Portal:Companies

Chicago Options Associates (COA) is a finance company in Chicago, Illinois, which specializes in trading options and futures contracts. It was founded in 1987 by Oliver R. W. Pergams and Michael E. Davis. In 1994 Davis was its chief executive officer, hiring then-graduate student Jimmy Wales as research director; Wales served in this position until 1998.

The company and Davis were the subject of litigation resulting from a 2007 Illinois Supreme Court decision. In Dowling v. Chicago Options Associates, plaintiff Brian Dowling successfully sued the company (and Davis), winning a judgement of US$817,830.45 from both defendants. Davis tried to shield his assets by transferring funds to a law firm, DLA Piper, which had assisted him in buying a home in Florida. During this representation, Davis paid a retainer of $100,000 to DLA Piper; Dowling maintained that he was owed this money. Although the circuit and appellate courts agreed with Dowling, the Illinois Supreme Court reversed and found with DLA Piper. The Illinois State Bar Association and Chicago Bar Association filed amicus curiae briefs in the case, favoring the law firm's position. This decision by the Illinois Supreme Court was the first time the concept of "advance payment retainer" was recognized in the state, and the court codified its ruling into a 2009 regulation affecting legal practice in Illinois. (Full article...)

A joint-stock company (JSC) is a business entity in which shares of the company's stock can be bought and sold by shareholders. Each shareholder owns company stock in proportion, evidenced by their shares (certificates of ownership). Shareholders are able to transfer their shares to others without any effects to the continued existence of the company.

In modern-day corporate law, the existence of a joint-stock company is often synonymous with incorporation (possession of legal personality separate from shareholders) and limited liability (shareholders are liable for the company's debts only to the value of the money they have invested in the company). Therefore, joint-stock companies are commonly known as corporations or limited companies. (Full article...)

Delrina Corporation was a Canadian software company active from 1988 to 1995. The company was best known for WinFax, a software package which enabled computers equipped with fax modems to transmit copies of documents to standalone fax machines or other similarly equipped computers. It also sold PerForm and FormFlow, electronic form software. Delrina was acquired by the American software firm Symantec in 1995.

Delrina also produced a set of screensavers, including one that resulted in a well-publicized lawsuit for copyright and trademark infringement (Berkeley Systems Inc. v. Delrina). The case set a precedent in American law whereby satiric commercial software products are not subject to the same First Amendment exemptions as parodic cartoons or literature. (Full article...)

Publishers Clearing House (PCH) is an American company founded in 1953 by Harold Mertz. It was originally founded as an alternative to door-to-door magazine subscription sales by offering bulk mail direct marketing of merchandise and periodicals. The company is most widely known for its sweepstakes and prize-based games which were introduced in 1967. From August 2020 to March 2024, it owned the Wide Open Media publications Wide Open Spaces (about outdoors lifestyle), Wide Open Country (about country music), and FanBuzz (about sports).

Their sweepstakes has been subject of legal actions regarding whether consumers were misled about the odds of winning, and whether purchases increased their chances. By 2010, the company had reached settlements with all 50 states, and in 2023 the Federal Trade Commission ordered PCH to overhaul its sweepstakes processes. In April 2025, PCH filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. (Full article...)

• ...that the Bank of Issue in Poland, created by the Nazis to support the Nazi economy, was penetrated by the Polish resistance which used it as a source of falsified documents?
• ...that the 1904 Advance 2 3/4hp motorcycle displayed at the National Motorcycle Museum is thought to be the only complete Advance motorcycle in existence?
• ...that the Great Divide Brewery won a prestigious Great American Beer Festival award less than three months after opening?
• ...that the Phnom Penh Commercial Bank was Cambodia's 23rd bank and the first Japanese-financed bank in the country?
• ...that ships built by the Grangemouth Dockyard Company during World War II included the SS Empire Arthur and the SS Empire Clansman?
• ...that the Boulder Beer Company, the first microbrewery in the U.S. state of Colorado, was founded by two college professors who enjoyed homebrewing?