Interpretation of standard form contracts in terms of gap filling

2023 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 21K01238
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Review Section: Basic Section 05060:Civil law-related
• Research Institution: Hokkaido University
• Principal Investigator: Yamamoto Tetsuo 北海道大学, 法学研究科, 教授 (80230572)
• Project Period (FY): 2021-04-01 – 2024-03-31
• Keywords: 約款 / 契約解釈 / 保険

Outline of Final Research Achievements

In formation of contracts each party to an agreement manifests assent to terms of an agreement. But in standard form contracts, no real assent exists. Parties don’t read nor understand the terms of the agreement. Thus it can be said that it is like having many gaps in the contract. From this perspective, we should interpret standard form contracts according to not what average reasonable parties understand, but default rules in gap filling. It means that standard form contracts should be interpreted so as to make the terms of contracts objectively reasonable in the same type of trade.

Free Research Field

商法

Academic Significance and Societal Importance of the Research Achievements

約款解釈のあり方については、合理的、平均的な顧客の理解に基づいて解釈するといわれてきたが、平均的な生身の顧客の理解という観点からの解釈は、具体的な条項を解釈する際には機能しておらず、解釈の指針は不透明であった。本研究は客観的に合理的な内容での解釈が原則であることを理論的に基礎付け、客観的に合理的な内容での解釈という観点から実践的に有用な解釈の指針を定立するものである。