In law, a company refers to a legal entity formed which has a separate legal identity from its members, and is ordinarily incorporated to undertake commercial business. Although some jurisdictions refer to unincorporated entities as companies, in most jurisdictions the term refers only to incorporated entities. It has been judicially remarked that "the word company has no strictly legal meaning",Re Stanley ^* 1 Ch 131 at 134 but is taken to mean a specific form of entity created under the laws of the relevant jurisdiction. Because of the limited liability of the members of the company for the company's debts and the separate personality and tax treatment of the company, it has become the most popular form of business vehicle in most countries in the world.

Lacking a concise definition of their own, companies are often defined by reference to what they are not. Companies are separate and distinct from:

• sole traders
• partnerships
• trusts, although conceptually trustees managing a trust fund for the benefit of beneficiaries is in many ways similar to the directors managing the company's assets for the benefit of the shareholders.
• guilds
• unincorporated associations of persons, or clubs

Modern companies are generally formed for one of three purposes:

• non-profit companies, formed for social, charitable or quasi-charitable purposes to provide the sponsors with the benefit of limited liability and to form an administratively convenient mechanisms for the administration of the organization.
• small business companies, usually formed by either sole traders or partners to take advantage of limited liability and (sometimes) as a means of tax avoidance, whilst still retaining overall control in the hands of the founders.
• public investment companies, formed to enable members of the public to invest in a business or enterprise without actually becoming involved in the running of it (which is left to the board of directors).

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NYT > Technology

Industry Rethinks Moneymaking Software Practice
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:00:32 -0000
Before they ship PCs to retailers like Best Buy, computer makers get paid hundreds of millions of dollars to load them up with lots of free software. For $30, Best Buy will get rid of it for you.
Basics: For the Advanced in Age, Easy-to-Use Technology
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:17:29 -0000
The companies that are successfully marketing new technologies to older people are the ones that have learned to create products that span generations, providing style and utility to a range of age groups.
Phone Smart: Freeing Those Snapshots Trapped Inside the Cellphone
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:18:19 -0000
Carriers and device manufacturers have only lately figured out that users need a single button that says, “Send my new photo now.”
A U.S.B. Cable for Splitting Screens and Sharing Files Between Two Computers
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:24:58 -0000
Iogear’s new U.S.B. Laptop K.V.M. Switch, a double-ended cable that connects two Windows PCs or laptops together, lets you use one PC to control the other and even drag files between the machines.
A Mouse to Aid Warriors in Their Arena of Choice
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 05:23:21 -0000
Made with the needs of videogame fans in mind, the Avatar mouse from NZXT comes with seven programmable buttons that can be custom-configured for different types of games.
Give Yourself or Others a New Look, Digitally
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 04:47:47 -0000
Combining a graphics tablet with a built-in camera and a computer-based set of creativity tools, Stylin’ Studio is the latest thing in face-editing technology.

NerdTV | PBS

NerdTV #13: Judy Estrin
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
Judy Estrin's career ranges from founder of Bridge Communications to CTO of Cisco to running Packet Design LLC. Quite the girl geek, eh?Download video:Entire Show:MPEG-4 | TorrentNerdy Bit:MPEG-4 | TorrentJuicy Bit:MPEG-4 | TorrentDownload subtitled video:Entire Show:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesNerdy Bit:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesJuicy Bit:With Subtitles | Torrent w/ SubtitlesDownload audio:Entire Show:MP3 | TorrentAAC | TorrentOgg Vorbis | Torrent
NerdTV #13: Judy Estrin - Transcript
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
For those who would rather read than watch or listen.
NerdTV Archives
Mon, 10 Apr 2006 12:00:00 -0700
Miss a past show? Check out our archives.Past guests include:#12: Bob KahnInventor of TCP/IP.#11: Doug EngelbartComputer mouse inventor.#10: Dan BricklinInventor of the Spreadsheet#9: AninaHigh Fashion Meets High Tech#8: Avram MillerCo-founder of Intel Capital#7: Dan DrakeCo-founder of Autodesk#6: Dave WinerFather of RSS and Web Logging#5: Tim O'ReillyOpen Source pioneer#4: Brewster KahleInternet Archive founder#3: Bill JoyCo-founder of Sun#2: Max LevchinCo-founder of PayPal#1: Andy HertzfeldThe first Macintosh programmer...ever

Reuters: Technology News

Sony CEO thinking over Ericsson joint venture: report
Wed, 27 Aug 2008 18:35:46 -0400
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - Sony's joint venture with cell phone maker Ericsson must do better, Sony's chief executive was quoted as saying by a German newspaper on Wednesday.
Mystery Chinese iPhone worker becomes Internet star
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:40:56 -0400
CANBERRA, (Reuters) - A Chinese factory worker has become an Internet sensation after a picture of her smiling and flashing a peace sign to a co-worker testing an Apple iPhone stayed on the phone that was sold to a man in Britain.
Microsoft releases beta 2 of Internet Explorer 8
Thu, 28 Aug 2008 01:21:03 -0400
SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft Corp released on Wednesday a second test version of Internet Explorer 8, delivering a feature-complete upgrade to the world's most widely used Web browser.

AP Top Technology News At 7:17 p.m. EDT

One small hitch for FAA, one giant mess for fliers
By MICHAEL TARM Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:26:28 -0000
CHICAGO (AP) -- When a computer system that distributes flight plans nationwide came rolling to a halt this week because of a software glitch, so did airplanes on tarmacs from Orlando to Chicago. The ensuing delays drove home just how easily an apparently isolated problem can trigger network-wide disarray in the country's aging air traffic control system....
Consumers picked to test hydrogen car prototypes
By KEN THOMAS Wed, 27 Aug 2008 21:23:06 -0000
WASHINGTON (AP) -- Tom Albert drove his loaner Chevrolet Equinox like any other car....
Microsoft's newest browser may block ads
By JESSICA MINTZ Thu, 28 Aug 2008 06:13:37 -0000
SEATTLE (AP) -- The next version of Microsoft Corp.'s Web browser makes it easier for people to surf the Internet without leaving a trace....

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