CHAPTER 1 DEVELOPMENT OF CONTRACT LAW 1
1 The development of contract law 1
1.1 Functions of contract and contract law 1
1.2 Rise and fall of free choice 2
1.3 New situations in the development of modern contract law 6
1.4 The American Uniform Commercial Code(UCC) 10
CHAPTER 2 CONCEPT OF CONTRACT 13
2 Concept of contract 13
2.1 Contract defined 13
2.2 Contract classified 17
CHAPTER 3 ESSENTIALS OF CONTRACT 30
3 Offers 30
3.1 Offer defined 30
3.2 Invitation to treat 34
3.2.1 Invitation to treat or unilateral agreement 35
3.2.2 Online offer or online invitation to treat 37
3.3 Counter-offer and cross offers 38
3.4 Offer classified 41
3.5 Receipt of offer 42
3.6 Termination of offer 43
3.7 Revocability of offer 46
3.8 lrrevocability of offer 49
4 Acceptance 53
4.1 Acceptance defined 53
4.2 Means and timeliness of acceptance 56
4.3 Acceptance classified 59
4.3.1 Bilateral acceptance 60
4.3.2 Unilateral acceptance 63
4.4 Reception＆mailbox rules and the CISG 64
5 Consideration 66
5.1 Consideration defined 66
5.1.1 Legal detriment 68
5.1.2 Requirement of sufficient consideration 70
5.1.3 Gratuitous promise 76
6 Contractual intention 80
7 Competency 83
7.1 Minors 83
7.2 Mental illness or defect 86
7.3 Drunkards 87
7.4 Company(legal person)and authorities 87
7.5 Prisoners and convicts 91
8 Reality of consent 91
8.1 Mistake 91
8.2 Misrepresentation and fraud 99
8.2.1 Misrepresentation defined 99
8.2.2 Misrepresentation classified 100
8.3 Duress and undue influence 106
CHAPTER 4 INTERPRETATION AND THE PAROL EVIDENCE RULE 108
9 Interpretation 108
10 Parol evidence rule 113
10.1 Scope of application 113
10.2 Integration of contract 117
CHAPTER 5 PARTIES 122
11 Third party beneficiaries 122
11.1 Direct and incidental beneficiaries 122
11.2 Privity 128
12 Assignment of rights 133
12.1 Limitations on assignment 133
12.2 Forms of assignment 134
12.3 Effectiveness and irrevocability 139
12.4 Defenses of the obligor 141
12.5 Defenses of the assignees 143
13 Delegation of duties 144
14 Rights of the parties to a valid delegation 146
CHAPTER 6 PERFORMANCE 148
15 Breach of contract 148
15.1 Breach of condition 148
15.2 Excuse of condition 153
15.3 Breach of warranty 157
15.4 Major and minor breaches 158
15.5 Breach of intermediate terms 159
15.6 Present and anticipatory breaches 161
15.6.1 Present breach 161
15.6.2 Anticipatory breach 161
16 Termination and discharge of contractual duties 164
16.1 Impossibility of performance 164
16.2 Frustration of purpose,force majeure and clausula rebus sic stantibus 166
17 Performance of contracts for the sale of goods 171
17.1 Buyer's right to reject 171
17.2 Rejection of goods in installment contracts 171
18 Discharge of contract 173
CHAPTER 7 REMEDIES 178
19 Damages 178
19.1 Introduction 178
19.2 Types of damages 179
19.3 Mitigation 184
19.4 Liquidated damages 185
19.5 Damage in the absence of a bargain 188
20 Other remedies 189
Appendix Ⅰ Glossary 194
Appendix Ⅱ Forms of contract 206