There are eleven articles in this chapter, which stipulate the concept of the gift contract, the establishment of the gift contract, the rights and obligations of the parties, the liability for warranty against defects, the arbitrary and legal revocation of the gift, and the liability for breach of contract.
Article 185 A gift contract is a contract in which the donor gives his property to the donee free of charge and the donee expresses his acceptance of the gift.
[Interpretation] This article is about the concept of gift contract.
A gift contract refers to a contract in which the donor gives his property to the donee free of charge and the donee is willing to accept the gift. We can see the following connotations from the concept of gift contract:
1. Gift is a kind of agreement and a legal act of both parties. Although the gift contract is a unilateral and free contract, it needs the unanimous expression of will of both parties to be established. If one party has the will to donate, but the other party has no intention to accept the gift, the gift contract cannot be established. In real life, there will also be cases where one party is unwilling to accept the gift from the other party for some consideration. In this case, the gift contract will not be established.
2. A gift contract is a contract to transfer the ownership of property. A gift contract is a contract in which the donor gives his own property to the recipient, and it is a contract in which the donor transfers the ownership of the property to the recipient. This is the main difference between a gift contract and a loan contract.
3. The gift contract is a free contract. The so-called "free contract" refers to a contract in which only one party pays, and the other party does not have to pay the corresponding price to the other party. In the gift contract, only the donor gives his property to the donee free of charge, and the donee obtains the donated property without paying the corresponding price to the donor. This is the main difference between a gift contract and a paid contract such as buying and selling.
4. The gift contract is a unilateral contract. The so-called "unilateral contract" refers to a contract in which only one party bears the debt and the other party does not bear the debt, or although it bears the debt, it has no consideration relationship. Under normal circumstances, only the donor has the obligation to give his own property to the donee in the gift contract, and the donee is not obliged. In a gift with obligations, the donor has the obligation to pay his property to the donee, and the donee undertakes certain obligations according to the contract, but the obligations undertaken by the donee are not the consideration of the obligations undertaken by the donor, and the obligations in between are not corresponding to each other, so the gift contract is a unilateral contract.
5. The gift contract is a promise contract. Whether the gift contract is a practice contract or a promise contract is directly related to when the gift contract was established. Whether a gift contract is based on the delivery of the subject matter has different provisions in foreign legislation, and there are different understandings in China’s legal circles. The so-called "practice contract", also known as "material contract", refers to a contract that can be established only after the parties agree on their intentions. It is based on the agreement of the parties and the delivery of the subject matter. The so-called "promissory contract", also known as "non-material contract", refers to a contract that can be established when the parties agree on their meanings. It is based on the agreement of the parties.
The former Soviet Union and some countries in Eastern Europe regard the gift contract as a practical contract. German, Japanese and Taiwan Province in China define the gift contract as a promise contract in their legislation. In the legal field of our country, some scholars advocate that the gift contract is a practical contract; Some advocate that the gift contract is a promise contract.
In the process of drafting and amending the chapter of contract law, there are different views on whether the gift contract should be defined as a practice contract or a promise contract, and when the gift contract was established. Some people think that the gift should be a practical contract, which is established when the subject matter is delivered. Otherwise, it is unfair for the donor to reach an agreement between the parties, and if the donor fails to perform the gift obligation, it will be enforced. At the same time, it will also make the donor feel worried when expressing his willingness to give, thus giving up the idea of giving, which in turn will reduce the chances of the recipient. Some people think that the gift should be a promise contract, and the contract will be established when both parties agree. If the donor can not perform the delivery obligation before delivering the gift, and the expression of the gift is not binding on the donor, it runs counter to the principle of good faith. The material and economic preparations made by the donee for accepting the gift based on his trust in the donor can not be compensated, which is also extremely unfair to the donee. Others believe that the oral gift contract can be stipulated as effective when the property is delivered; At the same time, the written gift contract is stipulated as effective after the contract is concluded, because the parties have already concluded a written contract, indicating that their intention has been expressed more carefully, and the parties should fulfill their gift obligations according to the contract.
The provisions of the contract law indicate that the gift contract is a promise contract, and it is established when the parties agree, regardless of whether it is concluded orally or in writing, or whether the donated property is delivered. At the same time, considering that in the gift contract, it is inevitable that the donor will act on impulse, so the contract law also stipulates the application of arbitrary cancellation of the gift contract (see later).
