Contratti fornitura USA
Contratti fornitura USA
fluttuazione dei costi delle materie prime clausole di hardship-MAC-MAE.
Presentato alle Imprese Associate di:
Confindustria ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Programma
A. Clausole contrattuali
B. Convenzioni internazionali
Convenzione di Vienna sulla vendita internazionale di beni (CISG)
Unidroit Principles of International Commercial Contracts (c.d. Principi Unidroits)
Clausole contrattuali internazionali
1. Force Majeure clause
2. Hardship clause
3. Material Adverse Change (MAC) o Material Adverse Effect (MAE) clauses
(art. 7.1.7 dei Principi Unidroit, dell’art. 79 CISG)
La Force Majeur consiste sostanzialmente:
1. in un impedimento sopravvenuto ed estraneo alla sfera di controllo della parte;
2. non ragionevolmente prevedibile dalla parte al momento della conclusione del
contratto;
3. di cui non ci si poteva ragionevolmente attendere che la parte prevedesse le conseguenze o che le potesse superare.
Esempio
Force Majeure. No Party shall be liable or responsible to the other Party, nor be deemed to have defaulted under or breached this Agreement, for any failure or delay in fulfilling or performing any term of this Agreement (except for any obligations to make previously owed payments to the other Party hereunder) when and to the extent such failure or delay is caused by or results from acts beyond the impacted Party’s (“Impacted Party”) reasonable control, including, without limitation, the following force majeure events (“Force Majeure Event(s)”) that frustrates the purpose of this Agreement: (a) acts of God; (b) flood, fire, earthquake or explosion; (c) war, invasion, hostilities (whether war is declared or not), terrorist threats or acts, riot or other civil unrest; (d) government order or law; (e) actions, embargoes or blockades in effect on or after the date of this Agreement; (f) action by any governmental authority; (g) national or regional emergency; (h) strikes, labor stoppages or slowdowns or other industrial disturbances; (i) epidemic, pandemic or similar influenza or bacterial infection (which is defined by the United States Center for Disease Control as virulent human influenza or infection that may cause global outbreak, or pandemic, or serious illness); (j) emergency state; (k) shortage of adequate medical supplies and equipment; (l) shortage of power or transportation facilities; and (m) other similar events beyond the reasonable control of the Impacted Party.
Sono state elaborate solo nel 2003, dalla Camera di Commercio Internazionale (ICC)
Disciplinano le ipotesi di eccessiva onerosità sopravvenuta e si applicano nel caso in cui la prestazione di una delle parti diventi troppa onerosa a causa di fatti sopravvenuti alla conclusione del contratto
Presentano una struttura trifasica:
1. Definizione dell’evento di hardship
2. Modalità di accertamento dell’evento di hardship
3. Disciplina delle conseguenze della dichiarazione di hardship
A differenza della forza maggiore che è più ampia e generalizzata, queste trovano applicazione solo in caso di espressa pattuizione.
Esempio
1. After the entry into force of this Agreement, should either Party actually believes that the occurrence of event(s) not herein contemplated by the Parties or that could not reasonably have been taken into account at the time of execution of this Agreement:
i) place an excessive burden on the Joint Venture Company activities, causing material losses and affecting the competitiveness of the Joint Venture Company, and/or
ii) alter substantially the original equilibrium between the risks and benefits originally estimated by the Parties, placing an excessive burden on one of the Parties, and/or
iii) affect the basic assumptions on which Party A and Party B agreed to establish the Joint Venture Company, then such event(s) shall be considered an Hardship Event and the Party affected by such Hardship Event (the Affected Party) may proceed as hereinafter provided for.
2. The Affected Party shall make a request for revision within a reasonable time from the moment it becomes aware of the event and of its effects on the performance of the Agreement. The request shall indicate the grounds on which it is based.
3. The Parties shall then consult one another with a view to revise the Agreement on an equitable basis, in order to ensure that neither Party suffer excessive prejudice.
