NECESSARY TERMS OF ENGLISH CONTRACT 1.前言 Preamble一份標準英文合同通常可以分為前言（Preamble）、正文（Operative part）、附錄（Schedule）及證明部分即結束詞（Attestation）四大部分組成。前言（Preamble）由“Parties”及“Recitals”兩部分組成。“Parties”為必備條款，在很多時候稱為“commencement”即合同的開場白，主要介紹合同各方的名稱或姓名、注冊地及地址、郵編及在合同中的簡稱。當然，并不是所有的合同都要詳細介紹以上諸要素，在許多簡單合同中，只是提一下各方的名稱。I. 以下為“Parties”的常用表達方式：1. This Agreement is entered into by and between _ and _.本協議由以下雙方_和_ 簽署。2. This Agreement is entered into by and between _ (hereinafter referred to as_) and _ (hereinafter referred to as _), whereby it is agreed as follows:本協議由以下雙方_（以下簡稱_）和_（以下簡稱_）簽署，達成如下協議：注：在很多合同中，這部分加入簽約事由，如：This Agreement is entered into through friendly negotiations between _ Co.(hereinafter referred to as the “Party A”) and _ Co. (hereinafter referred to as the “Party B”) based on equality and mutual benefit to develop business on the terms and conditions set forth below:本協議由_（以下稱為甲方）和_（以下稱為乙方）為發展業務在平等互利的基礎上簽訂，其條款如下：This Agreement is entered into between _ (hereinafter referred to as Company), and _, (hereinafter referred to as Employee) pursuant to paragraph VIII(2) of the Employee Handbook, whereby it is agreed as follows:本“協議”由_（以下簡稱“公司”）與_（以下簡稱“雇員”）根據“雇員手冊”第VIII(2)款簽署，“協議”內容如下：II. 以下為標準的“Parties”條款：3. This Agreement is made and entered into this _th day of _ in the year of _ by and between _, a company duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of _, with its principal place of business at _ (hereinafter referred to as “_”), and _, a company duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of _, with its principal place of business at _ (hereinafter referred to as “_”), whereby it is agreed as follows:本合約由_，在_法律之下并憑該等法律正式組織并存在的公司，其主要營業地點在_（下稱_），與_，在_法律之下并憑該等法律正式組織并存在的公司，其主要營業地點_（下稱代理人），于_日簽訂和締結，協議如下：III. “Recitals” 由數個以Whereas字樣開頭的句子所組合而成（這些句子俗稱為“Whereas Clauses”），表示當事人乃是在基于對這些事實（例如訂約的目的、背景來由等）的共同認識，訂立此合約。4. This Agreement is made and entered into this _ day of _ in the year of _ by and between _, a company duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of _, with its principal place of business at _ (hereinafter referred to as “_”), and _, a company duly organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of _, with its principal place of business at _ (hereinafter referredto as “_”)WITNESSEDWHEREAS, NOW THEREFORE, the parties hereto agree as follows:本合約由_，在_法律之下并憑該等法律正式組織并存在的公司，其主要營業地點在_（下稱_）（或下稱供應商），與_，在_法律之下并憑該等法律正式組織并存在的公司，其主要營業地點_鑒于因此，雙方當事人達成以下協議：注：WITNESSED可以用WITHNESSTH、WITHNESSTH THAT等來代替。IV. 在很多美國常用合同中，在很多情況下直接用RECITALS引導數個陳述語句或“Whereas Clauses”。下面為一個資產購買協議實例：This ASSET PURCHASE AGREEMENT (the Agreement) is made and entered into as of May 19, 1997 by and among AAA, a Delaware corporation (AAA), BBB, a Delaware corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of AAA (Buyer), CCC (Summit), and DDD, an Oregon corporation and wholly-owned subsidiary of Summit (Seller).RECITALSA. The Boards of Directors of each of Summit, Seller, AAA and Buyer believe it is in the best interests of each company and their respective security holders that Buyer acquire certain listed assets and assume certain listed liabilities of Seller (the Acquisition).B. On the date hereof, Buyer has executed a $2,000,000 irrevocable purchase order to purchase 400 time-based licenses for Summits Visual HDL interfaces for Visual Test bench (VTB) software on AAAs standard form of purchase order, which is payable within five (5) business days after the date hereof.NOW, THEREFORE, in consideration of the covenants, promises and representations set forth herein, and for other good and valuable consideration, the parties agree as follows: 2. 