Talk:Memorandum of understanding/Archives/2016

What is the difference between an MOU and MOA?

A: The two terms are commonly used interchangeably, even though the words understanding (for an MOU) and agreement (for an MOA) are not synonymous. Taken literally, The Wiki for Memorandum of Understanding accurately describes an MOA, as it is all about agreement. An MOU, on the other hand, should typically be considered to be a precursor to an MOA; an MOU to affirm or reaffirm that all parties appear to be on the same page- at least in principle or in spirit, to be followed up with an MOA to more specifically spell out what is being agreed to. — Preceding unsigned comment added by Dkaleita (talk • contribs) 14:10, 11 August 2010

As the above (i) is unsourced and (ii) differs from the view of previous contributors, I have proposed a merger of the two articles. Please discuss this at Talk:Memorandum of agreement. - Fayenatic (talk) 18:13, 17 February 2011 (UTC)

The article on Letter of Intent specifically states that the two are not synonymous. In fact, it clearly states that a LoI can be a unilateral document, and the MoU must be bilateral. This has been my experience. This entire article on MoU is written in a colloquial manner, and I do not trust it at all! — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.82.32.237 (talk) 21:05, 4 January 2014 (UTC)

In defense of the current article, Black's Law Dictionary, generally the most authoritative source for U.S. legal definitions, merely has "see Letter of Intent" as the definition for MOUs. While the unilateral/bilateral distinction may be common, it has no basis in law, which is the claim the article makes. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.181.161.33 (talk) 18:09, 30 March 2016 (UTC)