Bücher der Reihe Abhandlungen zum Deutschen und Europäischen Gesellschafts- und Kapitalmarktrecht

»The Group Interest as a Governance Option in the Pan-European Corporate Group«: Even holding a majority stake in another company can lead to liability risks for misconduct by the subsidiary at national and European level. However, the possibilities for intervention and management are limited. This paper examines individual legal systems regarding their treatment of the company group and elaborates on points requiring regulation. On this basis, a regulatory proposal is made that can bring the risks back into line with the possibilities of the group.

»Liquid Shares. Exchange Offers under Takeover Law and the Liquidity of Exchange Shares within the Meaning of Section 31 Para. 2 Sentence 1 WpÜG in the Light of the Biofrontera-Decision«: The liquidity of exchange shares within the meaning of Sec. 31 para. 2 sentence 1 WpÜG is of great practical importance. This study concludes that the future absorptive capacity of the capital market must be examined on a case-by-case basis. This minimizes the occurrence of trade-induced price changes. Subsequently, the criteria that indicate a sufficient absorptive capacity of the capital market are examined and embedded in the BaFin's approval procedure, which is relevant for the takeover practice.

»Financial Contracting in Venture Capital illustrated through Crowdinvesting. A Legal, Empirical and Economic Study of Crowdinvesting in Germany and Analysis of the German Crowdinvesting Market«: The thesis examines the legal basis and regulatory framework of equity crowdfunding in Germany. Drawing upon established concepts used in venture capital contracts, it proposes solutions to address agency problems arising in the financing relationship between investors and start-ups. Moreover, based on a quantitative analysis, the author introduces investor protection indices, as known from law and finance research, to assess the evolution of investor protection within the German market.

»Need for Reform in Short Attacks«: Short attacks represent a cross-sectional issue under capital market law, the enormous effects of which have been insufficiently considered so far. For this reason, the dissertation weighs the different interests in the context of Short attacks from an economic and legal point of view. After weighing them up, an appropriate balance is conceived by means of a new legal regulation in the form of a temporary trading ban as well as an optimization of the already existing norms.

»The Dogmatics of the Shareholder List of the German Limited Liability Company. A Contribution to the Legal Position and Liability of the Listed Shareholder under § 16 I 1 GmbHG«: In its conception, the shareholder list of the German Limited Liability Company (GmbH) is not an original phenomenon of corporate law, but serves - similar to the general instruments of publicity in the German Civil Code (BGB) - to identify a certain right. Nevertheless, the list seems to take on a special role and suffers from breaks in its legal application which, as a consequence of erroneous dogmatics, becomes bitter seriousness at the latest when the shareholder is excluded from the company "for good cause" by a resolution of his co-partners and hastily deleted from the shareholder list under protest.Parallel to its historical model and equivalent in stock corporation law, today's share register, the author shows the further development of the shareholder list and examines its handling in jurisprudence critically. Based on the core thesis that §§ 16, 40 GmbHG form a legal benefit in favour of the company, a concept is finally developed on the legal position and liability of the person who is wrongly (not) shown in the shareholder list as a member of the company.

The disclosure obligations regarding benefits in investment advice and the relationship between supervisory and contract law have been in focus of legal practice since 18 years. The author takes the ruling of the Federal Court of Justice of 3.6.2014 - XI ZR 147/12 as an occasion to examine the differentiation of benefits as well as to dogmatically locate a principle of transparency. She measures the tension between supervisory and contract law in regards of the judicial development of the law.

»The Contractual Squeeze-out in the GmbH and in Partnership Law«: The contractual agreement of the squeeze-out of a minority shareholder is of considerable importance in practice due to the increasing fragmentation of shareholder participations in the GmbH and KG. Based on the company law model of §§ 327a ff. AktG, the contractual squeeze-out is aligned with the restrictive BGH case law on free exclusion clauses. A capital share below 10% (GmbH) or 10% (KG) is the permissible upper limit.

»The Discharge Resolution in German Stock Corporations - de lege lata/de lege ferenda«: This thesis addresses the question of whether the discharge resolution under German Stock Corporation Law fulfills its function as a controlling tool for shareholders and whether it requires reform. The author concludes that reform is necessary: a denial of discharge with real consequences attached - that is, an actual warning function - would be a more useful tool in the hands of shareholders. After five chapters, which are structured around the current legal situation and reform considerations, the author presents a concise reform proposal.

»The Consequences of the Nullity of Annual Financial Statements«: The thesis examines the consequences of the nullity of annual financial statements for a corporation and a limited liability company (GmbH) providing those affected by the nullity with security of action and planning. The cases in which the annual financial statement must be restated are identified and it is explained under which circumstances distributed profits must be repaid. In addition, the effect on subsequent financial statements is shown.

»Supervisory Board's Duty of Confidentiality under Corporation Law versus Information Privilege of the Public Government. A Reevaluation Exclusively According to Corporation Law«: Stock corporation law prohibits the Supervisory Board from disclosing company secrets. According to Sections 394, 395 of the German Stock Corporation Act (AktG), it is permitted to disclose information to the public administration in case of state participation. According to the prevailing view, this is intended to create a tension between the duty of confidentiality and the duty to report. However, a compatibility of the duties of conduct, which are initially perceived as contradictory, follows from an autonomous reevaluation of stock corporation law.

