contents of a standard contract Flashcards
what are paragraphs in a contract?
known as terms or clauses, can be express or implied
what are express terms?
- what was actually said or written as part of a contract
- usually accepted by courts as intention of parties is clear
- if terms are written, court assumes all relevant terms of the contract are included in written doc (none are verbal)
what are implied terms?
- “invisible terms”, not written or even mentioned as terms are considered so obvious that they dont need to
- courts assume certain terms are in contract & will enforce them (eg. statutory protection)
what are conditions of a contract?
- fundamental terms of a contract (can have serious consequences if breached)
- breach of condition is serious (innocent party can end contract & claim compensation)
what are warranties of a contract?
- terms which are ancillary to the main purpose (minor parts of the contract)
- breach of warranty is less serious (innocent party can only claim compensation)
what are innominate terms in a contract?
when the importance of a term is unclear, so courts have to determine the importance of it by looking at :
- intention of parties
- practical consequences of any breach (destructive or just inconvenient?)
what is vagueness in terms of a contract?
- completely meaningless or ambiguous terms are seen as void
- if judge cant rescue / interpret then can either void & sever term from contract or destroy whole contract
- if term can be rescued, then judge will try to interpret, cannot rewrite terms though
what are boilerplate clauses in a contract?
refers to the standard, common clauses found in a contract. collective name for certain standard terms
why are boilerplate clauses used?
- cheaper for company
- provides consistency
- saves time
- weighted in companys favour
give seven examples of a boilerplate clause.
- interpretation clauses
- price variation clauses
- liquidated damages clauses
- force majeure clauses
- retention of title clauses
- choice of law clauses
- exclusion clauses
what is an interpretation clause?
clauses which outline what certain terms mean. some industries can create industry standards & have glossary of all terms. eg. transportation & freight have INCOTERMS which is readymade glossary which can be put in any contract
what is a price variation clause?
clause which can fix a price or a method of calculating a price, agrees a current price for the future. esp used in long term contracts
what is a liquidated damages clause?
clause which acts as a precaution for realistic things that could go wrong (eg. late delivery, sub-par goods).
agree compensation for things to potentially go wrong (genuine pre-estimate of loss).
what happens if there is an underestimate of losses on a liquidated damages clause?
they lose out on money, their fault they didnt calculate it properly.
cellulose acetate silk vs widres foundry :
- set up clause for £20pw loss for every week they go over
- went over by 30 weeks
- received £600
- actually incurred losses of £6000
- only received £600 though
what happens if there is an overestimate of losses on a liquidated damages clause?
if courts decide compensation is too large, judges will strike it out. will sub for their own realistic figure