网络服务合同中格式条款的法律规制

Legal Regulation of Standard Terms in Network Service Contracts

随着互联网技术的发展,网络服务已经逐渐覆盖到人们生活的方方面面,娱乐、购物、通讯等离不开网络平台,但人们在享受便利的同时可能权益也在受到平台的侵蚀。网络服务合同是平台所预先拟定的格式条款,用户只能同意或不同意,无法协商内容。格式条款因其高效便利的优势契合互联网的发展需求而广泛应用,因而一些网络服务平台利用自己的优势地位以及用户在复杂网络环境中的弱敏感性实施侵犯用户权益的行为,以实现自己利益的最大化,比如瑕疵履行提示说明义务,致使用户在不知情情况下签订协议,任意变更条款,或在协议中拟定不公平的条款侵犯用户的权益。目前我国没有针对网络环境中格式条款做出特别规定、格式条款提供者单方变更权规范缺失、以及现有的显失公平原则客观标准不清晰,网络服务合同和传统的纸质合同存在差异,因此需要完善立法,加强行政方面的监管,平衡格式条款的效率价值和法律所要保护的公平价值。

With the development of Internet technology, network services have gradually covered all aspects of people’s lives. Entertainment, shopping, communication, etc. cannot be separated from the network platform, but people’s rights and interests may also be eroded by the platform while enjoying convenience. The network service contract is a pre-drafted format term by the platform, which users can only agree or disagree with and cannot negotiate the content. The format terms are widely used because they meet the development needs of the Internet due to their advantages of efficiency and convenience. Therefore, some network service platforms use their advantages and users’ weak sensitivity in complex network environments to implement acts that infringe users’ rights and interests in order to maximize their own interests. For example, defective performance of the obligation to prompt and explain causes users to sign an agreement without knowing it, arbitrarily change the terms, or draw up unfair terms in the agreement that infringe users’ rights and interests. At present, China has not made special provisions for format clauses in the online environment, there is a lack of unilateral change rights regulations for format clause providers, and the objective standards of the existing principle of obvious unfairness are not clear. There are differences between network service contracts and traditional paper contracts. Therefore, it is necessary to improve legislation, strengthen administrative supervision, and balance the efficiency value of format clauses with the fairness value that the law needs to protect.