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Medverkanspliktens utveckling i samverkansavtal mellan näringsidkare - Framväxten av en aktiv medverkansplikt till fördel för parter i beroendeställning

Vujasinovic Trygg, Mira LU (2025) LAGF03 20252
Department of Law
Faculty of Law
Abstract
In recent years, the issue of loyalty and cooperation in contractual relationships between business operators has gained increased significance in Swedish contract law. As the duty of loyalty has been strengthened in legal practice, the obligations deriving from it, such as the duty to cooperate, have also assumed a more prominent role. For a long time, the duty to cooperate was characterised by vagueness and a lack of clear definition. Case law offered limited guidance regarding its application and scope. However, recent developments in legal practice have provided the duty with a clearer and more comprehensive content.

The focus of this thesis is the development of the duty to cooperate in cooperation agreements between business... (More)
In recent years, the issue of loyalty and cooperation in contractual relationships between business operators has gained increased significance in Swedish contract law. As the duty of loyalty has been strengthened in legal practice, the obligations deriving from it, such as the duty to cooperate, have also assumed a more prominent role. For a long time, the duty to cooperate was characterised by vagueness and a lack of clear definition. Case law offered limited guidance regarding its application and scope. However, recent developments in legal practice have provided the duty with a clearer and more comprehensive content.

The focus of this thesis is the development of the duty to cooperate in cooperation agreements between business operators. To clarify this development, prior law is compared with more recent case law, enabling a discussion of how court decisions have influenced the legal landscape. According to prior law, the duty to cooperate was mainly regarded as a passive obligation. Against this background, particular emphasis is placed on clarifying the emergence of an active duty to cooperate, as recent case law indicates such a development. Furthermore, case law has highlighted that the existence of a dependency relationship between the parties is a significant factor in assessing the role of the duty to cooperate in questions of loyalty. Using a legal dogmatic method, case law and legal doctrine are analysed to clarify the current status of the duty to cooperate in Swedish law.

The thesis demonstrates that the duty to cooperate has evolved from being primarily a passive obligation to also encompass an active duty to promote the fulfilment of the contract. Especially in agreements characterised by economic or structural dependency between the parties, the requirements for active cooperation have increased. The stronger party is thereby assigned greater responsibility to ensure that the contract is fulfilled in accordance with its purpose. Overall, the essay contributes to the understanding of how the duty to cooperate has developed in Swedish law and highlights how dependency relationships affect its scope in contractual relationships. (Less)
Abstract (Swedish)
Frågan om lojalitet och samverkan i avtalsförhållanden mellan näringsidkare har under senare år fått ökad betydelse i svensk avtalsrätt. I takt med att lojalitetsplikten stärkts i rättstillämpningen har även de plikter som följer därav, såsom medverkansplikten, fått en mer framträdande roll. Medverkansplikten präglades under lång tid av oklarhet och bristande definition. Det saknades närmare vägledning kring dess tillämpning och omfattning i rättspraxis. På senare tid har dock rättspraxis utvecklats och gett plikten ett tydligare och mer omfattande innehåll.

Denna uppsats undersöker medverkanspliktens utveckling i samverkansavtal mellan näringsidkare. För att belysa utvecklingen jämförs tidigare gällande rätt med senare tids praxis,... (More)
Frågan om lojalitet och samverkan i avtalsförhållanden mellan näringsidkare har under senare år fått ökad betydelse i svensk avtalsrätt. I takt med att lojalitetsplikten stärkts i rättstillämpningen har även de plikter som följer därav, såsom medverkansplikten, fått en mer framträdande roll. Medverkansplikten präglades under lång tid av oklarhet och bristande definition. Det saknades närmare vägledning kring dess tillämpning och omfattning i rättspraxis. På senare tid har dock rättspraxis utvecklats och gett plikten ett tydligare och mer omfattande innehåll.

Denna uppsats undersöker medverkanspliktens utveckling i samverkansavtal mellan näringsidkare. För att belysa utvecklingen jämförs tidigare gällande rätt med senare tids praxis, vilket möjliggör en diskussion om hur domstolarnas avgöranden har påverkat rättsläget. Medverkansplikten har enligt äldre rätt huvudsakligen betraktats som en passiv skyldighet. Mot denna bakgrund läggs särskild vikt vid att klarlägga framväxten av en aktiv medverkansplikt, då senare praxis indikerar en sådan utveckling. Vidare har det i praxis uppmärksammats att beroendeställning mellan parterna är en betydelsefull faktor vid bedömningen av medverkanspliktens roll i lojalitetsfrågor. Genom en rättsdogmatisk metod analyseras rättspraxis och doktrin för att klarlägga medverkanspliktens nuvarande ställning i svensk rätt.

Uppsatsen visar att medverkansplikten har utvecklats från att vara en huvudsakligen passiv skyldighet till att numera omfatta en aktiv förpliktelse att främja avtalets fullgörelse. I avtal där det råder ett ekonomiskt eller strukturellt beroendeförhållande mellan parterna har kraven på aktiv medverkan skärpts särskilt. Den starkare parten åläggs därmed ett större ansvar att säkerställa att avtalet uppfylls i enlighet med dess syfte. Sammantaget bidrar uppsatsen till förståelsen av hur medverkansplikten utvecklats i svensk rätt och belyser hur beroendeställning påverkar dess omfattning i avtalsförhållanden. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Vujasinovic Trygg, Mira LU
supervisor
organization
course
LAGF03 20252
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
Medverkansplikt, lojalitetsplikt, avtalsrätt
language
Swedish
id
9216949
date added to LUP
2026-02-09 15:52:56
date last changed
2026-02-09 15:52:56
@misc{9216949,
  abstract     = {{In recent years, the issue of loyalty and cooperation in contractual relationships between business operators has gained increased significance in Swedish contract law. As the duty of loyalty has been strengthened in legal practice, the obligations deriving from it, such as the duty to cooperate, have also assumed a more prominent role. For a long time, the duty to cooperate was characterised by vagueness and a lack of clear definition. Case law offered limited guidance regarding its application and scope. However, recent developments in legal practice have provided the duty with a clearer and more comprehensive content.

The focus of this thesis is the development of the duty to cooperate in cooperation agreements between business operators. To clarify this development, prior law is compared with more recent case law, enabling a discussion of how court decisions have influenced the legal landscape. According to prior law, the duty to cooperate was mainly regarded as a passive obligation. Against this background, particular emphasis is placed on clarifying the emergence of an active duty to cooperate, as recent case law indicates such a development. Furthermore, case law has highlighted that the existence of a dependency relationship between the parties is a significant factor in assessing the role of the duty to cooperate in questions of loyalty. Using a legal dogmatic method, case law and legal doctrine are analysed to clarify the current status of the duty to cooperate in Swedish law.

The thesis demonstrates that the duty to cooperate has evolved from being primarily a passive obligation to also encompass an active duty to promote the fulfilment of the contract. Especially in agreements characterised by economic or structural dependency between the parties, the requirements for active cooperation have increased. The stronger party is thereby assigned greater responsibility to ensure that the contract is fulfilled in accordance with its purpose. Overall, the essay contributes to the understanding of how the duty to cooperate has developed in Swedish law and highlights how dependency relationships affect its scope in contractual relationships.}},
  author       = {{Vujasinovic Trygg, Mira}},
  language     = {{swe}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{Medverkanspliktens utveckling i samverkansavtal mellan näringsidkare - Framväxten av en aktiv medverkansplikt till fördel för parter i beroendeställning}},
  year         = {{2025}},
}