的目的是探讨不同种类的有限公司股份的法律特征，以及法院和国务大臣对股份所有权所施加的限制。
股票代表股东在公司的权益，这种权益以一定数量的金钱来衡量。
它首先包括义务，其次包括权利，但是也包括所有股东缔结的一系列双向契约。
股票的名义价值或票面价值（the nominal value）是指股东从公司购买股票所支付的最低价。
如果公司以高于票面价值的价格卖出股票，则实际价格和票面价格的差额被称为“股票溢价”（share premium），并应记载于股票溢价帐户上。
公司成员，正如我们在前面经常看到的，与股东不是一个相同的概念。
在以下几种情况下，一个人可以成为公司的成员：1、公司成立时，在公司的备忘录上签署；2、向公司成功地申请购买股票；3、向公司现有的股东购买股票；4、因公司成员的死亡或破产而继受股票。
尽管在大多数情况下，“成员”和“股东”是可以相互转换的两个名称，但有时，公司成员不是股东，而股东也可以不是成员。
例如，保证有限责任公司有成员，但没有股东。
CA1985规定，公司应当对其成员的名称、地址以及其持股程度做记录。
如果成员记录中的一些重要细节有错误时，法律规定可以修改。
股票的发行（issue）或配售（allot）通常是公司董事会决议的结果，而董事会必须有发行股票的权力。
英国公司法董事职责
英国公司法董事职责全文共四篇示例，供读者参考第一篇示例：英国公司法对董事的职责和义务进行了详细规定，确保公司董事履行其管理和监督职责。
董事在公司的管理和决策过程中扮演着关键的角色，必须遵守法律规定并履行其职责。
以下是英国公司法对董事职责的一些重要规定：根据英国《公司法》2006年修订版，在英国成立的公司必须至少有一名董事。
董事是公司的管理者，负有管理公司的义务和责任。
董事的主要职责包括管理公司的日常业务、决定公司的经营策略、制定公司政策、确保公司的合法运作。
1. 誠信和忠誠：董事有义务对公司及其股东忠诚和诚实。
董事必须遵守公司章程、法律法规和公司政策，并为公司的利益和股东利益着想。
2. 尽职调查：董事在进行决策和管理公司业务时必须进行合理的尽职调查。
董事应当了解公司业务和市场状况，确保决策的合理性和可行性。
3. 尽职注意：董事有责任对公司的经营情况、财务状况和业务风险进行监督和评估。
董事必须密切关注公司的经营状况，确保公司的长期利益。
4. 独立性和独立意见：董事必须保持独立性和独立意见，不受外部压力和利益影响。
董事应当就公司的业务和决策提出独立意见和建议，保护公司的利益和股东利益。
5. 风险管理：董事有责任对公司的风险进行评估和管理。
董事必须定期审查公司的风险管理政策和流程，确保风险的识别、评估和控制。
6. 公开披露：董事有义务确保公司的财务报告和业务运作符合公开披露的要求。
董事必须确保公司的财务报告真实准确、完整和及时披露给股东和监管机构。
7. 遵守法律：董事必须遵守公司法、证券法、税收法及其他相关法律法规。
董事有义务确保公司的运作和业务符合法律法规的要求，保护公司的合法权益。
董事在公司的管理和监督中扮演着至关重要的角色。
董事的行为和决策直接影响公司的业务和股东的利益。
董事必须遵守公司法规定的职责和义务，确保公司的合法经营和长期发展。
【文章长度为435字】总结来看，英国公司法对董事的职责和义务进行了详细规定，要求董事在公司的管理和监督中扮演着关键的角色，并保护公司和股东的利益。
英国公司法
英国公司法（Company Law）第十章有限责任公司股份的法律性质和特征--------------------------------------------------------------------------------作者：明月孤岑文章来源：竹月斋发表于2006年10月21日CompanyLaw：FundamentalPrinciples,（2nded.）StephenGriffinLLB,PITMANPublishing,1996THE LEGAL NATURE AND CHARACTERISTICS OF HOLDING SHARES IN A LIMITED COMPANY本章的目的是探讨不同种类的有限公司股份的法律特征，以及法院和国务大臣对股份所有权所施加的限制。
股票代表股东在公司的权益，这种权益以一定数量的金钱来衡量。
它首先包括义务，其次包括权利，但是也包括所有股东缔结的一系列双向契约。
股票的名义价值或票面价值（thenominal value）是指股东从公司购买股票所支付的最低价。
如果公司以高于票面价值的价格卖出股票，则实际价格和票面价格的差额被称为“股票溢价”（share premium），并应记载于股票溢价帐户上。
公司成员，正如我们在前面经常看到的，与股东不是一个相同的概念。
在以下几种情况下，一个人可以成为公司的成员：1、公司成立时，在公司的备忘录上签署；2、向公司成功地申请购买股票；3、向公司现有的股东购买股票；4、因公司成员的死亡或破产而继受股票。
尽管在大多数情况下，“成员”和“股东”是可以相互转换的两个名称，但有时，公司成员不是股东，而股东也可以不是成员。
例如，保证有限责任公司有成员，但没有股东。
CA1985规定，公司应当对其成员的名称、地址以及其持股程度做记录。
如果成员记录中的一些重要细节有错误时，法律规定可以修改。
股票的发行（issue）或配售（allot）通常是公司董事会决议的结果，而董事会必须有发行股票的权力。
companies act英国公司法2006
第四章
公司权能及相关事项
公司权能及董事管理权
40 董事管理公司的权力
(1)为了利于个人本着善意与公司进行交易，董事管理公司的权力以及授权他人管理公
司的权力，在公司章程范围内不受任何限制。
(2)为了如下目的：
a)与公司进行交易的人，如果其为交易或其他活动的一方，公司为另外一方，
b)与公司进行交易的人，
(i)并不因任何对董事管理公司或者授权他人管理公司权力的限制而受
追问
(ii)被认为是本着善意而行为，除非有相反证据表明
(iii)如果仅仅是因为其知道某种行为超出了公司章程范围规定的董事权
力，就不能被认为是背信弃义。
(3)对公司章程下董事管理公司权力的限制来源于：
a)公司决议或任何一类股东的决议
b)公司成员达成的任何协议或任何一类股东达成的协议
(4)本章并不影响公司成员对超出股东权力范围而做出的行为通过诉讼进行限制的任何
权利。
但是该诉讼并不由对公司先前行为产生的法律义务的履行而产生。
(5)本章并不影响因为董事越权而由董事本人或他人造成的任何责任。
(6)本章在以下章节下有效：
第41章（与董事或其关联方进行交易）
第42章（公司为慈善机构）。
英国公司治理中的股东会中心主义
英国公司治理中的股东会中心主义作者：张弛来源：《中国证券期货》2019年第02期摘要：英国作为现代公司制度的发源地对于普通法世界的公司治理理论与实践持续发挥着重要的样板作用。
包括英国在内的英美法系国家的公司治理以股权分散（dispersed ownership）的所有权结构为基础，进而形成了与大陆法系以及转型国家风格迥异的公司治理发展道路。
然而，股权分散模式其高昂的代理成本（agency costs）使小股东利益的保护成为英国现代公司治理中的难题与法制改革的核心议题。
自2006年英国国会颁布新公司法以来，英国公司法逐步形成了以股东积极主义为基础，以小股东保护为核心价值，以股东会中心主义为特征的公司治理模式。
本文试图从20世纪80年代以来英国股权市场的变革入手，以英国公司立法与司法判例为素材，详细剖析英国现代公司治理的基本原理和价值取向并思考股东会中心主义公司治理模式的生存土壤与制度条件，从而为转型中国的公司治理研究抛砖引玉。
关键词：公司治理英国公司法小股东保护一、分散股权结构与股东积极主义在英国的兴起自“二战”结束至20世紀80年代，英国公司的所有权结构经历了从集中到分散的发展过程，解读其背后的政策与经济背景对于理解现今英国公司法变革及其公司治理实践的发展具有重要意义。
英国经济在经历了“二战”的炮火摧残后在相当长时间内没有能够依靠自由市场恢复战前的活力，同时千疮百孔的英国社会也需要强大的公权力进行重建。
在这一历史背景下，英国政府在战后至20世纪50年代末实行了大规模的国有化政策，同时，小型企业的发展也由于资金不足和市场疲软等因素，发展较为缓慢，家族控制仍然在英国公司治理模式中扮演重要角色。
换言之，英国公司的所有权结构在20世纪60年代前仍然以股权集中为主要特征。
实际上，股权分散模式最早出现于美国而非英国，其重要因素之一在于早在19世纪后期，美国的股票交易所就建立了完善的信息披露机制以严格规制上市公司行为，保护投资者利益。
2008 Regulations of Companies Act 2006 (英国公司法之立法解释备忘录)
EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM TOTHE COMPANIES ACT 2006 (ANNUAL RETURN AND SERVICE ADDRESSES)REGULATIONS 20082008 No. 30001.This explanatory memorandum has been prepared by the Department for Business,Enterprise and Regulatory Reform and is laid before Parliament by Command of HerMajesty.2. Description2.1 These Regulations amend the requirements for a company’s annual return underthe Companies Act 2006 (“the 2006 Act”). These Regulations ensure that no company is subject to the requirement to provide the names and addresses of all its members in anannual return made up to a date after 30 September 2008. The starting point is that every company is required to disclose whether its shares were traded on an EU regulatedmarket at any point during the period covered by the annual return.x For a company whose shares were not traded on a EU regulated market at any point during that period, the requirement is that the company should provide thenames of all its members;x For a company whose shares were traded on a EU regulated market at any point during that period, the requirement is to provide the names and addresses of thosemembers who hold 5% or more of the issued shares of any class of thecompany’s shares (or who held such a percentage during the period covered bythe return).2.2 The Regulations also specify the conditions with which a service address mustcomply for the purposes of the Companies Act 2006.3. Matters of special interest to the Joint Committee on Statutory InstrumentsNone.Background4. Legislative4.1 Section 113 of the 2006 Act requires every company to keep a register of itsmembers. Section 116 of the 2006 Act requires a person seeking access to the register of members to provide the company with information regarding his identity and the purpose for which information is to be used. Section 117 of the 2006 Act provides that thecompany must either comply with the request or apply to the court. The court willrelieve the company from the obligation to allow access to its register of members if the court is satisfied that the access is not sought for a proper purpose. Sections 116-119came into force on 1 October 2007 with transitional provisions linked to whether acompany was still required to submit an Annual Return made up to a date before 1as in Directive 2004/39/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council on markets in financial instruments.4.2 The Companies Act 1985 (Annual Return) and Companies (Principal Business Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1659) amended the requirements for Annual Returns contained in Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the Companies Act 1985 (the “1985 Act”). That instrument changed the requirements for Annual Returns made up to dates on or after 1 October 2008. It requires a company with a share capital to file at Companies House specified information about its members as part of its annual return.4.3 Part 24 of the Companies Act 2006 restated Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the 1985 Act. This instrument amends Part 24 so that it is the same as Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the 1985 Act as amended by SI 2008/1659. It ensures that the rules for Annual Returns made up to dates on or after 1 October 2009, ie when Chapter 3 of Part 11 of the 1985 Act is repealed, are the same as for those made up to dates in the preceding year. Under the Act, any person who was refused access by the court to names and addresses contained in the register of members under section 117 of the 2006 Act would otherwise be able to obtain the required information from the company’s annual return at Companies House.4.4 These Regulations amend the 2006 Act so as to reduce the name and address requirements. This is needed to ensure that the protection offered by sections 116-119 of the Act is not thwarted. At Commons Committee, Margaret Hodge, the Minister of State for Industry and the Regions, saidWe propose to deal with information on the register of members that applies toCompanies House in the regulations covering companies’ annual returns. We will consult on those issues, but, as hon. Members know, we intend to exempt private companies from the obligation to supply their members’ addresses and to exempt public companies from the obligation to supply any details of those who hold less than 5 per cent. of a company’s shares. (Hansard, Standing Committee D, 27June 2006, col.220)4.5 Companies whose shares are traded on regulated markets are subject to the Financial Services and Markets Act 2006. This Act was amended by the 2006 Act in order to implement the Transparency Obligations Directive (Directive 2004/109/EC). These companies are required to notify Regulated Information Service providers when certain percentages (starting at 5%) of the total voting rights of any class of its shares are held by a member. In practice, these companies are all public companies as a private limited company with a share capital is prohibited from making offers to the public of any shares or debentures in the company.4.6 Section 163 requires a company to enter a service address for each of its directors in its register of directors; section 167 includes this information among the director’s particulars which the company must notify Registrar of Companies. There is similar provision for company secretaries in sections 276 and 277. Section 1140 the 2006 Act ensures that a document may be effectively served on these company officers at the service address filed under the Act. These are new provisions.4.7 Regulation 9 of the Companies (Particulars of Usual Residential Address) (Confidentiality Orders) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/912) - which will cease to have effect from 1 October 2009 - require the service address to be a place within the EEA whereservice can be effected by physical delivery other than a PO or a DX number and where that delivery is capable of being record by the obtaining an acknowledgement.5. Territorial Extent and ApplicationThis instrument applies to the United Kingdom.6. European Convention on Human RightsIan Pearson, Economic and Business Minister, has made the following statementregarding Human Rights:“In my view the provisions of the Companies Act 2006 (Annual Return andService Addresses) Regulations 2008 are compatible with the Convention rights.”7. Policybackground7.1 The independent Company Law Review (CLR) in their 2000 consultationdocument “Modern Company Law: Developing the Framework” doubted whether anyuseful purpose is served by Companies House holding an annually updated register