Disclaimer Examples

Disclaimers are a good way to address specific points regarding liability that fall outside your Terms & Conditions agreement.

Here is a list of disclaimer examples that you can use for your website or mobile app.

"Views expressed" disclaimer

A "Views expressed" disclaimer is typically seen on blogs or other online media publications, posts or articles.

This disclaimer informs readers that the views, thoughts, and opinions expressed in the text belong solely to the author, and not necessarily to the author's employer, organization, committee or other group or individual.

Otherwise, what one employee says may be construed as being what the entire company believes, thinks or condones, and this may be very inaccurate and damaging.

"Views expressed" disclaimers are seen most often in personal opinion writing by experts or professionals working in the same field of study as their post.

For example, a climate change scientist writing an editorial or opinion piece that involves the topic of climate change may include a disclaimer saying that the opinions are his own and not that of his employer.

Another common use of a "views expressed" disclaimer is by people who are endorsing or critiquing a product that a company they work for produces or is involved with.

In this situation, a disclaimer will let readers know that the writer is speaking solely for herself, not for the company or as a formal representative of the company.

It's not uncommon for companies, universities and organizations to have some sort of social media policy in place to dictate how and when these disclaimers must be used.

Here's how the National Institutes of Health (NIH) handles how employees of the NIH or US government must use disclaimers.

At NIH, official duty activities carried out on behalf of the government don't need a disclaimer.

However, when engaging in outside activities, such as a personal blog or as a member of an organization, an employee "may not use or reference their titles or NIH affiliation" except if it's as part of a multi-detailed biographical summary, or if a disclaimer is included.

Writing a "Views expressed" disclaimer is very easy: all you have to do is basically state that the opinions and views you're expressing at that time are yours and not your employers or anyone else's.

Here are a few examples of "Views expressed" disclaimers.

Example from blog posts or articles

If you have a personal website or a blog, a "views expressed" disclaimer helps make it clear to your readers that what they're reading is a product solely of your own.

Douglas E. Rice includes a short, to-the-point disclaimer on his personal website:

Following this subtle but clear disclaimer is a big red "DISCLAIMER" image with a list of "entities you should NOT blame" if anything you read on his website offends you.

Included in this usually-humorous list of those not to be blamed are his wife, his dog, his employer (mentioned twice, maybe on purpose of impact), Batman, and The Republicans:

He then adds a list of the "undeniably exhaustive record of entities that you SHOULD blame" and it contains just one thing: Him.

This is a playful and funny way to get across exactly what "views expressed" disclaimers are meant to get across.

The Post Growth website has its "Disclaimer" and "Legal Information" all on one page.

This page includes a paragraph that mentions views and opinions expressed and makes it known that they are "those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of any other agency, organization, employer or company."

Examples from podcasts

Even podcasts can have "views expressed" disclaimers.

This is seen below in the disclaimer for The World of Anesthesiology podcast series, where listeners are told that "the views, information, or opinions expressed during [the] series are solely those of the individuals involved and do not necessarily represent those of Vanderbilt University Medical Center and its employees."

Examples from slideshows and presentations

If you're giving a presentation, you may want to (or even be required to) include a "views expressed" disclaimer.

This type of disclaimer will inform viewers that you created the presentation, not your employer.

In the example below, even though the creator of the slideshow works for the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, and that bank is also hosting the event where the presentation is given, the presenter still adds a disclaimer stating that the views in his presentation are his own and not necessarily those of the Federal Reserve:

"No responsibility" disclaimer

A "no responsibility" disclaimer is also known as a disclaimer of liability.

The "no responsibility" disclaimer works to keep your business from being held responsible for or held liable for things like damages that arise from using your website or app (for example).

A "no responsibility" disclaimer is not disclaiming any warranties, either implied or specific/required by law.

CNN Money has a disclaimer of liability for LIBOR rates:

"responsibility or liability for the frequency of provision and accuracy of the BBA LIBOR rate or any use made of the BBA LIBOR rate by the subscriber, whether or not arising from the negligence of any of BBAE or the Suppliers."

