Website terms and conditions template

About this set of terms

These website T&C are for a business that provides a service that is delivered online and that continues until a particular outcome is reached.

Those outcomes could be:

• a date (for example, the service could continue for three months after purchase)

• a number of uses

• a goal being achieved (such as the visitor completing a programme of events)

They are not suitable for services that are billed on a recurring basis as subscriptions. For those, see here.

Examples of sites for which these terms would be suitable include:

• SaaS providers whose pricing model is based on non-recurring payments. An example would be a VPN provider.

• providers of tests, whether for businesses (such as personality tests for potential new employees), or consumers (such as IQ tests or credit scores).

• those where the customer buys credits or tokens to access a choice of services. An example would be a provider of a suite of website analysis tools from which a buyer can choose those tools he wishes to use.

These terms not only cover issues relating to sale but also those relating to use.

We include extensive and detailed provisions to protect your intellectual property and your infrastructure. There are also restrictions about what can be uploaded to and stored on your site.

The benefit of using these clear terms

Using this document on your website will help you:

• Set out clearly how your service works and what customers can expect

• Present a professional image of your business. Our use of plain English helps ensure customers do not feel intimidated by overly formal or legalistic language

• Prevent misunderstandings and solve disputes more easily

• Comply with consumer protection law (such as the Consumer Contracts (ICAC) Regulations 2013) without compromising your legal rights if you also sell to businesses

• Protect your website from misuse (we include paragraphs that form an Acceptable Use Policy, useful if your visitors can interact with your website, for example, by posting reviews or exchanging messages in a customer forum)

• Trade safely internationally, whether your customers are in the UK, EU or further afield

The law in this document

The law in these T&C is largely common law that deals with the basics of contracts: offer, acceptance, price and payment, delivery, returns, dispute resolution, liabilities and risk.

The document is suitable for businesses based anywhere in the UK.

This template complies with The Sale of Goods Acts (1979 and 1994) and The Consumer Contracts (ICAC) Regulations 2013 allowing you to sell to businesses or consumers.

We have contracted out of the Contracts (Rights of Third Parties) Act 1999 so as not to obligate you in contracts made between your customer and any other party. This is usual in a document such as this one.

Contents

• Definitions and interpretation
• Basis of contract
• The price
• Renewal payments
• How we handle your data
• Acceptable material posted
• Restrictions on posting
• Offensive content Limitations on consumer rights
• Security of website
• Restrictions on what may be uploaded
• Intellectual property
• Disclaimers, limitation of liability and indemnity
• Other legal provisions

We also include over 3,200 words of helpful and informative drafting notes.