4. Failing an agreement of the Parties on the revision of this Agreement, and of the relevant Operational Agreements, as the case may be, within <…> (<…>) days from the request referred to in art.2. above, or in the event the entering into force of the modifications agreed between the Parties is prevented by lack of approval from any competent governmental authority, the Affected Party may enforce the provisions of article [· ], by addressing a written Termination Notice to the other Party
Material Adverse Change (MAC) o Material Adverse Effect (MAE) clauses
MAC - “Evento Sfavorevole Rilevante”
Disciplinano l’ipotesi in cui, nel lasso di tempo tra la conclusione del contratto e la sua esecuzione, intervengano eventi che comportano o possano comportare un rilevante pregiudizio all’assetto dell’operazione
MAE - “Effetto Sfavorevole Rilevante”
Riguardano eventi che determinano o siano suscettibili di determinare significativi mutamenti del contesto generale (politico, finanziario, economico, valutario, normativo o di mercato) nel quale il contratto dovrebbe essere eseguito e che abbiano effetti sostanzialmente pregiudizievoli sull’operazione economica.
Permettono a una delle parti, senza incorrere in alcun addebito, di recedere dal contratto prima della sua esecuzione o richiedere la revisione allorché si verifichino gli accadimenti in esse indicati.
Material Adverse Change (MAC) o Material Adverse Effect (MAE) clauses
Esempio
1. The Buyer’s obligation to complete the acquisition of the Target Shares is subject to the satisfaction of the conditions precedent that at the Closing Date no circumstances and events shall have caused a Material Adverse Effect on the business, operations, assets and position (financial, trading or otherwise) of the Target Company.
2. For the purposes thereof a Material Adverse Change shall mean a material adverse impact on the Target Company’s Business provided that Material Adverse Change shall not be deemed to include the impact of any change, circumstance and event occurred after the execution of this Acquisition Agreement and affecting the Target Company, if and when such change, circumstance and event is a consequence of:
(i) changes on matters disclosed to the Buyer in the course of the Due Diligence process, or
(ii) changes in stock markets, exchange rates, commodity prices or other general economic conditions, or
(iii) changes in laws, regulations and accounting principles, or
(iv) changes in laws and regulation affecting the Target Company’s sector of activity, or
(v) changes in accounting principles or
(vi) the occurrence of the Acquisition.
Operazioni Societarie negli USA e Corporate Transparency Act
Presentato alle Imprese Associate di:
Confindustria ▇▇▇▇▇▇
[•] settembre 2023
Programma
• Pianificazione Societaria:
• Sussidiaria USA;
• Joint Ventures;
• Mergers & Acquisitions.
• Focus sulla Pianificazione Legale:
• Insurance;
• Intellectual Property;
• Intracompany Agreements;
• Corporate Transparency Act.
Sede Secondaria/Succursale (Branch)
vs.
Sussidiaria di diritto USA
• Partnership
• General Partnership
• Limited Partnership
• Limited Liability Partnership (LLP)
• Corporation
• C-Corporation
• S-Corporation
• Limited Liability Company (LLC)
• Limited liability veil;
• Governance;
• Segregazione patrimoniale;
• Strutture societarie autonome;
• State registration/qualification;
• Double taxation v. pass-through taxation.
Alfa S.r.l.
Partecipata al 100%
Alfa Corporation
Alfa Corporation
Partecipata al 100% Partecipata al 100%
Alfa Vendite LLC
Alfa Immobiliare LLC
• Product Liability: responsabilità oggettiva del produttore per il danno da prodotto.
• Formalità societarie e capitalizzazione: piercing of the corporate veil.
• Ownership Disclosure: Corporate Transparency Act.
• Sales Representative Agreement;
• Distribution Agreement;
• Consignment Agreement;
• Warehousing Agreement;
• License Agreement;
• Supply Agreements.
• Attenzione agli “Agenti Dipendenti”
• Stabile organizzazione, ai sensi dell’art. 5 della Convenzione Italia -USA sul divieto di doppia imposizione fiscale.
• Per Stabile Organizzazione si intende “una sede fissa di affari in cui
l’impresa esercita in tutto o in parte la sua attività”;
• Indicatori di “Dipendenza”:
• Avere il potere di concludere contratti a nome dell’impresa;
• Assoggettamento della società italiana alla tassazione da parte
dell’Agenzia delle Entrate USA (Internal Revenue Service).
