Website terms and conditions (standard)
These website terms and conditions contain the core provisions usually required for free-to-use websites.
In sophistication, this document sits between our website disclaimer and the premium website terms and conditions. In addition to the provisions in the website disclaimer, these terms and conditions cover: age limits on the use of the website; user registration and accounts; cancellation and suspension of those accounts; licensing of user-generated content; liability for user-generated content; and consequences of breach. The provisions missing from this template, and included in the premium version, cover: RSS/Atom feeds; social media platform integrations; and prize competitions. The premium version also contains additional user content rules.
The main purposes of the terms and conditions are: (a) structuring the legal (and in some cases contractual) relationship between the website operator and users; (b) limiting the liability of the website operator; (c) granting a limited licence to users to use the website; and (d) helping with required legal disclosures under ecommerce and companies legislation.
If anything can be bought from your website, you should either use a different template, or supplement this template with a document covering the sale and supply of the relevant products or services.
Ask about this document
Website terms and conditions (standard) contents
- Introduction: document governs website use; consent to website document: implied; consent to website terms and conditions: express; website user minimum age.
- Copyright notice: UCC copyright notice; ownership of rights in website.
- Permission to use website: licence to use website; no downloading; website use: permitted purposes; no modification of website content; limitations on licence to use website; redistributable content; suspension or restriction of access to website.
- Misuse of website: acceptable use: prohibitions; using contact details prohibited; veracity of information supplied.
- Registration and accounts: account eligibility; account registration process; no other person permitted to use account; notify on misuse of account; use of another's account.
- User login details: provision of login details; user ID rules and impersonation; password to be kept confidential; notify on disclosure of password; responsibility for password loss.
- Cancellation and suspension of account: rights of operator over free website account; cancellation policy for unused accounts; cancellation of free website account by user.
- Our rights to use your content: definition of user content; licence of user content; sub-licensing of user content; right to bring proceedings in respect of user content; waiver of moral rights in user content; user may edit own content; delete etc user content on breach.
- Rules about your content: user content warranty; no unlawful user content; user content rules.
- Limited warranties: no warranties for information; right to discontinue website publication; no implied warranties or representations relating to website.
- Limitations and exclusions of liability: caveats to limits of liability; interpretation of limits of liability; no liability for free information or services; no liability for force majeure; no liability for business losses; no liability for loss of data or software; no liability for consequential loss; no personal liability.
- Breaches of these terms and conditions: consequences of breach; non circumvention of measures upon breach.
- Variation: document may be revised; variation of website document: unregistered users; variation of website document: registered users.
- Assignment: assignment by first party; assignment by second party.
- Severability: severability of whole; severability of parts.
- Third party rights: third party rights: benefit; third party rights: exercise of rights.
- Entire agreement: entire agreement - use of website.
- Law and jurisdiction: governing law; jurisdiction.
- Statutory and regulatory disclosures: ecommerce regulations: trade register; ecommerce regulations: authorisation scheme; ecommerce regulations: professionals; ecommerce regulations: code of conduct; value added tax number.
- Our details: website operator name; company registration details; place of business; contact information.
Which licence should I choose?
| Version | 1.2 |
|---|---|
| First published | 1 Sep 2016 |
| Last updated | 31 Mar 2021 |
| Law | English law and EU law |
| Language | English (UK) |
| †Word count | 5,998 |
| †Template pages | 8 |
