1. COMMERCIAL LAW Dr. Özlem Döğerlioğlu Işıksungur
Yaşar University Commercial Law Lecture Notes Spring

2. Commerce Different definitions from the point of economy and law
ECONOMY: Introduction of goods to the market + distribution (not production)
Interchange of goods in consideration of goods or services
LAW: Broad definition
Interchange of goods and services + distibution +production

3. Commercial Law
Shortly, it is a branch of law that covers commercial activities concerning production, interchange and consumption.
In the public- private law distinction, it takes place in private law

4. Economic Law- Commercial Law
Economic law: The main purpose is regulation and managementof economic life
(not protection of indivuduals or groups that participate the economic activities)
Searches whether the contract shall have affirmative results on the whole economy and the market conditions (not the equilibrium between rights and obligations of the parties)

5. The Systems Concerning the Regulation of subject and scope of Commercial Law
There are four systems
Subjective System (Merchant)
Objektive System (Commercial Transction)
Modern System (Commercial Enterprise)
Mixed System
Kaynak:Sami Karahan, Ticari İşletme Hukuku 2011

6. Regulation of Turkish Commercial Law
Historical Development
Sources of Turkish Commercial Law
Application of Turkish Commercial Law Sources

7. Sources of Turkish Commercial Law
What are the commercial principles?
Where we can find the commercial rules?
Enumeration of the commercial rules that will apply to the commercial transactions and disputes

8. Sources of Turkish Commercial Law
Primary Sources
Commercial Provisions
Trade Customs and Usages
General Provisions
Complementary Sources
Court Decisions
Doctrine

9. Sources of Turkish Commercial Law- Primary Sources
Commercial Provisions
Provisions in the Commercial Code (whether it is related with commercial enterprise or not is not importance)
Written special provisions in the other Codes concerning any transaction and activity related to commercial enterprise (Eg. Civil Code, Code of Obligations)

10. Sources of Turkish Commercial Law- Primary Sources
B. Trade Customs and Usages
Unwritten commercial law rules. It is accepted that in the commercial life everybody must obey these rules
On its own initiative application
The elements of Trade Customs and Usages:
Objective elements: Continuity
Psychological elements: General Belief
Legal elements: Sanction (legal)

11. Sources of Turkish Commercial Law- Primary Sources
Difference between commercial practice (ticarî teamül) & commercial customs and usage
Elements: Objective element+ Pyschological element BUT no sanction(legal)
QUESTION: To whom we can apply the commercial customs and usage?
NTCC Article 2/3
commercial customs and usage are applicable to merchants
commercial customs and usage are applicable to people who are not merchant on condition that they are known by them or they should be known by them
Burden of proof belongs to claimant

12. Sources of Turkish Commercial Law- Primary Sources
C. General Provisions
In other words noncommercial provisions of Civil Code and Code of Obligation
IMPORTANT: Commercial Code is part and parcel of Turkish Civil Code (Article 1 of NTCC)
Article 1 of Civil Code
Application and sources of law
“ The law must be applied in all cases which come within the letter or spirit of any of provisions.
Where there exists no applicable provision of law, the judge shall decide according to customary law and, in default thereof, according to the rules that he would lay down if he himself had to act as legislator
In rendering his decisions, the judge benefits from legal opinions and case law”

13. Sources of Turkish Commercial Law- Complementary Sources
A- Court Decisions:
Application and interpretation of legal provisions
Filling the gaps
Local Court takes into consideration Court of Appeal Decisions, (as precedents concerning the same subjects)
Unified decisions of Supreme courts are binding for judges.

14. Sources of Turkish Commercial Law- Complementary Sources
B- Doctrine

15. Orders of Application of Commercial Law Sources
Statutory provisions
Contracts
Regulatory provisions
Commercial customs and usage
General provisions
Judge’s competence to act as legislator

16. Orders of Application of Commercial Law Sources-Contracts
Freedom to contract
NTOC m (TOC 19-20)

17. Orders of Application of Commercial Law Sources
A- Statutory provisions (Emredici hükümler)
It is not important whether it is commercial or not, at first, statutory provisions will be applied.
A provision is statutory
When legislatior mentions in the provision that contracts contrary to provision concerned is forbidden
(Article 232 of NTCC General partnership... Any contract contrary to this article is unvalid from the point of third parties)
the language of the article uses words that shows “necessity and certanity” (NTCC Article 18 “ Merchants are obliged to )
Any article related to the validity of the legal transaction (Article 20 of NTCC)
Any article concerning form requirement(Article 212 of NTCC- written form)
Any article concerning public order
IMPORTANT: Any article contrary to statutory provisions are