定義Definition在正文（Habendum）部分，通常第一章為定義（Definitions）部分。定義條款即對合同中涉及的術語及名詞作出限定、解釋的條款。它可以散見于合同各個部分，但對于一些大型的、重要的合同，通常將其置于第一章。I. 常見的定義語句常用mean, refer to, be construed as, include等來表達。如：1. Territory means the United States of America.“銷售地區”是指美利堅合眾國。2. “Commencement date” shall mean the date of signing this agreement by the last signing party hereto.“協議生效日”是指本“協議”最后簽字的一方簽署本“協議”的日期。3. The “agreement” herein referred to shall mean this agreement of agency by entrustment.“協議”在這里是指本委托代理協議。4. “Code” shall refer to the current and applicable Internal Revenue Code.“法”是指當前可用的國內稅收法。5. Reference to any statutory provision shall be construed as a reference to the same as it may have been, or may from time be, amended, modified or re-enacted.引用法律規定理解為引用其本身外，還包括其修訂、修正或重新實施案。6. Expenses include costs, charges and expenses of every description.“費用”包括各種形式的金錢支出。II. 還有一類特殊的定義語句，即對于單、復數及陰、陽性名詞的范圍定義。通常都是用include來表達：1. Stock Certificate includes stock certificate and stock certificates.合同中的“股票”，包括單數與復數。2. He includes he and she.合同中的“他”，包括“他”與“她”。3. Words using the singular or plural number also include the plural or singular number.采用單數或復數的單詞也包括復數或單數。III. 定義語句中，有時需限定范圍。而通常用得最多的是：“for the purpose of ”及“in relation to” 某概念的定義條款，如果適用范圍僅限于合同的“特定部份”，可以用“for the purpose of ”來為定義條款起頭。而如果定義條款是針對合同的“特定概念”，就用“in relation to”來界定。如下例：1. For the purpose of this Agreement, Products means all types of the machineries manufactured by Manufacturer as are specified in Attachment A hereto.本協議所稱的“產品”，指制造人所制造如附件A表列之各式機器。2. Address means(a) 就自然人而言in relation to an individual, his usual residential or business address; and(b) in relation to a corporation, its registered or principal office in the Republic of China.“地址”就自然人而言，指通常之居所或工作場所；就公司而言，指位于中華人民共和國之注冊所在地或主營業所。IV. 在定義條款中，在定義語句前有時會加上一些陳述語句來引導，如：1. For the purpose of this Agreement, each of the following terms shall have the following meaning respectively:就本合同的目的而言，下列各用語，分別具有下述意義：2. In this Agreement, the following words or expressions shall have the meanings given to them respectively below:本協議內所用詞句的意義，明確闡述如下：3. In this agreement unless the context otherwise requires, the following words and expressions shall have the meanings assigned to them hereunder:除非本“協議”有明確規定，下列詞語應當具有如下規定之意義：4. The following are the definitions of various terms used in this Agreement:本“協議”使用之術語定義如下： 3. 有效期Period of validity有效期(Term)條款通常規定合同的有效期限，何時生效及到何時結束，合同結束后必要時如何延展等等。I. 以下為“Term”的常用表達方式： The term of this contract is for a _ year period.合同的有效期為_年。如：The term of this contract is for a one (1) year period.2. The contract is for a _ month period, commencing _.合同的有效期為_月，開始于_。（期限）a. The contract is for a 12 month period, commencing September 17, 2002 thru September 16, 2003.b. The contract is for a 6 month period, commencing 4-1-03 and ending 9-30-2003.3. This agreement remains valid for _ year(s), i.e. commencing on _, _and terminating on _, _.本協議在_年之內有效，即從_年_月_日起生效，_年_月_日起到期。4. The contract term is hereby extended for the period_.合同的有效期為_。如：The contract term is hereby extended for the period_ in accordance with Section E, Paragraph 10, Term of Contract and Contract Extension.II. Term條款除了規定合同的期限外，通常另外合同期限的延展“Extension”。