The GmbH. A Guide to the German Limited Liability Company. Bearbeitet von Klaus J. Müller

Transcription

1 The GmbH A Guide to the German Limited Liability Company Bearbeitet von Klaus J. Müller 3. Auflage Buch. XIX, 216 S. Gebunden ISBN Format (B x L): 16,0 x 24,0 cm Recht > Handelsrecht, Wirtschaftsrecht > Gesellschaftsrecht > GmbH-Recht Zu Leseprobe und Inhaltsverzeichnis schnell und portofrei erhältlich bei Die Online-Fachbuchhandlung beck-shop.de ist spezialisiert auf Fachbücher, insbesondere Recht, Steuern und Wirtschaft. Im Sortiment finden Sie alle Medien (Bücher, Zeitschriften, CDs, ebooks, etc.) aller Verlage. Ergänzt wird das Programm durch Services wie Neuerscheinungsdienst oder Zusammenstellungen von Büchern zu Sonderpreisen. Der Shop führt mehr als 8 Millionen Produkte.

2 Index 217 Revision Index Index Index Abandonment of shares Abspaltungsverbot Accounts... 34, 98 Filing with Federal Gazette Publication in Federal Gazette Relevance of size of company Affiliated entities Amendment of articles (see articles of association) Apostille Appointment of the auditor Appropriation of profits Articles of association Additional provisions Amendment Business purpose Company's journals 14 Desireable additional provisions Domicile Firm name Fiscal year Formation costs Interpretation rules. 16 Language Mandatory provisions Notarial form Shareholders Shares Signing authority of managing directors Assignment of shares Bona fide acquisition Consent of spouses. 103 Deficiencies Effectiveness vis-à-vis the company 109 Free assignability Gelatine decisions Holzmüller doctrine Notarial form Notarization abroad Notarization in Switzerland Notification of authorities Portion of a share Pre-emptive rights Restrictions Unwritten consent requirement Austritt Avoidance of resolutions Bona fide acquisition of shares Bookkeeping Bremer Vulkan decision British Registrar of Companies Bundesamt für Justiz. 99 Business letters Business operation lease agreement (Betriebspachtvertrag) Business operation management agreement (Betriebsführungsvertrag) Business operation transfer agreement (Betriebsüberlassungsvertrag) Business purpose Capital decrease (see decrease of capital) Capital increase (see increase of share capital) Cash pooling Domination agreement Catalogue of transactions requiring the consent of supervisory board Change of fiscal year (see fiscal year) Change of legal form (see conversion) Changing corporate structures Co-determination Co-Determination Act One Third Participation Act Structures to avoid ~ Company s journals.. 14 Compensation for overvalued contributions in kind Contributions in kind... 9 Control (see groups of companies) Conversion Adoption of the resolution Application for registration Domination and profit and loss absorption agreements Into GmbH & Co. KG Legal forms eligible 143 Outline Registration Report Resolution Rights of creditors Works council Corporate Governance Code Cross-border merger. 126 D&O liability insurance General Premiums Scope of coverage Debt-financing Decrease of capital Deficiencies of assignments Deficiencies of resolutions (see shareholders' resolutions)

