The Uniform Commercial Code (“UCC”), in particular Articles 2 to 207, modified the application of the mirror image rule to the sale of goods by traders. In the sale of goods scenario, an acceptance that does not correspond to the terms of the offer is still valid for the conclusion of a contract as long as the essential terms of the initial offer have been agreed. An example of the above is this: Sleazy Manufacturer (which owns a t-shirt production plant) offers to make and sell 500 white t-shirts with the text “Most avocados are bad” on the back of each t-shirt for $500 to Cheap Storeowner (owner of a store that sells t-shirts to consumers). Cheap accepts Sleazy`s offer and writes “Change the text to `All lawyers are bad`” on the back of the invoice. Under the common law mirror image rule, this would constitute a counter-offer by Cheap and not an acceptance of Sleazy`s offer. However, under the UCC, this constitutes acceptance and the contract will be enforceable despite the change as the change was insignificant and both Sleazy and Cheap are merchants. Modified or additional terms in the acceptance are part of an agreement between the merchants, unless the offer limits acceptance to the terms of the offer (i.e. it states that there can be no change), the conditions substantially modify the offer or the other party objects to the new conditions within a reasonable time. “In order to understand why the terms of the license must be respected in this case under § 2-207, we briefly discuss the reasons for § 2-207.

According to the Common Law of Sales and, to some extent, also in the case of contracts outside the UCC, an acceptance that varied each term of the offer was considered a rejection of the offer and at the same time made a counter-offer. This common law formality was called a mirror image rule because the conditions of acceptance had to reflect the terms of the offer to be effective. If the tenderer concludes the contract despite the divergent conditions of the alleged acceptance, it would constructively accept the terms of the “counter-offer” through its performance and would be bound by its conditions. Because of these rules, the terms of the party who sent the last form, usually the seller, would become the terms of the parties` contract. This result has been called the “last shot rule”. The rule of reservation in contract law makes it the responsibility of the buyer to understand his risk, his rights and all the particular regulations around a sale. The UCC is a law that provides an exception to the mirror image rules for traders selling goods. In commercial transactions, traders always have the right to refuse an acceptance that brings a change in conditions that is not of a material nature. The merchant must inform the other party involved in the transaction that the change will not be accepted and that the agreement will have to be renegotiated. This approach to the mirror image rule gives traders the ability to reject changes to the terms of an agreement when they are presented, while allowing agreements to be conducted without renegotiation if there are minor changes and neither party protests. Although the mirror image rule exists in U.S.

common law, UCC § 2-207 exempts the mirror rule. The principle behind this rule is that what is offered is exactly what is accepted and then contractually written to reflect that. It is also known as the “absolute acceptance” rule, which means that the exact terms offered are the exact terms that are accepted to create a contract. The mirror image rule is a common law concept that governs the formation of contracts and helps define when a contract is formed and becomes legally binding. We will define a mirror image rule, examine this common law legal term, how it is applied when a transaction is submitted to the UCC, how it affects the enforceability of contracts, and much more. The mirror image rule is a term of contract law that states that the target recipient must accept the offer without modification and in a clear, absolute and unambiguous manner for an offer to be accepted. Why are you thinking about the mirror image rule? Does this worry you that a slight deviation in an acceptance could actually reject a contract? Why or why not? What would happen if that was not the intention of the parties at the time the agreement was concluded? The mirror image rule is a doctrine of contract law that states that a bidder`s bid must be accepted by the target recipient exactly and without modification in order for a binding contract to be concluded. The rationale for the rule is that a bidder is the master of its own bid and that any attempt by the target recipient to accept the bid on other terms does not create a binding contract, but constitutes a rejection of the initial bid by the target bidder and a counter-offer to the bidder. If you need more information or help with the mirror image rule, you can publish your legal needs in the UpCounsel market. UpCounsel only accepts the top 5% of lawyers on its website. UpCounsel`s lawyers come from law schools such as Harvard Law and Yale Law and have an average of 14 years of legal experience, including working with or on behalf of companies such as Google, Menlo Ventures and Airbnb. Here`s an older video I made about the mirror image rule: Let`s say you want to sell your home.

You put it on the market and a buyer accepts it as is. In this case, the mirror image rule has been applied; The buyer accepts your exact terms and you enter into a purchase contract. Anyone dealing with contracts must understand all the rules that govern them. This knowledge will help you organize your professional and personal legal affairs more efficiently and avoid litigation. When creating and negotiating contracts, one of the basics you need to understand is a basic understanding of the rules of the common law. These laws better help to define the basic premise of contract law, namely the process of making an offer and accepting it in commercial transactions. Over the past 20 years, laws have been created around electronic transmission, but in general, they do not change the spirit of this rule. Whether by mail or e-mail, the booking rule states that an offer is accepted based on when the acceptance was scheduled. Mirror image, a contract is entered into when one person makes an offer to another person to be legally bound by certain terms and conditions, and the other party accepts the offer “as is”. If a contractor makes you an offer to renovate your home for $20,000 and gives you details about what`s included in the list, accepting the offer without modification will create a contract based on the mirror image rule. However, in today`s world, most contracts are processed digitally via email, so the mailbox rule is rarely used. Contract management platforms allow contractors to do without sending or posting and negotiate contract terms directly and in real time.

It`s much faster and more efficient. If the target recipient accepts the offer with modifications (acceptance is not the mirror of the offer), it legally means that the initial offer has been rejected and a counter-offer has been made. The display rule in contract law was a way for companies to legally accept and bind a contract when not all parties are on the Samer site. The rule was originally created to serve parties doing business over long distances to more clearly define when an offer was accepted. A contract is entered into when the “mirror image rule” applies. Contracts that are not primarily intended for the sale of goods may be subject to rules resulting from the reformulation of contracts. Reformatement proposes the mirror image rule to accept an offer. This rule states that the acceptance of an offer must be exactly as required by the supplier.

That is, the acceptance must reflect the offer. If the target recipient adds new conditions to the acceptance, it is not really an acceptance. Acceptance with deviating or additional conditions constitutes a counter-offer. If John accepts Suzanne`s counter-offer, the “meeting of the spirits” or a contract is concluded (the mirror image rule applies). The UCC essentially exempts from the application of the common law mirror image rule to the sale of goods between merchants. Caveat emptor means that it is up to the buyer to determine if a purchase is right for him. .