FRANCHISE AGREEMENTS UNDER THE LAWS OF ARUBA (II)

Case law regarding termination

It can be concluded from a Netherlands Antilles case regarding failed negotiations for the continuation of a license agreement (franchising) (Antillean Family Foods NV vs Mc Donald’s Corporation, Supreme Court, February 26, 1993, NJ 1993, 289), that under certain circumstances the termination of an agreement may constitute an obligation (to negotiate a renewal of contract or) to pay damages / compensation.

Possible areas of relevance are: the contents of the agreement and the circumstances under which the agreement was entered into; the amount invested by the franchisee and the extent to which the investment was recouped; …
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04
Apr 2009
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Legal

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FRANCHISE AGREEMENTS UNDER THE LAWS OF ARUBA (I)

What are called ‘franchises’ are not seldom mixed type agreements

Franchise agreements are not defined in any Aruban statute and are not subject to any specific Aruban legislation. The franchise agreement is a sui generis agreement, subject to the general law of contracts. Distribution agreements are not subject to any specific Aruban legislation either, and are, as with franchise agreements, also subject to the general law of contracts.

In accordance with the general law of contracts, parties are free, in principle, to agree on whatever they wish. However, certain restrictions are imposed by the general principle of Aruban law that …
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31
Mar 2009
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Legal

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PLC CROSS BORDER LAW FIRM RECOMMENDATIONS

Netherlands Antilles

According to PLC Cross Border (Which lawyer?), Spigthoff Attorneys & Tax Advisers is one of two firms dominating the Netherlands Antilles market for international work, both on- and offshore.

Spigthoff ranks high in corporate / M&A and dispute resolution.

Martijn Welten, who specialises in corporate law, mergers & aquisitions and corporate litigation, is (highly) recommended in the areas of dispute resolution and corporate/M&A. 

Karel Frielink comes recommended in the area of high net-worth private clients. Karel is highly recommended in the areas of …
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16
Mar 2009
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Legal

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TRANSFERS FOR NO CONSIDERATION UNDER THE LAWS OF THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

The law protects creditors

In general the law in the Netherlands Antilles does not prohibit transfers for no consideration. It should however be pointed out that under Netherlands Antilles law, statutory provisions exist which ensure that transactions whose only reason is to disadvantage creditors or make it impossible for them to seek recourse, may not be performed out. For example, Section 3:45, paragraph 1, of the Civil Code states that if, in the performance of a legal act to which he is not obligated, an obligor, knew or ought to have known that this would adversely affect the possibility of …
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31
Jan 2009
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Legal

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THE LAWS OF TORT IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

Unlawful acts and damage

Section 6:162 paragraph 1 Netherlands Antilles Civil Code (NACC) stipulates four conditions for someone’s obligation to compensate damage based on an unlawful act (tort):

  • A person has committed an unlawful act (onrechtmatige daad) against another person (the victim); and
  • the act can be attributed (toegerekend) to that person; and
  • the victim has suffered damage (schade); and
  • the unlawful act has caused these damages (causaal verband).
  • Section 6:163 NACC provides for an exception to the general rule of Section 6:162 NACC: “There is no obligation to repair damage when the violated norm does not have as its …
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    17
    Jan 2009
    CATEGORY

    Legal

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    INDEPENDENT SUPERVISORY BOARD IN THE DUTCH CARIBBEAN

    Should be mandatory for government-owned entities

    Under the laws of the Netherlands Antilles, the main task of a board of supervisory directors is to supervise the board of managing directors of a limited liability company (NV or BV).

    The Corporate Code provides for two different kinds of boards of supervisory directors, a “regular” board of supervisory directors and the so-called “independent” board of supervisory directors (Section 2:139 Netherlands Antilles Civil Code). Within this context the word independent means that the supervisory directors are independent of the shareholders, interest groups (“belangengroepen”) and to a certain extent from the shareholders’ meeting.

    An …
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    07
    Jan 2009
    CATEGORY

    Corporate

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    WHO OWNS THE MOON?

    No one does actually

    You may have heard about people selling parts of the moon: they claim that you can become co-owner of moon lots for about US$ 40 per acre.

    However, in my opinion, the moon belongs to no one, period! No state or government can claim ownership and neither can an individual. To state that it is mankind’s heritage and that ‘mankind’ could claim ownership is ridiculous and even arrogant: it would be a kind of colonialism. The same applies to other celestial bodies and, in fact, to the whole universe.

    On the other hand, …
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    06
    Jun 2008
    CATEGORY

    Legal

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