3 218 Index Deficit balance (Unterbilanz) Deficit balance liability Destructive intervention (see piercing the corporate veil) Differenzhaftung Domicile Domination and profit and loss absorption agreement Cancellation Cash pooling Conversion Execution Merger Shareholders' consent Splitting Tax motives Termination Termination for cause Termination in the event of the disposal of the dominated entity Domination and profit and loss absorption agreements General Downstream loans (see shareholder loans) Downstream merger. 138 Einheitsgesellschaft European Directive on cross-border mergers Existenzvernichtender Eingriff (see piercing the corporate veil) Expulsion of a shareholder Compensation Consequences Good cause Federal Gazette Female quota rules... 32, 63 Fiduciary duty to act in good faith Financial statements. 98 Firm name Fiscal year Foreign shareholders 12 Forfeiture of shares Formation Application for registration Articles of association Confirmation of payment Contributions in cash... 9 Contributions in kind... 9 Outline... 7 Power of attorney Pre-incorporation phases... 9 Prepayments Publication of registration Registration in commercial register.. 20 Report Unterbilanzhaftung Formwechsel (see conversion) Gelatine decisions German-American Treaty of Friendship, Commerce and Navigation Gesamtrechtsnachfolge (see transformations) GmbH History... 2 Importance... 4 Legal nature... 1 Statistics... 5 GmbH & Co. KG Amendments of partnership agreement Application for registration Assignment of partnership interests. 180 Basic structure Business purpose of GmbH Co-determination Conversion Core elements rule (Kernbereichslehre) Einheitsgesellschaft 182 General partner Legal nature Liability of partners 178 Limited partner Possible structures Reasons for choosing Specification rule (Bestimmtheitsgrundsatz) Tax treatment GmbH & Co. KG/Self dealing restrictions Groups of companies... Analagous application of Stock Corporation Act Co-determination Contracts Control General Types of groups Handlungsvollmacht 44 Hidden contributions in kind Changes by the MoMiG Curing procedure General Legal consequences 73 Hineinverschmelzung 127 Hive-out (Ausgliederung) (see splitting) Holzmüller decision Holzmüller doctrine Importance (see GmbH) Increase of share capital Application for registration... 88

4 Index 219 By capitalization of reserves Ordinary capital increase Insolvency Inspire Art decision 6, 186 Interest barrier Kaduzierung (see forfeiture) Kapitalerhöhung aus Gesellschaftsmitteln KBV decision Konzern (see groups of companies) Language (see articles of association) Legal forms in Germany... 4 Legal nature (see GmbH) Letterheads (see business letters) Liability of managing director Limited partners (Kommanditisten) (see GmbH & Co. KG) Limited partnership (see GmbH & Co. KG) Liquidation General Liquidator Overview of ~ proceedings Publication of dissolution Shareholder receivables Waiting year (Sperrjahr) Loans Arm's length terms. 82 Capital maintenance Cash pooling Senior officers Upstream loans Ltd Alternative to GmbH? Increase in administrative expenses Inspire Art decision 186 Liability of shareholders/officers Registration of branch in Germany Share capital Maintenance of share capital (see also share capital) Changes by the MoMiG Deficit balance (Unterbilanz) General Responsibility of managing director... 34, 81 Management of the GmbH Managing director Accounts... 34, 98 Appointment Calling shareholders' meetings Capital maintenance Comparison with member of the board of an AG Conflicting offices Corporate body D&O liability insurance (see D&O liability insurance) Effect of deletion from commercial register Eligible persons Execution of application letter abroad Foreigners Insolvency Instructions from shareholders Liability Liability for capital maintenance Limitation of scope of authority Merger Multiple representation No criminal record.. 26 No distinction between executive and non-executive directors Non-compete obligation Post-contractual non-compete clause Registration in the commercial register Release from self-dealing restrictions Removal Scope of authority Self-dealing restrictions Service contract Shareholders' list Shifting of competencies Signing authority Tasks and obligations Tax returns Violation of limitation of authority Merger Application for registration Audit Capital increase Capital maintenance rules Cross-border merger Domination and profit and loss absorption agreements Downstream merger Effects European Directive on cross-border mergers Legal forms eligible for mergers Merger agreement Merger report Merger resolutions Outline of proceedings Position of directors and officers Registration in commercial register Rights of creditors Sidestream merger.. 139

