boilerplate

n.

1. A steel plate used in making the shells of steam boilers.
2. Journalistic material, such as syndicated features, available in plate or mat form.
3. Inconsequential, formulaic, or stereotypical language: The new provisions of the lease renewal were merely boilerplate.

The standardization of a legal document's structure and language. This leads to quicker and more efficient practices in terms of the filling out and processing of documents.

Most often used in contracts, prospectuses and indentures.

Investopedia Says:
An example would be a bank having a standard contract for everyone who applies for a home loan.

Boilerplates are rarely changed and, due to their standard nature, parties involved in the agreement aren't usually misled.

Related Links:
Learn to decipher the secret language of the prospectus - it can tell you a lot about a company's future. Don't Forget To Read The Prospectus!
By recognizing key phrases such as "material adverse effect", investors can pick up on the red flags found in legal boilerplate. Red Flag Phrases: "Material Adverse Effect"
These events offer the average investor a chance to hear management respond to analysts' hard-hitting questions. Conference Call Basics

Standard legal language, often in fine print, used in most contracts, wills, indentures, prospectuses, and other legal documents. Although what the boilerplate says is important, it rarely is subject to change by the parties to the agreement, since it is the product of years of legal experience.

1. Standardized or preprinted form for agreements.

2. Standardized language, as on a printed form containing the terms of a lease or sales contract, often phrased to the advantage of the party furnishing the form, with the expectation that the contract will be signed without being carefully examined.

Standard language found in contracts. Preprinted material.
Example: Collins decided to lease her property. At a stationery store she finds a preprinted boilerplate form. She fills in rental rates and dates in the blank places, then asks her tenant, Baker, to sign the lease.

This entry contains information applicable to United States law only.

A description of uniform language used normally in legal documents that has a definite, unvarying meaning in the same context that denotes that the words have not been individually fashioned to address the legal issue presented.

This entry is from Wikipedia, the leading user-contributed encyclopedia. It may not have been reviewed by professional editors (see full disclaimer)

Dansk (Danish)
n. - kogeplade

Français (French)
n. - (Comput) paragraphes passe-partout

Deutsch (German)
n. - Kesselblech, (Am.) Platte eines Materndienstes, Standard-Vertragstext, (ugs.) Standardsätze oder -textbausteine

Ελληνική (Greek)
n. - χοντρολαμαρίνα, στερεότυπο άρθρο (για διανομή από πρακτορείο σε πολλές εφημερίδες), στερεότυπο κείμενο (π.χ. συμβολαίων)

Español (Spanish)
n. - plancha de caldera, (periodismo) material listo para ser impreso, lenguaje estereotipado

Svenska (Swedish)
n. - ångpanneplåt

中文（简体）(Chinese (Simplified))
样板文件

中文（繁體）(Chinese (Traditional))
n. - 樣板文件

한국어 (Korean)
n. - 보일러 판, 스테레오판으로 제공되는 공동 기사, 시험용 실물 크기 모형

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(الاسم) ألواح حديد لأكساء المراجل ( البويلرات), وثيقه ( عقد مثلا) تحتاج الى تغييرات طفيفه ( كالتاريخ) لأعادة استعمالها‏

עברית (Hebrew)
n. - ‮פח עבה (חומר)‬

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