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Sure, that's the point of the example. Phrased that way, this kind of contract is clearly one-sided and unenforceable.


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This is considered unconscionable according to contract law as it is overwhelmingly one-sided in favor of the party

Contracts that are completely one-side are not legally binding. They have to offer you something for your money.

Interestingly, there is a legal term related to one-sided contracts: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconscionability

No, it isn't. There is no contract in this scenario whatsoever, equitable or otherwise. It's an absurd analogy.

Again, I think you're implying that this contract is not enforceable. If that's the case, then my point is irrelevant. But that was not my reading of it.

The point is that some contracts are unenforceable. It is impossible to give up some rights in a legally binding way.

Untrue. Not all contracts are enforceable, even if one side accepted the consideration.

Provisions of a contract can be one sided. It's the same reason why loan sharks are illegal.

My point is that the contract could be unconscionable

AFAICT That kind of agreement should be void for being one sided; not sure if it has ever been tested in court however.

I think contracts aren't enforceable unless both sides get something.

That clause is unenforceable, but not necessarily the entire contract.

> " you can't have a contract with an intended two-way exchange of obligations. "

> This is false, of course.

Except, not.

> You can have unilateral contracts accepted by performance of something that a contract requests,

You can have contracts accepted by performance as described, but they aren't unilateral. Acceptance by performance is a mechanism for demonstrating acceptance (hence the name) of a contract offer with mutual obligation while simultaneously fulfilling some or all of the obligations on one side.

> contracts implied in fact,

Which are contracts where the acceptance of mutual obligation (and perhaps the actual content of the mutual obligation) is inferred from non-verbal communication, not an exception to the requirement for an intended two-way exchange of obligations.

> contracts implied in law, and all sorts of interesting quasi-contracts,

quasi-contracts are another name for implied-in-law contracts, which are not actual contracts, but equitable arrangements; given the nature of the equitable basis for these -- particularly the direction they run -- it would be odd to see implied warranties, or even some equitable analog, mattering to them except to reduce liability that might be due to the provider. But equity can be be weird, so I wouldn't rule it out entirely that there might be some relevance there.

> But that's also "first week of contracts".

Indeed.


That is not an enforceable contract in the US.

Sure, plenty of stuff is unenforceable in contracts. Is there any evidence that this particular sort of extremely common clause is in that set?

Wouldn't a contract like this be considered unenforceable? There were no services rendered, no exchange of value

This example is just a breach of explicit terms of the contract.

What OP says, it’s not enforceable. that’s not how contracts work despite longstanding attempts to make people believe so

A contract can say whatever you want. That doesn't necessarily make it legally enforceable.
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