5 220 Index Tax reasons Upstream merger Waiving report requirement Works council Minimum share capital Mixed contributions. 10 MoMiG... 4 Multiple representation Nationality of managing directors Non-compete covenants Notarial certification of signatures Notarial recording Notarization abroad... 18, 107 Notarization in Switzerland One Third Participation Act (see co-determination) Over-indebtedness. 38, 79 Parol evidence rule Payment of share capital (see share capital) Piercing the corporate veil Abuse of legal form 97 Blurring company and shareholder spheres Destructive intervention General Liability of ultimate parent Mingling of assets Undercapitalization 94 Portion of profits absorption agreement (Teilgewinnabführungsvertrag) Portion of share Power of attorney Formation Time limits Voting in shareholders' meeting Power of Attorney By foreign legal entities Execution abroad Pre-emptive rights Preference shares Pre-incorporation phases... 9 Prepayments of share capital Private company limited by shares (see Ltd) Profit (and loss) absorption agreement (Gewinnabführungsvertrag) Profit pooling agreement (Gewinngemeinschaftsvertrag) Prohibition of voting 49 Prokura Public announcements by GmbH Rangrücktrittsvereinbarung Redemption of shares Compensation payment Consequences Effect on rights and obligations of remaining shareholders Effect on share capital Fully paid up share. 114 Reform of the GmbH 2 Registration of GmbH Representation of the GmbH Secondary liability Capital maintenance Forfeiture Secretary's certificate 19 Self dealing restrictions in GmbH & Co. KG Self-dealing restrictions Service contract Sevic decision Share Abandonment Abspaltungsverbot Articles of association (see articles of association) Assignment Different classes Forfeiture...75, 117 Own shares Portion of a share Redemption Share certificates Subscription to shares in capital increase Subscription to shares in formation... 7 Share capital Burden of proof of payment Contributions in cash Contributions in kind Decrease of ~ Increase of ~ Maintenance Minimum payment requirements... 9 Payment Set-off Treasury stock Shareholder Voting pool agreements Shareholder loans Abolition of Kapitalersatz (loans substituting equity) rules Debt/Equity ratio Repayment in insolveny proceedings... 93

6 Index 221 Repayment outside insolvency proceedings Shareholders Expulsion Forbidden payments to ~ Foreigner Instructions to managing directors Loans from the company Shifting of competencies Withdrawal Shareholders' list Effect of entry in list Shareholders' meeting Calling a meeting Chairman Competencies Exercise of voting rights Frequency Notice requirements for calling Participation of members of supervisory board Participation rights. 47 Principal corporate body Prohibition of voting Single member company Shareholders' resolutions Avoidability Deficiencies Form requirements. 52 Limitation statute for avoidance Majority requirements Nullity Unanimity requirements Shareholders list pursuant to s. 16 LLCA Shelf company... 22, 113 Shifting of competencies Appointment of managing director.. 32 Instructions to managing directors Management Representation Shareholders' meeting Supervisory board.. 64 Short fiscal year Sidestream merger Signing authority (see managing director) Simplified capital decrease Single member company Societas Europaea (SE) Spin-off (Abspaltung) (see splitting) Splitting Application for registration Attachments to application Audit Available types of splitting Capital decrease Capital increase Contracts with restriction clauses Domination and profit and loss absorption agreements Hive-out (Ausgliederung) Legal forms eligible 150 Liability of entities Outline Registration Report Resolutions Rights of creditors Spin-off Splitting and transfer agreement Split-up Waiving report Works council Split-up (Aufspaltung) (see splitting) Statistics (see GmbH) Statute of limitations Capital maintenance Claim for compensation for overvalued contributions in kind Claim for payment of share capital... 9 Claims against managing director Deficit balance liability Storage of books and records Subordination agreement Subscription to shares Supervisory board Competence to appoint managing directors Conflicting offices Duty of care Employee representation Impact of co-determination acts Installation Meetings Monitoring function Number of members Persons eligible for membership Publication requirements Report from management Review of accounts. 65 Right of inspection.. 64 Tax unity (Organschaft) Text form requirement The Hague Convention abolishing the Requirement of Legalisation for Foreign Public Documents Third party account management agreement (Geschäftsführungsvertrag) Transformations Changing corporate structures Gesamtrechtsnachfolge Reasons for transformations

7 222 Index Tax reasons Typical forms of transformations Treasury stock Treuepflicht Trihotel decision Überschuldungsstatus Überseering decision. 6 Unterbilanz Unterbilanz (deficit balance) Unterbilanzhaftung Unterbilanzhaftung (deficit balance liability) Unternehmensverträge Unternehmergesellschaft (haftungsbeschränkt) Calling shareholders' meeting Upstream loans Upstream merger Upstream securites Verdeckte Sacheinlage Verdeckte Sacheinlage (hidden capital contribution in kind) Vor-GmbH... 9, 11 Vorgründungsgesellschaft... 9, 11 Vorratsgesellschaft (see shelf company) Voting pool agreements Form requirements. 50 Majority requirements Participation of third parties Voting rights Withdrawal of a shareholder Workers' compensation Zinsschranke Zugewinngemeinschaft