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3个原因分析合作伙伴订合同的重要性

发布时间:2014-02-17 15:19:43 Tags:,,,,

作者:Zachary Strebeck

不久前我逛了Board Game Geek上的论坛,看到一个博主转发了以下的建议。他写道:“曾经有人告诉我,如果你必须与某些人签订合同,那么你就不应该与他们做生意。”

在此我想说的是,这可能是我听到的关于是否签订合同的最糟糕的建议。关于过去几个世纪里商人们都习惯“把内容写下来”是这一点并不是个巧合。为此存在许多原因。以下是部分原因。

Contract(from ifanr)

Contract(from ifanr)

“你不相信我吗?我向你保证。”

尽管口头契约是有效且可行的,但却具有许多问题。首先,所谓的反欺诈法会阻止某些未签订协议的合同类型的实施。这包括不能在一年内的时间里执行(游戏邦注:如一份没有终止条款的多年授权协议)的合同或者销售超过500美元的商品的合同。其次,如果交易出现了问题,你便会口说无凭。这在审判事件中表现出了严重的证据问题。

“我们是朋友——为什么要为这样一份小小的业务交易而争吵?”

与那些你在生活中认识的人进行业务交易似乎是个好主意。毕竟你们是朋友,不会压榨彼此。但事实上,我们都不知道未来会发生什么事。友谊就像企业创业那样,也会遭遇磕磕碰碰以及各种问题。如果能够事先签订一份协议去列出出现问题后的解决措施,这便能够带来很大的帮助。尽管这可能会影响情感,但就像婚前协议那样,有总比没有的好。

“看起来我们已经达成共识了——这便是协议!”

确保协议的条款都清楚地写在合同上是协议是否顺利进行的决定下条件。最近,在另外一个Board Game Geek论坛上,一位博主便在寻求朋友在合同上签下的“销售”定义是意味着Kickstarter之前还是之后。

这不仅突出了签订合同的重要性(如果不这么做你将再次面临“口说无凭”的结果),同时也突出了明确地写明相关条款并包含所有基本内容的重要性。这是拥有一位律师的好处之一,他们将设想一切可能出错的内容并做出相应的计划。

我想要指出的是拥有一份合同并不是就意味着你不相信对方。上述的第三个原因便阐明了事实,即尽管双方彼此相信,他们也有可能对条款安排产生误解。所以如果预先进行思考并写下协议内容就再好不过了。如果你需要帮助的话,就果断联系一位律师吧。

本文为游戏邦/gamerboom.com编译,拒绝任何不保留版权的转载,如需转载请联系:游戏邦

The worst advice I’ve heard about contracts

by Zachary Strebeck

While reading the forums on Board Game Geek the other day, one poster relayed the following piece of advice. “Someone told me once that if you have to have a contract with someone, then you shouldnt [sic] do business with them,” he wrote.

Well, I am here to say that this is probably the worst advice that I’ve heard regarding whether or not to have a contract. It’s not a coincidence that the mantra of many businesspersons over the centuries has been to “get it in writing.” There are many reasons for this. What follow are just a few.

“Don’t you trust me? You have my word.”

While oral contracts can be valid and enforceable, they can present a lot of problems. First, something known as the Statute of Frauds prevents certain types of contracts from being enforceable if not in writing. These include contracts that can’t be performed in less than a year (such as a multi-year licensing deal without a termination clause) or sales of goods for over $500. Second, should things go wrong with the deal, it becomes your word against theirs. This presents serious evidentiary issues in the event of a trial.

“We are friends – why would we fight over a little business deal?”

Getting into business with someone that you know on a personal level may seem like a good idea. After all, you are friends, and would never screw each other over, right? Well, no one knows the future. Friendships, like business ventures, encounter bumps and other problems all the time. Having an agreement beforehand that outlines what will happen should things go wrong can be a huge benefit. While it may tug on the emotions, similar to a prenuptial agreement, it is better to have than not have.

“Looks like we’ve come to an understanding – it’s a deal!”

Ensuring that all of the terms of the deal are crystal clear in a written contract can be a huge determining factor in how smoothly the deal goes down. Recently, in another Board Game Geek forum thread, one poster was looking for advice on whether the definition of “sale” in the contract a friend had signed meant pre- or post-Kickstarter.

This just highlights the importance of not only having a contract (otherwise you run into the “your word versus mine” problem again), but having the contract written without ambiguity and covering all bases. This is one of the benefits of having an attorney; their job is to assume that everything will go wrong and plan accordingly.

I’d like to point out that having a contract does not automatically mean that you do not trust the other party. The third reason above should illustrate the fact that, even though two parties trust one another, they could simply have a misunderstanding as to the terms of the arrangement. So, remember to think ahead and get your next deal in writing. If you need assistance, feel free to contact an attorney.(source:gamasutra)


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