Self-drafted or general off the shelf contracts are not adequate for those businesses who want to manage their liability, a case from www.lexology.com (legal website that explores business issues and law) shows how self-drafted or off the shelf contracts just don’t manage the risk within a business and can lead to businesses issuing contracts that are simply unenforceable.
The High court found that an exclusion clause contained within the standard terms and conditions of an IT supplier was unenforceable leading to an award of damages of £110k in favour of the Client. The case (Kingsway hall hotel limited V red sky IT limit [2010] EWHC 965 (TCC). Legal firm RPC (www.rpc.co.uk) commented on this case saying, “from this case it was clear that there existed a clear disconnect between red sky’s standard terms and conditions and the manner in which red sky sought to sell their software. Suppliers should ensure that their standard terms accurately reflect the sales and contract process. Any gap between the process envisaged in the standard terms and the actual process may result in clauses being unenforceable. Standard terms and contract processes should be reviewed regularly with legal advisers to ensure enforceability and maximise their benefit”.