Landmark business law cases by category.
Table of Contents:
Go to: ➡ I. Contracts & Commercial Law
- Carlill v. Carbolic Smoke Ball Co. [1893] – Unilateral contracts; offer to the world; acceptance by performance.
- Hadley v. Baxendale (1854) – Remoteness of damage; consequential loss; foreseeability.
- Entores Ltd v. Miles Far East Corp [1955] – Acceptance by instant communication (Telex); place of contract formation.
- Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain v. Boots Cash Chemists [1953] – Offer and acceptance in a shop; invitation to treat.
- Williams v. Roffey Bros [1991] – Practical benefit; consideration in variation of contracts.
- Balfour v. Balfour [1919] – Domestic agreements; intention to create legal relations.
Go to: ➡ II. Tort Law (Business/Commercial Context)
- Donoghue v. Stevenson [1932] – Neighbour principle; duty of care in negligence; product liability.
- Hedley Byrne v. Heller [1964] – Economic loss; negligent misstatement; liability for advice.
- Rylands v. Fletcher (1868) – Strict liability; escape of dangerous things; nuisance.
Go to: ➡ III. Company Law & Corporate Personality
- Salomon v. Salomon & Co. [1897] – Separate legal personality; corporate veil; principle of limited liability.
- Lee v. Lee’s Air Farming Ltd [1961] – Controlling shareholder as employee; separate legal entity.
- Macaura v. Northern Assurance Co [1925] – Shareholder ownership vs. company ownership; insurable interest.
- Adams v. Cape Industries plc [1990] – Piercing the corporate veil; tort liability of parent companies.
Go to: ➡ IV. Director’s Duties & Governance
- Re City Equitable Fire Insurance Co [1925] – Standard of care and skill for directors (historical standard).
- Re Smith & Fawcett Ltd [1942] – Director’s duty to act bona fide in the interest of the company.
- Regal (Hastings) v. Gulliver [1967] – No-profit rule; fiduciary duty; secret profits.
- ACB v. Thomson Reuters [2020] (UK)/SEC v. Texas Gulf Sulphur (1968) (US) – Insider dealing; disclosure obligations.
Go to: ➡ V. Employment & Labor Law
- Ready Mixed Concrete v. Minister of Pensions [1968] – Tests for employee vs. independent contractor.
- Autoclenz v. Belcher [2011] – Worker status; reality of relationship vs. contractual labels.
- P v. NASUWT [2003] – Vicarious liability of employers.
Go to: ➡ VI. Intellectual Property
- A&M Records v. Napster (2001) (US) – Copyright infringement; peer-to-peer file sharing.
- Diamond v. Chakrabarty (1980) (US) – Patentability of living organisms; "anything under the sun that is made by man."
- L’Oréal v. Bellure [2010] (CJEU/UK) – Trade mark infringement; unfair advantage; comparative advertising.
Go to: ➡ VII. Insolvency & Restructuring
- Re Spectrum Plus Ltd [2005] –Characterization of charges (fixed vs. floating); corporate insolvency.
Go to ➡ VIII. Competition/Antitrust Law
- United States v. Microsoft Corp (2001) (US) – Monopolization; tying; antitrust remedies.
- Consten & Grundig v. Commission [1966] (ECJ) – Anti-competitive agreements; effect on trade between member states.
Landmark Business Law Case Law /E-cyclopedia Resources
by Kateule Sydney
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CC BY-SA 4.0