Here it is:

Limitation of liability clauses are common in end-user license agreements so that users are aware that they will not be able to hold the company liable for any damages arising out of the use of the application.

"Past performance" disclaimer

A "past performance" disclaimer informs people that past performance doesn't guarantee future results.

The "past performance" disclaimer is seen commonly in investment and other financial markets where there are unpredictable and ever-changing results and outcomes.

Nordea includes a "past performance" disclaimer:

"the performance represented is historical" and that "past performance is not a reliable indicator of future results and investors may not recover the full amount invested."

Here it is, highlighted:

You can even include a "past performance" disclaimer slide in a slideshow about investing or investment strategy, as seen here from Anand Rathi.

"Use at your own risk" disclaimer

A "use at your own risk" disclaimer is handy for websites or app that share things like recipes, instructions, advice, medical information, articles and more.

Whenever you're sharing information with people that they may actively use or follow, you should include the "use at your own risk" disclaimer so that your business can't be held liable.

Here's an example why it's useful to include this type of disclaimer.

Imagine you write an article telling people about a method you've used to successfully treat a skin condition, and someone who reads your article decides to follow your method and has a terrible allergic reaction and ends up in the hospital.

The "use at your own risk" disclaimer will make it so that you cannot be held legally responsible for sharing your method when it doesn't work for someone.

Otherwise, someone may attempt to sue you and claim that following your advice landed him in the hospital.

Here's how Miss Mary includes a disclaimer on its website. Readers are informed that "any action you take upon the information on this website is strictly at your own risk..."

Wikipedia has a disclaimer that states:

"none of the authors, contributors, administrators, vandals, or anyone else connected with Wikipedia, in any way whatsoever, can be responsible for your use of the information contained in or linked from these web pages."

Here it is, highlighted:

Additionally, Wikipedia users are informed that they should "take all steps necessary to ascertain that information you receive from Wikipedia is correct and has been verified" by doing things like checking references and revision history, double-checking information with independent sources and remembering that "anyone can post" on Wikipedia:

"Errors and omissions" disclaimer

Another "as-is" type of disclaimer is the "errors and omissions" disclaimer.

The "errors and omissions" disclaimer is commonly found on blogs and websites, and works to let users know that if there are any errors in the material, or omission of information that turns out to be material, the site-owner/author isn't to be held liable for damages that arise out of them.

At Forensic Accounting, a disclaimer states:

"[The author] assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or omissions in the content of this site. The information contained in this site is provided on an "as is" basis with no guarantees of completeness, accuracy, usefulness or timeliness..."

Here it is, highlighted:

PwC includes a paragraph that states:

"PwC is not responsible for any errors or omissions, or for the results obtained from the use of this information. All information in this site is provided "as is", with no guarantee of completeness, accuracy, timeliness or of the results obtained from the use of this information..."

Here is is, highlighted:

If your website contains information about topics that a user may rely on for practical information, such as legal advice, medical diagnosing, financial subjects and others, consider including an "errors and omissions" disclaimer just in case you accidentally leave something out or get something wrong that may affect your users.

"Fair use" disclaimer

If you use something under the "Fair Use" Act, you should include a "fair use" notice or disclaimer to protect yourself from being accused of copyright infringement.

While using copyrighted work can lead to copyright infringement issues, the "Fair Use" doctrine is an exception to this.

Under the "Fair Use" Act, a copyrighted work can be used, cited or incorporated within another author's work legally without needing a license if it's being used explicitly for things like news reporting, researching purposes, teaching, commentary, criticism, and other such uses.

Things like movie reviews that quote the movie, or using sections of a published book for a teaching lesson in a classroom are examples of common scenarios that are protected under this act.

There is four-factor balancing test considered when deciding if a particular use of a copyrighted work is a "fair use":

1. What's the purpose and character of the use? Is it commercial, or educational? Is the material transformed, or reproduced?
2. What's the specific nature of the copyrighted work being used? Is it a work of fiction, or factual research? How much personal creativity and unique expression went into the work?
3. How much of the original work is used?
4. Will the use drastically affect the market or potential market for the copyrighted, original work?

