不完全契約之研究—以經銷合約條款為例

Abstract

企業法務在審閱契約的時候，都希望自己能將契約寫的鉅細靡遺且無缺失，但契約是不是真的可以擬完全，如果不能完全的原因又是什麼，值得探究。本文試圖從法律經濟分析與不完全契約理論出發，從經濟學的角度涉入法學，並簡介不完全契約理論起源和發展，從寇斯、威廉姆森、到最近獲得諾貝爾經濟學獎的哈特，探討與之相關的交易成本理論、長期契約、有限理性與投機主義、不確定性與複雜性、專屬資產、資訊不對稱、相對優勢地位等因素，從這些經濟學上的論點可以瞭解為什麼會發生契約發生不完全的原因。除了理論之外，從實務上的經銷契約條款來討論不完全契約理論，也因多數人分不清楚的經銷與代理的差異，本文先從這兩者做區別介紹，可以從跟交易相對人間是存在何種法律關係，是否有付給佣金或是單純以商品轉賣價差金額做為利潤收入等等的項目做說明。釐清經銷與代理的內容後，進一步從經銷契約當中常見的一般條款與特別條款做探究，將其中要注意的事項在此處特別說明，也探討不完全理論如何介入這些契約條款。當契約發生爭議會進到法院訴訟，從各級法院挑選幾則經銷契約爭議的判決，評析法官如此認定是否合理，能否藉由使用經濟學概念解釋這些因為不完全契約產生爭議而進入法院爭訟的案件。最後以不完全契約理論的功能，如要解決不完全契約的問題，提出五點可能的方式，可以透過談判，雙方重新協商，契約中加入違約金，隱性契約，或以訴訟外紛爭解決處理，也因為現代科技與人工智慧的時代來臨，藉由數據經濟發展能否減少不完全契約爭議。綜合前述的討論最終提出經銷契約應如何訂定較能減少不完全契約的產生。 我們在經銷契約簽訂前必須謹慎，控制好交易成本的狀況下，盡力擬定好雙方未來要遵循的規則，其中可以適度保留未來協商的彈性，在履約的過程中，注意檢視契約條款，莫要為了投機或過度自利而違約，方能為企業謀求最大的利益。

When reviewing the contract, the legal staff in the enterprise often expects that they could write the details of the contract without any defects, however, the contract can really be incomplete; it is worth exploring the reasons from this thesis. This thesis attempts to start from the legal economic analysis and the theory of incomplete contracts; from the perspective of economics to get involved in law, and then to introduce the origin and development of incomplete contract theory, from Coase and Williamson to Hart who the recent Nobel Prize in Economics, discussed relative factors such as transaction cost theory, long-term contracts, bounded rationality and opportunism, uncertainty and complexity, specific asset, information asymmetry, and dominant bargaining position. These factors help to better understand incomplete contracts could arise from economic theories. In addition to theory, the incomplete contract theory was discussed from the terms of the practical distribution contracts, due to most people are not clear to tell the difference between distribution and agency contracts. Hereby, firstly introduce the difference between the two, and analyze what kind of legal relationship exists between the trading counterparts, whether there are any items such as payment of commissions or simply taking the price difference of the goods as profit and so on. After that, to further explore the general terms and special terms in the distribution contracts and how incomplete theories intervene in these contract terms. When a contract dispute occurred, it will go to court for litigation, several judgments were selected to further analyzed on the distribution contract disputes from the district court and high court, and evaluated whether the judges thinking is reasonable or not and whether they can use economic concepts to explain these disputes caused by incomplete contracts. Finally, with the function of incomplete contract theory, if you want to solve the problems of incomplete contracts, it’s necessary to emphasize the incomplete contracts can be negotiated, renegotiation, liquidated damages and penalty, implicit contract, or alternative dispute resolution. Living in era of modern technology and artificial intelligence, it plays an important rule for the data economy development, which can reduce incomplete contract disputes. Based on the foregoing discussion, how to draft distribution contracts and reduce the generation of incomplete contracts is concluded in the thesis. The study findings may serve as a guide to remind how important to control transition cost before finalizing distribution contract and to let two parties can follow in lines for the future. Among them, the flexibility of future negotiation can be retained appropriately. In the process of performance, pay attention to review the contract terms. Do not breach the contract for speculative behavior or excessive self-interest in order to seek the greatest benefit for the enterprise.