What is a Terms of Service Agreement?
As stated above, a Terms of Service agreement is a legal agreement where you disclose your rules and guidelines that your users or visitors must agree to in order to use your website or app.
Some common rules and guidelines include the following:
- Not stealing your content and violating copyright laws
- Not spamming other users
- Not using your site for illegal activities
These agreements are commonly abbreviated as ToS and are also referred to as a Terms and Conditions, Terms of Use, Conditions of Use, or User Agreement.
Regardless of what you call your Terms of Service, the aim of the agreement is the same:
- Disclose the rules and restrictions that your users must adhere to
- Maintain your right to terminate abusive accounts
- Make your copyright, trademark and intellectual property rights known
- Limit your liability
- Disclaim warranties
Depending on the nature of your business, your ToS may also need clauses that cover:
- Payment terms
- Subscription information
- Licensing rights
- Customer support
- User-generated content
