Midterm Flashcards
Accountants are subject to three main types of liability under contract law:
Negligence
Breach of Contract
Fraud
An Accountant is liable for negligence if
Accountant failed to exercise care of a competent, reasonable professional that causes loss/injury to client.
GAAP & GAAS when it comes to negligence
They are minimum duty of care standards
Accountant steps to avoid potential liability of negligence:
Qualified opinion
Disclaimer (must be specific)
If unaudited, must be clearly marked
Actual Fraud
Intended Fraud
Constructive Fraud
Unintended Fraud
Three approaches to third-party liability:
Privity
Restatement
Reasonably Foreseeable users
Privity
Accountant Friendly, minority
Very narrow group may hold accountant liable: Third parties in privity of contract (known purpose, known party, and accountant must agree)
Restatement
In the middle, majority
Third parties who were known recipients or in a class of known recipients of accountant’s work
Reasonably Foreseeable Users
Not Accountant Friendly, minority
Anyone can sue the accountant as long as they are reasonably foreseen
Working papers
Various documents used and developed during audit. Accountant is legal owner, but client may access at any time.
Accountant-client privilege existing
Does not exist under federal law, but some states have found that there is a limited version.
Attorney-client privilege & Accountants
Accountants can be used for the purpose of seeking help, must keep information confidential.
Securities Act of 1933 Section 11
Accountants are liable to security purchasers for misstatements and omissions of material facts made in statements filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)
Don’t have to prove you relied on this
Securities Act of 1933 Section 15
Extends liability to controlling persons when a Section 11 violation occurs (Ex. Corporate Directors)
Don’t need involvement
Defenses to 1933 Act Liability
Must at least live up to GAAP and GAAS and provide evidence of due diligence.
Securities Exchange Act of 1934 Section 18
Accounts liable for fraudulent statements made in documents filed with the SEC. Must show the fraud.
Defenses to Section 18 of Securities Exchange Act of 1934:
Accountant’s good faith is a defense
Good faith is disproven by:
-Scienter (Accountant acted knowingly illegally)
-Reckless Conduct
-Gross negligence
Private Securities Litigation Reform Act (PSLRA) of 1995
Requires accountants to use adequate procedures when performing audits to detect any illegal acts of the company being audited.
If accountant stays silent, they’re aiding & abetting
Aiding & Abetting
Helping with a crime
Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002
Created the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) to limit fraud
Dodd-Frank Act of 2010
Creates Financial Stability Oversight Board with powers to monitor various financial proposals and their accounting methods
Amends and strengthens Sarbanes-Oxley Act.
How to prove fraud
-Accountant misrepresented a material fact
-Accountant acted with intent to deceive
-Client justifiably relied on the misrepresentation
-Client suffered an injury by relying on the fraudulent information
Intellectual Property
Property that results from one’s mind and creative efforts, rather than physical efforts.
Trademark
A distinctive nonfunctional mark, word, design, picture, or arrangement used by a producer in conjunction with a product that tends to cause a consumer to identify the product with the producer. Ex. McDonals Gold Arches
Trademark process
Trademarks must be registered with U.S. Patent and Trademark Office to be protected in interstate use.
Remedies for trademark infringement:
Money damages
Injunction
Service Mark
Mark used in conjunction with a service
Product trademark
Mark affixed to a goods, its packaging, or its labeling
*Collective Mark
Mark identifying producers as belonging to a larger group (Ex. Trade Union)
Certification Mark
Mark licensed by a group
*USPTO Trademark Registration
*Registrant summits drawing and evidence on first use
PTO Registers unless mark is generic, descriptive, immoral, deceptive, disparaging, etc.
*Color as a Trademark
Supreme Court in 1995
Color can act as a symbol that has developed secondary meaning (customers identify Qualitex’s green color) and identifies the product’s source
Preliminary Injunction
Order the poser to stop copying during court process. Must demonstrate you will win and you’re the good guy.
*Does economic power matter of either brand in a trademark case?
Economic power DOESN’T MATTER
Trade Dress
A product’s overall appearance and image
*Trade Dress Protections
Same protection as a trademark
Must prove three things to win a trade dress infringement claim:
-Trade dress is primarily nonfunctional
-Trade dress is inherently distinctive or has acquired a (recognized) secondary meaning
-Alleged infringement creates a likelihood of confusion
*Relationship between Trademark dilution and Trademark Infringement
They are NOT THE SAME
Dilution additionally requires that the mark be famous and does not require a showing of consumer confusion.