The Wall Street Journal has published this article on use of the phrase throughout the universe in contracts. And below is the accompanying video. I’m featured fleetingly in both.
Most of my interview ended up on the cutting-room floor, presumably because my take on this subject was dreadfully earnest: The phrase throughout the universe, which I wrote about in this January 2007 blog post, is certainly a bit silly. But more to the point, although it might be appropriate in some contexts, as a general matter it’s symptomatic of the broader dysfunction in contract language. Ultimately the joke is on the client.
