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| schema: foundry-doc-v1 | schema: foundry-doc-v1 |
| title: "Style guide — terms of use" | title: "Style guide — terms of use" |
| slug: style-guide-terms | slug: style-guide-terms |
| category: reference | category: reference |
| type: topic | type: topic |
| quality: complete | quality: complete |
| short_description: "Editorial standards for terms-of-use documents (LEGAL genre) in the platform: opening clause, required sections, defined-term discipline, liability-disclaimer conventions, and the governance review requirement." | short_description: "Editorial standards for terms-of-use documents (LEGAL genre) in the platform: opening clause, required sections, defined-term discipline, liability-disclaimer conventions, and the governance review requirement." |
| status: active | status: active |
| bcsc_class: public-disclosure-safe | bcsc_class: public-disclosure-safe |
| last_edited: 2026-05-25 | last_edited: 2026-05-25 |
| editor: pointsav-engineering | editor: pointsav-engineering |
| cites: [] | cites: [] |
| paired_with: style-guide-terms.es.md | paired_with: style-guide-terms.es.md |
| --- | --- |
| > Terms of use state what a user may do with a service, what they may not do, and what the service owes them in return. Use constitutes acceptance. | > Terms of use state what a user may do with a service, what they may not do, and what the service owes them in return. Use constitutes acceptance. |
| **Terms of use** (LEGAL genre) are the binding rules that govern a user's access to and use of a service or site. They are published where users can read them before using the service — the opening clause makes clear that use of the service constitutes acceptance. Every terms-of-use document executed under this platform routes through `factory-release-engineering` governance for review before publication. This article is the human-facing standard; the machine-readable counterpart lives in `service-disclosure/templates/terms.toml`. | **Terms of use** (LEGAL genre) are the binding rules that govern a user's access to and use of a service or site. They are published where users can read them before using the service — the opening clause makes clear that use of the service constitutes acceptance. Every terms-of-use document executed under this platform routes through `factory-release-engineering` governance for review before publication. This article is the human-facing standard; the machine-readable counterpart lives in `service-disclosure/templates/terms.toml`. |
| ## When to use this template | ## When to use this template |
| Use terms of use when: | Use terms of use when: |
| - A service or site is made available to users outside the Foundry workspace. | - A service or site is made available to users outside the Foundry workspace. |
| - The service's permitted and prohibited uses need to be on record. | - The service's permitted and prohibited uses need to be on record. |
| - Liability limitations and warranty disclaimers need to be formally stated. | - Liability limitations and warranty disclaimers need to be formally stated. |
| Internal tooling used only by workspace members does not require public terms of use — a [[style-guide-policy|policy document]] covers internal-use obligations. | Internal tooling used only by workspace members does not require public terms of use — a [[style-guide-policy|policy document]] covers internal-use obligations. |
| ## Structure | ## Structure |
| The template requires an opening clause and five sections in this order: | The template requires an opening clause and five sections in this order: |
| **Opening clause** (before any heading): One sentence stating what service these terms govern and that use of the service constitutes acceptance of these terms. | **Opening clause** (before any heading): One sentence stating what service these terms govern and that use of the service constitutes acceptance of these terms. |
| | Section | Purpose | | | Section | Purpose | |
| |---|---| | |---|---| |
| | **Definitions** | Each defined Term, stated once. Capitalised after first definition. | | | **Definitions** | Each defined Term, stated once. Capitalised after first definition. | |
| | **Acceptance** | How a user accepts the terms — by signing up, accessing the service, or clicking "I agree." What acceptance binds: the user to these terms; the service provider to the described service. | | | **Acceptance** | How a user accepts the terms — by signing up, accessing the service, or clicking "I agree." What acceptance binds: the user to these terms; the service provider to the described service. | |
| | **Use of the service** | Permitted uses, prohibited uses, and the user's obligations (for example, account security, accurate registration). Numbered for traceability. | | | **Use of the service** | Permitted uses, prohibited uses, and the user's obligations (for example, account security, accurate registration). Numbered for traceability. | |
| | **Liability and disclaimers** | The warranty disclaimer and the limitation of liability. Must be in plain language: excessive legalese reduces enforceability. Standard formulations ("THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS'") may be used but must be followed by a plain-language equivalent. | | | **Liability and disclaimers** | The warranty disclaimer and the limitation of liability. Must be in plain language: excessive legalese reduces enforceability. Standard formulations ("THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED 'AS IS'") may be used but must be followed by a plain-language equivalent. | |
| | **Changes to these terms** | How the terms may change, what constitutes notice to users, and the effective date of changes. | | | **Changes to these terms** | How the terms may change, what constitutes notice to users, and the effective date of changes. | |
| Optional sections (at the end): Governing law and jurisdiction, Contact. | Optional sections (at the end): Governing law and jurisdiction, Contact. |
| ## Register and tone | ## Register and tone |
| Legal-plain. Active voice where possible. Every defined Term is capitalised on every use after its definition. Where the service touches investment or [[disclosure-substrate|disclosure]] material, forward-looking claims about service features or roadmap carry "planned / intended / may / target" language, in compliance with Canadian securities continuous-disclosure requirements. | Legal-plain. Active voice where possible. Every defined Term is capitalised on every use after its definition. Where the service touches investment or [[disclosure-substrate|disclosure]] material, forward-looking claims about service features or roadmap carry "planned / intended / may / target" language, in compliance with Canadian securities continuous-disclosure requirements. |
| ## See also | ## See also |
| - [[style-guide-policy|Style Guide — Policy]] | - [[style-guide-policy|Style Guide — Policy]] |
| - [[style-guide-contract|Style Guide — Contract]] | - [[style-guide-contract|Style Guide — Contract]] |
| - [[style-guide-cla|Style Guide — CLA]] | - [[style-guide-cla|Style Guide — CLA]] |
| - [[language-protocol-substrate|Language Protocol Substrate]] | - [[language-protocol-substrate|Language Protocol Substrate]] |