6. The gift contract is a gratuitous contract. Whether the gift contract is an important contract or an unnecessary contract is also related to whether the gift contract is established. The so-called "essential contract" refers to a contract that must be in a certain form according to the law. The so-called "non-contract" refers to a contract that is not required by law to have a specific form. An optional contract does not exclude the use of written or notarized forms, but the form of the contract does not affect the establishment of the contract. According to the provisions of the contract law, the gift contract is an unnecessary contract. The gift contract can be in oral form, written form or notarized after the contract is concluded. No matter what form it takes or whether it is notarized or not, it will not affect the establishment of the gift contract.
There are different regulations in different countries on whether the gift contract is an unnecessary contract and whether it must be notarized. For example, Germany, France and Italy require that the gift contract be notarized. Germany stipulates that in order to make the contract of payment by gift valid, its agreement should have a notarized certificate. Those who lack the means specified in the preceding paragraph may perform the agreed payment and supplement it. France stipulates that all living gifts should be made in front of a notary by the usual contract, and the original contract should be kept with the notary, otherwise the gift contract will be invalid. Italy stipulates that the gift should be made by notarization, otherwise it will be invalid. In Japan and Taiwan Province, China, gifts are allowed in written or non-written form, and there is no requirement that the gift contract must be notarized.
Article 186 The donor may revoke the gift before the right to donate the property is transferred.
The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall not apply to gift contracts with the nature of social welfare and moral obligation such as disaster relief and poverty alleviation or notarized gift contracts.
[Interpretation] This article provides for the arbitrary revocation of gifts and its restrictions.
The arbitrary revocation of a gift means that after the gift contract is established, before the right to donate property is transferred, the donor can stop being a gift according to his own meaning. The arbitrary revocation of the gift stipulated by law stems from the fact that the gift is a free act. Even if the gift contract has been established, the donor can be allowed to cancel the gift for some reason, which is also a significant difference between the gift contract and other paid contracts. In particular, some gift contracts are concluded because of temporary emotional factors. If the donor is absolutely not allowed to cancel, it is too harsh and unfair for the donor.
However, if there is no restriction on arbitrariness, it means that the gift contract has no binding force, which is unfair to the recipient, violates the principle of honesty and credit, and is also an impact on social morality. Therefore, the revocation of the gift should have the following restrictions:
1. If the donated property has transferred its rights, the donor shall not arbitrarily revoke the gift. If a part of the donated property has been delivered and its rights have been transferred, the arbitrary revocation of the gift is limited to the part that has not been delivered and its rights have not been transferred, so as to maintain the stability of the rights and obligations of both parties to the gift contract.
2. If the gift contract is notarized after it is concluded, the donor shall not cancel it at will. In other words, the gift contract that can be revoked at will is limited to the gift contract without notarization. After the conclusion of the gift contract, the parties are notarized by the notary department, which shows that the expression of their gift will has been very cautious. Therefore, the gift contract that has been notarized shall not be arbitrarily revoked by the donor.
3. A donation contract with the nature of social welfare and moral obligation, regardless of the form in which the parties conclude it, whether it is notarized or not, and whether the donated property has transferred its rights, the donor shall not revoke it at will. Gifts with the nature of social welfare mainly refer to gifts for the purposes of disaster relief, poverty alleviation, student assistance, etc. or for financing public utilities such as public facilities construction and environmental protection. The public welfare nature of this kind of gift determines that the donor shall not revoke the gift at will. Because there are moral factors between the parties, it is not moral to allow the donor to revoke it at will. Therefore, such a gift shall not be arbitrarily revoked by the donor.
Here, we can review the provisions of the fourth draft of the draft contract law: "The donor may revoke the gift before delivering the donated property. The provisions of the preceding paragraph shall not apply to gift contracts with the nature of social welfare and moral obligation such as disaster relief and poverty alleviation or concluded in written form. "
The revision of the draft contract law mainly considers two issues. First, change "delivery" to "transfer of rights". "Delivery" only refers to the actual delivery of the physical object and belongs to the recipient. Of course, the ownership of the gift is generally transferred at the time of delivery, but there are also cases where the law provides otherwise or the parties agree otherwise. As for the transfer of rights, there may be two situations: the first situation is that the donated property has not been actually delivered, but its ownership has been transferred to the donee; In the second case, the donated property has been occupied by the donee, but its ownership has not been transferred. The "transfer of rights" is broader and more accurate than "delivery", so the draft is revised. The second is to change "concluded in written form" to "notarized". The gift contract concluded in written form is inevitably thoughtless due to temporary emotional factors, while the notarized gift contract can not be said to be careless. In order to balance the interests of both parties to the gift contract, the above amendments were made.
