Subjects of German Trade Law

The paper examines the concept of Kommersant as the main subject of Trade (Commercial) Law in Germany that, along with Civil Law, regulates private relations with participation of business entities. The Kommersant status is vested with the business person on various legal grounds: By virtue of commercial activity, by virtue of registration in the commercial registry, or by virtue of creation of business organization of a certain legal form. The author has subjected to analysis the legal definition of the concept "Kommersant" given in § 1 of the Trade Code (HGB) of Germany that defines the subject in question as an entity that is engaged in commercial activity and determines the elements of commercial activity applied in the German doctrine and jurisprudence. As a constitutive element of the Kommersant status the author names voluntary registration of the firm forming a business entity in the Trade Registry in accordance with § 5 of the HGB that is applied to handicraftsmen, peasants, farmers. The Kommersant status can be acquired by economic entities in accordance with § 6 of the HGB regardless of the nature of business by choosing a certain organizational and legal form of a trading company. The article outlines commercial companies as a combination of capitals (joint stock company, company limited by shares, European Joint stock company, limited liability company) and association of persons (trading company, limited partnership). The author delineates the concepts of an "entrepreneur" and "Kommersant."

entrepreneur, business activity (trade), elements of commercial activity, registration, Trade Registry, Commercial Law, enterprise, trading companies, pooling of capitals, associations of persons

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