# Commercial law > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Commercial_law > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Commercial_law.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_law > Source revision: 1341635041 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Rules and guidelines of trade This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. (Learn how and when to remove these messages) This article needs more citations. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Commercial law" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (August 2012) (Learn how and when to remove this message) The examples and perspective in this article may not represent a worldwide view of the subject. 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(December 2010) (Learn how and when to remove this message) (Learn how and when to remove this message) This article is part of a series on Corporate law Core concepts & principles Separate legal personality Limited liability Piercing the corporate veil Internal affairs doctrine Ultra vires doctrine De facto and estoppel corporations Corporate governance & duties Corporate governance Board of directors Director's duties Duty of care Duty of loyalty Business judgment rule Insolvent trading Fiduciary Shareholder rights & finance Shareholder Corporate shares Derivative action Oppression remedy Pre-emptive right Tag-along right Drag-along right Beneficial ownership General corporate forms Corporation Company Partnership General Limited LLP Sole proprietorship Holding company Conglomerate Cooperative Corporate life cycle Incorporation Promoter liability Mergers and acquisitions Corporate restructuring Insolvency and Liquidation Dissolution Related topics Corporate registers Registered agent Rochdale Principles Joint-stock Shell corporation Shelf corporation Corporations law by jurisdiction Anguilla Australia BVI Canada Cayman Islands India South Africa UK United States Vietnam European Union France Germany Corporate forms by jurisdiction European Union Societas (SE) Societas cooperativa (SCE) Societas privata (SPE) Societas unius personae (SUP) Economic interest grouping (EEIG) UK / Ireland / Commonwealth Charitable incorporated organisation (England and Wales) (CIO) Scottish charitable incorporated organisation (SCIO) Community interest company (CIC) Industrial and provident society (IPS) Limited company (Ltd.) by guarantee by shares proprietary public Unlimited company United States Benefit corporation C corporation Limited liability company (LLC) Low-profit LLC Series LLC Limited liability limited partnership (LLLP) S corporation Delaware corporation / statutory trust Massachusetts business trust Nevada corporation Others Aktiebolag (AB) Aktiengesellschaft (AG) Ansvarlig selskap (ANS) Aktieselskab (A/S) Aksjeselskap (AS) Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH) Kabushiki gaisha (K.K.) Naamloze vennootschap (N.V.) Osakeyhtiö (Oy) S.A. Sociedad de responsabilidad limitada (S.R.L.) Société à responsabilité limitée (SARL) more... Company portal Law portal v t e Business administration Accounting Management accounting Financial accounting Audit Business entity (list) Corporate group Corporation sole Company Conglomerate Holding company Cooperative Corporation Joint-stock company Limited liability company Partnership Privately held company Sole proprietorship State-owned enterprise Corporate governance Annual general meeting Board of directors Supervisory board Advisory board Audit committee Corporate law Commercial law Constitutional documents Contract Corporate crime Corporate liability Insolvency law International trade law Mergers and acquisitions Corporate title Chairman Chief business officer/Chief brand officer Chief executive officer/Chief operating officer Chief financial officer Chief human resources officer Chief information officer/Chief marketing officer Chief product officer/Chief technology officer Economics Commodity Public economics Labour economics Development economics International economics Mixed economy Planned economy Econometrics Environmental economics Open economy Market economy Knowledge economy Microeconomics Macroeconomics Economic development Economic statistics Finance Financial statement Insurance Factoring Cash conversion cycle Insider dealing Capital budgeting Commercial bank Derivative Financial statement analysis Financial risk Public finance Corporate finance Managerial finance International finance Liquidation Stock market Financial market Tax Financial institution Capital management Venture capital Types of management Asset Brand Business intelligence Business development Capacity Capability Change innovation Commercial Marketing Communications Configuration Conflict Content Customer relationship Distributed Earned value Electronic business Enterprise resource planning management information system Financial Human resource development Incident Knowledge Legal Materials Network administrator Office Operations services Performance Power Process Product life-cycle Product Project Property Quality Records Resource Risk crisis Sales Security Service Strategic Supply chain Systems administrator Talent Technology Organization Architecture Behavior Communication Culture Conflict Development Engineering Hierarchy Patterns Space Structure Trade Business analysis Business ethics Business plan Business judgment rule Consumer behaviour International business Business model International trade Trade route Business process Business statistics Business portal v t e **Commercial law**, also known as business law,[1] mercantile law or trade law depending on [jurisdiction](/source/Jurisdiction), is the body of [law](/source/Law) that applies to the rights, relations, and conduct of [persons](/source/Legal_person) and organizations engaged in [commercial](/source/Commerce) and [business](/source/Business) activities.[2][3][4] It is often considered to be a branch of [civil law](/source/Civil_law_(common_law)) and deals with issues of both [private law](/source/Private_law) and [public law](/source/Public_law). Commercial activities involve profit-driven [exchanges](/source/Exchange_(economics)) of products, services, and other valuable assets, conducted between buyers and sellers.