of all members for companies limited by shares while also considering there is a public interest in the public record holding details of those with a strategic interest in public companies.The CLR considered exempting private companies from the requirement to provide either the names or addresses of their members but rejected this option as such a requirementwould ensure that the public, including a company’s members, can easily check acompany’s ownership without alerting the company to their interest. Following itsconsultation, in 2001 the CLR recommended that:“use of information in a company’s register of members be restricted to purposesrelevant to either the holding of interests recorded in the register, or the exerciseof rights attached to them, and to other purposes approved by the company”“public companies be required to file annually the details of only thoseshareholders with a notifiable interest in the company” (The Companies Act 2006does not retain the requirement in Part 6 of the 1985 Act for those with a“notifiable interest” in a public company to provide it with information on theirholdings. But public companies whose shares are traded on regulated markets aresubject to the shareholdings disclosure regime of the Transparency ObligationsDirective.)“it is in the public interest to retain the present obligation [ie the names andaddresses of all members] on private companies limited by shares” (paragraphs11.45 and 11.46, Final Report).7.2 Since the CLR Report, there has been an increase in scams targeted atshareholders using details taken from companies’ registers of members. In addition,shareholders of sensitive companies had been sent threatening letters. The Ministerialcommitment to amend the Annual Return requirement (see paragraph 4.4 above) was“…. as things stand, in practical terms a coach and horses can be driven throughthe provisions [sections 116-119] because details of shareholders as at the returndate need to be filed annually with the annual return.”The provisions relating to the right of access to companies’ registers of members (sections 116-119 of the 2006 Act) came into force on 1 October 2007 with transitional provisions relating to whether the company was obliged to deliver an annual return made up to a date before 1 October 2008.7.3 The Government considers that the public interest in the precise identity of those who have a strategic interest relates primarily to these public companies whose shares are traded on EU regulated markets. In these companies, the precise holdings of members is likely to change much more frequently than the identity of shareholders. For other companies, the public interest is in the detailed breakdown of the company’s ownership and in this information being available without direct recourse to the company. Accordingly, in February 2007, the consultation document Implementation of the Companies Act 2006 sought views on changes to the annual return so that: x private companies and those public companies whose shares are not traded on a regulated market at any point during the period covered by the return would notbe subject to the requirement to supply their members’ addresses; and x public companies whose shares are traded on a regulated market at any point during the period covered by the return be required to provide the names andaddresses of those who held 5% or more of any class of shares.This approach was generally welcomed though there was concern on the impact into investigations into the ownership of private companies and relationships between them. Some respondents suggested that companies traded on AIM should also be required to provide the names and addresses of those who held 5 per cent of more of any class of shares during the period in question. This suggestion was not adopted as these companies are not subject to the Transparency Obligations Directive.7.4 Draft Regulations on this basis were put on the Department’s website in July 2007. Only three bodies commented on this draft: a credit reference agency was critical of the reduction in information about members; the Association of Investment Companies argued for a 10% threshold for the notification of members’ names and addresses by public companies whose shares are traded on a regulated market; and the Law Society made drafting points. Following the subsequent change in the timetable for implementation of the Companies Act 2006, these draft Regulations were recast so that the annual return requirements in the 1985 Act would be amended from 1 October 2008 and those in the 2006 Act from 1 October 2009.7.5 The February 2007 consultation also sought views on whether the only restriction on a director’s service address should be that it is a physical location. Three-quarters of respondents agreed with the proposal. Two were concerned at the requirement that the service address be a physical location as in some jurisdictions a PO Box may be needed to ensure a safe delivery. Another two considered there should be a geographical restriction, to the UK or, like the Companies (Particulars of Usual Residential Address) (Confidentiality Orders) Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/912), the