Article 187 If the donated property needs to go through registration and other formalities according to law, it shall go through the relevant formalities.
[Interpretation] This article is the provision that the gift of special property needs to go through relevant legal procedures.
Where the law provides that special procedures are required for the gift of property, such provisions shall be followed. This is mainly for special gifts, such as real estate. For example, in accordance with the provisions of the "People’s Republic of China (PRC) Real Estate Management Law", if a real estate is donated, it shall apply to the real estate management department for registration of property ownership change. As for whether the registration has an impact on the establishment of the gift contract, it should be determined according to the provisions of relevant laws. If the registration procedure stipulated by law is only "filing", then the gift contract should be established even though the registration procedure has not been fulfilled; If the registration required by law is an important requirement for the contract to take effect, even if it is not registered, it will not affect the establishment of the contract, but the contract will not be effective; If the registration stipulated by law is a necessary condition for the establishment of a contract, then the registration procedures must be performed if the contract is to be established, otherwise the contract will not be established.
Article 188 If the donor fails to deliver the donated property in a gift contract or a notarized gift contract with the nature of social welfare and moral obligation such as disaster relief and poverty alleviation, the donee may demand delivery.
[Interpretation] This article provides for the responsibility of the donor not to deliver the donated property.
It is the donor’s obligation to deliver the donated property to the donee and transfer its ownership according to the donation contract.
Whether the donor’s failure to deliver the donated property constitutes a breach of contract and bears the liability for breach of contract shall be distinguished according to the purpose of the gift and whether the gift contract has been notarized. According to the provisions of the contract law, in general gift contracts, the donor can revoke the gift before transferring the right to give the property. Therefore, for this kind of gift contract, if the donor does not pay the donated property, the donee can’t ask the donor to pay the donated property, and the donor is not liable for breach of contract.
A gift contract or a notarized gift contract with the nature of social public welfare and moral obligation such as disaster relief and poverty alleviation shall be deemed as a breach of contract when the donor delays or fails to perform the obligation to pay the donated property. The donee may request the donor to pay the donated property, but if the donor still fails to do so, the donee may bring a lawsuit to the people’s court and demand it to perform the gift obligation.
As we all know, in the flood fighting and disaster relief fund-raising activities in 1998, hundreds of millions of yuan of money and materials were pledged by all sectors of society, some of which were pledged orally by telephone, and some of them were donated in the form of a pledge with official seals. Whether the pledge must be fulfilled became one of the focus topics in the society at that time. It is said that donation is a gift, and the nature of the gift contract is a practical contract. Only after the donor delivers the money and goods, the contract has legal significance. Before the money and goods are delivered, if the donor reneges, he will face moral condemnation at most and will not bear legal responsibility. On the other hand, pledging in public is a means for some enterprises to expand their popularity. Before holding a press conference, holding up signs and making subtitles, the pledging unit and the recipient unit signed more donation agreements or the pledging unit issued a pledge letter, which meant that it was not prudent. Donors do not honor their pledges, and some have the ability to fulfill them but deliberately delay them; Some of them are in poor operating conditions and still owe a lot of debts, in order to promote themselves. If there is a donation agreement, a pledge is issued or a donation is announced to the public, it is not only a deception to the public, but also a violation of the principle of good faith in law. In this regard, the law should clearly stipulate that donors must fulfill their donation obligations, and if they refuse to do so, they can request the people’s court to force them to do so.
The contract law stipulates that the donation has the nature of social welfare such as disaster relief and poverty alleviation. If the donor fails to deliver the donated property, the donee can ask for delivery, which legally regulates this kind of donation behavior.
As the gift contract is a unilateral contract, only the donor undertakes the obligations unilaterally. When the donor fails to fulfill the obligation to deliver the gift property, its liability should also be limited, unlike the general bilateral contract, it should also pay delayed interest or compensate other losses when fulfilling the payment obligation. If the donor fails to deliver the donated property as stipulated in the contract law, the donee may request delivery, that is, it does not include delay interest and other damages, but is limited to the donated property itself. This provision is also consistent with the provisions of some other countries and Taiwan Province. As stipulated in Germany, the donor is not obligated to pay the delayed interest. In Taiwan Province, China, it is stipulated that when the donor fails to fulfill his moral obligation, the donee may request to deliver the gift or its price. However, it shall not claim interest or other damages for non-performance.
