国际商务礼仪Chapter Two

1、Chapter Two The Law of Contract,2.1Introduction 2.2Definition of a Contract 2.3The Basic Requirements of a Contract 2.4Types of Contracts 2.5Offer 2.6Acceptance 2.7Consideration 2.8Contractual Capacity,Chapter Two The Law of Contract,2.9 Legality 2.10 Form of the Contract 2.11 Third Party Rights 2.1

2、2 Contract Discharge 2.13 Remedies for Breach of Contract,2.1 Introduction,Its Source: common law system case law England: Chitty on Contract奇蒂论合同法 Ansons Law of Contract安森论合同法 America: Restatement of Contracts合同法重述 Civil law system codes Other references: Principles of International Commercial Cont

3、racts 国际商事合同通则 CISG,2.1 Introduction,Basic Principle: “freedom of contract”: Most people have the right or ability to enter into contracts契约自由,2.2 Definition of a Contract,is an agreement based on mutual promises between two or more competent parties to do or to refrain from doing some particular th

4、ing that is neither illegal nor impossible.,A CONTRACT,is a declaration that sth. either will or will not happen in the future, especially a pledge or vow that someone will or will not do sth. in the future.,A PROMISE,Mutual promise: bargaining or transaction /donation agreements or reward agreement

5、s are not contracts.,Competent person: legally qualified Relevant Terms: the person with full/limited/no capacity for civil conduct完全/限制/无民事行为能力人 promisor/promisee 允诺人/受允诺人 obligor(debtor)/obligee(creditor)债务人/债权人,合同的概念,合同一词有广义和狭义之分，广义的合同泛指一切确立权利义务关系的协议。狭义的合同仅指民商法上的合同。 英国 、美国 、德国民法典 、法国民法典 我国合同法第条规定

6、：合同是平等主体的自然人、法人、其他组织之间设立、变更、终止民事权利义务关系的协议。,9,2.3 The Basic Requirements of a Contract,Agreement 协议 Consideration对价 Contractual Capacity缔约能力 Legality合法性 Genuineness of Assent同意的真实性 Form,Agreement协议,what each of them is supposed to do as a result of their promises to each other,an offer (要约),an accept

7、ance （承 诺）,mutual assent,mutual understanding,Consideration对价,It is the exchange of promises or conduct for a promise that has some value to each party.,Contractual Capacity缔约能力 age written or oral,Implied contracts: actions; not necessarily spoken or written. implied-in-fact contract(事实默示合同) and im

8、plied-in-law(法律默示合同).,case: 1990年，安某与某市某区房管所签订合同， 约定安某承租某区房管所直属管辖的两间公 房作为商业营业用房，租期为3年。租期届满 后，安某仍按月支付房租，某区房管所也按 月收取房租，直至1996年底。后某区房管所 以安某非法转租为由强行将房屋收回，并于 1997年10月以3千元的价格卖给了该区住户 任某。安某诉至法院，要求继续承租该房。,Quasi Contracts/implied-in-law contracts 准合同,exists not by the agreement of the parties but by the order

9、 of a court. to avoid the unjust enrichment of a party,Quasi contract,准合同,准合同，又称为法律上默示的合同是指由于当事人的行为或由于当事人之间存在某种特殊关系，而依法应当承担义务，否则，则会出现有关当事人不当得利的情形。准合同不是一个实际上的合同，而是指法律允许原告就原告已给予被告的利益，而从被告处得到救济。 准合同是英美法中衡平法的概念，它来自拉丁文的quantum meruit,译成英文为“as much as he deserves”,意思是“所得不应多于应得”。,Case: John agrees to paint

10、 Lilys apartment for $200.But he makes a mistake and paints Ralphs apartment, next to Lilys. Ralph sees him paint his apartment, but doesnt stop him. Should Ralph pay John?,Formal/Informal Contracts正（要）式合同/非正（要）式合同,common law,simple contract (简式合同)without specified oral or written forms,contracts un

11、der seal(蜡封合同)with specified written forms;,Formal,Informal,civil law,Executed/Executory Contracts 已履行/待履行合同 whether both parties have fully performed their rights or duties. Valid/Void/Voidable/Unenforceable Contracts有效/无效 /可撤销 /不可强制履行合同 Valid: with all the requirements Void: no contract at all Voi

12、dable: can be made void. contracts without genuine assent Unenforceable: one party fails to satisfy a legal requirement,Definition An offer is a promise to perform or refrain from performing some specified act in the future. 要约是一方向另一方发出的订立合同的意思表示.,2.5 Offer要约,2.5 Offer要约,Requirement A serious intent

13、ion Reasonably certain or definite terms of the offer by the offeror to the offeree.,bound,Communication,Cases: Frank became angry because his car broke down on the highway. Without thinking, Frank cried out, “Id sell this car to the first one who offers me $1.00.” Can a stander-by obtain the car by

14、 giving him $1.00 ?,Termination of an offer Termination by action of the parties Revocation Rejection Counteroffer Termination by operation of law Lapse of time Death or incompetence Illegality,2.6 Acceptance 承诺,Definition Acceptance is a act which may consist of words or conduct by the offeree that

15、 shows to the terms of an offer. 承诺是指受要约人按照要约人所指定的方式对要约内容表示完全同意的一种意思表示。要约一经 承诺，合同即告成立。,voluntary,assent,Requirements the identity of the offeree unequivocal communication,2. 2004年，A与B签订了购买A公司M产品的合同,A此次给予B的折扣为8%，并指出A给予老客户的折扣是4%。该合同如约履行完毕。 2005年5月2日， B表示需购买A的M产品。 A提出单价提高到$1700/吨， B于5月3日表示接受，但未提及折扣比例。A

16、回复了一份确认书，明确了$1700单价的折扣为4。A,B 通过电传讨价还价。12日A的答复仍坚持8%只是给予第一笔交易的。但B未对此做出回复。A再次询问时，B于6月2日答复已购买C的产品。A向B提出索赔。,Effectiveness of Acceptance : when it is posted (placed in a mailbox or in the hands of a postman) with the correct address and proper amount of postage on the envelope. ：at the time of the actual

17、receipt of the acceptance by the offeror.,Common law,Civil law,Mailbox rule投邮主义,Receipt rule收邮主义,Case: XINI, a distributor of EPSON in Argentina, received an offer through mailing from EPSON on 2nd, June 2005. XINI mailed its acceptance to EPSON on 12th, June. However, EPSON revoked its offer on 13t

18、h, June. XINIs acceptance arrived at EPSON on 17th, June. Does such a contract exist between XINI and EPSON under the common law system?,Silence by the offeree cannot be an acceptance, even if the offer says that silence will be seen as an acceptance.,2.7 Consideration 对价或约因,Definition Consideration

19、 is something that motivates the exchange of promises or performance in a contractual agreement. 对价就是合同的双方的相互给付。,Detriment to the promisee or benefit to the promisor: each party must give up sth. in order to receive something in return.,2.7 Consideration 对价或约因,Requirement Legal sufficiency Adequacy

20、Preexisting duty rule既存义务规则 Past consideration is no consideration A promise to pay a gift is not legal consideration.,Lucy already has a contract to fix Bills bicycle for $10, and then Frank promises Lucy $5 if she fixes Bills bicycle. Lucy accepts Franks offer. Is Lucys acceptance sufficient consi

21、deration?,A businessman promises to provide Roger a watch in recognition of his prior 5 years of work as an employee. Can Roger force his boss to give him a watch?,Betty agrees to donate her car to Jim when Jim celebrates his 40th birthday tomorrow. However, the next day Betty refuses to donate her

22、car. Can Jim legally obtain Bettys car in this case?,蒙特夫诉斯考特案,被告答应以1英镑的价格把房子卖给原告，但后来被告反悔了，声称1英镑是个不充分的对价，法院认为，对价并不要对等或充分，合同能够执行取决于有没有对价而不是对价是否充分，被告败诉。,2.7 Consideration 对价或约因,Settlement of Claims Accord and satisfaction和解与清偿/合意解决 Release理赔和解 Covenant not to sue不起诉契约,2.7 Consideration 对价或约因,Promissory

23、 Estoppel允诺禁反言 Promises which foreseeably induce reliance on the part of the promisee will often be enforceable without consideration. “不得自食其言”原则 Requirement: Actual reliance Foreseeable reliance Justice,CASE:,某甲答应捐赠10，000美元修建一座新教堂，教会信赖其允诺，开始筹建新教堂。后来某甲反悔，法院认为，此项允诺虽然没有对价，但仍具有拘束力。因为教会由于信赖其甲的允诺已经改变了它的地

24、位，因此某甲就不得否认自己所作的许诺。,2.8 Contractual Capacity缔约能力,Minors未成年人 Intoxicated Persons酗酒者 Mentally Incompetent Persons智力不全者,英美法认为，未成年人、精神病人、酗酒者，都是缺乏缔约能力的人。 未成年人订立的合同，在其成年之后，可以追认，也可以撤销。 精神病人订立的合同无效。 酗酒者订立的合同原则上有效。但是，如果酗酒者在订立合同时由于醉酒而失去行为能力，可要求撤销合同。,Minor: a person below the age of majority A minor can enter

25、into any contract that an adult can enter into, as long as it is not prohibited by law Disaffirmance撤销 Ratification追认,Cases: Ralph, an adult, enters into a contract with Betty, who is a minor, to buy Bettys house for $30,000. Ralph buys the house and has lived in it for 1 year. At the end of the yea

26、r, Betty, still a minor, decides to disaffirm the contract. Is it possible?,Intoxicated Persons酗酒者 the mental capacity of the intoxicated person and his understanding of legal consequences.,Mentally Incompetent Persons智力不全者 Whether they can comprehend the subject matter, nature and consequences of t

27、heir actions at the time of entering into a certain contract,For an agreement to be a valid contract, the contracting parties must have legal capacity to enter into transactions. 为了让契约成为有效的合同，签订合同的双方必须具有参加交易的法律行为能力。 A party lacks capacity to contract if he is incapable of a full understanding of his

28、 rights and nature, purpose and legal effects of the contract. 一方如果不能完全理解他的权利及合同的性质、目的与法律效力，那么他就缺乏合同能力。,2.9 Legality 合法性,Contrary to Statute Contrary to Public Policy,违反公共政策的合同 如限制竞争的合同 不道德的合同 如对婚姻家庭起不良影响的合同 违法的合同 如赌博合同,Contracts Contrary to statute,Gambling; human trafficking; drug smuggling Licens

29、ing Statutes Physicians, lawyers, real estate brokers, electricians, and stockbrokers The legal effectiveness of a contract entered into with an unlicensed individual: Regulatory-Contract illegal Revenue Raising-Contract enforceable,Contracts Contrary to Public Policy,To obstruct justice, interfere

30、with public, defraud creditors, escape liability, and restrain trade Effect of Illegality (Generally): unenforceability; no recovery,2.10 Form of the Contract 合同的形式,the Statute of Frauds防止欺诈法 Contracts required to be in writing: P31 Forms of writing: contracts, letters, memos, telegrams, invoices, a

31、nd purchase orders sent between the parties. Elements of writing:P32,Special Rules Involving Written Contracts,A. The Parol Evidence Rule口头证据规则 the integrity of written documents or agreements; prohibition of altering the meaning of the written documents through the use of prior and contemporaneous

