Law.com Subscribers SAVE 30%

Call 855-808-4530 or email [email protected] to receive your discount on a new subscription.

Cybersecurity Law & StrategyFeaturesConsumer ProtectionCybersecurityInternet LawTechnology Media and Telecom

Can Terms of Service Agreements Allow Companies to Skirt Consumer Protection Laws?

By Stephen M. Kramarsky
February 01, 2021

We've all done it: checked the box and confirmed that we are bound by a company's "Terms of Service" without so much as glancing at them. These days, "Agree to Continue" is a part of the required ritual, not only for software and online services, but for hardware as well. Before you use your new iPhone, draft a Word document, call an Uber, or even order a pizza, you will have agreed, sight unseen, to a set of standardized terms drafted by a company's lawyers. For most people, the choice is simple. Most users do not have the time or inclination to read through dozens of pages of legalese before reviewing the morning's tweets, and if millions of users are agreeing to these terms, how bad can they be? If a company's Terms of Service become too onerous, or stray too far from accepted industry norms, the company will likely be called out by a sophisticated user or industry watchdog.

This system has functioned with surprising efficiency during a period of explosive growth, and at this point nearly all e-commerce depends on users agreements to contracts virtually no one has ever read. Courts are well aware of that dynamic, and many have commented on it, but have largely upheld these kinds of agreements based on traditional contract law principles. The "click" of agreement, or the ongoing use of the product or service, functions as the user's agreement to the Terms of Service, regardless of whether the user knows precisely what the Terms say. Contracting parties are assumed to have reviewed and agreed to all terms of their agreement.

This premium content is locked for Entertainment Law & Finance subscribers only

  • Stay current on the latest information, rulings, regulations, and trends
  • Includes practical, must-have information on copyrights, royalties, AI, and more
  • Tap into expert guidance from top entertainment lawyers and experts

For enterprise-wide or corporate acess, please contact Customer Service at [email protected] or 877-256-2473

Read These Next
Why So Many Great Lawyers Stink at Business Development and What Law Firms Are Doing About It Image

Why is it that those who are best skilled at advocating for others are ill-equipped at advocating for their own skills and what to do about it?

Bankruptcy Sales: Finding a Diamond In the Rough Image

There is no efficient market for the sale of bankruptcy assets. Inefficient markets yield a transactional drag, potentially dampening the ability of debtors and trustees to maximize value for creditors. This article identifies ways in which investors may more easily discover bankruptcy asset sales.

The DOJ's Corporate Enforcement Policy: One Year Later Image

The DOJ's Criminal Division issued three declinations since the issuance of the revised CEP a year ago. Review of these cases gives insight into DOJ's implementation of the new policy in practice.

A Lawyer's System for Active Reading Image

Active reading comprises many daily tasks lawyers engage in, including highlighting, annotating, note taking, comparing and searching texts. It demands more than flipping or turning pages.

Protecting Innovation in the Cyber World from Patent Trolls Image

With trillions of dollars to keep watch over, the last thing we need is the distraction of costly litigation brought on by patent assertion entities (PAEs or "patent trolls"), companies that don't make any products but instead seek royalties by asserting their patents against those who do make products.