Article 189 Where the donated property is damaged or lost due to intentional or gross negligence of the donor, the donor shall be liable for damages.
[Interpretation] This article is a provision on the responsibility that the donor should bear for the damage and loss of the donated property caused by intentional or gross negligence.
If the donated property is damaged or lost due to the donor’s intentional or gross negligence, what kind of responsibility should the donor bear? This provision indicates that when the donated property is ineffective or no longer exists due to the donor’s intentional or gross negligence, the donor may be exempted from the obligation to deliver the donated property, but shall be liable for other losses caused to the donor.
Article 190 A gift may be accompanied by obligations.
If the gift is accompanied by obligations, the donee shall perform the obligations as agreed.
[Interpretation] This article is a provision on gifts with obligations.
(A) the concept of gift with obligations and its characteristics
A gift with obligations, also known as a gift with burdens, refers to a gift on the condition that the donee pays a certain amount to the donor or a third person, even if the donee bears certain obligations after accepting the gift. The gift with obligation is different from the general gift, but belongs to a special gift. Characterized in that:
1. Generally speaking, the donee only enjoys the right to obtain the donated property and does not undertake any obligations. For a gift with obligations, the donor attaches certain conditions to the gift, so that the donee assumes certain obligations.
2. Gifts with obligations have certain limits, which are usually lower than the value of the donated property.
3. Under normal circumstances, the performance of the donee’s obligations will not occur until the donor has fulfilled the gift obligation, but it is also acceptable unless otherwise agreed by the parties.
4. The obligations attached to the gift may be agreed to be performed by the donor, a third party or an unspecified majority.
5. Fulfilling the obligation of the gift can be an act or an omission according to the agreement of the parties.
6. The obligation attached to the gift is an integral part of the gift contract, not another independent contract.
(two) the effectiveness of the gift with obligations
1. The donee shall perform the obligations as agreed in the contract. After the donor pays the donated property to the donee, the donee shall perform its obligations according to the contract. If the donee fails to perform, the donor has the right to require the donee to perform his obligations or cancel the gift. If the donor cancels the gift, the donee shall return the donated property to the donor.
There are regulations in some countries and Taiwan Province in China that the donee should fulfill the obligation of gift according to the contract. As stipulated in Germany, if the donor has paid, he may request to fulfill his burden. If the donee fails to perform the burden, the donor may, in accordance with the provisions on the return of unjust enrichment, request the return of the gift according to the elements of the right of rescission stipulated in the contract between the two parties. For example, in Taiwan Province, China, if the donor has paid for the gift and the donee fails to fulfill its burden, the donor may request the donee to fulfill its burden or cancel the gift.
2. The donee has the responsibility to fulfill his obligations only within the value limit of the donated property. The gift is a free contract, and its purpose is to benefit the donee. If the attached obligations exceed the value of the donated property, the donee will suffer disadvantage, which is also inconsistent with the original purpose of the gift. Therefore, if the donated property is not enough to offset its attached obligations, the donee is only responsible for fulfilling its obligations within the value limit of the donated property. In other words, if the obligations attached to the gift exceed the value of the donated property, the donee is not responsible for fulfilling the obligations that exceed the value of the donated property.
German and Chinese Taiwan Province also stipulate the limits of the donee’s performance of obligations. Germany stipulates that if the value of the gift is obviously insufficient to cover the expenses required for fulfilling the burden due to the defect of the right or the gift, the donee may refuse to fulfill the burden until the insufficiency caused by the defect is compensated. If the donee performs the burden without knowing that it is defective, the donee may request the donor to repay the expenses to the extent that the expenses incurred by the donee in performing the burden exceed the value of the defective gift. In Taiwan Province, China, it is stipulated that if the gift with a burden is not enough to cover the burden, the donee is only responsible for fulfilling the burden within the value limit of the gift.
3. In the gift with obligations, if the donated property is defective, the donor shall bear the same liability to guarantee the defects as the seller within the limits of the obligations attached to the gift (see below for details).
Article 191 Where the donated property is defective, the donor shall not be liable. For a gift with obligations, if the donated property is defective, the donor shall bear the same responsibilities as the seller within the limits of obligations.
If the donor intentionally fails to inform of the defects or guarantees that there are no defects, thus causing losses to the donee, he shall be liable for damages.
