Sample Terms of Service Template - Free Privacy Policy ...

A Terms of Service is a set of rules that covers how somebody can use a service (which can include a website). Normally the service provider ... Home Blog SampleTermsofServiceTemplate SampleTermsofServiceTemplate WrittenbyJohnLister (FreePrivacyPolicyLegalwriter) andlastupdatedon12May2022. Whatevertypeofwebsiteyouhave,you'llusuallyneedrulesabouthowpeopleuseit.That'sparticularlythecaseifyouruserspayforaserviceorifyouletusersaddcontenttoyoursiteorinteractwithotherusers. CreatinganddisplayingaTermsofServiceagreementhelpsclarifyyourrulesandhelpsgivethemlegalforce. We'llshowyouhowtogetstartedwithcreatingyourown. OurFreeTermsandConditionsGeneratoriscreatedtohelpyougenerateaprofessionallydraftedagreementthatcanincludevarioustermsandconditionsforyoursiteand/orapp. StarttheFreeTermsandConditionsGeneratorfromourwebsite. SelectplatformswhereyourTermsandConditionswillbeused(website,apporboth): Answerafewquestionsaboutyourwebsiteorappinformation: Selectthecountry: Answerafewquestionsaboutyourbusinesspractices: Enteryouremailaddresswhereyou'dliketoreceivethenewFreeTermsandConditionsandclick"Generate": Oncegenerated,youcancopyandpasteyourFreeTermsandConditionsagreementonyourwebsiteorapporlinktoyourhostedFreeTermsandConditionspage. 1.What'saTermsofServiceAgreement?2.DoINeedaTermsofServiceAgreementByLaw?3.WhyShouldIHaveaTermsofServiceAgreement?3.1.ProtectingYourBusiness3.2.InformingUsers3.3.EnforcingRules4.WhatShouldBeInMyTermsofServiceAgreement?4.1.YourRules4.2.Penalties4.3.IntellectualPropertyRights4.4.LimitationofLiabilities4.5.User-GeneratedContent4.6.ContractualTerms4.7.LegislativeContext5.WheretoPutYourTermsofService6.HowtoGetEnsureConsent7.Summary What'saTermsofServiceAgreement? ATermsofServiceisasetofrulesthatcovershowsomebodycanuseaservice(whichcanincludeawebsite).NormallytheserviceproviderwillpublishtheTermsofServiceandsaytheserviceusermustagreetothetermsasaconditionofaccessingtheservice. TheTermsofServiceformsalegalagreementbetweentheserviceproviderandtheserviceuser.Itcanformpartofawidercontractoractasacontractinitself. SometimesbusinessesuseanotherexpressionsuchasTermsofUseorTerms&Conditions.There'snorealdistinctionbetweenthedifferentterms.It'sthecontentthathaslegalforceratherthanwhatyoucallit. DoINeedaTermsofServiceAgreementByLaw? SometimesyourwebsitemaybelegallyrequiredtoincludedocumentsortextsuchasaPrivacyPolicy.Youmayalsohavetopublishspecificdetailsforsometypesofonlinetransactionsuchaswithfinancialservicesorwhereyouofferawarranty. However,there'sgenerallynolegalrequirementtohaveaspecificTermsofServiceorsimilardocument,particularlywhenyoudon'thaveafinancialrelationshipwiththeserviceuser(whomaysimplybeasitevisitor). WhyShouldIHaveaTermsofServiceAgreement? Thereareanumberofimportantreasonswhyyoushouldhavethisagreementeventhoughnotlegallyrequiredto. ProtectingYourBusiness ThebiggestreasonforhavingTermsofServiceistoprotectyourbusiness.SettingouttheTermsofServiceletsyousettherulesfortherelationshipbetweenyouandtheserviceuser.Inturn,thisreducestheriskofanyambiguitythatmightlaterleadtoarulingagainstyou. InformingUsers Havingaclear,thoroughTermsofServicehelpsprospectiveusersmakeaninformeddecisionaboutwhethertouseyourservices(includingyourwebsite).Thisreducestheriskthatthey'lltakelegalactionagainstyoulateron.Italsohelpsthemfeelmoreconfidentthatyouarebeingstraightforwardwiththem,andaretrustworthyandprofessional. EnforcingRules