33652
I could meet the phrase ものとする in some documents, agreements. I understand, the
sentences with ものとする as a whole one, but I don't know anything about this very
phrase. Which meaning does it exactly add to the sentence and in which
situation I could use it?
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-18T22:06:56.233
33648
2016-04-20T12:23:26.520
9364
question
grammar meaning usage
Meaning and usage of ものとする
...ものとする is a legal turn of phrase you frequently find in legal documents,
business contracts and legal agreements in such a way:

>   * 本契約書は日本の法律に準拠し、日本の法律に従って解釈され、強制される **ものとする**  
>  ー This agreement shall be governed by, and construed and enforced in
> accordance with the law of Japan.
>
>   * 住所変更の通知は、その到達によって効力が発生する **ものとする**  
>  ー Notice of a change of address shall be effective only upon receipt of
> concerned parties.
>
>   * 売主及び買い主は、それが本契約によって企図されている取引に関連して負担したすべての料金及び費用を支払う **ものとする**  
>  ー The Purchaser and the Seller will respectively pay all fees and expenses
> incurred by them in connection with the transaction contemplated hereunder.
>
>   * 会社と代理店の両者は定期的に契約品の販売を促進するために、相互に情報及び市場報告を提供する **ものとする**  
>  ー Both Company and Distributor shall periodically furnish information and
> market report each other to promote the sale of product.
>
>

"ものとする" can be interpreted as "It is agreed upon" or "It is stipulated," but
there's no problem if you dispense with it in a clause, and as you see, it
will not make any difference on the purport of text.

Personally I don't like this redundant expression, which is simply an
antiquated and superficial legal cliche, but lamentably it's still being used
ubiquitously in legal documents.This is nothing more than a tool for lawyers
to charge their clients an extra and exorbitant fee for cosmeticizing their
clumsy legal documents with patina.

A reminder: There are other usages resembling "ものとする." That is ものに(or と)する,
which is irrelevant to legal statements, and used to mean:

(1) _to make sth one's own possession_ , e.g.

> 彼は社長の地位を物（もの）にした - meaning "He won the position of president."  
>

(2) _to take a good command of sth_ , e.g.

> 彼は英語を物（もの）にした - meaning "He mastered English language."
CC BY-SA 3.0
2016-04-19T05:27:15.613
33652
2016-04-20T12:23:26.520
2016-04-20T12:23:26.520
9831
12056
33648
answer