文档介绍：意向书的性质
林源民

船舶建造合同洽谈所需的时间的长短可能会受到各种因素的影响，船舶设
计比较复杂的，尤其是采用新技术的船舶建造合同就可能需要较长时间的谈判。
为了谈判，船东和船厂都必须投入较多的人力物力，然而任何一方均无订立合
同的义务。在这种情况下，船东和船厂会签署一份意向书 (letter of intent)，表明
双方当事人将认真磋商合同的订立。
意向书性质的判断
意向书通常被认为是不具有合同约束力的文件，只是表明了当事人有在将
来订立合同的意向而已，但是英国普通法中也有不少将意向书视为对当事方有
约束力的合同的案例。在很大程度上，意向书的实际性质往往取决于对当事人
间的来往信函以及行为进行适当的解释。对于意向书是否构成有约束力合同的
问题并没有一个直截了当的答案，而必须根据具体案件的具体情况作出判断。1
在 A C Controls Limited v British Broadcasting Corporation 一案中，高院的
Thornton法官对相关先例进行了总结后将意向书的效力归纳为以下几种：2
1. A document called or treated by the parties as a letter of intent may, on
analysis, give rise to a binding contract, if that is the effect of the language of
the parties when objectively construed. That contract is one in which, pending
the entering into of a formal contract governing the whole of the project, the
parties have assumed reciprocal obligations towards each whose content is
defined by the terms of the document.
2. Alternatively, the document may, on an objective construction of its terms,
give rise to an “if” contract whereby one party makes a standing offer to the
other that if it carries out the defined performance of services, that other party
will be remunerated for that performance. However, no obligation to perform
is created