Unit 2 Formation of Contract

Unit2FormationofContract Black sLawDictionarydefinesacontract anagreementbetweentwoormorepartiescreatingobligationsthatareenforceableorotherwiserecognizableatlaw thewritingthatsetsforthsuchanagreement EnteringContract Themutualagreementisreachedthroughthebargainingprocess betweenoffferorandoffereeuntiltheoffereeacceptedtheoffer 构成合同协议的基本要素有两个 一是要约 一是承诺 Offer anofferisastatementbyonepartyofawillingnesstoenterintoacontractonstatedterms providedthatthesetermsare inturn acceptedbythepartyorpartiestowhomtheofferisaddressed Anoffertakeseffectwhenitreachestheofferee CISG Aproposalforconcludingacontractaddressedtooneormorespecificpersonsconstitutesanofferifitissufficientlydefiniteandindicatestheintentionoftheofferortobeboundincaseofacceptance Aproposalissufficientlydefiniteifitindicatesthegoodsandexpresslyorimplicitlyfixesormakesprovisionfordeterminingthequantityandtheprice 中国 合同法 对要约条件的规定 第一 要约必须具有订立合同的意图 第二 要约必须向特定的受要约人发出 第三 要约的内容必须确定 第四 要约必须送达受要约人 invitationtooffer Aninvitationtoofferorinvitationtotreatissimplyanexpressionofwillingnesstoenterintonegotiationswhich itishoped willleadtotheconclusionofacontractatalaterdate 要约邀请通常是一方当事人邀请或引诱对方当事人提出要约的意图表示 它对双方当事人均不具有强制效力 中国合同法规定 价目表 拍卖公告 招标公告 招股说明书 商业广告等为要约邀请 商业广告的内容符合要约规定的 视为要约 Displayofgoodsforsaleinasupermarket Case PharmaceuticalsocietyofGBv BootsCashChemistsBootsorganizedtheirshoponaself servicebasis Theywerechargedwithabreachofsection18 1 ofthePharmacyandPoisonsAct1933 whichrequiredthatasaleofdrugstakeplaceunderthesupervisionofaregisteredpharmacist Therewasnopharmacistpresentclosetotheshelves butapharmacistsupervisedthetransactionatthecashdeskandwasauthorizedtopreventacustomerfrompurchasinganydrugifhethoughtfittodoso 争议 哪个阶段是要约 哪个阶段是承诺 药物学会认为 货架摆放药品 显示价格是要约 顾客取走药品是承诺 合同成立时 没有药师监督 boots违反法律规定 Boots认为 摆放药品是要约邀请 顾客取走药品是要约 收银是承诺 收银时有药师监督 故没有违反法律 Advertisement Thegeneralruleisthatacommercialadvertisementisaninvitationtotreatratherthananoffer InGermany advertisementisonlyainvitationtooffer Whileincommonlawlegalsystem ifitcanbeprovedthatthemakeroftheadvertisementiswillingtobeboundbytheadvertisementandtheadvertisementhasclearlyprovidedsufficientinformationofthegoods advertisementcanalsobeoffer CISG anadvertisementispresumedtobeaninvitationunlessthecontraryisclearlyindictedbythepersonmakingtheproposal Casestudy Carlillv CarbolicSmokeBall Thedefendants whowerethemanufacturersofthecarbolicsmokeball issuedanadvertisementinwhichtheyofferedtopay100poundtoanypersonwhocaughtfluafterhavingusedoneoftheirsmokeballsinthespecifiedmanner andtheydeposited1 000poundinthebanktoshowtheirgoodfaith Theclaimantcaughtfluafterusingthesmokeballinthespecifiedmanner Shesuedforthe100pound Thejudgeheldthattheadvertisementisanoffertothewholeworldandthatacontractwasmadewiththosepersonswhoperformedtheconditiononthefaithoftheadvertisement Auctionsales Step1 AdvertisementofauctionorastatementofauctionStep2 TheauctioneerinvitesthebidsStep3 TheprospectivebuyersbidsforthecommodityStep4 Theauctioneerstrikesthetable Whichstepisoffer andwhichstepisacceptance Case BritishCarAuctionsLtdv Wright上述拍卖方式为欧式拍卖 在荷式拍卖中 降价拍卖 可有不同 Tenders Whereapersoninvitestendersforaparticularproject thegeneralruleisthattheinvitationtotenderissimplyaninvitationtotreat Theofferismadebythepersonwhosubmitsthetenderandtheacceptanceismadewhenthepersoninvitingthetendersacceptsoneofthem