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English
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Chinese

Business Contract Review

商业合同审查

Framework

框架

IRON LAW: Read the Entire Contract, Not Just the Commercial Terms

Price and scope are negotiated carefully. Liability, indemnification,
termination, and IP ownership are often accepted on autopilot.
These "back-of-contract" clauses are where the real risk lives.

A great price with unlimited liability is a terrible deal.
IRON LAW: Read the Entire Contract, Not Just the Commercial Terms

Price and scope are negotiated carefully. Liability, indemnification,
termination, and IP ownership are often accepted on autopilot.
These "back-of-contract" clauses are where the real risk lives.

A great price with unlimited liability is a terrible deal.

Contract Review Checklist (Business Focus)

合同审查清单（商业聚焦）

1. Parties & Authority
  • Correct legal entity names (not a subsidiary you didn't intend to contract with)
  • Signer has authority to bind the organization
2. Scope & Deliverables
  • Clearly defined: what is included AND what is excluded
  • Acceptance criteria: how do you determine delivery is satisfactory?
  • Change order process: how are scope changes handled and priced?
3. Payment Terms
  • Payment schedule: milestones, monthly, upon delivery
  • Payment terms: net 30, net 60, upon receipt
  • Late payment consequences
  • Currency and exchange rate risk (for international contracts)
4. Term & Termination
  • Contract duration: fixed term vs auto-renewal
  • Termination for convenience: can either party exit? With what notice?
  • Termination for cause: what constitutes a breach?
  • Wind-down obligations: what happens after termination? Data return? Transition assistance?
5. Liability & Indemnification
  • Liability cap: is there one? What's the amount? (ideally = contract value)
  • Indemnification: who indemnifies whom? For what? Is it mutual or one-sided?
  • Exclusions: consequential damages, lost profits — are they excluded?
  • Insurance requirements: does either party need to carry insurance?
6. Intellectual Property
  • Who owns work product created during the contract?
  • Pre-existing IP: remains with original owner (ensure this is stated)
  • License grants: what rights does each party get to use the other's IP?
7. Confidentiality
  • Definition of confidential information (not too broad, not too narrow)
  • Duration: how long after termination?
  • Exceptions: publicly available info, independently developed, legally compelled
8. Dispute Resolution
  • Governing law: which jurisdiction?
  • Arbitration vs litigation: arbitration is faster and private, litigation is cheaper for small claims
  • Venue: where are disputes heard?
1. 合同主体与授权
  • 确认法律实体名称正确（而非你无意签约的子公司）
  • 签约人具备约束组织的授权
2. 范围与交付成果
  • 明确界定：包含内容与排除内容
  • 验收标准：如何判定交付成果达标？
  • 变更流程：范围变更如何处理及定价？
3. 付款条款
  • 付款计划：里程碑付款、月度付款、交付后付款
  • 付款期限：净30天、净60天、收到后即付
  • 逾期付款后果
  • 货币与汇率风险（针对国际合同）
4. 合同期限与终止
  • 合同期限：固定期限 vs 自动续约
  • 任意终止：双方是否均可退出？需提前多久通知？
  • 因故终止：哪些情况构成违约？
  • 终止后义务：终止后需履行哪些事项？数据返还？过渡协助？
5. 责任与赔偿
  • 责任上限：是否存在上限？金额多少？（理想情况为合同总价值）
  • 赔偿条款：谁向谁赔偿？针对哪些情况？是双向还是单向？
  • 责任排除：是否排除间接损失、利润损失？
  • 保险要求：任何一方是否需要购买保险？
6. 知识产权（IP）
  • 合同期间产生的工作成果归谁所有？
  • 原有IP：归原所有者所有（需在合同中明确）
  • 许可授予：双方对对方IP拥有哪些使用权限？
7. 保密条款
  • 保密信息的定义（既不过于宽泛也不过于狭窄）
  • 保密期限：终止后持续多久？
  • 例外情况：公开可得信息、独立开发信息、法律强制披露信息
8. 争议解决
  • 管辖法律：适用哪个司法管辖区的法律？
  • 仲裁 vs 诉讼：仲裁更快且保密，小额索赔时诉讼成本更低
  • 管辖地：争议在何处审理？

Risk Rating

风险评级

Risk LevelCharacteristicsAction
🟢 LowMarket-standard terms, balanced obligationsSign
🟡 MediumSome one-sided clauses, manageable riskNegotiate specific clauses
🔴 HighUnlimited liability, no exit, one-sided IPDon't sign without major revisions
风险等级特征行动建议
🟢 低符合市场标准条款，义务平衡签署合同
🟡 中存在部分单方条款，风险可控协商特定条款
🔴 高无限责任、无退出权、单方IP所有权未大幅修订前请勿签署

Output Format

输出格式

markdown
undefined
markdown
undefined

Contract Review: {Agreement Type} with {Counterparty}

Contract Review: {Agreement Type} with {Counterparty}

Overview

Overview

  • Type: {service/vendor/partnership/license}
  • Value: {$X}
  • Term: {duration}
  • Type: {service/vendor/partnership/license}
  • Value: {$X}
  • Term: {duration}

Risk Assessment

Risk Assessment

AreaRiskIssueRecommendation
Scope🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
Payment🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
Termination🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
Liability🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
IP🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
Confidentiality🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
AreaRiskIssueRecommendation
Scope🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
Payment🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
Termination🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
Liability🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
IP🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}
Confidentiality🟢/🟡/🔴{finding}{action}

Red Flags

Red Flags

  1. {specific clause + why it's risky}
  1. {specific clause + why it's risky}

Negotiation Priorities

Negotiation Priorities

  1. {most important change to request}
  2. {second priority}
  3. {third priority}
  1. {most important change to request}
  2. {second priority}
  3. {third priority}

Overall Risk: 🟢/🟡/🔴

Overall Risk: 🟢/🟡/🔴

{Summary recommendation: sign / negotiate / reject}
undefined
{Summary recommendation: sign / negotiate / reject}
undefined

Gotchas

注意事项

  • Auto-renewal without notice deadline: Many contracts auto-renew unless you give 30-90 days' notice. Calendar the notice deadline immediately upon signing.
  • "Standard" contracts are NOT neutral: The drafter's "standard" template protects the drafter. Everything is negotiable.
  • Verbal agreements are risky: "They said they'd cover that" means nothing if it's not in the contract. If it's important, it must be written.
  • Force majeure scope: Post-COVID, check what's included. Pandemic? Supply chain disruption? Government orders? Too narrow = no protection when you need it.
  • This is a business review, not legal advice: For contracts with significant financial or legal exposure, have a licensed attorney review the final version.
  • 无通知期限的自动续约：许多合同会自动续约，除非你提前30-90天发出通知。签署后请立即将通知截止日期添加至日历。
  • “标准”合同并非中立：起草方的“标准”模板是为保护起草方利益而设计的。所有条款均可协商。
  • 口头协议风险高：“他们说会涵盖那部分内容”在合同中未体现的话毫无意义。若事项重要，必须以书面形式纳入合同。
  • 不可抗力范围：后疫情时代，需核查不可抗力包含哪些情况。疫情？供应链中断？政府指令？范围过窄=需要时无法获得保护。
  • 本内容为商业审查，非法律建议：对于涉及重大财务或法律风险的合同，请务必让持牌律师审查最终版本。

References

参考资料

  • For contract law fundamentals, see the law-contract skill
  • For negotiation tactics, see the ops-negotiation skill
  • 如需了解合同法基础，请查看law-contract技能
  • 如需谈判策略，请查看ops-negotiation技能