[Interpretation] This article is about the donor’s liability to guarantee the defects of the donated property.
Because the gift contract is a free contract and the gift is an act for the benefit of the donee, the donor’s liability for guaranteeing the defects of the donated property is different from that of the paid contract. The connotation of this article has three aspects:
(1) If the donated property is defective, the donor shall not be liable in principle.
(2) In a gift with obligations, if the donated property is defective, the donor shall bear the same responsibilities as the seller within the limits of the obligations attached to the donee. As far as the general gift is concerned, the donor does not bear the liability for warranty of defects in principle. However, for the gift with obligations, although the donee receives benefits, he has to fulfill the agreed obligations. If the donated property is defective, it will inevitably lead to the loss of the recipient’s interests, which does not correspond to the rights and obligations stipulated in the contract, so that the recipient suffers losses. In order to protect the interests of the donee and seek fairness, the donor should bear the responsibility of defect guarantee. As far as the obligations performed by the donee are concerned, it is just like the position of the buyer in the sales contract. Therefore, the donor should bear the same liability for warranty of defects as the seller in the sales contract within the limits of the obligations attached to the donee.
(3) If the donor intentionally fails to inform of the defects or guarantees that there are no defects and causes losses to the donee, he shall be liable for damages. It is subjectively malicious for the donor to intentionally fail to inform that the donated property is defective, which also violates the principle of good faith. If the defects of the donated property cause other property losses or personal injuries to the donee, he shall be liable for damages. If the donor intentionally fails to inform of the defect, but does not cause losses to the donee, he shall not be liable for compensation. If the donor guarantees that the gift is flawless and causes losses to the donee, he shall also be liable for damages.
There are some regulations on the donor’s liability for warranty against defects in foreign countries and Taiwan Province, but there are some differences. As stipulated in Japan, the donor is not responsible for the defect or lack of the donated subject matter or right. However, this restriction does not apply if the donor knows that there is a defect or deficiency but does not inform the donee. For a gift with a burden, the donor shall bear the same guarantee responsibility as the seller within the limit of the burden. Germany stipulates that the donor deliberately conceals the defects of the right or the gift, and is liable for the damage caused by the defects of the donee. According to the regulations in Taiwan Province, the donator is not liable for guarantee if the gift or right is defective. However, if the donor intentionally fails to inform him of the defects, or guarantees that he is free from defects, he shall be liable to compensate the donee for the damage caused by the defects. If there is any defect in the gift or right attached to the burden, the donor shall bear the same guarantee responsibility as the seller within the limit of the burden borne by the donee. Thus, Japan, Germany and Taiwan Province all stipulate that the donator should bear the liability for compensation if he intentionally fails to inform the donator of the defects of the gift and causes damage to the donee. As for the liability for damages caused to the donee by the donor’s guarantee that there is no defect, Taiwan Province area of China has made provisions, but Japanese and German have not.
Article 192 If the donee is in any of the following circumstances, the donor may revoke the gift:
(a) serious infringement of the donor or the donor’s close relatives;
(two) the donor has the obligation to support and fails to perform;
(3) Failing to perform the obligations stipulated in the gift contract.
The donor’s right of revocation shall be exercised within one year from the date when he knows or should know the reason for revocation.
[Interpretation] This article provides for the statutory revocation of the donor and the period during which the right of revocation is exercised.
The legal revocation of a gift contract means that after the gift contract is established, the revocation right holder can revoke the gift under the circumstances stipulated by law. The difference between legal revocation and arbitrary revocation of a gift lies in: first, the revocation of a gift must be based on the reasons stipulated by law; Second, as long as there are legal reasons, no matter what form the gift contract is concluded or even notarized, no matter whether the donated property has been delivered or not, no matter whether the gift belongs to social welfare and moral obligation, everyone who has the right to cancel the gift can cancel it.
Gift is an act that makes the donee gain benefits. If the donee has done harm or other ungrateful acts to the donator, the law should give the donator the right to revoke the gift. The legal revocation of a gift contract is an illegal act of the donee or an act that violates the stipulations of the gift contract. The donor’s right to revoke the gift according to law is an important content of legal protection for the donor.
(a) the legal revocation of the donor
According to the provisions of this article, the three legal situations in which the donor can revoke the gift have the following meanings:
1. The donee seriously infringes on the donor or the donor’s close relatives. The main points are as follows: First, the donee committed a serious infringement, not a slight and general infringement. Second, the donee infringes on the donor himself or his close relatives, including spouses, immediate family members (parents, children, grandparents, grandchildren, grandchildren, etc.) and brothers and sisters. If it infringes on other relatives and friends, it is not included.