Terminationofoffer a Theofferororoffereedied b Noacceptancewassentbeforetheofferexpires c Anoffer evenifitisirrevocable maybewithdrawnifthewithdrawalreachestheoffereebeforeoratthesametimeastheoffer 要约被撤回d Untilacontractisconcludedanoffermayberevokediftherevocationreachestheoffereebeforehehasdispatchedanacceptance 要约被撤销 2 However anoffercannotberevokedunderCISG a ifitindicates whetherbystatingafixedtimeforacceptanceorotherwise thatitisirrevocable or b ifitwasreasonablefortheoffereetorelyontheofferasbeingirrevocableandtheoffereehasactedinrelianceontheoffer e Anoffer evenifitisirrevocable isterminatedwhenarejectionreachestheofferor CaseofRevocationofoffer Byrnev VanTienhovenThedefendantssenttheclaimantsanofferon1October whichreachedclaimantson10October theclaimantacceptedtheofferbyfaxon11October However inthemeantime thedefendantshadsent on8October aletterrevokingtheiroffer whichreachedtheclaimantson20October Itwasheldthatacontractwasconcludedbetweenthepartieson11Octoberbecausethepurportedwithdrawalcouldnottakeeffectuntil20October acceptance Theacceptanceistheofferee smanifestationoftheintentiontobeboundtothetermsoftheoffer Theconditionsofacceptance a Anacceptancemustbemadebeforetheofferexpires b Theacceptancemustbeunconditionalandabsolute withthesamecontentsastheoffer c Theacceptancemustbemadebyoffereetoofferor Apurportedacceptancewhichdoesnotacceptallthetermsandconditionsproposedbytheofferorbutwhichinfactintroducesnewtermsisnotanacceptancebutacounter offer whichisthentreatedasnewoffer Theeffectofthecounter offeristokillofftheoriginaloffersothatitcannotsubsequentlybeacceptedbytheofferee mirrorimagerule Case Hydev WrenchThedefendantofferedtosellsomelandtotheclaimantfor1000 andtheclaimantrepliedbyofferingtopurchasethelandfor950 Thedefendantrefused Sotheclaimantagreedtopay1000 Butthedefendantstillrefusedtosell Didacontractconcludebetweentheparties Exceptionofmirrorimagerule Areplytoanofferwhichpurportstobeanacceptancebutcontainsadditionalordifferenttermswhichdonotmateriallyalterthetermsoftheofferconstitutesanacceptance unlesstheofferor withoutunduedelay objectsorallytothediscrepancyordispatchesanoticetothateffect Ifhedoesnotsoobject thetermsofthecontractarethetermsoftheofferwiththemodificationscontainedintheacceptance Additionalordifferenttermsrelating amongotherthings totheprice payment qualityandquantityofthegoods placeofdelivery extentofoneparty sliabilitytotheotherorthesettlementofdisputesareconsideredtoalterthetermsoftheoffermaterially Acceptanceinignoranceoftheoffer Crossoffer Apersonwho inignoranceoftheoffer performstheactoractsrequestedbytheofferorisnotentitledtosueasonacontract 悬赏广告除外 Crossofferswhichareidenticaldonotcreateacontractunlessoruntiltheyareaccepted Prescribedmethodofacceptance Wheretheofferorprescribesaspecificmethodofacceptance thegeneralruleisthattheofferorisnotboundunlessthetermsofhisofferarecompliedwith acceptancebysilenceThegeneralruleisthatacceptanceofanofferwillnotbeimpliedfrommeresilenceonthepartoftheoffereeandthatanofferorcannotimposeacontractualobligationupontheoffereebystatingthat unlessthelaterexpresslyrejectstheoffer hewillbeheldtohaveacceptedit 中国合同法做了类似规定 但是如果按照惯例沉默也可构成承诺 Whendoestheacceptancetakeeffect Incommonlawlegalsystem postalrule 投邮生效 Theacceptancetakeseffectwhenitissentnomatterwhetherthemailislostintransit Incivillawlegalsystem ruleofarrival 到达生效 Theac