Contract killing

摘要

I am not a contract lawyer and never wanted to be, but I did in a misguided moment begin to study law at university. I soon discovered that this was not for me and moved to the happier hunting grounds of history and politics. The efforts of my professors were, nevertheless, not entirely in vain. I do fortunately still remember the difference between an invitation to treat and an offer. For the benefit of those who know little about the law of contract, the former is defined as "an expression of willingness to negotiate" in which "a person making an invitation to treat does not intend to be bound as soon as it is accepted by the person to whom the statement is addressed". An offer, on the other hand, is intended to be binding and when accepted cannot be revoked without a breach of contract having occurred.