Commercial Law in the South Pacific

Book excerpt: This book provides a detailed examination of the core areas of commercial law in common law jurisdictions across a range of South Pacific countries: Cook Islands, Fiji Islands, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Niue, Nauru, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tonga, Tuvalu and Vanuatu. Commerce is an area of central importance to the South Pacific region. Although the countries in question are small it is widely acknowledged that their need to promote and develop commercial enterprise is crucial for their future sustainability. With a focus on case law and legislative provisions in individual jurisdictions, it sets out the framework of legal principles that regulate commercial activity within the South Pacific region, highlighting the common patterns and principal differences between countries of the region. It includes a discussion of PACER Plus, post-Cotonou discussions and the EU-OACPS Partnership Agreement as well as key amendments and challenges to commercial law in the region. It explores the legal structures of commerce, control and management of commercial entities, banking and transactions and termination. Importantly, the book has two new chapters, on digital currency and e-commerce in the South Pacific, reflecting the increasing use of technology in financial and commercial transactions. Offering a detailed analysis of the legal principles that regulate commercial activity within the South Pacific region, this book will be a useful resource for students, academics and practitioners working on commercial law in the South Pacific region.