Web Hosting Talk : Web Hosting Main Forums : Running a Web Hosting Business : Terms of Service

[David Moran]

Hi there -

I am looking for a set of TOS for my webhosting startup without the legal fees. Are there any generic TOS published on the web that people can use freely?

Best Regards
David Moran
Host Ireland

[Chicken]

http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showth...?threadid=3006

Might help you.

[Jaiem]

(not a lawyer, not a legal opinion)

Read that thread. All advise sounded good, especially Chicken's about how a TOS won't protect you from being sued. It's just a defense. These days it seems like everyone sues for anything.

You might want to consider some sort of professional liability insurance instead.

[KDAWebServices]

You'd be lucky to get insurance for a web hosting company, along with broadcasters, webhosts are classed as high risk. We tried to get insurance and not one insurer we spoke to would touch a web host with a barge poll in the UK.

[Website Rob]

Always have a contract. Although the following might not pertain specifically to a TOS, there are some wonderful sites for information and/or learning how to do various contracts. No doubt they will come in handy at some point.

Website Planning Worksheet
http://www.wilsonweb.com/worksheet/pageplan.htm

Web Site Development Agreement - Example
http://www.briantaylor.com/websitecontract.htm

The Geek's Guide to Internet Business Success
http://provider.com/

Hiring a Site Developer
http://hotwired.lycos.com/webmonkey/99/22/index4a.html

A Merchant's Guide to Opening a Store on the Web
http://www.dpro.com/dpro/center/survey.html

Research Report: The Real Estate Industry and the World Wide Web
http://haas.berkeley.edu/~creue/realweb.htm

Ars Digital - For various reasons, this should be Bookmarked--forever
http://arsdigita.com/

Developing Effective Contracts
http://designwise.net/webdesigner/contracts.htm

Contract Monitor
http://www.gag.org/contracts/contracts.html

Web Site Development Agreement - Website Design Contract Form
http://www.briantaylor.com/websitecontract.htm

The Jurifax Store
http://store.yahoo.com/jurifaxstore/

Web Developer Contract Swipe File
http://provider.com/contracts.htm

E-Sign Is Law, But Is It Safe?
http://www.wired.com/news/politics/0,1283,39172,00.html

An example of a non-disclosure agreement can be found here:
http://www.bitlaw.com/forms/nda.html


standard advice (get a lawyer, etc.) applies...

[Chicken]

Great links Rob!

[etLux]

Originally posted by KDAWebServices
You'd be lucky to get insurance... We tried to get insurance and not one insurer we spoke to would touch a web host with a barge poll...

Hmmm... one wonders why that might be?

[freehtml]

Look at my TOS for example?