EEA.8. Impact8.1 An Impact Assessment is attached to this memorandum.8.2 The Regulations will affect those organisations that use the information oncompanies’ members. The availability from Companies House of the names andaddresses of all the members of all companies limited by share capital is useful to those, such as credit reference agencies, who try to identify the beneficial owners of companies and to trace links between companies through shared ownership or control. While thisinformation will always be available from the companies if sought for proper purposes, it will no longer be possible to check this information without the knowledge of thecompany. It will also be more expensive to obtain the information from the individualcompanies.8.3 As regards service addresses, the light-touch regulation will ensure there are noproblems for Companies House when service addresses replace usual residentialaddresses on the public record for all directors from 1 October 2009: the existingresidential address will be treated as the service address until a different service address is filed.9. ContactAnne Scrope at the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform,tel: 0207 215 2194 or e-mail: anne.scrope@, can answer any queriesregarding the instrument.Summary: Intervention & OptionsDepartment /Agency: Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform Title:Impact Assessment of the Companies Act 2006 (Annual Return and Service Addresses) RegulationsStage: final Version: Date: 17 November 2008 Related Publications: The Companies Act 1985 (Annual Return) and Companies (Principal Business Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2008Available to view or download at:/si/si2008/uksi20081659en1Contact for enquiries: Anne.scrope@ Telephone:0207-215 2194 What is the problem under consideration? Why is government intervention necessary?How to ensure that the safeguards for registers of members provided by the Companies Act 2006 are not undermined by the requirements for Annual Returns in the Companies Act 2006. What should be the restrictions, if any, on what can be used as a service address by a director or company secretary.What are the policy objectives and the intended effects?To avoid unnecessary changes to companies' annual returns.To balance the needs of those providing service addresses and of those wishing to serve documents upon them.What policy options have been considered? Please justify any preferred option.The only option considered for Annual Returns was to amend the 2006 Act in the same way as the 1985 Act has been amended by the Companies Act 1985 (Annual Return) and Companies (Principal Business Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2008.For service addresses, consideration was given to requiring them to be in the EEA and that they not be PO boxes.When will the policy be reviewed to establish the actual costs and benefits and the achievement of the desired effects? From 2011, as part of the Companies Act 2006 evaluationMinisterial Sign-off For SELECT STAGE Impact Assessments:I have read the Impact Assessment and I am satisfied that, given the availableevidence, it represents a reasonable view of the likely costs, benefits andimpact of the leading options.Signed by the responsible Minister:Ian PearsonDate: 18th November 2008Summary: Analysis & EvidencePolicy Option: Description:ANNUAL COSTSOne-off (Transition)Yrs £Average Annual Cost (excluding one-off) Description and scale of key monetised costs by ‘main affected groups’ £ Total Cost (PV) £C O S T S Other key non-monetised costs by ‘main affected groups’ Credit reference agencies and others wanting to conduct anti-money laundering or know-your-client checks or otherwise wanting the addresses of all members of a company will not be able to get the information from Companies House. This will increase their costs (see para 15). ANNUAL BENEFITSOne-offYrs £ Average Annual Benefit (excluding one-off) Description and scale of key monetised benefits by ‘main affected groups’ £ Total Benefit (PV) £B E N E F I T S Other key non-monetised benefits by ‘main affected groups’ Companies House will nolonger be a source of information for those operating share-selling scams and otherswishing to contact company members for improper purposes (see para 4).Key Assumptions/Sensitivities/Risks The presecribed fees for copies of entries in registerscover the cost of companies in meeting such requests.Price Base Year Time Period Years Net Benefit Range (NPV)£ NET BENEFIT (NPV Best estimate)£What is the geographic coverage of the policy/option? UKOn what date will the policy be implemented? 