Four college students in Chengdu, Sichuan Province worked part-time as online anchors in their spare time and signed contracts with relevant studios. However, not long after signing the contract, they proposed to terminate the contract due to dissatisfaction with the work requirements, but unexpectedly, the studio sued them to the court on the grounds that the unilateral termination of the contract constituted infringement, and filed a claim of 300,000 yuan.
In December 2023, Xiao Wang and four other college students signed an "Exclusive Brokerage Contract" with a cultural and creative studio, agreeing that the cooperation period will be half a year, and during the cooperation period, the studio will fully act as the agent for Xiao Wang and others in all commercial or non-commercial activities related to photography and live broadcasting. The contract also stipulates that if Party B violates the obligations agreed in this contract, it shall bear 300,000 yuan of liquidated damages to Party A.
Xiao Wang: At the beginning of December last year, when I was browsing the recruitment software, I saw that their company was recruiting anchors. Because I saw that their boss was a well-known online anchor, and I also studied the media industry, I wanted to give it a try, so I signed a contract with them. After signing the contract, they paid us a signing fee of 10,000 yuan.
However, after only half a month of performance of the contract, Xiao Wang and others proposed to a cultural and creative studio to terminate the contract due to the unsuitable live broadcast style and the disagreement of parents, and returned the signing fee of 10,000 yuan.
The studio agreed to the request for termination of the contract put forward by Xiao Wang and others, but there were disputes between the two parties on the reasons for the breach of contract and related liabilities. The studio believes that Xiao Wang and others filmed a large number of promotional videos when they were newly hired, provided live broadcast scenes, clothing, accommodation, etc., and also invested energy in account operation, but they unilaterally terminated the contract, infringing on the legitimate rights and interests of the studio, and should bear liability for breach of contract, and proposed that Xiao Wang and others should compensate 300,000 yuan for related losses.
After trial, the Sichuan Free Trade Zone Court held that the signing of the Exclusive Brokerage Contract by the two parties was a true expression of intent and should be legal and valid. After signing the contract, Xiao Wang and others stated that they would no longer perform the contract due to their own reasons, and their actions constituted a breach of contract and should bear the liability for breach of contract.
Chen Si, President of the People's Court of the People's Court of the People's Court of the Sichuan Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Headquarters Business District: Xiao Wang and others are college students, and she lacks the corresponding social experience and does not have the ability to sign professional contracts. The studio also failed to provide evidence to prove that it had fulfilled its obligation to provide reasonable reminders and explanations, and the liquidated damages were too high, which also violated the principle of fairness.
After the trial, the court ruled that Xiao Wang and others should bear the liability for breach of contract in accordance with the law, and comprehensively considered the liquidated damages and supported them within the range of 3,000 yuan.
Chen Si, President of the People's Court of the Sichuan Pilot Free Trade Zone and the Headquarters Business District: The court comprehensively considered the actual input cost of the studio and the degree of breach of contract by Xiao Wang and others, and finally supported the liquidated damages within the range of several thousand yuan.
The judge said that for job seekers, especially college students, they should rationally measure whether their time and energy can meet the company's requirements and contract agreements, and seek the opinions of teachers, relatives and friends around them if necessary.