Boilerplate clauses dealing with the commencement and duration of a commercial contract.

These clauses are mutually exclusive; use one or the other but not both in the same agreement.

This clause is adapted from a boilerplate clause designed for use in documents governed by English law, which can be found at Practical Law UK, Standard Clause, Commencement and Duration. (For a clause-by-clause guide to the value of boilerplate clauses and the effect of omitting them from business-to-business contracts, see Practice Note, Boilerplate: Do I Really Need This Clause and Why?.)

This standard clause is available in Chinese. To download a Word version of this standard document in Chinese, click Standard Clause, Commencement and Duration Clauses: China (Chinese Language Version).