# Companies

For companies, there are the following descriptions of company:

* private company limited by shares
* private company limited by guarantee
* public limited company ("plc")
* unlimited company
* private company limited by shares and by guarantee [deprecated]

It has been illegal to set up the deprecated type of company in the UK since about 1980, though apparently it's still licit in the Isle of Man.

The three current limited company types may additionally acquire the status of a Community Interest Company, and a company limited by guarantee may be registered as a charity. A plc that is a CIC is fairly similar to a "community benefit society", on which more below. A company limited by guarantee that is also a registered charity is fairly similar to a CIO.

=> history-corporations.gmi History of UK corporations
=> cic.gmi Community Interest Company status
=> companies-entrenched-articles.gmi Entrenching constitutional provisions in companies
=> shares-guarantees-limitation.gmi Shares, Guarantees and Limited liability