Sample Terms and Conditions Template - Privacy Policies

A Terms and Conditions agreement outlines the terms that visitors must agree to if they want to interact with your website. PrivacyPolicies.com Blog SampleTermsandConditionsTemplate SampleTermsandConditionsTemplate Lastupdatedon13May2022 byJenniferLaird (PrivacyPolicies.comLegalwriter) Ifyourunabusinessandithasawebsite,thenit'sagoodideatohaveaTermsandConditionsagreement(T&C)anddisplayitonline. ATermsandConditionsagreementoutlinesthetermsthatvisitorsmustagreetoiftheywanttointeractwithyourwebsite.Essentially,ifthevisitorcontinuestousethewebsiteafteracceptingtheTerms,theyenterintoacontractwithyou. UnlikeaPrivacyPolicy,youaren'tlegallyrequiredtohaveaTermsandConditionsagreement.However,therearemanyreasonswhyyoushoulddraftoneanddisplayitonyourwebsite.We'lldiscussthosereasonsandshowyouafewofthemostimportantclausesyourTermsandConditionsshouldinclude. Notethatyou'llsometimesseethisagreementreferredtoasaTermsofUse,UserAgreementorTermsofServiceagreement.Thesetermsareinterchangeableandrefertothesametypeofagreement. ThepurposeofaTermsandConditionsagreementistopreventmisunderstandingsbetweenthebusinessowner(you),andtheconsumer.Theagreementhelpsyou: Protectyourintellectualproperty Avoidwebsiteabuse Definethelimitsofyourlegalobligationstotheconsumer Essentially,theT&Chelpsyourunyourbusinessmoreeffectivelyandwithgreaterpeaceofmind. Thisagreementformsthebasisofanenforceablelegalrelationship.Ittellsanyonebrowsingyourwebsite,whethertheyareacasualvisitororanactiveclient,whattheirlegalresponsibilitiesandrightsare. Italsogivesyou,asthebusinessownerandserviceprovider,authorityovercertainundesirablethingsthataconsumermaydoonyourwebsite.However,let'sconsiderthespecificreasonswhybusinessownersshouldalwaysincludeaTermsandConditionsagreementontheirwebsite. NeedTermsandConditionsforyourbusiness?WecanhelpyougenerateacustomizedTermsandConditionsagreementinaroundtwo-threeminutesforfree.TryourTermsandConditionsGeneratorandjustfollowthesesteps: Clickonthe"CreateyourTermsandConditionstoday"button. AtStep1,selectthewherewillyouuseyourTerms&Conditionsandclick"Nextstep": Addinformationaboutyourbusiness: Selectthecountryandcontinuetothe"Nextstep": Answerthequestionsaboutyourbusinesspracticesandclick"Nextstep"whenfinished: Enteryouremailaddresswhereyou'dlikeyouragreementsentandclick"Generate." You'redone!Nowyou'llbeabletoinstantlyaccessanddownloadyournewagreement. 1.TheBenefitsofHavingaTermsandConditionsAgreement2.CreatingaTermsandConditionsAgreement2.1.IntroductionClauses2.1.1.WhoCanUseYourPlatform2.2.UnacceptableBehaviorClause2.3.TerminationClause2.4.JurisdictionClause2.5.LimitsonLiabilityClause2.6.IntellectualPropertyClause2.7.WarrantyDisclaimerClause2.8.ContactInformationClause2.9.PaymentDetailsClause2.10.ThirdPartyContentClause2.11.OtherRelevantClauses3.DisplayingYourTermsandConditions3.1.WebsiteFooter3.2.CheckoutScreen/Form3.3.Signup/LoginForm4.GettingAgreementtoYourTermsandConditions5.FAQonTermsandConditions6.Conclusion TheBenefitsofHavingaTermsandConditionsAgreement Wecan'tstressthisenough-aT&Cisn'tmandatory,butyoushouldtreatitlikeitis.Here'swhy. Youcandecidewhichcountry'slawsapplytogoverntheagreement.Thisisotherwiseknownaschoosingthejurisdiction.Youwillgenerallychoosethecountrywherethewebsite,orbusiness,isbased. Youcanremoveordeleteabusiveaccounts.Forexample,sayyourunasocialmediaplatformandexplainthatpeoplewhopostinflammatory,abusive,orexplicitcontentwillbeblockedfromtheservice.Someonepostsabusivecontent.Youcanblocktheiraccountwithoutworry,becauseyoucanrelyonyourTermsandConditionsagreement. Youcanlimityourresponsibility.Youcanincludedisclaimerclausesinyouragreementthatsayyou'renotliableforthirdpartycontent,andyoudon'tendorseit.Youcanalsosaythatyou'renotresponsibleformistakesandtypos,orcontentuploadedbyuserswhichotherusersmayfindoffensive. Youcanmanageauser'sexpectationsofyourwebsiteorplatform.Whenthetermsareclear,usersknowwhattheycanandcannotexpectfromyou. Youcansetyourownsiterulesandtheconsequencesforviolatingtheserules,withinlegallimits.Youcan'tcontractoutofcertainrulessuchasthelawofnegligence. It'svitalthatyouprotectyourintellectualpropertyrights.BysettingoutwhatyourrightsareintheTermsandConditionsagreement,youcantakeactionagainstuserswhoinfringeyourrights.Itshouldbeclearthatthelogo,brand,andcontentbelongtoyou. CreatingaTermsandConditionsAgreement WhenyoubegintodraftaTermsandConditionsagreement,therearecertainclausesyoushouldmakesuretoinclude.Let'slookateachoftheseclausesinturnandconsiderhowtheyaredrafted. IntroductionClauses It'sveryhelpfultosetoutaclause(orclauses)attheverybeginningoftheagreementexplainingwhattheagreementis,whoitappliesto,andwhenthetermsaretriggered. Here'showInstagramdoesthis.Itnotesthatthetermsaretriggeredwhenausercreatesanaccountontheplatformorusestheapp,anditclearlystatesthatthetermsconstituteanagreementbetweenInstagramandtheuser: It'simportanttoclarifywhotheagreementappliestosinceit'slegallybinding. YouTube,forexample,makesitclearthat: Usersmustagreetothetermsbeforeusingtheservice Anyonewhousestheirserviceisassumedtoagreetotheterms Somepeoplearelegallyprohibitedfromenteringintotheagreement Thisclauseisplacedclosetothebeginningoftheagreementandispartoftheintroductoryclauses. WhoCanUseYourPlatform Althoughit'sillegaltodiscriminateagainstpeoplebasedonprotectedcharacteristicssuchastheirgender,sexualorientation,orethnicity,itisperfectlyreasonabletoputcertainrestrictionsonwhocanuseyourwebsiteorapp. Instagram,forexample,prohibitschildrenundertheageof13fromcreatingaccounts.Italsobansconvictedsexoffenders. Significantly,Instagramalsobansusersfromreturningtothesiteiftheirprofileisdeletedorblocked.Theclauseissimplebuteffectivetoincludeinitsterms. Helpfully,Instagramestablisheswhytherestrictionsexist-theywanttocomplywiththelawandpromoteasafe,inclusiveplatform.Werecommendincludingreasonsliketheseforyourownclauses. UnacceptableBehaviorClause Theseclausesaddresswhatbehaviorisunacceptableonyourwebsite.Theyareanopportunitytosetouttherulesthatyouexpectuserstoabideby,andwhattheconsequenceswillbeiftheuserviolatestheserules. It'shelpfultosetoutspecificexamplesofbehaviorthatviolatesyoursiterules. TheOathTermsofServicesetsoutthebehaviorthatitdeemsunacceptable.Itusesbroadlanguagesuchas"Makeavailableanycontent...thatisotherwiseobjectionable"toavoidrestrictingcontentviolationsto,forexample,sexuallyexplicitorvulgarcontent: It'sveryimportanttousebroadlanguagewhichpermitsyoutotakeactiononauser'saccountwithoutworryingaboutrepercussions. TerminationClause Justasyoushouldlistexamplesofunacceptablebehavior,youshouldexplainwhatyou'reentitledtodoifauserviolatestheagreement. Again,YouTubedoesthisveryeffectively. ThebelowclauseexplainsthatYouTubemayormaynotremovecontentthatviolatesitsrules,anditmayormaynotbantheoffendinguser. ThisgivesYouTubescopetoactquicklytoterminatetheaccountwithoutgivingtheoffendinguserthechancetorespond.Clearly,abroadlywordedclauselikethisonebenefitsyouasopposedtotheuser,andwerecommendincludingaclauseofsimilarwordinginyourTermsagreement. JurisdictionClause Youshouldclarifywhatnationallawyouwishtohavegoverntheagreementbetweenyouandtheusers.Thisishelpfulbecauseyoucanchooseyourlocalcourtsandlawswhereyourbusinessisbased. Reddit,forexample,notesthatallusersconsenttobeinggovernedbyCalifornialawiftheyusethesite: SettingoutthejurisdictionintheTermsandConditionsclarifieswhichcourtsareresponsibleformanagingseriousdisputesbetweenpartiesshouldtheyarise.It'simportantthatbothyouandtheuserunderstandwhereyouareentitledtosue. LimitsonLiabilityClause