What should a disclaimer say

You should also put your disclaimers on relevant content. For example, if you promote an Amazon product in a blog post through the Amazon Affiliates program, you need to add an Amazon Affiliates disclaimer to that blog post. There are many types of disclaimers that address liabilities for different industries, activities, and content.

The most common types of disclaimers are:. How Do I Write a Disclaimer? You can write a disclaimer by modifying a disclaimer template to address any liabilities you have on your site. Using a disclaimer template will make it easy for you to pick and choose the disclaimers that may apply to your website, and then customize those disclaimers to include any information unique to your site.

Do I Need a Disclaimer? What Types of Disclaimers Are There? The most common types of disclaimers are: Fair Use Disclaimer : A fair use disclaimer discloses that you are using copyrighted materials on your website lawfully and with the appropriate permissions.

Warranty Disclaimer : Warranty disclaimers explain that sellers and service providers are not responsible for possible product or service failures. Copyright Disclaimer : A copyright disclaimer lets site visitors know that your site contains copyrighted material. No Responsibility Disclaimer : No responsibility disclaimers inform users that you are not responsible for the actions they take based on content found on your website.

Confidentiality Disclaimer : Confidentiality disclaimers assure users that some content, such as contact information, is only intended to be seen by certain parties.

Affiliate Disclaimer : Affiliate disclaimers disclose your participation in an affiliate program, such as Amazon Associates. Commonly, copyright disclaimers and no responsibility disclaimers double as YouTube disclaimers. Views Expressed Disclaimer : Views expressed disclaimers specify that the opinions found on your website are not the views or opinions of your business. Investment Disclaimer : An investment disclaimer informs readers that your investments commentary is information, and should not be taken as official investment advice.

No Guarantee Disclaimer : No guarantee disclaimers announce that your website or business makes no promises about the results of a product or service. Email Disclaimer : An email disclaimer is any disclaimer added to the footer of an email. Most often, confidentiality disclaimers act as email disclaimers.

Past Performance Disclaimer : Past performance disclaimers state that previous results do not equal future results. No specific language is required. That said, an effective disclaimer would address three issues:.

Disclaimers should be clearly worded and conspicuous—for example, in a different font, larger type, bolded, underlined or in all caps. Also, the disclaimer should be placed prominently within the handbook, appearing often as appropriate. Keep in mind that this is just an example disclaimer template and does not cover many of the important topics. Expert tip: Take the hassle of writing your own disclaimer away with our disclaimer generator.

It will save you hours of work and possible costly legal mistakes. Here are 15 disclaimer examples from different industries and website types to give give you a better idea of what kind of clauses your own disclaimer has to include. Here is an example of a fair use disclaimer from CUInsight , a website for the credit union community, that notably has a news section and a blog:.

Conversely, a copyright disclaimer is used to protect the ownership of your work; you would include it on your website to warn users that the content materials are your property and should not be reproduced without your authorization.

While having such a disclaimer is generally not essential for your work to be protected by copyright, it is an easy step to take to put everyone on notice that the content of your website is proprietary and should not be used without your permission. It is essential that you let your website visitors know that you may receive financial compensation if they choose to use one of your affiliate links; it is actually legally required by the Federal Trade Commission FTC in the United States.

Here is a short but easy-to-understand affiliate disclaimer example from a DigitalMarketer blog post:. And here is a longer sample affiliate disclaimer from popular blog WellnessMama , which appears on a dedicated page on the website and specifically mentions the FTC and Amazon:.

In addition to the above statement, WellnessMama also discloses her affiliate relationship in each one of her blog posts.

In addition to the above, you should always check the requirements of the affiliate program that you are working with as some, such as the Amazon Associates program , have stricter requirements and preferred wording that should be used by their affiliates.

If you are sharing any kind of financial information on your website, you should consider having a financial and investment disclaimer.

Indeed, this will warn your website visitors that you cannot be held liable for the financial or investment decisions that they make as a result of consuming your content.

It also warns them that the information that you are sharing does not constitute financial advice and is for educational or informational purposes only. Here is an example from advisory firm Harrington Investments, Inc. And from cryptocurrency tracking tool CoinMarketCap :. Considering the volatility of the stock market and the financial industry as a whole, this type of disclaimer is a must to avoid being held liable should one of your website users make poor investment decisions based on an article that they read on your blog.

Similar to the financial and investment disclaimer above, a health and medical disclaimer is used to warn your readers that the information provided on your website is not to be taken as professional medical advice and is for educational purposes only. Tips and Warnings. Related Articles. Article Summary. Part 1.

All rights reserved. This image may not be used by other entities without the express written consent of wikiHow, Inc. Identify the goods or services you provide. You will need a disclaimer if you provide goods or services, but the requirements of the disclaimer will depend on what you provide. Goods may be tangible like a hammer or intangible like information. You can usually lump "goods and services" together in your disclaimer.

For example, you might sell paintings. A painting is both a tangible good the canvas and paint and an intangible good the likeness depicted. If you created it, it also represents a service. Think about the liability you might be subjected to. Whenever you sell goods or services, you open yourself up to legal liability. A person may be injured by your product, or they may want a refund because the product does not work as advertised.

If your business offers an opportunity to participate in an activity or to use equipment, such as a tour group or a gym, you will definitely want a disclaimer to avoid being held liable in the case of injury. You can find a sample liability disclaimer here.

Alternately, someone may rely on information you provide to their detriment. Some people may also claim injury from words alone. If you write about people, those people could claim that you harmed them because the information was false and malicious. Identify the rights you want to protect.

Legal disclaimers also protect your legal rights from infringement by other people. Intangible property, such as intellectual property, is often vulnerable to infringement. If your intellectual property includes something such as a system or a method of doing something, you should file for a patent if possible. A trademark will protect words, phrases, symbols, and designs that identify your goods or services, such as your business's logo or signature phrase.

Although your copyright exists from the moment you create your intellectual property, you still want to bring that information to the attention of consumers. Registering your work creates a "paper trail" so that it is easier to prove that your property is yours. Understand the limitations of legal disclaimers. Before drafting, you should be aware that a legal disclaimer cannot completely insulate you from liability.

For example, you may try to disclaim liability for any injuries caused by your negligence, but that disclaimer will often be legally ineffective. A customer reading a disclaimer may assume that he cannot sue you and therefore not pursue a case. Part 2. Limit liability for tangible goods. Legal disclaimers should always be written with possible lawsuits in mind. This will allow you to consider the discrete terms of your disclaimer. In your disclaimer, cover any and all liabilities for the product or service that you provide.

You should warn consumers of any dangers or hazards posed by your product. You should list specific risks while at the same time acknowledging that the list is not exhaustive. This product [or service] can at times involve substantial risk of injury, property damage, and other dangers.