Global Public Media includes a "Fair Use & Content Disclaimer" with a "Fair Use Notice".

This notice lets users know that "this site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner."

Global Public Media states that they're using this material as part of their "efforts to advance understanding of issues of ecological and humanitarian significance" and that they believe that this constitutes a "fair use" of the material in accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107.

Mass Equality has a "Fair Use Policy" and "Legal Disclaimer" that includes the same standard notice:

"this site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner."

The disclaimer from Mass Equality then continues on to lets users know that:

"making such material available to advance understanding of same-sex marriage and efforts to codify anti-gay discrimination in Massachusetts."

Here's a screenshot:

With a "fair use" disclaimer, all you have to do is inform the public know that you're using parts of copyrighted work, and using them under the "Fair Use" act for appropriate purposes.

"Investment" disclaimer

The "investment" disclaimer informs users that you're not an investment advisor, broker or dealer and that you don't have any insider information.

If you have an investment website or app that provides general news, publicly-available information, analyses, or other materials that would help someone while making investment decisions, you're going to want to have an "investment" disclaimer in place.

The Sequoia disclaimer page has a section at the bottom of its first paragraph where investment advice is mentioned.

Sequoia states:

"website and the information contained herein is not intended to be a source of advice or credit analysis with respect to the material presented, and the information and/or documents contained in this website do not constitute investment advice."

Here it is:

The Investment Blog includes a paragraph in its disclaimer that addresses investment advice and disclaims it as being based on "personal opinion and experience" and that it "should not be considered professional financial investment advice."

The author of the Investment Blog goes on to add that "the ideas and strategies should never be used without first assessing your own personal and financial situation, or without consulting a financial professional."

Stockopedia has a very robust "investment" disclaimer section with a lot of sections relating directly to the issue of investment advice:

• First, users are presented with a "Do Your Own Research" section where they're encouraged to "do their own research."Users are told that the content on Stockopedia is "intended to be used and must be used for informational purposes only" and that they should "take independent financial advice from a professional" and "independently research and verify" information.
• The next section titled "No Investment Advice" lets users know that the website is "a financial data and news portal, discussion forum and content aggregator" as well as an "educational forum for analysing, learning and discussing general and generic information."It is "not a broker/dealer" nor an investment advisor" and the site-operators or authors have "no access to non-public information about publicly traded companies."
• Then, users are told that "this is not a place for the giving or receiving of financial advice, advice concerning investment decisions or tax or legal advice."

Here's a screenshot of this disclaimer from Stockpedia:

"Copyright notice" disclaimer

A "Copyright Notice" is a simple way to let the world know that your website material is yours.

A typical "Copyright Notice" disclaimer includes:

• The copyrighted year,
• The author's name,
• The copyright symbol, and
• The reservation of rights the author wishes to copyright.

Here's how Credit Karma includes a copyright notice within its emails:

Books include a copyright notice on one of the first few pages. This example shows a different copyright in place for the introduction of the book, as well.

Etsy has a very simple and short copyright notice, but it works just fine. Copyright notices are very common and universally understood, so this basic notice will still suffice:

"Email" disclaimer

"Email" disclaimers are added to at the end of an email, usually in the signature section, so that the disclaimer automatically becomes a part of every email sent.

While it hasn't been determined whether having an "email" disclaimer actually helps you avoid liability in a court of law, having the "email" disclaimer in place does come with some general benefits.

These benefits include:

• Informing the recipients of your email of confidentiality, potential computer viruses and more.
• This disclaimer may also deter the recipients from trying to file a lawsuit against you for something covered by your disclaimer.

The most commonly used "email" disclaimer is a "breach of confidentiality" disclaimer.

This "breach of confidentiality" disclaimer used in email informs the recipient of the email that the communication is of a confidential nature, and that the information within the email is meant solely for the person to whom the email is addressed.

Below is an example of a common "breach of confidentiality" disclaimer used in emails: