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The Anti-Assignment Override Provisions

By Barry A. Graynor
July 02, 2014

Like the knight in a game of chess, UCC Sections 9406(d) and 9408(a) are one of the most powerful, yet least understood, sections of the Uniform Commercial Code. On their face, they appear to override anti-assignment provisions in agreements that would limit the grant of a security interest. But do these sections really work?

In general, Section 9406(d) overrides (renders “ineffective”) a term in an agreement between an account debtor and an assignor or in a promissory note to the extent such term prohibits or restricts the creation, attachment, perfection or enforcement of a security interest in an account, chattel paper, payment intangible, or promissory note (or to the extent the security interest may give rise to a breach or termination of the underlying agreement or note). Section 9408(a) overrides a term in a promissory note or in an agreement between an account debtor and a debtor to the extent such term would impair the creation, attachment or perfection of a security interest in a promissory note, health care insurance receivable, or general intangible (or to the extent the security interest may give rise to a breach or termination of the underlying note, receivable or general intangible).

A 9406(d) example is a provision in a license agreement that prohibits the licensor from granting a security interest to a third party in the royalties payable by the licensee under the license. The “account debtor” in this example is the licensee, and the right to payment of the royalties is an “account.” Section 9406(d) renders this provision unenforceable. A 9408(a) example is a provision in a license agreement that prohibits the licensee from granting a security interest to a third party in its rights under the license. The “account debtor” in this example is the licensor, and the rights of the licensee under the license are a “general intangible.” Section 9408(a) renders this provision unenforceable.

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