Quote:
Originally Posted by emellaich
2) A corporation is not a person.
|
Except when
it is.
Quote:
|
Despite not being natural persons, corporations are recognized by the law to have rights and responsibilities like natural persons ("people"). Corporations can exercise human rights against real individuals and the state, and they are often responsible for human rights violations. Just as they are "born" into existence through its members obtaining a certificate of incorporation, they can "die" when they are "dissolved" either by statutory operation, order of court, or voluntary action on the part of shareholders. Insolvency may result in a form of corporate 'death', when creditors force the liquidation and dissolution of the corporation under court order, but it most often results in a restructuring of corporate holdings. Corporations can even be convicted of criminal offences, such as fraud and manslaughter.
|
and, in the US specifically,
Quote:
|
Once incorporated, the corporation has artificial personhood everywhere it may operate, until such time as the corporation may be dissolved.
|
And to stay on topic, the price of the Grapes of Wrath has less to do with Amazon and more to do (as others have said) with the publishers, and Mr. Steinbeck's estate. They own the material, so you can't really fault them for wanting to protect (and capitalise on) his legacy.