Duplicate content

Do we get penalized for duplicate content?

[beekiller]

I operate a site on which certain terms and conditions must be displayed. However, I have also created quit a bit of unique content on the site. Do you think I get penalized for the duplicate content? And does the unique content make up for or help the fact that I have duplicate content? beekiller

[Webwork]

If the terms and conditions are repetitive, page after page, then why not make the verbiage into a gif file, with a link to a text version, and load the gif via an SSI, so you only load it once?