Copyright on a Terms of Service / User Agreement Document

[MrQuestionsAll]

Hello,

Thanks in advance for taking the time to read this.

I'm creating a web site and have reached the point of needing to create a terms of service document. I found a site similar to mine that seemed to have a very good one.

Am I allowed to take their terms of service, modify it to suit my specific site, and use that -- or would that be a copyright violation?

Legal documents sometimes seem to be rather standardized... is doing this illegal?

[KeyWestDan]

No, it is not illegal. I am sure most sites do it that way. Just make enough changes so it isn't a direct cut and paste. Be sure you don't include any weird wording or typos, formatting and things like that which are in the originals. There are only so many ways to word any legal clause.

Claiming a copyright on a terms of service statement would be like trying to claim a copyright on a legal form.

[LawResearcherMissy]

In the strictest sense of the word, yes, it would be a copyright violation.

HOWEVER - you are correct, most such agreements are fairly standardized.

You'd do well to use the one you like as a model, and write it yourself.