Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Law

Administrative Hearings and Antitrust Laws

In an administrative hearing, an administrative law judge hears the complaint and has the authority to swear witnesses, take testimony, make evidentiary rulings, and make a decision to recommend to the administrative agency heads for action. True

A person who is harmed by a conspiracy that violates the Sherman Antitrust Act may sue the wrongdoers for treble damages, which is four times the actual damages. False

An agreement to charge an agreed-upon price or to set maximum or minimum prices between or among competitors is called price fixing but it is not per se a violation of the Sherman Act. False

Boycotts are always illegal, even when done with good intentions. True

Nobel economist Milton Friedman believes...

Copyright: Definition and Purpose

Copyright means a single specimen of a particular book, record, or other publication or issue. Right means a moral or legal entitlement to have or do something.

Definition

According to Eric Miller, copyright refers to the laws that regulate the use of the work of a creator, such as an artist or author. This includes copying, distributing, altering, and displaying creative, literary, and other types of work. Unless otherwise stated in a contract, the author or creator of a work retains the copyright.

Purpose of Copyright

• Protect the creator of a work.
• Promote the progress of useful arts and science.
• Maintain law and order in society.
• Protect individual's rights.

Background of Copyright Law

Copyright was recognized only...

Traditional Doctrine and Challenges

A minority shareholder can raise a claim if they believe they have been mistreated by the majority shareholders. Traditionally, the company would bring a claim on behalf of the minority shareholder if the allegations involved a corporate wrong, such as fraud or control by the wrongdoer. However, this approach presented challenges:

• Difficult to establish proof beyond a reasonable doubt.
• Obtaining testimony from company employees against the majority shareholder was impractical.

Statutory Derivative Claims under the Companies Act 2006

Due to the limitations of the traditional doctrine, the Companies Act 2006 introduced statutory derivative claims under sections 260 and 263. Section 260 defines a derivative claim,...

NY Penal Law 140: Burglary & Trespass Concepts

License and Privilege

Under New York Penal Law 140.00, a person “enters or remains unlawfully” on a property when they do so without license or privilege.

• A license or privilege to be on a premises can only be granted by the owner or the owner's agent (someone authorized to act on behalf of the owner).
• The prosecution must prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the defendant lacked the license or privilege to be there.
• Public areas like hallways, lobbies, and corridors are generally considered places with license and privilege unless there are signs, barriers, or other indicators restricting access (e.g., storerooms, offices, or signs like “Employees Only”).
• Any event that requires a ticket

CHAPTER 1

• Criminal justice system: comprises institutions, policies, and practices with the goal of social control and deterring crime through sanctions and rehabilitation

• Law enforcement: investigates crimes and apprehends individuals alleged to have committed crimes

• Courts: interprets and applies the law

• Corrections: incarceration in jails or prisons, in some cases consisting of supervision in the community, parole, or probation.

• If prosecutor files charges: plea bargain and a plea is taken, or goes to trial, or nolle prosequi (dismissal).

• Mala en se: behavior that is immoral and inherently wrong by nature and we would have known not to do this activity even if there had not been a law prohibiting it.

• Mala prohibita: behavior that constitutes an

Understanding Checks

Definition

A check is a bill of exchange drawn on behalf of a banker, which is payable on demand by the banker.

Three-Party Structure

• Drawer: The person who orders the draft.
• Drawee: The banker against whom the draft is drawn and who is ordered to pay.
• Payee: The person to whom the draft is payable.

The Process

The drawer gives the payee a written order that directs the drawee to pay money to the payee or to whomever the payee designates through an appropriate endorsement. The payee must collect the money from the drawee by physically presenting the draft and demanding payment. Checks are distinct from other instruments because they are drawn on a bank and are payable on demand.

Promissory Notes

Definition

A promissory note is an...

Consensual Transfer Systems

In a consensual transfer system, ownership passes the moment the contract of sale is made. The contract itself transfers ownership of the object to the buyer; this is also called the “solo consensus rule.”

French Law and the Solo Consensus Rule

In French law, the obligation to transfer an object is performed by the sole consensus between the contracting parties. It makes its creditor the owner and places the object at the latter’s risk the moment it ought to have been transferred, even if a transfer of possession has not taken place. This system differs from the Roman system and is based on moral relations between people. It is favorable to commerce because it does not need corporal delivery of the object; intent...

The fixed periodic contract is considered a part-time contract for an indefinite term, formalized to perform fixed and periodic tasks within the ordinary volume of the company’s activity. The object of this contract relates to different tasks performed on certain dates, specifically during a specific period of the year, on a cyclical basis. In this respect, the start and end of each season are precise dates known by both parties, so employees do not need to be called to work by the employer.

The fixed-discontinuous contract is an indefinite-term agreement formalized to perform jobs of an intermittent nature that do not repeat on certain dates within the ordinary volume of the company’s activity. The start and end of each season are not exact...

Symbolic Speech and Expression

• Protected Symbolic Speech

  • Tinker v. Des Moines (1969): Students wearing armbands to peacefully protest the Vietnam War were protected because their actions did not interfere with educational processes.
  • Texas v. Johnson (1989): Flag burning was protected as expressive conduct conveying a clear political message.
  • R.A.V. v. City of St. Paul (1992): A ban on cross burning was deemed too broad, as it prohibited speech based on its content rather than its potential for harm.

• Unprotected Symbolic Speech

  • United States v. O'Brien (1968): Burning a draft card was not protected because it involved the destruction of government property and interfered with a legitimate government interest.
  • Virginia v. Black (2003): Cross burning