U.S.
Corporation
Partecipata 50% Partecipata 50%
Joint Venture Corp.
U.S.
Corporation
Partecipata 100%
Partecipata 100%
Alfa Corporation
Sussidiaria Americana
Joint Venture LLC
Partecipata 50% Partecipata 50%
• JVs contrattuali v. societarie.
• Rapporti e diritti tra soci.
• Governance.
• Special consent rights.
• Vetoes.
• Deadlocks.
• Exit strategies.
• Put/Call Options.
• Drag/Tag-Along Rights.
• Corporate Transparency Act.
• Mergers:
• Forward;
• Reverse (c.d. «going public» transaction).
• Acquisition:
• Equity (stock; membership interest);
• Asset(s).
• Identificare la struttura acquisitiva migliore:
• Analisi fiscale;
• Liabilities della società target;
• Diritti degli azionisti di minoranza;
• Third-party consents;
• Successor Liability.
• Processo:
• NDA;
• LOI;
• Due Diligence;
• Purchase Agreement;
• Disclosure Schedule;
• Regulatory Filings (CFIUS; HSR; Corporate Transparency Act) and Third- Party Consents;
• Closing;
• Post-Closing Actions.
• Normativa approvata dal Congresso nel 2021.
• Efficace dal 1°gennaio 2024.
• Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN).
• Sister agency dell’IRS.
• Corporate Registration:
• Sistema attuale: su base statale.
• Post-CTA: creazione di un database nazionale di beneficial ownership.
• Goal: andare oltre il corporate veil societario.
• Le c.d. «Reporting Companies» devono fornire:
• Informazioni sugli UBOs.
• Informazioni sugli applicants/incorporators.
• Non-Compliance/False Reporting/Mishandling Data:
• Responsabilità individuale (i.e., personale) per i senior officers.
• Chi è oggetto di reporting:
• Domestic companies (Secretary of State o equivalente).
• Foreign companies (costituite all’estero e registrate in uno Stato USA).
• 23 Esenzioni:
• Industria fortemente regolamentata (e.g., financial institutions, listed on the U.S. stock exchange, insurance).
• «Large operating companies».
• «Inactive entities».
• Dati da fornire:
• Beneficial owners (controllo sostanziale v. controllo di almeno il 25%).
• Eccezioni: minori, custodi, guardians, rappresentanti, intermediari, etc.
• Applicants (controllo diretto sulla costituzione v. aver effettivamente completato il deposito dei documenti organizzativi).
• Per società costituite dopo il 1° gennaio 2024.
• Tempistiche:
• Società esistenti al 1° gennaio 2024:
• Reporting iniziale: 1° gennaio 2025 (1-year grace period).
• Costituite il o successivamente al 1° gennaio 2024:
• Reporting iniziale: entro 30 giorni.
• Aggiornamenti richiesti entro 30 giorni da un cambiamento (e.g., M&A; changes in UBOs – inclusi traslochi).
• Deadlines:
• Nessun reporting annuale o fee annuale.
• Reporting companies devono sviluppare procedure per identificare/monitorare (e quindi aggiornare):
• Cambiamenti nei beneficial owners.
• Cambiamenti nei dati registrati dei beneficial owners.
• Dove finiscono i dati:
• BOSS Database.
• Principio di riservatezza.
• Enforcement:
• IRS (penale).
• FinCEN (civile).
• DOJ.
• Sanzioni:
• Violazioni nel reporting (fino a $10,000, oltre a $500/giorno, oltre a potenziale reclusione fino a 2 anni). Responsabilità individuale.
• Safe harbor (inesattezze correggibili entro 90 giorni).
• Violazioni di disclosure o utilizzo (come sopra con soglie di $250,000, e 5 anni di reclusione).
• Sanzioni più elevate e gravose in caso di «broader financial crime».
Labor & Employment Law in the U.S.: Introductory Notes
Confindustria ▇▇▇▇▇▇
Employment At-Will
• General Rule: Employer and employee have the right to terminate the employment relationship with or without cause or advance notice.
