No South Carolina business owner wants to find themselves in a commercial business dispute. A dispute brings the possibility of a lawsuit, thousands of dollars in legal fees and loss of the business. Some situations are more likely than others to cause a dispute.
Inadequate research
Businesses work with investors and other business owners all the time. These partnerships are usually beneficial to everyone involved. However, some disputes between businesses result from failing to perform the proper due diligence.
The purpose of due diligence is to research and assess the potential risks and benefits of a situation. It allows a business owner to make an informed decision before entering a business partnership or collaboration. Failure to perform adequate due diligence can lead to financial loss, commercial disputes, and more problems.
Bad products
A business might need products from another company to stay in operation. A business dispute can develop if there’s a problem with the supplied products.
For example, say that a restaurant gets its meat from a particular supplier. Because of a bad batch of meat, some of the restaurant’s customers got food poisoning. As a result, a dispute developed between the restaurant and the meat supplier.
Failure to meet obligations
A business is legally responsible for its operations, products, services, decisions and actions. Failure in these areas can lead to a dispute with another business.
Copyright infringement
A business could mistakenly commit copyright infringement. Examples include using a logo, written work, photograph or song without permission from the copyright owner.
Payment
Business disputes often concern money. A business might refuse to pay an invoice for whatever reason. Or perhaps there’s an accounting mistake causing payments to get overlooked.
International trade
A commercial dispute can develop between businesses from different countries. Differences in contract laws, trade laws and cross-border transactions could lead to disagreements.
There are risks associated with being a business owner. However, with careful planning and due diligence, you can reduce the possibility of a business dispute.