General terms and conditions of business
Legal Disclaimer
The information provided on this page is purely a general and superficial explanation of how website operators should draft their own terms and conditions. This article does not constitute reliable legal advice or actual recommendations for action, as we cannot assess the commercial relationships with customers and visitors in advance. We therefore recommend that website operators seek legal advice and support when drafting their own terms and conditions.
General Terms and Conditions - the basics
Terms and Conditions (“T&Cs”) are a set of legally binding terms defined by website operators. The T&Cs establish the legal framework that relates to the activities of website visitors or customers while they visit or interact with the website. The T&Cs are intended to establish the legal relationship between the website visitors and the website operator.
Terms and conditions should be defined according to the specific needs of each website. For example, an eCommerce website that offers products to customers will require different terms and conditions than a website that only provides information (like a blog, landing page, etc.).
The terms and conditions offer website operators the opportunity to protect themselves from potential legal exposure. However, these can vary depending on local jurisdiction. Therefore, legal advice should be sought for your own legal area in order to avoid legal exposure.
Contents of the Terms and Conditions
Generally, terms and conditions cover the following topics: who is authorized to use the website; possible payment methods; a statement that the website operator reserves the right to make changes to the offer; guarantees provided by the website operator to customers; references to intellectual property or copyright issues; the website operator's right to block or terminate a member's account and much more.
Further information can be found in the article “ Creating Terms of Use/General Terms and Conditions ”.