Bargaining Position Inequality in Standard Contracts
A Legal Philosophical Review of the Principles of Justice and Freedom of Contract
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.24252/al-risalah.vi.68789Keywords:
Kebebasan Berkontrak, Asas Keadilan, Bargaining PositionAbstract
The development of modern business practices has encouraged the widespread use of standard contracts drafted unilaterally by business actors, resulting in an imbalance in bargaining position between the contracting parties. This condition raises critical issues concerning the application of the principle of freedom of contract and the principle of justice in contract law. This study aims to analyze the impact of bargaining inequality on justice and to assess the sustainability of the principle of freedom of contract within standard agreements. The research employs a normative juridical method using statutory and conceptual approaches by examining relevant legal regulations, doctrines, and theoretical frameworks. The findings reveal that the imbalance in bargaining position significantly reduces substantive justice, as the weaker party lacks meaningful negotiation capacity and is limited to a “take it or leave it” choice. In practice, freedom of contract tends to be merely formal and fails to reflect genuine fairness. This study identifies a gap between the ideal concept of freedom of contract and its implementation in standard contracts, where weaker parties are placed in a disproportionate position, thus necessitating conceptual reconstruction. The principle of freedom of contract can still be maintained through limitations based on good faith, reasonableness, and legal intervention to protect weaker parties. This study contributes theoretically by advancing a more balanced and justice-oriented concept of freedom of contract in contemporary contractual relations.
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Undang Undang Nomor 8 Tahun 1999 tentang Perlindungan Konsumen, Pasal 1 Angka 10
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Copyright (c) 2026 Yuwono Prianto, Siska Veronica Liu, Kerin Dwi Gisni Audini, Rizqy Pratama Erdiyanto, Alfredo Eka Priady
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