»The Regulation on European Crowdfunding Service Providers. The Scope of Application with Regard to Investment Instruments of German Law«: Crowdfunding as an alternative method of raising capital has been effectively limited within the European Union to the individual member states. The ECSP-Regulation is the first attempt to create a common crowdfunding market within the European Union.The study examines whether the Regulation has a disruptive potential for the German crowdfunding market. For this purpose, the applicability of the investment instruments of German law under the Regulation will be analyzed.

»The Relative Position of Shareholders in GmbH Law. A Contribution to Legal Certainty»: Since 2008, the relative position of shareholders in GmbH law has existed in § 16 Para. 1 Sentence 1 GmbHG. This regulation is of fundamental importance for the internal constitution of the GmbH. Miller traces the historical background since the middle of the 19th century, dogmatically classifies the regulation, describes its effects and develops the limits of the relative position of sharholders in a legally secure reading. In doing so, the almost unanimously accepted limit of >attribution< is teleologically questioned in detail for the first time.

»Use of Artificial Intelligence to Prepare Management Decisions for the Board of Directors of a German Stock Corporation«: In companies questions of »electronic data processing« have been an integral part of discussions on data protection law, labor law and company law for a long time. The development of artificially intelligent systems is also progressing dynamically. In light of this, the author takes an in-depth look at the various legal issues that arise in the context of the decision-supporting use of artificial intelligence by the executive board of a German stock corporation.

»Artificial Intelligence and Corporate Governance. The Use of Artificial Intelligence in the Management Board of Listed Stock Corporations«: Artificial intelligence (AI) regularly represents a competitive advantage in listed stock corporations. It is therefore essential that the management board can use this without liability risks. The author first addresses the question of the permissibility of the complete substitution of the management board by AI. He then paves the way for the legally secure delegation of tasks to AI by developing fundamental guidelines for the avoidance of violations of the board's duties.

»Restructuring Support Agreements. A Useful Tool for Organizing Reorganizations under German Law?«: This book analyses the trend of using restructuring support agreements (RSA) in Chapter 11 and in Scheme of Arrangement proceedings. RSA can be a useful tool to combat claim trading and holdout-activities. On the other hand, there is a risk that some creditors will use RSA to gain control over the restructuring process and to obtain special benefits not available for other creditors. This book also answers the question if RSA can be used to organize reorganizations in Germany and it discusses the boundaries for such contracts under German Law.

»Clawbacks. Legitimacy and Design of Clawback Provisions in Executive Compensation Agreements in Germany«: Clawback provisions allow for an ex post recoupment of variable compensation of board members of listed companies if certain triggering events are met. This thesis examines whether and to what extent clawbacks fit into the existing system of executive compensation in Germany. In this regard, the historical, economic and legal background of executive compensation is comprehensively examined. Finally, a draft clause is introduced.

Die Untersuchung befasst sich mit der Wissenszurechnung im Rahmen der Ad-hoc-Publizitätspflicht und des Insiderhandelsverbots. Das In-Kraft-Treten der Marktmissbrauchsverordnung hat die schon für das WpHG diskutierte Frage der Wissenszurechnung bei juristischen Personen neu aufgeworfen. Eine autonome Auslegung der Marktmissbrauchsverordnung ergibt, dass die Ad-hoc-Publizitätspflicht die Kenntnis oder das Kennenmüssen des Emittenten von den veröffentlichungspflichtigen Informationen nicht voraussetzt, sondern Verhaltensanforderungen an den Emittenten im Hinblick auf sein Informationsmanagement statuiert.Dagegen erfordert das Verbot von Insidergeschäften bei juristischen Personen auch nach der Reform durch die Marktmissbrauchsverordnung die Zurechnung von Insiderwissen. Grund, Gegenstand, Voraussetzungen und Grenzen der Wissenszurechnung werden normspezifisch für das europäische Insiderrecht entwickelt und mit Blick auf die Rechtspraxis bestimmt.

»Activist Short Selling - Limits of Admissibility after the Short Selling- and Market Abuse-Regulation«: Activist Short Selling is widely discussed in literature and public not only since the case of "Wirecard". Starting from the economic value of this business model, this study analyzes its current legal framework and reviews, how the statutory law matches with the economic evaluation. Based on this approach, this work wants to provide a distinction with the use of the legal guidelines between the positive and negative forms of this business model.

»Limits to Majority Rule in German Corporate Bond Restructurings«: The German Bond Act (SchVG) has facilitated the restructuring of German corporate bonds since 2009. The key question that has remained unanswered so far is what limits the law places on bondholders with special interests who can use their voting power to control the distribution of the restructuring burden or cause the restructuring attempt to fail. The author discusses approaches under bond law, proposals borrowed from corporate law and the general limits of private autonomous action.