As to whether the recipient’s infringement must be intentional or not, the legislation of some countries and Taiwan Province is different. For example, according to German regulations, when the donee commits a major infringement or a major ingratitude to the donor or his close relatives, the donor may revoke his gift. In Taiwan Province, China, however, it is stipulated that the donee has intentionally infringed on the donor or his nearest relatives, and there is a clear penalty in accordance with the criminal law; And if the donor fails to perform the maintenance obligation, the donor may revoke his gift. It can be seen that the legal reasons for revoking the gift in Germany are relatively loose, and it does not specifically point out that it is intentional behavior, nor does it emphasize that the donor can revoke the gift if it reaches the level of crime. In Taiwan Province, China, the conditions are more strict, which is both intentional and criminal. According to the contract law of our country, as long as the donee seriously infringes on the donor or the donor’s close relatives, the donor can revoke the gift, not limited to intentional and criminal acts.
2. The donee has the obligation to support the donor and fails to perform it. The main points are as follows: first, the donee has the obligation to support the donor. Second, the donee has the ability to support the donor, but does not fulfill the obligation to support the donor. If the donee has no ability to support or has lost the ability to support, the donor does not have the right to revoke the gift.
3. The donee fails to perform the obligations stipulated in the gift contract. The main points are as follows: first, the gift contract stipulates that the donee has certain obligations. Second, the donor has delivered the donated property to the donee. Third, the donee fails to fulfill the obligations stipulated in the gift contract. In a gift with obligations, the donee shall fulfill his obligations as agreed. After the donor has delivered the donated property to the donee, if the donee fails to fulfill his obligations, the donor may revoke the gift.
In order to determine the future of the gift relationship as soon as possible, the revocation right holder shall exercise the revocation right in time according to law. The period for the donor to exercise the right of revocation is one year, counting from the day when he knows or should know the reason for revocation. This period belongs to scheduled period, that is, the exercise period of a certain right is predetermined by law, and there is no question of suspension, interruption and extension. If the holder of the right of revocation fails to exercise the right of revocation within the period prescribed by law, his right of revocation shall be extinguished.
Article 193 If the donor dies or loses his capacity for civil conduct due to the donee’s illegal act, the donor’s successor or legal representative may revoke the gift.
The right of revocation of the donor’s heir or legal representative shall be exercised within six months from the date when he knows or should know the reason for revocation.
[Interpretation] This article provides for the statutory revocation of the heir or legal representative of the donor and the period during which the right of revocation is exercised.
The right of revocation of the gift should have belonged to the donor, but when the donor died or lost his capacity for civil conduct due to the illegal behavior of the donee, the donor’s right of revocation could not be exercised in fact. Only when the donor’s heir or legal representative exercises the right of revocation can the donor’s right and willingness to cancel the gift be realized. At the same time, only when the donor can’t exercise his revocation right, the donor’s heir or legal representative has the right to revoke the gift. Therefore, the heir or legal representative of the donor must revoke the gift based on the legal situation that the donor died or lost his capacity for civil conduct due to the illegal behavior of the donee.
The reasons for the donor’s heirs to exercise the right of revocation are also different in other legislative cases. The rule in Germany is that the donor’s heir has the right to revoke the gift only when the donee causes the donor’s death due to intentional and illegal acts. It is stipulated in Italy that if the donee is sentenced for intentionally killing the donor or intentionally preventing the donor from revoking the gift, the heir of the donor can file a lawsuit to revoke the gift. It is stipulated in Taiwan Province that if the donee causes the death of the donor or prevents him from being revoked as a gift due to intentional illegal behavior, the heir of the gift may revoke his gift. It can be seen that in the case of the donor’s heir revoking the gift in Germany, there is no reason why the donee obstructs or prevents the donor from revoking the gift.
The period for the heir or legal representative of the donor to exercise the right of revocation is six months, counting from the day when he knows or should know the reason for revocation.
Article 194 Where the revocation right holder revokes the gift, he may request the donee to return the donated property.
[Interpretation] This article provides for the effectiveness of the exercise of the right of revocation.
The legal revocation right of the gift should be the right of formation, which will take effect once the revocation right holder exercises it, thus dissolving the gift relationship. When the donated property is not delivered, the donor may refuse the gift; If the gift is revoked after the delivery of the donated property, the donor or his successor or legal representative may request the donee to return the donated property.
