Bedenkzeit vor und nach Vertragsabschluss

Why - and how - can some contracts be revoked? Nils Neumann attempts to answer this question by analyzing and comparing German and French legislation which gives one of the contracting parties the right to cancel the contract, or which contains similar rules assuring that the conclusion of a contract has been given serious thought. The author deals with the concepts of the consumer's protection during the formation of the contract and the compensation for disparity between the parties due to additional information as well as the time given to the weaker party, which is also called the cooling-off period. He lists the dangers against which the consumer must be protected, such as for example special sales techniques and the influence of new media on the contract. The author also questions the impact of the concept of the 'consumer' on a future European contract law. The comparison with French law reveals that there are many more methods of protection conceivable than those actually stipulated in German law.