1. The contract period is for _ year with option to re-new for _ year.合同有效期為_年，同時可以選擇延長_年。2. The contract is for a _ month period, commencing _. The contract may be renewed for up to _ year option periods.合同的有效期為_月，開始于_，同時可以選擇延長_年。3. This agreement shall commence on the commencement date and shall endure for a continuous period of _ years. Thereafter it will be automatically renewed for successive periods of _ years on the same terms and conditions unless one of the parties had given _days notice of termination.本協議應自生效日生效并在_年內有效。此后，除非一方當事人提前_天書面通知對方當事人終止本協議，本協議有效期自動延長_年，協議條款不變。III. Term條款并沒有十分固定的表達方式，以下即是一些合同中Term的實例：1. This Agreement shall be valid and remain in force for a period of three (3) years commencing from the date appearing first above written upon the signing of both Party A and Party B and shall be extended for another period of three (3) years on the same terms and conditions unless either of the parties hereto gives the other party at least thirty (30) days prior written notice to terminate this Agreement prior to the expiration of the original term.本合約須從上面首次寫明的甲方和乙方簽訂本約的日期起生效并保持效力三年，并將按同樣條件延長三年，否則與約任何一方至少須在原定時間期滿前三十天給予另一方提前終止本合約的書面通知。2. At any time and from time to time during the period commencing on the date hereof and terminating on _, 20_, party A may in writing advise party B.自本協議簽訂之日起到_年_月協議終止這段期間內，甲方可隨時以書面形式通知乙方。3. The term of this Agreement shall be three years from the effective date, unless terminated in accordance with Article VI- (3) and Article IX.本合同的期限除非根據第8條第3款及第9條的規定終止外，有效期為3年。4. The contract is valid from _ until _.The contract period is automatically extended for any leave of absence allowed for in law.合同的有效期為從_到_。5. The term of this Agreement shall commence on the _ day of _ and end on the _ day of _ Upon expiration of the above initial term, this Agreement shall automatically be renew and extended for a like period of time unless terminated in writing by either party _ days prior to the date for such renewal.本協議期限為_年_月_日至_年_月_日。除非續訂日前_天一方以書面方式提出終止，否則上述首期屆滿后，協議應自動續訂，延長時間與前期相同。 4. 不可抗力Force MajeureForce Majeure條款是一種免責條款，即免除由于不可抗力事件而違約的一方的違約責任。一般應規定的內容包括：不可抗力事件的定義（Definition of Force Majeure）以及不可抗力事件的后果（Consequences of Force Majeure） 。在Force Majeure條款中，兩者屬于因果關系，難以截然分開。I. 對于Force Majeure的定義，合同法定義如下：本法所稱不可抗力，是指不能預見、不能避免并不能克服的客觀情況。For purposes of this Law, force majeure means any objective circumstance, which is unforeseeable, unavoidable and insurmountable.II. 以下是Force Majeure條款的舉例：1. Neither party shall be responsible for delays or failures in performance resulting from acts or facts reasonably beyond the control of that party.任何一方不應對因其無法控制之行為或事實造成協議延遲履行或不履行承擔任何責任。2. Either Party shall not be liable for any delay caused by any unpredictable factor or any factor which is unavoidable or insurmountable by reasonable means at the time of conclusion of this Agreement, or any loss caused by failure in fulfillment of obligations as stipulated herein.協議任一方無須對因任何在本協議簽訂時無法預見或以合理手段也無法避免或克服之原因造成的遲延或不履行本協議之義務所造成的損失承擔責任。注：以上采用的是類似合同法概括的定義方法。而合同為不可抗力定義時更多地采用列舉的方法。3. Neither party of this Agreement, directly or indirectly owing to any causes or circumstances beyond its control, including Acts of God, Governmental orders or restriction, war, warlike conditions, revolutions, strike, lockout, fire and flood.本合同任何一方當事人對直接或間接地由于其無法控制的原因或情況包括自然災害、政府命令或限制、戰爭、戰爭狀態、革命、罷工、工廠被關閉、火災、水災等而未能履行或延遲履行合同或合同一部分的行為，不負任何責任。