Aktiebolag

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Companies law
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Basic forms:
Sole proprietorship
Partnership (General · Limited · LLP)
Corporation (LLC)
Cooperative
United States:
Business trust LLLP · Series LLC Delaware corporation Nevada corporation
European Economic Area, including European Union:
SE · SCE
United Kingdom / Commonwealth / Ireland:
Limited company (By shares · By guarantee) (Public · Proprietary) Community interest company
Civil law countries:
AB · AG · ANS · A/S · AS
K.K. · N.V. · OY · S.A. · GmbH
Doctrines
Corporate governance
Limited liability · Ultra vires
Business judgment rule
Internal affairs doctrine
De facto corporation and corporation by estoppel
Piercing the corporate veil
Rochdale Principles
Related areas of law
Contract · Civil procedure

Aktiebolag (literally stock company) is the Swedish term for a corporation, i.e. a company that has stocks. When used in company names it is abbreviated AB in Sweden and Ab in Finland.

The Finnish language equivalent is osakeyhtiö, or Oy. The German and Norwegian equivalents would be Aktiengesellschaft (AG) and Aksjeselskap (AS), respectively, which is literally a translation of the Swedish term (or vice versa); the British would be Limited company (Ltd.); the Americans call it corporation (Inc.).

Companies that are on the Swedish stock markets provide public stock, and their legal name is AB (publ.) in Sweden (although the term "publ." is never used in common trading). This is to differentiate them from companies that do not offer public stock. Even small companies, such as one-person companies, can be structured as stock companies. In Finland, Abp is a company listed on the Helsinki Stock Exchange.

The abbreviation has been so common that it is commonly seen within company names. SAAB (Svenska Aeroplan AB) is one well known example. Others are Abloy (Ab Lås Oy) and Peab etc.de:Aktiengesellschaft (Schweden) pl:Formy prawne przedsiębiorstw w Szwecji sv:Aktiebolag

[edit] See also

Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (GmbH; limited liability company)
Aktieselskab (the corresponding concept in Denmark)
Public limited company (the corresponding concept in the UK and in Ireland)
S. A. (the corresponding concept in France, Spain and other Romance language countries)
Naamloze Vennootschap (the corresponding concept in the Netherlands)
Osakeyhtiö (the corresponding concept in Finland)
Societas Europaea (the corresponding concept for European companies in the European Union)
Limited liability company