Terms & Conditions

What are Website Terms and Conditions?

Terms and conditions are a binding set of rules that serve as a contract between you and the users who visit your website or use your app.

They are also known as terms of service and terms of use, and are abbreviated as T&Cs (or ToS and ToU, respectively).

Having terms and conditions isn’t a legal requirement, but they are critical to maintaining your rights and protecting your business. Therefore, it’s in your best interest to create a terms and conditions template for your services, and display the agreement on your site.

What is a Terms and Conditions Agreement?

A terms and conditions agreement outlines the website administrator’s rules regarding user behavior, and provides information about the actions the website administrator can and will perform.

Your terms and conditions text is a contract between your website and its users. In the event of a legal dispute, arbitrators will look to this agreement to determine whether each party acted within their rights.

• Abusive users — Terms and conditions allow you to establish what constitutes appropriate activity on your site or app, so you can remove abusive users and content that violates your guidelines.

• Intellectual property theft — Asserting your claim to the creative assets of your site in your terms and conditions will prevent ownership disputes and copyright infringement.

• Potential litigation — If a user lodges a legal complaint against your business, showing that they were presented with clear terms and conditions before they used your site will help you immensely in court.

Do Websites Need Terms and Conditions?

Terms and conditions are not required by law, but are extremely important to the long-term success and viability of your website.

Having website terms and conditions is considered standard business practice in the US, Canada, the UK, and just about everywhere else — from South Africa to Australia.