1/10/09Which organisation(s) will enforce the policy?What is the total annual cost of enforcement for these organisations? £Does enforcement comply with Hampton principles? Yes/NoWill implementation go beyond minimum EU requirements? Yes/NoWhat is the value of the proposed offsetting measure per year? £What is the value of changes in greenhouse gas emissions? £Will the proposal have a significant impact on competition?NoMicro Small Medium LargeAnnual cost (£-£) per organisation(excluding one-off)Are any of these organisations exempt? Yes/No Yes/No N/A N/AImpact on Admin Burdens Baseline(2005 Prices)(Increase - Decrease) Increase of £ Decrease £ Net Impact £Key:Annual costs and benefits: Constant Prices (Net) Present ValueEvidence Base (for summary [Use this space (with a recommended maximum of 30 pages) to set out the evidence, analysisand detailed narrative from which you have generated your policy options or proposal. Ensurethat the information is organised in such a way as to explain clearly the summary information onthe preceding pages of this form.]ANNUAL RETURNBackground1. When a company is incorporated, its key data are put on the public record to be readily available forinspection by third parties, including enforcement bodies. The Annual Return ensures that any elements of the keydata which may change over time are updated at least once a year.2. For Annual Returns made up to dates before 1 October 2008, the data required includes the names and addresses of all the members of all companies limited by share capital. The requirements for Annual Returns were amended by the Companies Act 1985 (Annual Return) and Companies (Principal Business Activities)(Amendment) Regulations 2008. Under the 1985 Act as amended, no company is required to provide theaddresses of all its members in Annual Returns made up to dates after 30 September 2008. Private companieslimited by share capital and public companies whose shares are not traded on regulated markets are currentlyrequired to provide the names and details of shareholdings of all their members; public companies whose sharesare traded on a regulated market are currently required:x to indicate that their shares were traded on a regulated market at any time during theperiod covered by the return; andx to provide the names, addresses and details of shareholdings of those members whoheld 5 per cent or more the issued shares of any class of the company during the periodcovered by the return.Annual Returns made up to dates after 30 September 2009 will be subject to the Companies Act 2006 (‘the 2006Act’). The requirements under the 2006 Act are currently the same as those under the 1985 Act before that Actwas amended by the Companies Act 1985 (Annual Return) and Companies (Principal Business Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2008. The Companies Act 2006 (Annual Return and Service Addresses) Regulationswill make the 2006 Act’s requirements the same as those that will apply until 30 September 2009.3. Comp a ny law also requires every company to permit anyone to inspect and to be provided with copies ofits register of members. This is essential so that those who own a company can be traced and also can becontacted by those who wish to influence their decisions relating to the company. The information available from companies themselves should be up-to-date. However, noting that the size of shareholdings is generally morevolatile than the identity of shareholders, having the information available from Companies House is generally more convenient and also means the company neither has to respond to the request nor is alerted to the interest.4. The availability of members’ names and addresses from Companies House has been abused, particularlyby those seeking to intimidate the shareholders of sensitive companies and those using high pressure tactics to sell worthless shares (“boiler room operations”). The Financial Services Authority is quoted as estimating total annuallosses to boiler rooms at £200m.5. Sections 116-119 of the 2006 Act introduce safeguards against abuse of the public right of access to acompany’s register of members direct from the company. Those seeking the information must give their reason; acourt may relieve a company from the obligation to provide the information if it is not satisfied that the information issought for a proper purpose. These safeguards would be undermined if the company were to be requiredsubsequently to file the information on the public register at Companies House.6. During the Parliamentary passage of the 2006 Act, Margaret Hodge, Minister for Industry and the Regions,advised the Commons Committee:“We propose to deal with information on the register of members that applies to Companies House in the regulations covering companies’ Annual Returns. We will consult on these issues, but, as hon. Members know, we intend to exempt private companies from the obligation to supply their members’ addresses and to exempt public companies from the obligation to supply any details of those who hold less than 5 per cent of a company’s shares.” (Hansard, Standing Committee D, 27 June 2006, col.220).7. Sections 116-119 of the 2006 Act were brought into force on 1 October 2007 by The Companies Act 2006 (Commencement No. 3, Consequential Amendments, Transitional Provisions and Savings) Order 2007 (SI 2007/2194). They were subject to a transitional provision so that they applied only if the company was not obliged to deliver an Annual Return made up to a date before 1 October 2008, by which date the Government intended that the remaining provisions of the 2006 Act would have been brought into force. Following the change in timetable