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Is it OK to copy terms of service/privacy policy from another site?

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Re: Is it OK to copy terms of service/privacy policy from another site?

#11
post #5

That sounds like copyright violation. See if you can find a legit free source instead.

I disagree on copyright part. Two reasons: 1) You are not selling the agreement 2) It is impossible to find out from where or whose agreement (most of them are generic). Moreover, who the heck reads those!!! I am tempted to write in my ToS - that the users hereby agree to sell their soul for using my website :) I agree on finding a legit free source.

> Two reasons: 1) You are not selling the agreement 2) It is impossible to find out from where or whose agreement (most of them are generic). Moreover, who the heck reads those!!!

How does selling it, whether it can be found that you copied it, or whether people read them affect that it's a copyright violation? It's a copyright violation if you publish it as your own, irrespective of whether people read it or find out that you plagiarized it.

Re: Is it OK to copy terms of service/privacy policy from another site?

#13
post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree on copyright part. Two reasons: 1) You are not selling the agreement 2) It is impossible to find out from where or whose agreement (most of them are generic). Moreover, who the heck reads those!!! I am tempted to write in my ToS - that the users hereby agree to sell their soul for using my website :) I agree on finding a legit free source.

> Two reasons: 1) You are not selling the agreement 2) It is impossible to find out from where or whose agreement (most of them are generic). Moreover, who the heck reads those!!! How does selling it, whether it can be found that you copied it, or whether people read them affect that it's a copyright violation? It's a copyright violation if you publish it as your own, irrespective of whether people read it or find ou…

jey: thats a valid point. I totally agree with your argument as it being a copyright violation too.

Re: Is it OK to copy terms of service/privacy policy from another site?

#17
If your lawyer okays it, then it's fine. If you don't have a lawyer, why are you asking us? Ask your lawyer.

Honestly, the questin is like asking "Is it okay to copy code from another project?" And the answer is the same: if it works the way you want it to work, and you won't get in trouble for using it, then go for it. The way to determine if it works the way you want it to work is to consult a lawyer.

Don't think of legalese as if it were just marketing BS; think of it as an odd programming language for the legal system. When you need Python code written or evaluated, you become or hire a Python programmer; when you need legalese written or evalauted, you become or hire a lawyer. It's as simple as that.

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