BUSINESS AND COMMERCE CODE TITLE 1. UNIFORM ... - Texas

1 BUSINESS AND COMMERCE CODETITLE 1. UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODECHAPTER 1. GENERAL PROVISIONSSUBCHAPTER A. GENERAL PROVISIONSSec. SHORT TITLES. (a) This TITLE may be cited as theUniform Commercial Code.(b) This chapter may be cited as UNIFORM Commercial Code--General Provisions. Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 542, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Sec. SCOPE OF CHAPTER. This chapter applies to atransaction to the extent that it is governed by another chapter ofthis TITLE . Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 542, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Sec. CONSTRUCTION OF TITLE TO PROMOTE ITS PURPOSES ANDPOLICIES; APPLICABILITY OF SUPPLEMENTAL PRINCIPLES OF LAW.

2 (a)This TITLE must be liberally construed and applied to promote itsunderlying purposes and policies, which are:(1) to simplify, clarify and modernize the law governingcommercial transactions;(2) to permit the continued expansion of commercialpractices through custom, usage and agreement of the parties; and(3) to make UNIFORM the law among the variousjurisdictions.(b) Unless displaced by the particular provisions of thistitle, the principles of law and equity, including the law merchantand the law relative to capacity to contract, principal and agent,estoppel, fraud, misrepresentation, duress, coercion, mistake, bankruptcy , or other validating or invalidating cause shallsupplement its provisions.

3 Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 542, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Sec. CONSTRUCTION AGAINST IMPLIED REPEAL. This titlebeing a general act intended as a unified coverage of its subjectStatute text rendered on: 1/1/2022- 1 -matter, no part of it shall be deemed to be impliedly repealed bysubsequent legislation if such construction can reasonably beavoided. Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 542, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Sec. SEVERABILITY. If any provision or clause of thistitle or its application to any person or circumstance is heldinvalid, the invalidity does not affect other provisions orapplications of this TITLE which can be given effect without theinvalid provision or application, and to this end the provisions ofthis TITLE are severable.

4 Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 542, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Sec. USE OF SINGULAR AND PLURAL; GENDER. In thistitle, unless the statutory context otherwise requires:(1) words in the singular number include the plural, andthose in the plural include the singular; and(2) words of any gender also refer to any other gender. Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 542, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Sec. SECTION CAPTIONS. Section captions are parts ofthis TITLE . Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 542, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, 2003. Sec. RELATION TO ELECTRONIC SIGNATURES IN GLOBAL ANDNATIONAL COMMERCE ACT.

5 This TITLE modifies, limits, and supersedesthe federal Electronic Signatures in Global and National COMMERCE Act(15 Section 7001 et seq.) but does not modify, limit, orsupersede Section 101(c) of that Act (15 Section 7001(c)) orauthorize electronic delivery of any of the notices described inSection 103(b) of that Act (15 Section 7003(b)). Amended by Acts 2003, 78th Leg., ch. 542, Sec. 1, eff. Sept. 1, AND COMMERCE CODES tatute text rendered on: 1/1/2022- 2 - SUBCHAPTER B. GENERAL DEFINITIONS AND PRINCIPLES OF INTERPRETATIONSec. GENERAL DEFINITIONS. (a) Unless the contextotherwise requires, words or phrases defined in this section, or inthe additional definitions contained in other chapters of this titlethat apply to particular chapters or parts thereof, have the meaningsstated.

6 (b) Subject to definitions contained in other chapters of thistitle that apply to particular chapters or parts thereof:(1) "Action," in the sense of a judicial proceeding,includes recoupment, counterclaim, set-off, suit in equity, and anyother proceeding in which rights are determined.(2) "Aggrieved party" means a party entitled to pursue aremedy.(3) "Agreement," as distinguished from "contract," meansthe bargain of the parties in fact, as found in their language orinferred from other circumstances, including course of performance,course of dealing, or usage of trade as provided in Section (4) "Bank" means a person engaged in the BUSINESS ofbanking and includes a savings bank, savings and loan association,credit union, and trust company.

7 (5) "Bearer" means a person in control of a negotiableelectronic document of TITLE or a person in possession of anegotiable instrument, a negotiable tangible document of TITLE , or acertificated security that is payable to bearer or indorsed in blank.(6) "Bill of lading" means a document of TITLE evidencingthe receipt of goods for shipment issued by a person engaged in thebusiness of directly or indirectly transporting or forwarding term does not include a warehouse receipt.(7) "Branch" includes a separately incorporated foreignbranch of a bank.(8) "Burden of establishing" a fact means the burden ofpersuading the trier of fact that the existence of the fact is moreprobable than its nonexistence.

8 (9) "Buyer in ordinary course of BUSINESS " means a personthat buys goods in good faith, without knowledge that the saleviolates the rights of another person in the goods, and in theordinary course from a person, other than a pawnbroker, in thebusiness of selling goods of that kind. A person buys goods in theBUSINESS AND COMMERCE CODES tatute text rendered on: 1/1/2022- 3 -ordinary course if the sale to the person comports with the usual orcustomary practices in the kind of BUSINESS in which the seller isengaged or with the seller's own usual or customary practices. Aperson that sells oil, gas, or other minerals at the wellhead orminehead is a person in the BUSINESS of selling goods of that buyer in ordinary course of BUSINESS may buy for cash, by exchangeof other property, or on secured or unsecured credit, and may acquiregoods or documents of TITLE under a preexisting contract for a buyer that takes possession of the goods or has a right torecover the goods from the seller under Chapter 2 may be a buyer inordinary course of BUSINESS .

9 "Buyer in ordinary course of BUSINESS "does not include a person that acquires goods in a transfer in bulkor as security for or in total or partial satisfaction of a moneydebt.(10) "Conspicuous," with reference to a term, means sowritten, displayed, or presented that a reasonable person againstwhich it is to operate ought to have noticed it. Whether a term is"conspicuous" or not is a decision for the court. Conspicuous termsinclude the following:(A) a heading in capitals equal to or greater in sizethan the surrounding text, or in contrasting type, font, or color tothe surrounding text of the same or lesser size; and(B) language in the body of a record or display inlarger type than the surrounding text, or in contrasting type, font,or color to the surrounding text of the same size, or set off fromsurrounding text of the same size by symbols or other marks that callattention to the language.

10 (11) "Consumer" means an individual who enters into atransaction primarily for personal, family, or household purposes.(12) "Contract," as distinguished from "agreement," meansthe total legal obligation that results from the parties' agreementas determined by this TITLE as supplemented by any other applicablelaws. (13) "Creditor" includes a general creditor, a securedcreditor, a lien creditor and any representative of creditors,including an assignee for the benefit of creditors, a trustee inbankruptcy, a receiver in equity and an executor or administrator ofan insolvent debtor's or assignor's estate.(14) "Defendant" includes a person in the position ofdefendant in a counterclaim, cross-claim, or third-party AND COMMERCE CODES tatute text rendered on: 1/1/2022- 4 -(15) "Delivery," with respect to an electronic document oftitle, means voluntary transfer of control, and with respect to aninstrument, a tangible document of TITLE , or chattel paper, meansvoluntary transfer of possession.