Website T&C template

About this website terms and conditions template

This T&C template governs the use of a website that provides membership based services. It could be a trade association, a buying club, a sports club or a social club.

The essential feature is that you permit applications for membership via the Internet. Your successful applicants pay a subscription via the Internet, and you provide some services at a price or free. They could be anything at all.

The document assumes that your members can interface heavily with your website and therefore provides very strong contractual protection relating to acceptable use and removal of offensive content. These aim both to dissuade your members from mis-use or malicious use of your site, and to give you additional protection from claims relating to the actions of, or content posted by, your members.

Examples of sites that would use this template include:

• not-for-profit social introduction and connection sites
• sports clubs
• fan clubs
• enthusiast websites
• support networks
• private discussion boards
• many other associations and organisations

This template has been written to cover international use because sites that would use such a template are likely to attract visitors from across the world. It has been written to comply with the Republic of India law, but is likely to be enforceable in many other legal jurisdictions too.

Using this document on your website will help you to:

• set out clearly what your organisation does and how it can benefit a member;
• present a professional image of your organisation;
• prevent misunderstandings and make solving disputes easier;
• protect your website from misuse (we include paragraphs that form an Acceptable Use Policy, essential if your visitors interact with your website, for example, by posting reviews or exchanging messages in a customer forum);
• protect your business from complaints about content that your subscribers posted particularly important if your members can contribute content to your site that you might not moderate in real time.

Alternative document templates

If your site is used only by businesses, look at Website terms and conditions template: member services for businesses.

If your site is for the general public, use Website terms & conditions template: membership based services.

If your site creates a marketplace for goods or services (where buyers are connected with sellers and transactions occur through your site), one of our terms and conditions templates for marketplace websites might be more appropriate. See Website terms & conditions for marketplace sites.

Document contents

The terms and conditions template includes provisions relating to:

• Definitions and interpretation
• Responsibility of the member to provide accurate information
• Basis of contract
• Membership terms
• Terms of membership
• Prices
• Renewal payments
• Credit card security
• How we handle your data
• Acceptable Use Policy
• Restrictions on use of our website
• Removal of offensive content
• Security of our website
• Storage of data
• Intellectual Property
• Disclaimers and limitation of liability
• Clear and sensible legal matters to protect your business