for the commencement of 2006 Act, the requirements for the Annual Return in the Companies Act 1985 (the “1985 Act”) were amended with effect from 1 October 2008 (see paragraph 2 above).Policy objectives and intended effects8. The objective is that the safeguards for names and addresses of company members under the 2006 Act, which came into force on 1 October 2007, continue to be effective after 30 September 2009 when Annual Returns will be subject to the requirements of the 2006 Act. 9. Noting that it would be onerous for companies for there to be changes to the Annual Return requirements in two consecutive years, consideration has not been given to any option other than to make the requirements for information about members in Annual Returns made up to dates after 30 September 2009 the same as for returns made up to dates in the previous year.10. The Regulations will benefit all individuals who own shares in companies that are not traded on regulated markets and all but the very largest shareholders in other companies. Companies House will no longer be a useful source of mailing lists for those wishing to target the members of companies limited by share capital. The public record will still hold Annual Returns made up to dates before 1 October 2008 but information about members’ addresses will become increasingly out-of-date.Consultation11. In February 2007, the consultation document Implementation of the Companies Act 2006 sought views on changes to the Annual Return so that:x private companies and those public companies whose shares are not traded on a regulated market at any point during the period covered by the return would not be subject to the requirement tosupply their members’ addresses; andx public companies whose shares are traded on a regulated market at any point during the period covered by the return be required to provide the names and addresses of those who held 5% ormore of any class of shares.This approach was generally welcomed, although there was concern on the impact into investigations into the ownership of private companies and relationships between them. Some respondents suggested that companies traded on AIM should also be required to provide the names and addresses of those who held 5 per cent of more of any class of shares during the period in question.12. In her Written Parliamentary Statement of 26 June 2007, Margaret Hodge, Minister for Industry and the Regions, said:The 2006 Act retained the requirements in the Companies Act 1985 Act for the Annual Return ofcompanies with a share capital to include the addresses of all their shareholders. In the light of theresponses, we have decided that this requirement should apply only to public companies that are traded on EU regulated markets in respect of shareholders who hold 5 per cent or more of any class of shares at any time during the year in question. For other companies, the requirement will be changed so they no longer have to provide the addresses of any shareholders.Draft Regulations on this basis were put on the Department’s website in July 2007. Only 3 bodies commented on this draft: a credit reference agency was critical of the reduction in information about members; the Association of Investment Companies argued for a 10% threshold for the notification of members’ names and addresses by publiccompanies whose shares are traded on a regulated market; and the Law Society made drafting points. Following the subsequent change in the timetable for implementation of the Companies Act 2006, these draft Regulations were recast so that the Annual Return requirements in the 1985 Act would be amended from 1 October 2008 and those in the 2006 Act from 1 October 2009.The Regulations13. These Regulations require the same information about shareholders as required by the Companies Act 1985 (Annual Return) and Companies (Principal Business Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2008. Private companies limited by share capital and public companies whose shares are not traded on regulated markets will be required to provide the names and details of shareholdings of all their members; public companies whose shares are traded on a regulated market will be required:x to indicate that their shares were traded on a regulated market at any time during the period covered by the return; andx to provide the names, addresses and details of shareholdings of those members who held 5 per cent or more the issued shares of any class of the company during the period covered by the return.Impact of the Regulations14. A draft Impact Assessment was published on the BERR website in July 2007(/whatwedo/businesslaw/co-act-2006/draft/page40411.html). The final Impact Assessment for The Companies Act 1985 (Annual Return) and Companies (Principal Business Activities) (Amendment) Regulations 2008 (SI 2008/1659) is attached to their Explanatory Memorandum which is available at/si/si2008/em/uksiem_20081659_en.pdf.15. Subsequently there has been further analysis of the costs of conducting checks of small and medium-sized private companies in order to comply with the Money Laundering Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/3175) following