Question

Question:2 Jasmi read ads on a staple of figs, which reads 'I lost a cat. My cat wears leg chains with the name' Ronaldo'written on it. Those who find the cat and sent them to the home address no. 17, Lorong Haji Ali, the Kampung Damai, will receive the sum of RM150 as a reward. Jeff.' Coincidentally, the cat following Jasmis' cat named Angelina in Jasmis' place. Jasmine sent Ronaldo back to Jeff. However, Jeff reluctant to pay the reward as promised. Can Jeff do so?

Answer 1

Jeff cannot do so.

Its essential to identify what this ad means within the legal arrangement & its implications to Jeff & others. Generally speaking most ads are known as Invitation to treat, that’s where one side invites another to make an offer; its by itself not an offer. This is essential to note because an invitation to treat has no legal worth in the eyes of the law.

Now, Jeff hasn’t presented a simple ad, he has however made a Unilateral offer thru his ad. An ad becomes an offer if it has a reward & an actionable term to which the reward may be obtained, it also has to be clear and brief and advertised to the public. The offer that Jeff has made is Unilateral, which implies that one side (Jeff) makes an offer & the other side only accepts it, usually by doing the act penned in the offer. Why its essential to recognize this advertisement meaning within the legal arrangement is that this Unilateral offer does in fact hold worth within the legal arrangement & thus holds Jeff to a set of rules with other parties who may attempt to accept the offer.