Holy crap. Rogers Communications Inc. in Canada may have to pay an extra 2.13 million CAD because of one extra comma.
Language buffs take note — Page 7 of the contract states: The agreement "shall continue in force for a period of five years from the date it is made, and thereafter for successive five year terms, unless and until terminated by one year prior notice in writing by either party."
Rogers' intent in 2002 was to lock into a long-term deal of at least five years. But when regulators with the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) parsed the wording, they reached another conclusion.
The validity of the contract and the millions of dollars at stake all came down to one point — the second comma in the sentence.
I'm a little over fond of comma use myself. Maybe I should brush up on its appropriate usage before I get myself into trouble.
Via Robert J. Sawyer.
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