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5 ERCL 1 (2009)

handle is hein.journals/ercl5 and id is 1 raw text is: ARTICLES
The Myth of the 'Opportunity to Read' in Contract Law
OMRI BEN-SHAHAR*
Abstract: Standard form contracts in consumer transactions are usually not read by consum-
ers. This 'unreadness' of contracts creates opportunities for drafters to engage in unfair trade
practices. Various doctrines of contracts and consumer protection law address this concern.
One of the prominent solutions coming out of recent proposals for reform is to give individ-
uals a more substantial opportunity to read the contract before manifesting assent. With the
greater opportunity to read, more transactors will actually read the terms and assent to the
boilerplate will be more 'robust'. This Essay argues that solutions that focus on providing
consumers an opportunity to read are useless, and can potentially be harmful. Most likely,
greater opportunity to read would not produce greater readership of contracts - not the type
that can help people make informed decisions - and the purpose of this solution would not be
achieved, and could have unintended consequences. Even if the compliance with the re-
quirement of opportunity-to-read is fairly cheap (eg, giving consumers access to the boiler-
plate in advance), making this a central feature of the legal regulation of standard form con-
tracts makes little sense. The paper ends by proposing non-legal approaches to making the
contract terms more transparent, by building on market devices such as ratings and labeling.
Resume : Les contrats-types proposes aux consommateurs ne sont generalement pas lus par
ces derniers. Cette non-lecture des contrats cree des opportunites pour leurs redacteurs d'y
inserer des dispositions abusives. Les auteurs s'interessant au droit des contrats et a la pro-
tection des consommateurs abordent en general cette question. Une des principales solutions
qui emerge de recentes propositions de reforme consiste a donner aux individus une oppor-
tunite plus reelle de lire leur contrat avant de donner leur consentement. En accroissant une
telle opportunite, davantage de contractants liraient effectivement les clauses et leur con-
sentement au modsle standard de contrat serait plus robuste. Cet article soutient que
les solutions qui se concentrent sur la necessite de donner aux consommateurs une telle op-
portunite de lire leur contrat sont en realite inutiles, et peuvent mime potentiellement etre
nuisibles. Il apparait plus probable qu'une plus grande opportunite de lire ne produira pas en
pratique davantage de lecture effective des contrats - pas en tous les cas du type qui pourrait
aider les gens a prendre des decisions eclairees - et l'objectif de cette solution ne sera pas
atteint, outre que celle-ci pourra avoir des consequences non desirees. Mime si la promotion
de l'opportunit de lire est peu onereuse (par exemple en donnant aux consommateurs acces
au modele standard a l'avance), en faire un point nodal de la regulation juridique des con-
trats-types n'a pas beaucoup de sens. Cet article conclut par des propositions d'approches non
* Frank and Bernice Greenberg Professor of Law, University of Chicago Law School
(omri@uchicago.edu). Helpful suggestions were provided by Fernando Gomez, Flo-
rencia Marotta-Wurgler, Ariel Porat, Carl Schneider, and Mustafa Onli.

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