注: Acts of God通常也譯為“不可抗力”，但主要是指自然災害；而Force Majeure則包括自然及人為兩方面。4. Neither party will be liable for nondelivery, misdelivery or late delivery (other than the payment of money due hereunder) caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including, among others, war, civil strife or commotion, riots, strikes, fires, floods, acts of God, inability to obtain materials, failure of carriers or compliance with any law, regulation or governmental order.任何當事人將不會為任何因為不可控制的情況產生的未交付貨物、交付錯誤或延遲交貨（除了支付應付款）。不可控制的情況包括戰爭、國內斗爭或暴亂、騷亂、罷工、火災、洪災、自然災害、無力獲得材料、承運人的失誤、遵守法律、法規或政府令。5. Should either of the parties to the contract by prevented from executing the contract by force majeure, such as earthquake, typhoon, flood, fire and war and other unforeseen events, and their happening and consequences are unpreventable and unavoidable, the prevented party shall notify the other party by cable without any delay, and within 15 days thereafter provide the detailed information of the events and a valid document for evidence issued by the relevant public notary organizationfor explaining the reason of its inability to execute or delay the execution of all or part of the contract. Both parties shall, through consolations, decide whether to terminate the contract or to exempt the part of obligations for implementation of the contract or whether to delay the execution of the contract according to the effects of the events on the performance of the contract.由 于地震、臺風、水災、火災、戰爭以及其它不能預見并且對其發生和后果不能防止或避免的不可抗力事件出現，致使直接影響合同的履行或者不能按約定的條件履行 時，遇有上述不可抗力的一方，應立即電報通知對方，并應在十五天內，提供不可抗力詳情及合同不能履行、或者部分不履行、或者需要延期履行的理由的有效證明 文件。此項證明文件應由事故發生地有權證明的機構出具。按其對履行合同影響的程度，由雙方協商決定是否解除合同，或者部分履行合同，或者延期履行合同。6. Force majeure shall hereof consist of the following events:下述事件構成不可抗力：Where such cases as war, earthquake, serious windstorms, snow, or fire or other events which no party can foresee and prevent from happening occur;發生戰爭、地震、嚴重的風災、雪災、火災或其他各方無法預見、無法抗拒的事故。The related laws and regulations in collection with the execution of duties by any party to this Agreement undergo changes, under which this Agreement will be illegal or the transfer cannot be fulfilled.自本協議簽訂之日起與本協議任何一方履行本協議相關的法律、法規發生變更致使本協議非法或轉讓行為無法完成。In event of the occurrence of the above-mentioned events, if any party (hereinafter referred to as the “Effected Party ”) has been delayed or deterred from performing the duties of this Agreement in the course of its execution, the Affected Party shall be free from any liabilities for breach of the agreement and for compensation.在發生本協議不可抗力事件之后，任何一方（以下簡稱受影響方）在履行本協議義務時受到拖延或不能履行時，受影響方不承擔任何違約責任及賠償責任。In event of the force majeure, the affected party shall, within _days from the date of the occurrence, notify the other party of the impact of such events on the execution of the duties in this Agreement, by telex, telegraph or in any other lawful written form, and simultaneously submit the relevant official credentials concerning the force majeure herein.在發生不可抗力事件時，受影響方應自不可抗力事件發生之日起_天內以電傳或電報或其他任何合理書面方式，通知另一方有關不可抗力的發生和不可抗力對其履行本協議的義務的影響，同時應呈交不可抗力的有關官方證明。Should the effect of the force majeure cases last more than _ days, both parties shall consult each other about the alterations of this Agreement; in case they fail to reach an agreement, Chapter 8 shall thereupon apply.在不可抗力事件延續_天后，雙方必須磋商本協議的變更，雙方未能協商一致的，適用本協議第八章的規定。