Handelsgesetzbuch


The Handelsgesetzbuch contains the core of the commercial law in Germany. It regulates the legal relations of merchants and therefore it is also designated as "the special private law for merchants".
The Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB) is only subsidiary applied to merchants beside the HGB.
Beside that the HGB contains the regulations for the Offene Handelsgesellschaft , the Kommanditgesellschaft and the Stille Gesellschaft .
HGB provides regulation to accounting for limited companies.
HGB also has a few penal provisions.

History

Precursor of the Handelsgesetzbuch was the Allgemeines Deutsches Handelsgesetzbuch (ADHGB) of 1861. ADHGB was replaced in the German Empire by the HGB, that was legislated on 10 May 1897. The HGB came into force together with the Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch (BGB) on 1 January 1900.

Content

HGB also contains in the fifth Book the Maritime Trade Law.
The HGB is arranged as follows
:
  1. Book: Merchant class
  2. # Merchants
  3. # Commercial register
  4. # Firm
  5. # annulled
  6. # Procuration and commercial power of attorney
  7. # Merchant assistants and apprentices
  8. # Commercial agent
  9. # Commercial brokers
  10. # Fines
  11. Book: Commercial partnership and dormant partnership
  12. # General partnership
  13. # Limited partnership
  14. # Dormant partnership
  15. Book: Trading books
  16. # Provisions for all merchants
  17. # Supplementary provisions for limited companies and certain commercial partnerships
  18. # Supplementary provisions for registered cooperatives
  19. # Supplementary provisions for companies of certain business branches
  20. # Private rendering of accounts committee, Rendering of accounts advisory board
  21. # Verifying authority for rendering of accounts
  22. Book: Commercial transaction
  23. # General Provisions
  24. # Commercial purchase
  25. # Commission business
  26. # Freight business
  27. # Forwarding agent business
  28. # Storage business
  29. Book: Maritime trade
  30. # Persons involved in shipping
  31. # Transport contracts
  32. # Charter contracts for ships
  33. # Ship’s emergencies
  34. # Maritime lienor
  35. # Statutory limitation period
  36. # General limitation of liability
  37. # Procedural Rules