the ending of the requirement for these companies’ Annual Returns to include their shareholders’ addresses. Estimates vary widely. The actual costs will depend on how credit reference agencies and their clients adapt to the change. The 2006 Act requires a company within 5 working days of a request for a copy of its register of members either to meet the request or to apply to a court for relief from the obligation. The Department is confident that a court would consider a request to be for a proper purpose if it is in order to comply with anti-money laundering and “know your customer” requirements – in which case, the court will not relieve the company of the obligation to meet the request. The Companies (Company Records) Regulations (coming into force 1 October 2009) provide that a request for an electronic copy must be met if the company keeps the information electronically, otherwise a hard copy must be provided. The Companies (Fees for Inspection and Copying of Company Records) Regulations2007 set the fees that companies may charge for copies of entries in their registers of members. (The fee for each of the first 5 entries of a register is £1 and £30 for the next 95 entries; 95 per cent of private companies have 5 or fewer members.) These fees are intended to cover the costs of the company in meeting requests which meansthat only the costs, including the prescribed fee, for those making the checks need to be considered. One estimate is that there are nearly 9 million checks a year and that the cost of conducting a single request will be £30 (excluding the prescribed fee). There may be significant economies of scale for any person making large numbers of requests. The total prescribed fees for a copy of the register of members of every private company is estimated to be less than £10 million (noting that there are estimated to be 2.2 million companies with fewer than four shareholders and only 104,993 companies with more than four shareholders). Furthermore the names and addresses of subscribers for all companies will continue to be available from Companies House as well as, as part of the Annual Return, the name and shareholding of every member for all private companies limited by share capital and for those public companies not traded on regulated markets. For many companies, the subscribersand the members are largely the same.Implementation of the Regulations16. Companies House do not put on the public record an Annual Return made up to a date after 30 September 2008 that includes the names and addresses of all the company’s members. So as to minimise problems for companies, it is not possible to complete an Annual Return electronically that does not comply with the correct requirements. The paper forms are also designed so that companies do not provide information that is not required; a return is rejected if it is on the earlier version of the form (ie that which required all the shareholder addresses). In view of these measures to be adopted by Companies House, no costs are envisaged for companies.。
2006英国公司法修改
英国公司法的主要渊源为制定法和判例法。
另外，欧盟涉及公司法的条约、规章以及指令，欧盟法院的相关判决都对英国公司法的发展产生重要的影响。
英国现行最重要的公司制定法为《2006年公司法》，该法于2006年11月8日获得英国女王御准，各部分先后生效，最终于2009年10月1日全部生效。
本次公司法修订历时8年，改动巨大，原《1985年公司法》中的三分之一条款被删除，三分之一条款被修改，其余的三分之一内容得以保留，虽然其力求简洁，但条款从原来的747条不可思议地增加到1300条，并有16个附件，这也使得《2006年公司法》成为英国篇幅最长的单行立法。
此次修法的最重要的原则是小公司优先原则（Think Small First），即公司法主要是为95%的小公司服务的。
为降低小公司的运营成本，提高运营效率，本次公司法做了如下修改：●私人公司可以不设置公司秘书一职，其职责可由董事或其授权的人行使；●私人公司不再强制要求召开股东年会，只需作出书面决议即可；●特殊决议的会议的通知期限从21天缩短为14天；●不再采用授权资本制，公司董事会通过决议（在某些情况下需股东会同意）就可以发行股份；●公司的所有文件都可以通过电子通讯方式提交，但其与成员之间的电子通讯方式沟通则须取得他们的同意；●私人公司可以为购买自身股份的相对方提供财务资助；●私人公司减少资本不再需要法院的同意。
除此之外，针对公司董事的修改也较多，主要包括：1.董事义务的法典化：英国《2006年公司法》第171-177条具体规定了公司董事义务，即在授权范围内行事的义务；促进公司成功的义务；独立判断的义务；审慎勤勉义务；避免利益冲突的义务；不得从第三人处收受利益的义务；利益披露义务。
其中第172条促进公司成功的义务是新增的，其余则是此前判例法上的义务。
英国公司法亦采用股东中心主义，但也强调公司的社会责任，董事在作出决策时，除了考虑股东的利益之外，还需考虑包括债权人、雇员、供应商、消费者以及所在社区在内的利益相关者（Stakeholders）的利益。
英国2006年公司法(2012年修订译本)
文章标题：解读英国2006年公司法(2012年修订译本)一、引言在企业经营和管理中，公司法是一部重要的法律条文，它规定了公司的组织形式、运作机制、责任义务等方方面面。
其中，英国2006年公司法(2012年修订译本)作为英国公司法的最新版本，对于企业治理和商业活动有着重要的影响。
本文将深度解读该法律，对其进行全面评估，并进行深入探讨，以便读者对该主题有更深入的了解。
二、英国2006年公司法(2012年修订译本)概述英国2006年公司法(2012年修订译本)是英国公司法的重要版本，其修订内容涵盖了公司治理、股东权益、财务报告、合规监管等多个方面。
该法律的出台对于促进英国企业的健康发展、保护股东利益具有重要意义。
其中，修订后的内容更加贴合当今商业环境的需要，具有前瞻性和针对性。
三、对英国2006年公司法(2012年修订译本)的评估1. 公司治理英国2006年公司法(2012年修订译本)对公司治理提出了一系列要求，包括董事会的职责、股东会议的程序等方面。
该法律明确规定了公司高管的责任和义务，加强了对公司内部运作的监管，有利于增强公司的透明度和稳定性。
2. 股东权益该法律对股东权益保护的规定也比较详细，包括了股东的知情权、表决权等方面。
它在维护股东利益的也平衡了公司治理结构，促进了公司与股东之间的良性互动，有利于增强企业的稳定性和可持续发展。
3. 财务报告针对财务报告的要求也是该法律的重要内容之一。
它规定了公司应当如实准确地向外界披露财务信息，加强了公司的合规性和透明度。
这对于提升企业形象、吸引投资具有积极的意义。
4. 合规监管在合规监管方面，英国2006年公司法(2012年修订译本)也提出了相应的规定，明确了公司进行商业活动时应当遵守的相关法律法规。
这有利于规范市场秩序、保护各方利益，有助于提升商业环境的稳定性。
四、个人观点和理解英国2006年公司法(2012年修订译本)的出台是对英国公司法的重要补充和完善，突出了对公司治理、股东权益、财务报告等方面的规范，具有较高的前瞻性和针对性。
揭秘“事实董事”：从内涵到认定
文/仲继银当前的发展趋势是，无论是因程序瑕疵、任职资格缺失所带来的当事人无意为之的事实董事，还是为逃避董事责任、免予任职资格审核的当事人有意为之的传统概念上的影子董事和事实董事，如大股东或实际控制人垂帘听政、越俎代庖，幕后指挥或是直接干预公司决策，都可被作为事实董事追究责任。
公司和参与公司管理的个人都应保持警惕，避免出现事实董事，这符合公司和个人两方面的利益按现代公司法和公司治理基础规则，被任命为董事的人是“董事”，没有董事名义但实际上在行使董事职责的人也是“董事”。
任何人实际行使了本该归属董事的职权，就可以被认定为“事实董事”，承担其作为董事的责任。
2023年9月，公司法修订草案三审稿公开征求意见，其中包括：控股股东、实际控制人不担任公司董事职务但实际执行公司事务的，适用董事对公司负有忠实义务和勤勉义务的规定。