Alimitationofliabilityclauseletsyoulegallymitigateyourresponsibilityforthingsthatmaygowrongonyourwebsite. Facebook,forexample,explainsthatitwillexercisereasonablecareandskillindeliveringuserstheservices. IntellectualPropertyClause Youshouldmakeitclearthatyouretainallcopyrightoverbranding,logos,andothersignificantbusinessfeaturessuchasdomainnames. Intheexamplebelow,Twitterexplainsthatwhileusershavefullrightstousetheplatform,theyhavenorighttostealitstrademarksoritsuniquebranding.ItalsoclarifiesthatTwitterdoesn'toweauseranycreditifTwitteractsonthatuser'simprovementsuggestionsorfeedback. WarrantyDisclaimerClause Youshouldmakeitclearthatyouaren'tfinanciallyresponsibleforcertainlossesincurredwhileusersengagewithyourplatformorservice,oruseyourproductsifyouhaveanecommercestore. Theexactinformationinyourwarrantyclausewilldifferdependingonwhatindustryyou'reinandwhattermsyouactuallywanttoputforth,butalotofwarrantyclausesdocontainthesamecommonlanguage.Typically,thiswillbe"asis"statementsthatyou'relikelyfamiliarwithseeing. Here'sanexamplefromSnapthathasthetypicallanguageandall-capsstructureyou'llusuallyseeinthesetypesofclauses: ContactInformationClause Thisclauseisverystraightforward.Youshouldoutlinewhoownsandmaintainsthewebsite(usually,thisisyourbusiness),andhowtocontactyou. Here'showSnapdoesthisandevenincludesalinktoanonlinecontactformtomakeiteveneasierforuserstogetintouch: PaymentDetailsClause Ifyourunabusinesswhichinvolvesconsumerssigningupforpaidservices,suchasNetflix,youshouldoutlinehowpaymentworks. Netflixoutlinesthetermsofmembershiptoitsplatformandwhenpaymentistaken.Italsoclarifiesthat,tousetheservices,usersmustsupplyvalidpaymentinformationandkeepthisinformationupdated. Ifyou'rerunningasubscriptionservice,it'sworthreadingthroughtheentireNetflixTermsofServiceforsomegoodexamplesofclausesasitincludesanumberofthemthatarededicatedtofreetrials,paymentcycles,andcancellationoptions. ThirdPartyContentClause Youshouldn'tbeliableforthirdpartycontentavailablethroughyoursite,suchaslinksplacedwithinyoursitethatleadelsewhere. Inthefirstexample,ArcadiaGroupexplainsthatithasnocontroloverwhathappenswhenyouclicklinksleadingtopartnerandthirdpartywebsites: Inthissecondexample,ReddithighlightsthatyouclickonthirdpartylinksanduseproductssuppliedbyRedditpartnersatyourownrisk: Sinceyoucan'tcontrolthirdpartycontent,transferringtheriskbacktotheuseriscrucial. OtherRelevantClauses YourTermsandConditionsagreementispersonaltoyourbusiness.Youshouldincludeclausesthatarerelevanttoyourbusinesstypethatmightnotbestandardacrossindustries. WebMD,forexample,rightfullyspecifiesthatthecontentontheplatformisn'tmedicaladvice.ThispreventsusersfromrelyingonthecontentandsuingWebMDiftheadviceismedicallyinaccurateforthem: ArcadiaGroupspecifiesitsgiftcardpolicy,becauseitsellsgiftcardsandtheseproductsarenotalwaysavailable: NowthatyoubetterunderstandwhichclausestoincludeinyourTermsandConditions,let'slookathowyoushoulddisplayyouragreement. DisplayingYourTermsandConditions YourTermsandConditionsshouldbemadeavailableinvariousplaces.Usersarenotboundbytermswhichtheycanreasonablysaytheydidn'tknowexisted,sothemorevisibleyoumakeyourterms,themorelikelyyou'llbeabletoenforcethemwithoutissue. TherearethreekeyplaceswhereyoushoulddisplayyourTermsandConditions. WebsiteFooter Addalinktoyouragreementinthefooterofyourwebsite.Peopleknowtolookhereforimportantlinks,includinglegalagreements. Here'sanexamplefromNetflix: CheckoutScreen/Form Beforeacustomercompletesapurchasethroughyourwebsite,providealinktoyouragreementandconsiderusingacheckboxtogetyouruserstoagreetotheTermsexplicitly: Signup/LoginForm Don'tforgettomakeusersawareoftheT&Cbeforetheysignupforyourservices,andeveneverytimetheylogin: Additionally,youcandisplayandmakeavailableyourT&Candinviteuserstoviewitwhereveritfeelsrelevanttoyou. Onceyou'vegotyourTermsandConditionsagreementandit'sdisplayedproperly,howdoyouensureusersconsenttoitwithoutrelyingonimpliedconsent?Bygettingexpressconsent. GettingAgreementtoYourTermsandConditions It'sabasicprincipleofcontractthatnooneisboundbytermswhichtheydon'tknowexist.Ifsomeonedoesn'tknowthey'repartofacontractualrelationship,youcan'tenforcethoseterms.Toavoidhavingyourusersclaimthattheyweren'tawareofyourterms,it'sasmartideatogetthemostclearandformalagreementtoyourTermsaspossible. Forexample,fashionretailerCollectifasksuserstocheckaboxbeforetheycancreateanaccount.Theboxisnexttoastatementthatsaystheuserhas"readandaccepted"theTermsandConditions.Becauseofthis,clickingtheboxclearlyprovesthattheuserisacceptingbeingboundbytheTerms: Sinceexpressagreementisalwaysbest,organizationsacrossallsectorsareadoptingthischeckboxstyle. PensionproviderNESTusesbothacheckboxandan'Accept'buttonforextraclarity.ThereisnodoubtthatanyonewhoregistersforaNESTaccountagreestobeboundbytheTermsandConditions: Courtsgenerallypreferexpressconsentoverimpliedconsent.Ifthere'severadisputebetweenyouandauseroveryourTermsandConditions,it'sbestifyoucanshowthattheuserexplicitlyenteredintoacontractwithyourbusinessbasedontheseTerms. Thisworksthesameformobileapps.Here'showoneofAdobe'smobileappsgetsuserstoacceptitsTermsofUseatsign-up: Adobeplacedasentencerightabovethesignupbutton.Thissentenceexplicitlystatesthatbyclickingsign-upyou'reacceptingtheTermsofUse.Thisformatandphrasingmakesitverycleartouserswhateffectclickingsignupwillhave. Putsimply,expressconsentbenefitseveryone.Atminimumyoushouldbehavingusersclickabuttonthat'slabeledwithsomethinglike"Accept"or"Agree"andyoushouldhighlyconsiderimplementingacheckboxaswellthat'sassociatedwithastatementalongthelinesof,"IagreetobeboundbytheTermsandConditions"or"Bycheckingthisbox,IamagreeingtotheTermsandConditions." FAQonTermsandConditions WherecanIdisplaymyTermsandConditions? TheusualspotsforyourTermsandConditionsare: Inthewebsitefooter,nearthePrivacyPolicy Onyoursign-upform,beforethe"Sign-up"button Inplaceswhereyouneedtogetconsentfromusersbeforetheyperformanaction(e.g.Sign-up) HowdoIgetconsentformyTermsandConditions? TherearemultiplewaysofgettingconsentforyourTermsandConditions. Themostcommononeiscalledclickwraporexpressconsent.It'sthe"Iagreeto"checkboxthatyouseenear"Sign-up"orotherformbuttons. Whenyouimplementacheckbox,makesureyoucanlabelitcorrectlywithspecificwordssuchas"Accept"or"Agree".Example:"Bycheckingthisbox,IamagreeingtotheTermsandConditions." WhyisaTermsandConditionsimportant? ATermsandConditionsagreementisimportantifyou'dliketolimityourliability,tosetandmanageuserrulesandrestrictionsonhowtheycanuseyourwebsiteorappandoutlineimportanttermsusersmustagreetobeforetheyaccessyourwebsiteorapp. Conclusion AlthoughaTermsandConditionsagreementisnotmandatory,itissomethingthatvirtuallyallwebsiteshaveandyoushouldtreatitasalegalrequirementbecauseit'sthatbeneficialtohave. TheaimofaTermsandConditionsisto: Limityourliability Setandmanageuserrulesandrestrictions Outlineimportanttermsyourusersneedtoknowandthatyouneedtodeclare EveryTermsandConditionsshouldhave,atminimum: Aterminationclause Aclauselimitingliability Aclausethatoutlinesprohibitedactivities Aclauseexplainingthatyouarenotresponsibleforthirdpartycontentoractivities WithacarefullycraftedTermsandConditionsagreementyoucanreduceyourtimespentonconsumerenquiriesandavoidlegalmisunderstandings.However,youmustalsoensurethatusersknowtheyareboundbytheseTerms,orelseyoucan'tenforcethem. JenniferLaird PrivacyPolicies.comLegalwriter Lastupdatedon13May2022 Legalinformation,legaltemplatesandlegalpoliciesarenotlegaladvice.Pleasereadthedisclaimer. 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