• Read the book here…
• Contracts and (cross border) contracting
  ▼
  • 1.1 What is a contract? and how to structure it
    ▼
    • (a) A common structure for a contract (building blocks)
      ▼
      • (i) First part of an agreement: what to include and what to avoid.
      • (ii) Background clauses (preamble)
      • (iii) Body paragraphs (articles)
      • (iv) Schedules, annexes, exhibits
    • (b) An ‘informal’ format: letter agreements
  • 1.2 How to interpret contracts
    ▼
    • (a) Legal cultures and determinative interpretation factors
    • (b) Statutory guidelines on contract interpretation
    • (c) Contractual guidelines on interpretation of the contract
  • 1.3 Pre-contractual agreements
    ▼
    • (a) Non-disclosure agreements
      ▼
      • (i) Purpose
      • (ii) Confidentiality
    • (b) Memorandum of understanding (MOU), Letters of intent (LOI)
  • 1.4 Legal tech: contract automation, and contract lifecycle management
    ▼
    • (a) Contract automation (automated contract creation)
    • (b) Legal tech and contract negotiations
    • (c) Contract lifecycle management (CMS / CLM)
• The ITC model contracts
  ▼
  • 2.1 Alliances and joint ventures
    ▼
    • (a) International contractual alliance
    • (b) International corporate joint venture
      ▼
      • (i) Establishment of the JVC
      • (ii) Party contributions and management of the JVC
      • (iii) Termination of the JVC
  • 2.2 Sales and supply contracts
    ▼
    • (a) International commercial sale of goods
    • (b) International long-term supply of goods
  • 2.3 International provision of services
    ▼
    • (a) International supply of services
    • (b) International manufacture agreement
  • 2.4 Supply chain: distribution and agency
    ▼
    • (a) International distribution of goods
    • (b) International commercial agency
  • 2.5 Trademark licence agreement
• How to draft clear and precise contracts
  ▼
  • 3.1 General principles of contract drafting
    ▼
    • (a) Delete unnecessary words
    • (b) Consistency
    • (c) Avoid all ambiguity
  • 3.2 Using vague terms in contracts
    ▼
    • (a) ‘Reasonable’
    • (b) ‘Materially’
    • (c) ‘Substantially’
  • 3.3 ‘Best efforts’ or ‘reasonable endeavours’ in contract provisions
  • 3.4 Defined terms and definitions – best practices
    ▼
    • (a) Best practices of using defined terms
    • (b) Best practices of place and presentation of defined terms
    • (c) Best practices of drafting a definition
  • 3.5 How to write numbers, refer to a time and to a date
    ▼
    • (a) Best practice rules on drafting numbers
    • (b) References to dates
    • (c) References to time
• Explaining certain types of clauses
  ▼
  • 4.1 Conditions
  • 4.2 Covenants
  • 4.3 Change of circumstances (hardship)
  • 4.4 Force majeure
  • 4.5 Warranties (and conformity)
  • 4.6 Limitation-of-liability clauses
    ▼
    • (i) Carve-out for essential obligations
  • 4.7 Confidentiality clauses
  • 4.8 Miscellaneous boilerplate clauses
    ▼
    • (a) Amendments
    • (b) Assignment
    • (c) No subcontracting
    • (d) Severability (effect of invalid or unenforceable provisions)
    • (e) Waivers
    • (f) Entire agreement (merger) clauses
    • (g) Further assurance (duty to cooperate)
    • (h) Independent contractors (‘no partnership established’)
    • (i) Time is of the essence
    • (j) Language (translations)
    • (k) Counterparts
  • 4.9 Applicable law and dispute resolution clauses
    ▼
    • (a) Applicable law (choice-of-law clauses)
    • (b) Failing a choice of law (the lex causae)
    • (c) Dispute resolution provisions
      ▼
      • (i) Court or arbitration?
      • (ii) Choices of court
      • (iii) Arbitration or expert determination?
      • (iv) Expert-determination clauses
      • (v) Arbitration institute or `ad hoc` arbitration?
      • (vi) Drafting an arbitration clause – points of attention
      • (vii) Mediation and escalation
• Legal aspects
  ▼
  • 5.1 Unidroit principles of international commercial contracts
    ▼
    • (a) Freedom of contract
    • (b) Good faith (and fair dealing)
      ▼
      • (i) ‘Good faith’ as a fundamental legal principle
      • (ii) Abuse of rights
      • (iii) Good faith and fair dealing in international trade
      • (iv) The mandatory nature of the principle of good faith and fair dealing
    • (c) Inconsistent behaviour (‘venire contra factum proprium’)
    • (d) Practices and usages
  • 5.2 Vienna Convention on contracts for the international sale of goods (CISG)
    ▼
    • (a) Scope of application and general provisions
    • (b) Passing of ownership and risk
    • (c) Fundamental breach: required for avoidance (termination)
    • (d) Product conformity, fitness for purpose
    • (e) Payment in advance and milestone payments
    • (f) Obligations of the buyer
    • (g) Remedies for breach of contract
  • 5.3 Incoterms 2010
    ▼
    • (a) History
    • (b) Obligations of the parties visualised
    • (c) Structure of the Incoterms
    • (d) A few particularities
  • 5.4 Payment conditions (documentary collection, L/Cs, bank guarantees)
    ▼
    • (a) URC 522: documentary collection (D/P and D/A)
    • (b) UCP600: letters of credit (L/Cs)
    • (c) ISP98: Standby practices
    • (d) URDG: demand guarantees
    • (e) Payment in advance and milestone payments
  • 5.5 Intellectual property law
    ▼
    • (a) General concepts in intellectual property law
    • (b) Trademarks
      ▼
      • (i) Franchising – a few notes
    • (c) Copyright
    • (d) Know-how and trade secrets
    • (e) Patents
      ▼
      • (i) Inventions and patent criteria
      • (ii) Temporal aspects (prior art, grace period, prior use and patent duration)
      • (iii) Utility patents
    • (f) Software
      ▼
      • (i) What is ‘software’?
      • (ii) Software licence models, SaaS
      • (iii) Software licences
      • (iv) Maintenance & support (M&S)
    • (g) Licensing intellectual property
      ▼
      • (i) Core licence clause
      • (ii) Licence elements
      • (iii) Royalties
  • 5.6 Competition (‘antitrust’) law
    ▼
    • (a) Horizontal agreements (arrangements between competitors)
      ▼
      • (i) Price-fixing and imposing conditions on supply
      • (ii) Market partitioning (market allocation)
      • (iii) Joint ventures and alliances
      • (iv) Customer or supplier boycotts
      • (v) Participation in trade associations
    • (b) Vertical agreements
      ▼
      • (i) Common vertical restraints
      • (ii) Common violations in vertical agreements
      • (iii) EU assessment criteria of possible violation (market dominancy)
    • (c) Abuse of a ‘dominant position’ (‘monopolisation’)
      ▼
      • (i) Discrimination and differentiation of sales conditions
      • (ii) Imposing exclusive or excessive minimum purchase commitments
      • (iii) Rebates
      • (iv) Unfair or predatory pricing
    • (d) Tying and bundling
    • (e) Public procurement and tenders
    • (f) The legal framework