Markets/en/Portal:Model/Legal-References:Model

💡 In simple words: This page keeps the real laws that matter for buying and selling on this market. It shows what the law says in different countries, explains it in plain words, and links to the official text so you can check it yourself.

🎯 In 20 seconds (scientific summary): We are heading towards community-curated legal frameworks where markets aggregate jurisdiction-specific statutory provisions with plain-language interpretation, creating distributed legal reference infrastructure. This emerging approach suggests decentralized governance structures can reduce friction in cooperative commerce while maintaining legal rigor through transparent sourcing and timestamp accountability.

Section 4 of the market portal model. Neutral example content: replace with market-specific legal texts when instantiating. Informational only, not legal advice; entries are intended to be reviewed by lawyers.

Legal references

What this section holds

Every market portal keeps its applicable legal texts here, quoted and linked, organized by country and by language. A legal reference is not a link alone: the relevant text is quoted on the page, so that a user can read the actual provision without leaving the portal.

What a legal reference entry contains

1. Official name of the law and article number.
2. The quoted text of the provision (or the relevant excerpt), with its language and a note when the translation is unofficial.
3. A plain-language note: what this means for this market, in two or three sentences.
4. Link to the official source.
5. Date the entry was last checked.

Example entries (Switzerland, general contract law)

The following real provisions of the Swiss Code of Obligations (CO) illustrate the format. They apply to contracts in general; each market adds its own specific provisions.

CO Article 1: conclusion of the contract

"The conclusion of a contract requires a mutual expression of intent by the parties. Such expression of intent may be express or implied." (unofficial English translation; the French, German and Italian texts are authoritative)

Plain-language note: a contract exists as soon as both sides agree, even orally. Writing it down does not create the contract, it proves it and keeps memories honest.

Source: Swiss Code of Obligations (Fedlex, official publication platform) · checked July 2026.

CO Article 11: form of contracts

"The validity of a contract is not subject to compliance with any particular form unless a particular form is prescribed by law." (unofficial English translation)

Plain-language note: most everyday agreements are valid without any special form. Some contract types (for example real estate sales) require notarization or written form; each market portal states whether its contract type is affected.

Source: Fedlex · checked July 2026.

CO Articles 19 and 20: freedom of contract and its limits

"The terms of a contract may be freely determined within the limits of the law" (art. 19); a contract is void "if its terms are impossible, unlawful or immoral" (art. 20, excerpt). (unofficial English translation)

Plain-language note: parties can invent almost any clause, but clauses against mandatory law or basic decency do not hold, whatever was signed.

Source: Fedlex · checked July 2026.

Organization by country and language

• Switzerland (en · fr · de · it): example entries above; each market adds its specific articles.
• Other countries: to be added by the market's community, one subsection per country, same entry format.

Editorial rules

• Quote the text; never paraphrase it as if it were the law.
• Always link the official source, not a commentary site.
• State the checking date; laws change.
• Plain-language notes explain, they do not advise. For advice, see a lawyer.

See also

• Contract model · Contracts in action
• Back to the portal model