7. Force Majeure不可抗力(1) No party to this Contract shall be liable to the other party for any failure of or delay in performance of its obligations hereof nor be deemed to be in breach of this Contract, if such failure or delay has arisen from force majeure. 如果任何一方因不可抗力而款能履行或推遲履行其義務，則不對另一方負責，也不應視作違反合同。Force Majeure means circumstances and conditions beyond the control of either parties, that would render it impossible for either the Owner or the Contractor to fulfill their obligations under this Contract, or delay such fulfillment. Any of the following matters are considered force majeure.“不可抗力”指業主或承包商無法控制的情況，使當事人未能按本合同履行其義務，或者不得不延遲履行其義務。下列情況均被視作“不可抗力”：a. war, hostilities, act of foreign enemy, invasion, warlike opera-tions (whether war to be declared or not) or civil war;b. mutiny, civil commotion assuming the proportions of or amounting to a popular rising, military rising, insurrection, rebellion, revolution, military or usurped power, or any act of any person acting on behalf of or in connection with any organization with activities directed towards the overthrow by force of the Government de jure or de facto, or to the influencing of it by terrorism or violence;c. earthquake, flood, fire or other natural physical disaster;d. denial of the use of all ports, airports, shipping services or other means of public transport;e. strike or lock out or other industrial concerted action by workers, affecting the fulfillment of Contractors and subcontractors obligations;f. and other unforeseen circumstances beyond the control of the parties so affected rendering the fulfillment of their obligations impossible.a. 戰爭、敵對事件、外敵行動、入侵、類似戰爭的軍事行動（不管是事宣戰）、內戰；b. 士兵嘩變、民眾暴亂、軍事叛亂、起義、造反、革命、篡權、或者任何個人代表某個組織或與某個組織有聯系、旨在以暴力推翻合法或現存政府、或以恐怖主義或暴力對政府施加影響的行為；c. 地震、洪水、火災或其他自然災害；d. 所有港口、機場、船運或其他公共交通工具的使用均遭拒絕；e. 工人罷工、工廠停工、或其他的勞工聯合行動，影響了承包商和分包商履行其義務；f. 當事人無法控制、從而使其不能履行義務的其他任何意外情況。(3) If either party to this Contract is prevented or delayed from or in performing any of his obligations under this Contract by force majeure, then he may notify the other party of the circumstances constituting the force majeure and of the obligation performance of which is thereby delayed or prevented and the party giving the notice shall thereupon be excused from the performance or punctual performance, as the case may be, of such obligation for so long as the circumstances of prevention or delay may continue. 如果本合同任何一方因不可抗力不能或延遲履行本合同規定的任何義務，他可將不可抗力和由此造成的延遲或妨礙情況通知另一方。發出通知的一方允許根據具體情況及妨礙或延遲持續的時間免于履行或推遲履行合同。(4) If by virtue of the preceding sub-clause dither party shall be excused from the performance or punctual performance of any obligation for a continuous period of _ months, then either party may at any time thereafter terminate this Contract by giving a written notice to the other party.根據本第款第3分條規定，如果任何一方免于履行或推遲履行其義務的時間持續了_個月，那么任何一方都可隨時向另一方發出書面通知，終止本合同。 5. 修改Modification 合同修訂 (Modification)條款為合同常用條款.主要規定了合同修訂的方式與途徑。例如：書面合同，只能以書面方式進行修訂，口頭修訂內容無效。I. Modification條款通常較為簡單，以下為一些常用比較簡約的表達方式：1. The contract can be amended only after the amendment is agreed upon by both parties.只有經雙方一致同意，合同方可變更。2. This Agreement may be amended only by a written instrument signed by duly authorized representatives of both parties.本合同只有經雙方當事人授權的代表正式簽署的書面文件，方可修改。3. This Agreement may not be amended or modified except by written instrument signedby each of the Parties hereto.除非經本協議當事人簽署的書面通知，否則本協議書不得作出任何修改和變更。4. Any alterations or amendments of this Agreement shall be subject to agreeme