[5] These activities and the commercial entities—those whose primary engagement involves profit-driven transactions—are subject to commercial law, which provides the legal framework for their formation, operation, and oversight. By establishing rules for [transactions](/source/Financial_transaction) and governing business enterprises, it ensures that exchanges are orderly, enforceable, and predictable; promotes fair and efficient [competition](/source/Competitive_Market); protects intellectual property and innovative investments; safeguards [consumer rights](/source/Consumer_rights) and public trust; and upholds ethical standards in business conduct.[6] Commercial law is understood as the body of regulations that govern a broad range of matters involving [sales](/source/Sales), [finance](/source/Finance), [trade](/source/Trade) and [commercial entities](/source/Commercial_entity). This, non-exhaustively, includes [tax](/source/Tax_law), [mergers and acquisitions](/source/Mergers_and_acquisitions), [insurance](/source/Insurance_law), employment, [business-to-business](/source/Business-to-business) or [business-to-consumer](/source/Business-to-consumer) relations, [carriage of goods](/source/Freight_transport), [guarantees](/source/Guarantee) and [indemnities](/source/Indemnity), [partnerships](/source/Partnership), and principal-agent relationships. Many of these categories further fall within [financial law](/source/Financial_law), a subset of commercial law pertaining specifically to financing and the financial markets. Additionally, depending on the jurisdiction, commercial law legislation may be codified into either [civil](/source/Civil_code) or [commercial code](/source/Commercial_code_(law)). In the United States, commercial law is the province of both the [United States Congress](/source/United_States_Congress), under its power to regulate interstate commerce, and the states, under their police power. Efforts have been made to create a unified body of commercial law in the United States; the most successful of these attempts has resulted in the general [adoption](/source/Uniform_Commercial_Code_adoption) of the [Uniform Commercial Code](/source/Uniform_Commercial_Code), which has been adopted in all 50 states (with some modification by state legislatures), the [District of Columbia](/source/Washington%2C_D.C.), and the U.S. territories. Various regulatory frameworks govern the conduct of commerce, especially regarding [business-to-consumer](/source/Business-to-consumer) and employer-employee relations. Examples of these frameworks include privacy laws, workplace safety laws, and food and drug laws. ## Content Further information: [Outline of commercial law](/source/Outline_of_commercial_law) Commercial law covers the following legal areas : - Legal status of [businesses](/source/Business) - [Sole traders](/source/Sole_trader) - [Corporate law](/source/Corporate_law) - [Competition law](/source/Competition_law) - [Consumer law](/source/Consumer_law) - [Advertising](/source/Advertising) and [marketing](/source/Marketing) regulations - [Contract law](/source/Contract_law) - [Goods and services](/source/Goods_and_services) law - [Intellectual property law](/source/Intellectual_property_law) - [Copyright law](/source/Copyright_law) - [Patent law](/source/Patent_law) - [Trademark law](/source/Trademark_law) - [Financial law](/source/Financial_law) - [Credit](/source/Credit) and [securities](/source/Securities) laws - Wage law, and [minimum wage laws](/source/Minimum_wage_law) in particular - [Tax law](/source/Tax_law) - [Banking regulations](/source/Banking_regulations) - [Insurance law](/source/Insurance_law) - [Bankruptcy law](/source/Bankruptcy_Law) - [International trade law](/source/International_trade_law) - [E-commerce](/source/E-commerce) law This broad area of law covers many topics, from forming new companies, drafting business contracts, employment processes, corporate mergers, consumer rights to commercial litigation. It also provides a comprehensive legal framework that supports the operations of businesses regardless of their size. It ensures that businesses or other entities that engage in commerce adhere to set rules and guidelines, creating a fair and competitive commercial environment while providing legal remedies to resolve disputes.[7] ## History During the [Middle Ages](/source/Middle_Ages), Italy was the cradle of many modern institutions at the basis of commercial law. Around the 16th century, the trade of Italian [maritime republics](/source/Maritime_republics) was the promoter of the birth of commercial law: the jurist [Benvenuto Stracca](/source/Benvenuto_Stracca), ([Ancona](/source/Ancona), 1509–1579) published in 1553 the treatise *De mercatura seu mercatore tractats*; it was one of the first, if not the first, legal imprint dealing specifically with commercial law. This treatise focused on merchants and merchant contracts, practices and maritime rights, to which he soon added extensive discussions of [bankruptcy](/source/Bankruptcy), factors and commissions, third party transfers, and [insurance](/source/Insurance). For this reason, Stracca is often considered the father of commercial law and author of the first Italian treaty about the insurance contract, beyond about the commerce. The legal work of Italian jurists had an impact on [Holland](/source/Holland), [Germany](/source/Germany), [England](/source/England) and [France](/source/France).[8] ## See also - [Business ethics](/source/Business_ethics) - [Commercial court](/source/Commercial_court) - [Trade justice](/source/Trade_justice) - [Dumping (pricing policy)](/source/Dumping_(pricing_policy)) - [Economic development](/source/Economic_development) - [Fair trade](/source/Fair_trade) - [Commercial revolution](/source/Commercial_revolution) - [Trade and development](/source/Trade_and_development) - [Commercial management](/source/Commercial_management) - [Law and economics](/source/Law_and_economics) ## Notes 1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** ["Britannica Money"](https://www.britannica.com/money/business-law). *www.britannica.com*. Retrieved 2024-05-26. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["Commercial Law - The University of Auckland"](https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/study/study-options/find-a-study-option/commercial-law.html). *www.auckland.ac.nz*. Retrieved 2024-05-08. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-cornellcommerciallaw_3-0)** ["Commercial Law: An Overview"](https://www.law.cornell.edu/wex/commercial_law). Legal Information Institute. Retrieved 7 July 2012. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Legal Definition of COMMERCIAL LAW"](https://www.merriam-webster.com/legal/commercial+law). *www.merriam-webster.com*. Retrieved 2024-05-30. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** ["COMMERCIAL definition and meaning | Collins English Dictionary"](https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/commercial). *www.collinsdictionary.com*. 2025-10-27. Retrieved 2025-11-03. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** ["What is commercial law and what jobs are available in commercial law?"](https://www.unsw.edu.au/study/your-future/commercial-law). *UNSW Sites*. Retrieved 2025-11-03. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** ["Commercial Law"](https://www.oxfordreference.com/display/10.1093/oi/authority.20110803095627873). *Oxford Reference*. Retrieved 2024-05-11. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** - *Modernisation, National Identity and Legal Instrumentalism* (Vol. I: Private Law): *Studies in Comparative Legal History*, Brill, 2019 (p. 118); - Vito Piergiovanni, *The Courts and the Development of Commercial Law*, Duncker & Humblot, 1987 (p. 14); - Encyclopedia Treccani, *[Benvenuto Stracca](http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/benvenuto-stracca_%28Dizionario-Biografico%29/)* ## External links [Library resources](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:The_Wikipedia_Library) about **Commercial law** - [Resources in your library](https://ftl.toolforge.org/cgi-bin/ftl?st=wp&su=Commercial+law) - [Hundreds of Answers to Basic Business Law Questions](http://www.quizlaw.com/what-is-business-law) - [Topical listing of US commercial law from Cornell's Legal Information Institute](https://www.law.cornell.edu/topics/commercial.html) v t e Law Core subjects Administrative law Civil law Constitutional law Contract Criminal law Crime Deed Doctrine Equity Evidence International law Law of obligations Private law Procedure Civil Criminal Property law Public law Punishment Capital Corporal Restitution and unjust enrichment Statutory law Tort Disciplines Abortion law Agricultural law Animal law Aviation law Amnesty law Banking law Bankruptcy Commercial law Competition law Conflict of laws Construction law Consumer protection Corporate law Cyberlaw Drugs law Election law Energy law Entertainment law Environmental law Family law Financial law Financial regulation Health law public health global health Immigration law Intellectual property International criminal law International labour law International human rights International slavery laws International trade law Jurimetrics Labour Landlord–tenant law Law of war Legal archaeology Legal fiction Maritime law Marriage law Military law Music law Nationality law Probate Estate Will and testament Product liability Public international law Refugee law Space law Sports law State of emergency Tax law Transport law Trust law Unenforced law Sources of law Charter Legal code / Statutory law Constitution Custom Divine law Divine right Human rights Legitimacy Letters patent Man-made law Natural law Natural and legal rights Case law Precedent Law reports Legal treatise Regulations Law making Ballot measure Codification Decree Edict Executive order Proclamation Legislation Delegated legislation Regulation Reform Rulemaking Promulgation Ratification Repeal Treaty Concordat Statutory law Statute Act of parliament Act of Congress Basic structure doctrine Legal systems Civil law Common law Chinese law Legal pluralism Religious law Canon law Catholic canon law Hindu law Jain law Jewish law Parsi law Sharia Roman law Byzantine law Socialist law Statutory law Xeer Yassa Legal theory Anarchist Contract theory Comparative law Expressive function Feminist Law and economics Legal ethics Legal formalism History Libertarian International legal theory Principle of legality Principle of typicality Pseudolaw Rule of law Rule of man Sociology Jurisprudence Adjudication Administration of justice Admission to practice law Constitutionalism Criminal justice Court-martial Disbarment Dispute resolution Fiqh Lawsuit/Litigation Legal opinion Legal remedy Damages Deterrence (penology) Proportionality Reparations Legal status Judge Justice of the peace Magistrate Judgment Judicial activism Judicial interpretation Judicial misconduct Kangaroo court Judicial review Jurisdiction Jury Justice Practice of law Attorney Barrister Counsel Lawyer Legal representation Prosecutor Solicitor Question of fact Question of law Trial Trial advocacy Trier of fact Ultra vires Verdict Legal institutions Barristers' chambers Bureaucracy The bar The bench Civil society Court Ecclesiastical Court of equity Election commission Executive Judiciary Law enforcement Agency Legal education Law school Legal industry by country Legislature Military Police Political party Tribunal History History of the legal profession History of the American legal profession Women in law Law portal Category Index Outline Authority control databases International GND National United States France BnF data Japan Czech Republic Israel Other Historical Dictionary of Switzerland Yale LUX --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Commercial law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_law) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commercial_law?action=history)). 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