YourTermsofServicecanworkintwowaystoreduceharmcausedbyusers,particularlyifthatcouldaffectothercustomers. Firstly,ifpeopleknowtherules,theywillbemorelikelytoavoidtakingharmfulactioninthefirstplace.Secondly,itmakesitmucheasiertoenforcetherules-forexamplebybanningpeoplewhoabuseyourwebsite'sfunctions-withoutfearoflegaluncertainty. WhatShouldBeInMyTermsofServiceAgreement? ExactlywhatshouldbeinyourTermsofServicewilldependonfactorsincludingthejurisdictioncoveringyou,youruserbaseandthenatureofyourbusiness. We'llrunthroughsomeofthemostcommonclausesthatyouwillwanttoinclude. YourRules Insimpleterms,thisclausewillsetouttheconditionsunderwhichsomebodycanuseyourservice.Mostcommonlyit'salistofspecificactionsthattheycannottake. Theseclausestypicallywillincludeabanonthingslikethefollowing: Misusingtheserviceforsomethingotherthanitsintendedpurpose Causingharmtoyourbusinessortootherusers Attemptingtoaccessdataorserviceswithoutpermission Usingtheserviceinawaythatbreaksthelaw ThisexamplefromFacebookclearlyliststheprohibitedactivities: Penalties Thisclausesetsoutthepenaltiesifauserbreakstherules.Themostcommonistosuspendorterminatetheuser'saccount(andbyextensiontheiraccesstotheservice).Youshouldsetoutwhetherandhowtheuserwillgetanywarningbeforeyoutakethisaction,forexampleifyouoperatea"strikes"policy. It'sparticularlyimportanttomakeclearwhetheryourefundanyserviceorsubscriptionfeeswhenyoususpendorterminateanaccount. YoucanalsomakeclearthatyoureservetherighttopursuelegalactionforanymaterialbreachesoftheTermsofService. ThisexamplefromGooglesetsoutboththemeasuresandproceduresfordealingwithbreachesbytheuser,includingtherighttoappeal: IntellectualPropertyRights Thisclausemakesitclearthatyouowntheintellectualpropertytoallthecontentyoupublishonyoursiteormakeavailablethroughyourservice.Thiscancover: Copyrights Patents Trademarks DesignRights Youshouldalsomakeclearthatyourgrantingaccesstotheservicedoesn'tgiveusersanyrightsorlicencestouse,shareorcopyyourintellectualpropertyunlessexpresslystated. ThisexamplefromApplecoverstheintellectualpropertyrightsaswellasaddressingwhathappenswithdownloadedmaterial: LimitationofLiabilities Thisclauseaimstolimityourliabilityforanyharmyouractionsormistakescouldcause.Themostcommonexamplewithwebsitesislimitingliabilityforanyerrorsinthecontentofyoursite. RememberthatevenifauseragreestoyourTermsofService,thelawsinyourjurisdictionmayrestrictthewaysyoulimitliability. Somewaystoincreasethelikelihoodthatacourtwillupholdyourlimitationofliabilityincludethefollowing: Writetheclauseasclearlyaspossibletomakesuretheusercanunderstandhowyouarelimitingliability. Beexplicitaboutexactlywhatyourlimitationinvolvesandwhatyoudoanddon'tacceptliabilityfor. Makesuretheliabilityclauseisprominentratherthantrytohideitaway. Considerwhethertheclausewouldfeelreasonabletotheaverageperson. ThisexamplefromDisqusgivesaclearexampleofarisktotheuserandthefactthattheserviceproviderisdisclaimingliabilityforthisrisk: User-GeneratedContent Thisclausecoversanymaterialthatuserscanaddtoyoursiteorservice.Examplesincludepostsonamessageboard,productreviews,socialmediacontent,photosandvideos. Someofthekeypointstoaddressinthisclauseinclude: Whatresponsibilityyoutakeforsuchcontent