• Limited by:
– Statute
– Contract (Individual v. Collective Bargaining Agreements)
– Other common law/public policy (e.g., retaliatory discharge)
DISCRIMINATION
& RETALIATION
• What is discrimination? Treating an individual or group of individuals differently from others on the basis of a protected trait.
• Retaliation occurs when an employer or labor organization takes an adverse action against a covered individual because he or she engaged in protected activity.
• Adverse action: Action taken to try to keep someone from opposing a discriminatory practice, or from participating in an employment discrimination proceeding (e.g., termination, refusal to hire, denial of promotion).
• Protected activity: (a) Participation in an employment discrimination proceeding or investigation; (b) Opposition to a practice believed to be unlawful discrimination; or (c) Asserting rights under a statute that contains an anti-retaliation provision.
HARASSMENT
• Verbal or physical behavior, the purpose or effect of which is to create an offensive, hostile, or intimidating environment.
• Illegal if based on race, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, sexual orientation or other protected traits.
Two Types of Harassment
• Tangible Job Detriment: Requiring submission to:
• A sexual request, or
• harassing conduct on the basis of an employee’s race, national origin, sex, age, disability, religion, or other protected trait, as a condition of employment or factor in terms of benefits of employment
• Hostile Work Environment: Conduct based on race, sex, age, or other protected characteristic that has purpose or effect of unreasonably interfering with a person’s work performance or creating an intimidating or offensive working environment.
HIRING PROCESS COMPLIANCE
(Avoid and Preventing Employer Liability)
• Contract (Enforceable Promises)
• Treatment
• Length of Employment
• Promotions
• Pay and Benefits
⮚ Hiring managers should avoid binding the company to a promise it never intended to make
• Tort (Wrongs for which $$$ are Awarded)
• Intentional misrepresentation
• Fraudulent misrepresentation
⮚ Making the company liable to pay money because of something said to a candidate that caused them to act to their detriment
• Discrimination
• Failure to hire
• Failure to accommodate
⮚ The absolute need for equal treatment
⮚ Making the company liable under the discrimination laws because of something said or did
• Responding to candidate inquiries
• Know your authority in the interview (what can you say, offer or promise)
• If you don’t know, don’t answer
• Tell candidate that HR can provide information you don’t have
• Don’t puff, only honest truthful responses
• No representations about the future
• Not your job to “sell” until a hiring decision is made
• Hiring Decisions Cannot be Based Upon Legally Protected Characteristics
• Race / Color
• Gender / Marital Status / Sexual Orientation
• National Origin / Citizenship / Ancestry
• Religion
• Age
• Workers’ Compensation
• Union
• Disability
• Others
• Do Not Ask About:
• Workers’ compensation history
• Nature of a disability
• Existence of a disability
• History of illness
• Previous drug use
• Previous or current alcohol abuse
• Relationship with an individual who has a disability
AVOIDING THREE COMMON
MISTAKES MADE BY EMPLOYERS WHEN TERMINATING EMPLOYEES
• Offering an Older Employer a “Retirement” Package.
• Age Discrimination in Employment Act.
• Never mention “retirement.”
• Paying a separating employee something extra without requiring a waiver and release.
• Avoid to contractually obligate the employer to pay severance without conditioning such promise to the execution of a release against the employer.
• Poor drafting of termination letters.
• Include all the legal reasons v. no reasons.
• No need for details.
DRAFTING EMPLOYEE
HANDBOOKS
• Main purpose: reduce potential liability vis-à-vis claims by current or former employees.
• FMLA policies and other policies.
• Equal employment opportunity and harassment policies.
• Express contract disclaimer (to avoid breach of contract claims).
• At-will relationship (except as otherwise altered by certain officers).
• Unilateral right to modify without notice.
• Beware of the use of “shall” and “will”. Courts frequently interpret those as
constituting a binding promise/commitment.
• Avoid invasion of privacy claims (e.g., investigations).
• Acknowledgement forms.
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇ - Commercialista, Senior Partner Iuxteam Bologna
▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ - Avvocato, Associato Iuxteam Bologna
▇▇▇▇▇▇ ▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇▇ - Avvocato, BrianCaveLeighonPaisner, New York – Chicago