# contract (legal)

a written agreement that creates a rule obligating others

- Computed level: L14 (depth in the emergence graph, not abstraction)
- Status: review  ·  Domain: everyday  ·  Arena: lexicon

## Emergence
**Emerges from:** [agreement](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-agreement.social), [law](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-law.rule), [write](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-write.communication), [others](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-others.distinct-entities), [create](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-create.production), [rules](https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-rules.social)

**Through:** the written agreement creates a rule that obligates the parties

**Novel properties:**
- enforceable obligation
- formal bindingness
- legal effect

## Examples
- The 1998 Good Friday Agreement was signed by multiple parties to end decades of conflict in Northern Ireland. *(institutions)*
- Apple's 2011 contract with Foxconn specified production timelines and labor conditions for iPhone manufacturing. *(economics)*
- The U.S. Constitution's Contract Clause, in Article I, Section 10, restricts states from impairing contractual obligations. *(law)*

---
*Canonical: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-contract.legal*  
*Structured data: https://emergencemachine.com/tools/lexicon/what-is-the-meaning-of-contract.legal.json*  
*Every definition provably resolves to space, time, energy and pattern.*