Law in the Business World

Commercial Law encompasses the development and regulation of all activities that relate to the business world.

If you take a look at your own life, there are many things that you encounter every day that are regulated by Commercial Law: the company you work for; your employment contract; the taxes that you pay; and even your rights as a consumer.

And yet, Commercial Law is even wider than this – it also includes areas that may not necessarily impact on you directly, such as laws regulating the impact that any business venture may have on the environment, protecting intellectual property (copyright, trademark and patents) and even regulating international trade.

Many South Africans have heard of Labour Law, i.e. the system of rules and other regulations that regulates the work environment and your rights and responsibilities as an employee. You will be quite familiar with the Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 2002 (Act No 12 of 2002), which regulates among others leave and work hours, as well as the Employment Equity Act, 1998 (Act No 55 of 1998), which aims to prevent unfair discrimination and advance affirmative action. Others include the Occupational Health and Safety Act, 1993 (Act No 85 of 1993) and the Employment Services Act, 2014 (Act No 4 of 2014).