32、oral or written declarations that are not referenced in the documents. B. The Best Evidence Rule最佳举证规则 C. The Equal Dignities Rule平行尊严规则,口头证据原则,美国合同法所谓“口头证据”是指:在最终协议之前或同时的有关协商或协议的口头或书面证据。 实践中,有非常多的合同是从签署意向书开始,经历了备忘录、初步协议,然后签订了最终的合同。美国合同法背景下,一切在最终协议或合同签订之前或同时与口头或书面的协商或协议有关的证据都是“口头证据”。,口头证据原则,“如果合同主体同

33、意书面文件是他们之间协议条款的最终和完整的表达,那么协议前或同时的证据就不能被采纳用以否定或改变书面文件或给书面文件增加新的条款。” 合同当事人订立书面合同,目的是以书面方式体现这是他们之间就某项交易的最终和完整的意思表示。而任何在书面合同订立前以及在订立合同同时的意思表示,不论是书面形式的还是口头形式的,都不能作为证据被采纳用以改变或否定合同条款,也不得给合同增加新的内容。,上诉人约翰逊请杰伯沃克乐队从1977年11月23日到1978年1月17日在其经营的夜总会演奏。上诉人在与该乐队老板订立演出合同之前曾达成口头协议，即，如果该乐队演奏的不好，上诉人可以解除合同，只要他提前两个星期发出解除合

34、同的通知。这个有关合同解除的协议没有写入双方订立的书面合同。后来，该乐队没有达到上诉人所期望的演奏效果，上诉人按照口头协议解除了合同，并在后来解雇了该乐队。上诉人主张双方订立的书面合同只是双方达成的协议的一部分，法院应当接受双方事先达成的允许解除合同的协议。该乐队认为口头协议不能改变书面合同条款，因而口头协议无效。,2.11Third Party Rights第三方当事人的权利,Privity of Contract合同相对性原则 Third parties have no rights in a contract to which they are not a party. Exceptio

35、ns: Assignment of Contract合同的让与 Delegation of Duties义务的转托 Third Party Beneficiary Contract 第三方当事人为受益人的合同,合同的让与/债权让与,债权让与是指原债权人与新债权人之间达成协议，根据这一协议，原债权人将债权转让给新债权人。,义务的转托/债务承担,债务承担是指在合同内容基本不变的前提下由新债务人代替原债务人履行债务。,2.11Third Party Rights第三方当事人的权利,A agrees to paint Bs house for $10,000. The contract provide

36、s that payment should be made to C to satisfy a debt previously owed by A to C. C is an beneficiary. A receives a refrigerator through a contract with B and puts it in the house where she lives together with her child. Then is an beneficiary,the child,incidental,intended,2.12 Contract Discharge 合同的解

37、除,Discharge by Performance Complete Performance Substantial Performance Performance to the Satisfaction of Another Discharge by Agreement Rescission撤销 Novation 更新 Substituted Agreement替代协议 Accord and Satisfaction和解与清偿 When Performance is Impossible or Impracticable Impossibility of Performance Comme

38、rcial Impracticability Temporary Impossibility,2.13 Remedies for Breach of Contract 违约的补救方法,What is remedy? P39 The most common remedies: Damages Compensatory Damages补偿性赔偿金 Consequential/Special Damages间接性赔偿金 Punitive/Exemplary Damages惩罚性赔偿金 Liquidated Damages约定赔偿金 Rescission and Restitution合同的解除与恢复

39、原状 Specific Performance 实际履行,Compensatory Damages补偿性赔偿金,The amount = value of the breaching partys promised performancethe value of his actual performance “当事人一方违反合同的赔偿责任，应当相当于另一方因此所受到的损失。”赔偿损失的数额是以另一方遭受的实际损失为限。,补偿性赔偿,比如因意外事故被撞断了腿，当事人双方如果协商不成到法院诉讼解决，赔偿的是医疗费、误工费、护理费、极其有限的营养费，基本上不考虑精神损失费。这就是补偿性赔偿的特征。,Consequential/S