• Current through October 23, 2012

(1) A warehouse receipt, bill of lading or other document of title is negotiable:

(a) If by its terms the goods are to be delivered to bearer or to the order of a named person; or

(b) Where recognized in overseas trade, if it runs to a named person or assigns.

(2) Any other document is non-negotiable. A bill of lading in which it is stated that the goods are consigned to a named person is not made negotiable by a provision that the goods are to be delivered only against a written order signed by the same or another named person.

(Dec. 30, 1963, 77 Stat. 719, Pub. L. 88-243, § 1.)

HISTORICAL AND STATUTORY NOTES

UNIFORM COMMERCIAL CODE COMMENT

Prior Uniform Statutory Provision

Sections 27 and 76, Uniform Sales Act; Sections 2, 3, 4, 5 and 59, Uniform Warehouse Receipts Act; Sections 2, 3, 4, 5 and 53, Uniform Bills of Lading Act.

Changes

Consolidated and rewritten.

Purposes of Changes

This Article deals with a class of commercial paper representing commodities in storage or transportation. This "commodity paper" is to be distinguished from what might be called "money paper" dealt with in the Article of this Act on Commercial Paper (Article 3) and "investment paper" dealt with in the Article of this Act on Investment Securities (Article 8). The class of "commodity paper" is designated "document of title" following the terminology of the Uniform Sales Act Section 76. Section 1-201. The distinctions between negotiable and nonnegotiable documents in this section makes the most important subclassification employed in the Article, in that the holder of negotiable documents may acquire more rights than his transferor had (See Section 7- 502).

A document of title is negotiable only if it satisfies this section.   "Deliverable on proper indorsement and surrender of this receipt" will not render a document negotiable.  Bailees often include such provisions as a means of insuring return of non-negotiable receipts for record purposes.  Such language may be regarded as insistence by the bailee upon a particular kind of receipt in connection with delivery of the goods.  Subsections (1)(a) and (2) make it clear that a document is not negotiable which provides for delivery to order or bearer only if written instructions to that effect are given by a named person.

Cross Reference

Section 7-502.

Definitional Cross References

"Bearer". Section 1-201.

"Bill of lading". Section 1-201.

"Delivery". Section 1-201.

"Document of title". Section 1-201.

"Overseas". Section 2-323.

"Person". Section 1-201.

"Warehouse receipt". Section 1-201.

Prior Codifications

1981 Ed., § 28:7-104.

1973 Ed., § 28:7-104.