Howyoureviewandremoveobjectionablecontent Whoholdsthecopyrighttothecontent ThisexamplefromtheNewYorkTimescoversseveralpointsincludingthecopyrightissue: ContractualTerms Thisclauseisparticularlyappropriatewhenyouofferapaid-forservice.Itsetsoutexactlywhatyouofferinreturnforthepayment.Whenwritingthisclause,considerissuessuchas: Whathappensiftheuserdoesn'tmakethepayment Whetheryouhavetherighttocanceltheagreementbyrefundingthepayment Whetheranysubscriptionorannualpaymentswillautomaticallyrenewandwhathappensifyouchangetheprice Whathappensiftheserviceisinterruptedandyoucan'tprovidewhatauserpaidfor ThisexamplefromNationalGeographiccoversthesepointsalongwithaclearexplanationthatuserswholoseservicebybreachingthetermswon'tgetarefund: LegislativeContext Thisclausecancovertwomainpoints: Jurisdiction/GoverningLaw Disputesettlement Youshouldmakeclearwhichstateorcountry'slawsgoverntheTermsofService.Mostcommonlythiswillbethejurisdictionwhereyourbusinessislegallyregisteredorlocated. RememberthatthisonlyappliestotheTermsofUseitself.Youmaystillbecoveredbyotherlegalrequirementssuchasdataprivacyregulationsthatdependonthelocationoftheserviceuser. ThisexamplefromResearchGateisalittlewordybutcoverstherelevantdetails.Itmakessuretonotethatsomelawsmayoverridethemeasuresinthissection: Youalsomaywanttohavetheserviceuseragreetoaparticularmethodofsettlinganylegaldispute.Thiscouldmeantakinganylegalactioninaparticularcourtsystemoragreeingtogothroughthird-partyarbitration. Here'sanexampleofanarbitrationclausefromNationalGeographicthatdescribeshowbothparties(NationalGeographicPartnersandtheusers)willbeagreeingnottosueifanissuearisesandusearbitrationinstead: Ifyouareinanywayuncertainaboutyourlegalposition,seekexpertlegaladvicetomakesurethisclauseislegallyvalid. WheretoPutYourTermsofService Evenifyouwriteclearlyandconcisely,yourTermsofServicemay(andlikelywill)endupbeingmanyparagraphslong.Thismeansit'susuallynotpracticaltohaveitonyourhomepageoronapagedescribingyourservice. InsteadthebestoptionisusuallytohaveadedicatedpagefortheTermsofService. Attheminimum,youshouldlinktotheTermsofServicefromyourmainnavigationmenuasinthisexamplefromtheWashingtonPost: It'salsoagoodideaandacommonpracticetoincludeaclearlyvisiblelinkinyourwebsite'sfooterasusersknowtolookhere,anditwillbeavailableoneverypageandsectionofyourwebsite. TheWashingtonPostlinksitsTermsofServicehereaswell: Youshouldalsoincludeaprominentlinkatanypointwhereusersactivelysignupforaservice,provideuser-generatedcontent,ormakeapayment. Forexample,TwitterincludesagreementtotheTermsaspartofthesign-upconfirmation: Ifyourserviceisamobileapp,youcanincludealinkintheappstoredescription.Someappstoreshaveadedicatedfieldforthelinkwhenyouaddtheapp. AsaTermsofServiceagreementconstitutesacontract,youshouldmakesureitappearsinapermanentformsomewhereonyoursitesothatausercanalwaysreturntolatertoreviewifdesired. HowtoGetEnsureConsent