Watch those commas!

[yendi]

Anyone who has passed middle-school English should be able to parse this sentence: [The agreement] shall continue in force for a period of five years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party.

Alas, the lawyers at Canadian company Rogers Communications seem to have problems understanding it, and it looks likely to cost their company millions of dollars.

(Ganked from Robert Sawyer's blog).

Comments

[not-hothead-yet.livejournal.com]

I didn't see it at first because I was thinking, "yeah so their contract can be nullified at any time with a one-year written notice, what's the problem?" then I read the article... WOW! What an expensive blunder!

Knowing the problem made it clearer: the second comma turns "and thereafter for successive five year terms" into a seperate, interjectory phrase and causing the predicate apply to the subject itself, rather than what should have been the second phrase (and second subject).

HA!

[yendi]

*nod* See, it's one thing for a casual reader to miss it the first time. But these things are examined by dozens of people. No excuse for the lawyers missing it.