正式董事、事实董事与影子董事“董事是管理和监督公司业务活动的人，无论其如何称谓。
”这是从英国、美国、加拿大、澳大利亚到欧洲大陆（如比利时），几乎所有发达国家公司法给予“董事”的定义。
英国早在1844年《合股公司法》中就明确了“董事是指导、处理、管理或监督公司事务的人”。
基于这一功能性和实质性的董事定义，在公司治理实践中产生了多种类型的董事。
在英国，有法律上的董事（以下称“法律董事”或“正式董事”）、事实上的董事（以下称“事实董事”）和影子董事等。
正式董事是指被公司正式任命（依照公司法和公司章程规定的条件和程序选任）并在工商管理部门进行了登记的董事，也被称为“公司注册董事”或“登记董事”。
正式董事按照法律和公司章程的规定承担董事职责，管理公司事务。
事实董事是指履行董事职能但并未被正式任命为董事的人。
英国2006年公司法规定，董事是履行董事职责的任何人，无论其称谓如何。
即使一个人没有被正式任命为董事，法院也可以据他所履行的董事职责将他视为事实董事，这是为了确保董事的职责、潜在责任不会仅仅因为未能在公司注册局登记为董事而被避免。
- 1、下载文档前请自行甄别文档内容的完整性，平台不提供额外的编辑、内容补充、找答案等附加服务。
- 2、"仅部分预览"的文档,不可在线预览部分如存在完整性等问题,可反馈申请退款(可完整预览的文档不适用该条件!)。
- 3、如文档侵犯您的权益，请联系客服反馈,我们会尽快为您处理(人工客服工作时间：9:00-18:30)。
英国2006公司法前言从教材所能引用的最早判例,1612,至今,英国公司法已经发展了三百多年。
从第一部成文法即1844年股份公司法,到这一轮公司法改革之前曾经发挥重要作用的《1985年公司法》,这期间经历数次大的改革或修订。
比较有名的几次,例如引入有限责任公司的《1855年有限责任法》,标志着公司法进入崭新时代的《1856年股份有限公司法》,规定银行业可以采取股份公司形式的1857年和1858年股份银行公司法,引入私人公司、大幅度整合以前法律《1908年公司法》,增加控股公司与子公司之间关系、规定可赎回优先股的《1929年公司法》,强调会计公开的《1948年公司法》,修改公司信息披露方面规定的《1967年公司法》,加强公司信息披露要求的《1976年公司法》,引入欧盟公司法指令的1980和1981年公司法,以及融合了先前法律、其后施行二十多年的《1985年公司法》。
1998年英国又一次迎来了大规模的公司法改革。
这次改革的成果是,产生了英国历史上最长的一部成文法,即《2006年公司法》。
一、英国公司法改革进程这一轮公司法改革从1998年开始，到2006年暂告结束。
1998年，1英国政府(贸易工业部)成立公司法审议指导小组(Company Law Review Steering Group)，肩负着提出全面修改意见的任务，开始对以前公司法的实施情况进行综合审议。
审议分成四个阶段并且在各个阶1 “贸易工业部”(Department of Trade and Industry)已经改名为“商业/企业和管理改革部(Department of Business, Enterprise & Regulatory Reform, BERR)”。
1段发表了相关的报告:1999年2月发表的《战略性框架》(The Strategic Framework)阐述了审议的方法、方向、一些基本问题以及今后的工作;2000年3月发表的《发展框架》(Developing the Framework)分析了公司治理结构和小公司、私人公司，提出了建议;2000年11月发表的《完善结构》(Completing Framework)则进一步修改报告并且提出了建议。
除此之外，指导小组曾经发布过的报告还包括1999年的《境外公司的法律改革》、《公司设立和资本维持》、《公司成员大会和股东通讯》，2000年的《资本维持:其他问题》、《公司抵押的登记》、《交易披露》等。
2005年3月17日，贸易工业部公布了《公司法改革—白皮书》(White Paper)和《小公司摘要》(Company Law Bill: Small BusinessSummary)。
2005年11月1日，公司法改革草案被提交议会，两天后对外公布。
草案包括了经与利害关系人咨询发展而得的广泛措施，使公司法现代化、简洁化。
草案奉行“首先考虑小公司”原则。
2006年1月11日，公司法改革草案在上议院接受第二次审议。
草案的重点不在于合并整个公司法，而是将重点放在有利于95%的有限公司(属于小公司)上面，并考虑将来的变化提供灵活性。
草案主要有四个目标:提高股东参与，营造长期投资的文化;确保更好地规制和“首先考虑小公司”原则;使得设立、经营公司更加容易;为将来的变化提供灵活性。
2006年6月13日，草案经过上议院审议后到达众议院，并分别于5月24日和6月6日接受众议院的第一次和第二次审议，并与2006年7月20日完成。
在众议院委员会阶段，草案的名称从“公2司法改革”变更为“公司草案”。
同时，一个涉及现行公司过渡安排的文件也公布了。
2006年11月8日，公司草案获得皇家御批，即《20061年公司法》。
至此，历经8年的这一轮公司法改革暂告结束。
二、为什么要改革,修改公司法的一个主要原因是《1985年公司法》的规定太繁琐，例外情况太多。
对于一项事情，明明法律允许，却先规定一个原则上的禁止，然后再规定各种例外，造成法律条文复杂冗长。
《1985年公司法》有747条，其中三分之一以上已经被后来的新法所替代，除此之外，还有27个生效的附件，这些还都只是成文法。
英国是判例法国家，除了成文法之外，更多的是浩瀚如海、为成文法提供丰富素材的公司法判例。
如此盘根错节的法律体系，在实践中有没有适应力，能不能提高社会效率，都变成问题。
一个明显的事实是，商业活动中的人们对错综复杂的法律往往不了解，也不可能花费很多时间去了解，以至于忽视了重要的规定，从而给自己带来巨大损失。
对公司来说，虽然法律规定了面面俱到、滴水不漏的各项程序，但是实践中却很少被遵守，或者说大部分类似的规定都被省去了。
1999年，指导小组指出公司法应当遵循的几个原则:有利于商业交易，公司法不应当成为阻碍商业交易的绊脚石。
相反，公司法条文的设计应当使交易者感到便捷;降低准入标准，公司是经济活动的最小单位，公司数量多是经济发展的一个指标;比较容易识别法律的含义并且运用法律，法律的条文应当尽可能避免模糊性和复杂性，让交1 BERR网页:http:3易者可以比较轻松地了解，等等。
2001年，指导小组在《最后报告》中提出，“……设计法律条件和规则的主要驱动力是为有效的、合作的商业活动，特别是，从更大意义上说，为有效的产生财富提供手段……”，“……公司法首先应当是授权性或提供便利性，也就是说应当为那些从事商业和其他公司活动的人提供手段，以便于他们按照他们认为最可能促进相互利益和有效生产的方式安排和管理事务…...。
” 总体上说，公司法应当具有的目的是提高英国公司的竞争力，平衡公司各方参与者的利益，节约成本，提高效率，提高可预见性和透明度。
《最后报告》包括了对公司法在许多方面进行实质性改革的特别建议，设定了公司法改革的原则，重申公司法应当简单、便于公司准入、避免不必要的负担。
指导小组在该报告中总结了公司法介入商业活动的合理性:(1)公司法对一些概念的明确规定，可以达到预期的法律后果，提高效率。
例如，公司的独立人格是公司最重要的特征之一，如果法律不予以明确，很可能对这个问题的认识造成混乱。
(2)公司法对某些事项设定了预期的结果，可以保护交易关系的稳定。
例如，公司法预先设定了公司章程的示范文本，如果公司没有章程，又没有其他相反的规定，那么该示范章程将自动适用。
这样的好处是可以保护不知情的公司外部人，即使对于股东和公司管理层，在出现分歧时也可以保护其中一方。
(3)公司法能够在一定程度上解决市场失灵的问题。
市场失灵往往是信息不对称的结果，例如在大公司中，股东将资金投入后，会委托董事来具体负责日常管理，股东与董事之间4的关系比较松散，由于主观消极和客观不能的原因，股东掌握的公司信息远远不如董事，这种信息的不对称造成了市场失灵。
董事有可能滥用职权，利用公司的财产或机会为自己谋取利益，从而侵犯股东的权益。
股东无法通过自己实现补救的时候，公司法规定了股东可以向法院提起诉讼或者采取其他法定的补救方式。
这些规定保护了股东的权益，解决了市场失灵的问题。
(4)从更广泛的意义上说，公司的行为还涉及社会公众。
例如公司法对上市公司确立的信息公开、不得欺诈等原则，就是考虑到社会公众的利益。
社会上的投资者在购买股票之前，与上市公司没有任何关系，既不是公司的股东，也不是公司的债权人，但是公司法缺位公司设立以这一义务，这个义务是扩大性的，主要是为了保护潜在投资者的利益，如果信息不公开或者不惩治欺诈，那么投资者很可能受骗上当而购买公司股票，继而遭受损失。
为了避免这种结果或者引发更大的动荡，公司法就介入了，强化公司的义务，以保护不确定的社会公众的利益。
2002年7月贸易工业部公布了一个最初的、回应部分问题的《白皮书》(“公司法的现代化”)。
该白皮书的第二部分阐述了政府对修改公司法的政策，首先指出目前公司法如何规定，然后结合实际情况，对修改公司法提出具体建议。
粗略地看，公司法审议的工作非常细致，基本分析了当时存在的问题。
令人印象深刻的是，这些分析和立法建议都是在注重实务、高效的基础上提出。
例如，《1985年公司法》的基本思路是先规定公众公司，然后规定私人公司。
换句话说，整个公司法首先为公众公司服务，对于私人公司，法律另有特别的例外或者5单独规定。
但是公司法的审议者指出，这种思路反映出的是19世纪中期的状况，那时候大的合股公司被认为是能够从外界融资、投资大型项目建设的理想模式。
但是许多小企业早就开始寻求以公司模式和有限责任来保护企业主的利益。
到本世纪初，英国大概有150万家公司，一些公司已经存在了一百多年，但三分之二的公司只有最近10年才成立的。
一些公司雇佣了成千上万的员工，股票在国际范围内进行交易，但是绝大多数是小规模的私人公司，只有很少几个员工。
所以，审议者提出，公司法应当首先为这些小公司服务，如果必要的话再为大公司规定特别或者不同的条款。
这一轮公司法改革的核心是使之适合私人公司的发展，例如可以更加容易地设立公司并且开展经营等。
从指导小组的报告、社会各界的反应以及最终形成的《2006年公司法》来看，这次改革是英国150年来规模最大的一次公司法改革。
从宏观的角度来看，其主要目的在于适应经济全球化发展的需要，促进英国公司在世界上的竞争力。
具体地，这一轮公司法改革的目标被确定为:促进股东参与以及长期投资;优化规则，优先考虑小公司;有利于公司的设立和经营;为适应将来的变化提供灵活性。
三、《2006年公司法》的重点变化《2006年公司法》主文一共有1300条，分成47个部分。
此外，该法还包括16个附件。
该法主文的各个部分，分布于2007年4月和10月、2008年4月和10月、2009年10月生效。
与《1985年公司法》相比，该法增加或修改的内容非常广泛，涵盖公司设立、董事义务、6资本制度、公司通讯等诸多方面。
主要为:1、公司设立根据《1985年公司法》，公司设立时，必须向登记官提交第一批董事以及秘书的详情，关于登记的要求已经被遵守的声明，公司备忘录和章程，以及相应的费用。
私人公司在设立时，可以只有一个成员。
根据《2006年公司法》，虽然公众公司必须要具有两个董事，但是任何公司都可以只有一个成员。
公司在设立时，要求提交的文件包括:备忘录(不再要求载有目的条款);章程(在标准章程不适用的范围内);登记申请(载明公司名称、登记地、公司是股份有限抑或保证有限的、公司是公众抑或私人的);如果公司具有股本，其资本和最初持股声明，如果公司保证为有限，发起人成员提供的保证声明;公司登记地的声明;第一批董事以及秘书(没有秘书的私人公司除外)的声明;公司法已经被遵守的声明，以及如果申请设立由代理人进行的话，该代理人的名称和地址。
根据《1985年公司法》，公司备忘录需要列明公司名称、其责任的限制(有限责任或保证有限)、其股份的数额和计价(如果具有股本)、其是公众公司的声明(如果是公众声明)。