ManybusinesseswillsimplyposttheTermsofServicesomewhereontheirwebsiteandleaveituptotheusertodecidewhethertofindandreadit.Whetherthisissufficienttohavelegalforcewilldependonthespecificlawandjurisdictionthatcoversanydispute. IfyouarerelyingontheTermsofServicetoprotectyouagainstlegalchallenges,it'ssafertomakesuretheuseractivelyconfirmstheyhavereadandagreetoyourTermsofService. Youcandothiswithacheckboxorbuttonthattheusermustclickbeforeproceedingonyoursite. Itcanbeabalancingactbetweengettingactiveconsentinthiswayandnotwantingtodetertheuserfromaccessingyoursite. Oneoptionistoletusersreadyoursitewithoutrestriction,butrequirethemtogiveconsentatakeypointsuchaswhentheyareabouttosignuptoaservice,postcontentorbuysomething. Here'showMicrosoftusesaclearly-labeledbuttonandstatementtogetconsent.AbovetheNextbuttonisastatementthatsays,"ChoosingNextmeansthatyouagree..." Andhere'showBirkenstockimplementsacheckboxthatuserscanclicktoshowtheyconsenttotheTerms: Asageneralrule,it'smoreimportanttogetclearandactiveconsentfromtheuserifanyofyourTermsofServiceareunusualordifferenttowhatpeoplemightassumewasthecasewithoutreadingthem.However,youshouldalwaysstrivetogetcheckboxconsent. Summary Let'srecapwhatyouneedtoknowanddotomakesureyourTermsofServiceagreementisvalidandeffective. TermsofServiceagreementsarealegalagreementbetweenacompanyanditsusers.Theusermustagreetothetermsasaconditionofusingtheservice. TermsofServicecanalsobecalledTermsandConditionsorTermsofUse. Youdon'tusuallyhavetopublishTermsofServicebylaw,butdoingsohasseveralbenefits: Protectionagainstlegalclaims Givingusersclearinformationandbuildingtrust Makingiteasiertoenforceyourrules CommonclausesinaTermsofServicedocumentinclude: Rulesonhowpeoplecanaccessandusetheserviceincludingbannedactions Penaltiesforuserswhobreachtherules Intellectualpropertyrights Liabilities(andlimitations) Usergeneratedcontent WhichjurisdictiongovernstheTermsofServiceandhowanydisputewillbesettled It'susuallybesttohaveTermsofServiceonadedicatedpageonyoursite.Youshouldhaveclearandvisiblelinkstothispageinyourwebsitefooterandanypointwheretheuserisabouttointeractwithyourservice. Toensureyouhavevalidconsentfromtheuser,youcanrequirethemtoclickabuttonoracheckboxtoconfirmthey'vereadandunderstandyourTermsofService. Aboutthisarticle Lastupdated Thisarticlewaslastupdatedon12May2022. Author JohnLister FreePrivacyPolicyLegalwriter Category TermsandConditions Disclaimer Pleasenotethatlegalinformation,includinglegaltemplatesandlegalpolicies,isnotlegaladvice. Tryoutourfreegenerators FreePrivacyPolicyGenerator FreeCookieConsent FreeTermsandConditionsGenerator FreeCookiesPolicyGenerator FreeDisclaimerGenerator FreeEULAGenerator FreeReturn&RefundPolicyGenerator Whatourcustomerssays IlikethestepstocreateaPrivacyPolicy. —Anonymous Thankyouformakingitsosimpleandeasytocreateaproperandcompliantprivacypolicy! —Andrea-TorontoSuccessCoach Quickandeasywaytosecureourcompanywebsite.Thanksformakingthisagreatuserexperience. —Anthony-CanineBehavioralServices Thankyouforyourtimeandhelp.SettingupaPrivacyPolicy,andTermsofServiceiseasierthanIthought. —CaseyH-CasisBoutique Readmorefromourblog AcceptableUsePolicyTemplate AnAcceptableUsePolicycanhelpdictatehowyourwebsiteshouldbeused. WhatyouincludeinyourAcceptableUsePolicyandtherestrictionsyoustatecangoalong... DisclaimerofWarrantiesandLimitationofLiabilityClauses "Disclaimerofwarranties"and"limitationofliability"clausesarealmostuniversallyincludedinTermsandConditionsagreements,particularlyforbusinessessupplyinggoodsandservices. Thoughcommonlygroupedtogether,theseclausesaddress... TermsandConditionsForWooCommerceStores IfyouownaWooCommercestoreandarewonderingifyourshopneedsaTermsandConditionsagreement,you'vecometotherightplace. Let'sconsiderwhyyoushouldhavea...