• Comic Book Contracts

      The Comic Contracts project is about rethinking some aspects of contract law.

       

      Is there room for images in contracts?

      Should there be?

      Can they be made up of all images?

       

      The reason is simple - while not all contracts will be improved with visualisation or comic strips, SOME will. There are too many micro-transactions where people do not read their agreements, too many alienating and not always needed terms in everyday contracts, and too much obfuscation of agreements with legal jargon. This made vulnerable groups unable to engage with standard contracts. Accordingly, the concept of simplified and visual contracts seems timely; as the Comic Contract in the Media evidences, the idea has been well received and has spread widely.

       

      This website is dedicated to the Comic Contract initiative and its impact. With the upcoming inaugural Comic and Creative Contracts Conference at UWA in December now is the perfect time to investigate the phenomenon.

    • Initiatives for illustrated comic book contracts started almost simultaneously, in Western Australia and South Africa - in Academic and Practical Circles. Sounds like law needs an update...

      With what could possibly be the future of contract law, UWA Professor Camilla Baasch Andersen first experimented with the concept of Comic Book Contracting in 2016 when she was approached to help engineering students understand their obligations while working for the UWA Makers.

       

      Understanding the difficulties Engineering students may have in understanding complex legal jargon, Professor Andersen worked with UWA’s Associate Professor Adrian Keating to draw up a contract with cartoons.

      Professor Andersen and Associate Professor Keating used simple pictures and minimal dialogue to convey the nuances and complexities surrounding Non-Disclosure Agreements.

       

      The visual contracts were well received by both students and engineering companies, leading to the use of comic contracts again this year.

      Now, the concept of comic book contracts is attracting attention worldwide. Lawyers in South Africa have used comic book contracts for employment contracts and author Robert Sikoryak has condensed Apple's gargantuan terms and conditions into a digestible and easy to read graphic novel.

       

      The University of Western Australia held its Inaugual Comic Book and Creative Contracts Conference during the 7th and 8th of December 2017. The conference attracted speakers and experts in contract innovation from all over the world who shared their knowledge, thoughts and first-hand experience on visualisation and cutting-edge innovation in the world of contract law. For more information on what was discussed click here!