Article 195 If the donor’s financial situation has deteriorated significantly, which has seriously affected his production, operation or family life, he may no longer perform his gift obligation.
[Interpretation] This article provides for the statutory circumstances under which the donor can no longer perform the gift obligation.
This provision shows that after the conclusion of the gift contract or after the donor has partially fulfilled the gift obligation, the donor’s economic situation has deteriorated significantly, seriously affecting his production, operation or family life, and the donor can no longer fulfill the gift obligation agreed in the gift contract or part of the gift obligation agreed in the gift contract but not yet fulfilled. If the donor no longer performs the gift obligation, it shall meet the statutory conditions stipulated in this article: First, the economic situation has deteriorated significantly, which occurred after the gift contract was established, not before it was established. If one’s own economic situation is already very bad, he still expresses his intention to give to others. In fact, his intention to give is insincere, and the gift contract has no basis for performance. Second, the economic situation has deteriorated significantly, which has seriously affected the production economy of enterprises, or made it difficult for individuals to maintain their normal livelihood and fulfill their maintenance obligations. If the above conditions are met, no matter how the gift contract is concluded and the nature of the gift, the donor can no longer perform the unfulfilled gift obligation.
Related to this, the outstanding problem in real life is that in social welfare activities such as disaster relief and poverty alleviation, some enterprises explicitly express their pledges in public or in the form of pledges, and then refuse to cash the pledged funds and materials on the grounds of poor business conditions. In this regard, can the relevant enterprises no longer fulfill their gift obligations? If the enterprise’s economic situation deteriorates significantly after the pledge, which seriously affects its production and operation, it may no longer perform its gift obligation, otherwise it shall continue to perform its gift obligation. For those enterprises that have no financial ability to donate, or even are on the verge of bankruptcy, they promote their image purely for commercial purposes, and after pledging, they say that the enterprise’s economic situation is not good enough to fulfill the gift obligation. The author believes that the provision of "can no longer fulfill the gift obligation" cannot be simply applied. If losses are caused to the donee, they should bear the liability for damages and compensate the losses caused to the donee.
When drafting the provisions of the statutory circumstances in which the donor can no longer perform the gift obligation, the question of whether the donor’s economic situation has deteriorated significantly, seriously affecting his production, operation or family life, and whether he can request the donee to properly return the donated property has been studied and discussed. On this issue, other legislative cases are also different. For example, Germany stipulates that the donor may refuse to perform the agreement given by gift because he is unable to perform the agreement because he considers other obligations he has undertaken, such as not damaging his livelihood equivalent to his own status or the maintenance obligation imposed by law. It is also stipulated that the donor may, in accordance with the provisions on the return of unjust enrichment, request the donee to return the donated goods, provided that the donor cannot maintain a livelihood commensurate with his own status after performing the gift, or cannot perform the statutory maintenance obligations for his relatives, spouses or ex-spouses. It can be seen that Germany not only allows the donor to refuse to fulfill the obligations stipulated in the gift contract, but also gives the donor the right to request the recipient to return the gift after fulfilling the gift obligation. In Taiwan Province, China, however, it is stipulated that the donor’s economic situation has changed significantly after the donation agreement. If the donation has a significant impact on his livelihood or hinders the performance of his maintenance obligations, he may refuse to perform the donation. It can be seen that its provisions do not request the return of the contents of the gift.
The draft contract law has stipulated that if the donor’s economic situation deteriorates significantly, which seriously affects his production, operation or family life, he may refuse to perform the gift obligation or request the proper return of the donated property. For this provision, some comrades in departments and units believe that it is not appropriate to make a provision that the donor can request the return of the donated property. The reasons are as follows: 1. After the gift of the property, times have changed. If the donated property has been consumed, it is difficult to return it. Especially for donations for public welfare purposes such as disaster relief, poverty alleviation, and student aid, if the money and materials have been used for donation projects, such as disaster relief materials have been distributed, and the money and materials for student aid have been built into "Hope Primary School", it is unrealistic to return them. 2. If the gift is returned, it will lead to difficulties in the life, production and operation of the donee, and it is unfair to the donee. 3. It is not conducive to the stability of the relationship between the parties to request the return of the property after it is given away. The contract law adopted the above opinions and deleted the content that "the donor can properly request the return of the donated property".