»The Contractual Participation of Third Parties in the Profit of the GmbH«: The thesis examines the conditions under which a limited liability company (GmbH) can allow persons other than its shareholders to participate in its profits by contract. In particular, the compatibility of a contractual profit participation with the German Limited Liability Companies Act (GmbHG) as well as the analogous applicability of regulations of German Stock Corporation Act (AktG) are discussed.

»The Hidden Transfer of the Exercise of Shareholder Rights in the Area of Conflict between Legitimate Shareholder Interests and Transparency of Shareholdings«: The hidden transfer of the exercise of shareholder rights which the recipient then exercises in his own name, is a legal hybrid between proxy and trustee. It allows the share owner to remain anonymous not only in the annual general meeting, but also in the share register of stock corporations with registered stocks. The conflict with the legislative efforts for an increase in the transparency of shareholdings is obvious, but there are also some legitimate reasons to choose this construction.

»Inside information within the Supervisory Board. An Examination of the Emergence of the Ad Hoc Disclosure Obligation and its Delay«: This dissertation examines the extent to which a listed company is obliged under the European Market Abuse Regulation to disclose inside information in the form of an ad hoc announcement that only exist within its supervisory board. In particular, it questions whether the supervisory board or one of its committees can be responsible for the decision on the delay of the publication of inside information according to Art. 17 (4) MAR by way of an annex competence.

»Capital Protection under Stock Corporation Law according to ARUG. The Post-founding as a Hybrid Instrument for Capital Protection and its Relationship to the Hidden Contribution in Kind«: Although the doctrine of the hidden contribution in kind and the post-founding are very old legal figures of company law, their relationship can still be regarded as unclear today. According to ARUG 2009, there is a conflict of legal consequences between the effectiveness of hidden contributions in kind (Section 27 (3) AktG) and the ineffectiveness of the post-founding (Section 52 AktG). The author carries out a (re-)determination of the relationship between these legal figures of company law.

Nachdem die Vorschrift des § 340g HGB lange Zeit ein Schattendasein führte, hat sie im Zuge der Finanzmarktkrise und der gestiegenen Anforderungen an die Risikovorsorge von Kreditinstituten erheblich an Bedeutung erlangt. Durch Ausgestaltung als Vorschrift der Gewinnermittlung stellt der § 340g HGB ein Fährnis für alle an einem möglichst hohen Jahresüberschuss beziehungsweise Bilanzgewinn interessierten Parteien dar. Aus diesem Grund entbrannte in jüngerer Zeit mehrfach Streit über die Rechtmäßigkeit von Dotierungen gem. § 340g HGB sowie über die bilanzielle Einordnung des Sonderpostens. Die Arbeit widmet sich erstmals der rechtlichen Aufarbeitung des § 340g HGB mit Schwerpunkten auf der bilanziellen Einordnung und Begrenzung. Der Autor wertet zur Beantwortung der Fragen die Rechtsprechung und bisherige Literatur unter stetiger Beachtung der Praxis aus. Die Untersuchung richtet sich an die bilanz- und bankaufsichtsrechtliche Wissenschaft und Praxis.

»The New Provisions of the ARUG II on Identification of Shareholders, Transmission of Information and Facilitation of Exercise of Shareholder Rights.«The thesis presents new regulations of the German Stock Corporation Act (Aktiengesetz) on identification of shareholders, transmission of information and facilitation of exercise of shareholder rights. The objectives of the work are to clarify important questions of interpretation with regard to the new regulations, to place them in the context of the previous regulations on shareholder transparency and to provide an overview of their effects on the German corporate law.

»Exemption from the Duty of Confidentiality of the Supervisory Board of a Stock Corporation with State Participation«: The book examines the legal requirements for a state participation in a corporation. It is shown that in the case of a state participation, corporate law and not public law applies in principle. On the basis of constitutional law, there may be exceptions to this rule. For example, in the case of a participation of the federal government, the duty of confidentiality of the supervisory board of a stock corporation may have to be reduced due to constitutional law.

»Business Combination Agreements«Business Combination Agreements are agreements structuring and preparing the merger of two companies at an early stage. They contain fundamental understandings und mutual obligations. The dissertation focuses on the validity of several typical clauses with respect to German capital market and stock corporation law. A Business Combination Agreement as a master plan serves as the basis for a successful transaction. Thus, the signing of a Business Combination Agreement is recommended unreservedly.

»Auditor Liability«Against the backdrop of the prevailing discussion on reforming auditor liability, especially relevant in the light of recent financial statement fraud in Germany, this work is dedicated to the basis of liability, the problem of limiting liability and the objection of contributory negligence (Mitverschuldenseinwand) touching auditors. An overall moderate yet economically reasonable liability concept is developed.

»Shareholders' Agreements«Members of parliament caucus to strengthen their influence. Shareholders intend the same when they enter into shareholders' agreements to aggregate their voting power. The author analyzes shareholders' agreements in listed firms from an empirical, economic, and doctrinal perspective. Taking into consideration specific examples, he draws a detailed picture of these contracts, creates a tool to categorize them, and evaluates their chances and risks in the light of company, group, and securities law.