Disclaimer Meaning
A disclaimer is an official statement that protects your business from legal liability. Your policy functions as a warning sign when users visit your blog, website, document, or product. Additionally, It notifies readers that your advice, products, or services may harm them, and that you cannot be held responsible. If your website has access to external links, health information, fitness information, affiliate links, etc., you will require a disclaimer. Some types of disclaimers also discourage users from stealing your website content, and protect your intellectual property.
They generally have two main purposes:
- To warn
- To limit liability
Who needs Disclaimers?
Not every business needs disclaimers, but most companies will at least have warranties or limitation of liability clauses in their Privacy Policy, Terms and Conditions of use and other such website policies to control what customers can sue them for. As a result, those businesses with higher risk require disclaimers. Following are a few high risk businesses-
- Technology
- Healthcare and pharmaceuticals
- Finance
- Legal
- Home improvement
What to include in your Disclaimer?
- Accuracy
- State that your business is not responsible for the accuracy of the information on your pages. You and/or the business are indemnified against any such claims or losses.
- Comments
- Additionally, specify that your website or application is not responsible for the comments, views, or opinions of site visitors, and that the site reserves the right to remove offensive comments or images. Some also define offensive language as per the rules of the state they belong to.
- External Links
- You must also explain that any information offered by third-party websites through your site is not your responsibility.
Disclaimer Examples
- Affiliate & Testimonial Disclaimer
- Affiliate and testimonial disclaimers are designed to inform users of an affiliate’s relationship to a business.
- Legal Advice Disclaimer
- Any website sharing legal-related news, content or advice should have a legal disclaimer which specifies that the information provided is for informational purposes only and does not create a lawyer-client relationship.
- Medical Advice Disclaimer
- Online businesses or apps that offer medical advice need to notify users that the information contained on the site is intended for educational purposes only should not be substituted for medical advice from a doctor or healthcare provider.
- Professional Blog / Services Disclaimer
- Professional blogs or professional service platforms need to clarify that the advice and information on their pages is for educational purposes only.
- Product Disclaimer
- If you manufacture or sell products, you should use product disclaimers to clear your company of any blame in the event that a customer is injured using your product.
- No Responsibility Disclaimer
- A “no responsibility” policy serves to protect your business from being held liable or responsible for damages that could arise from someone consuming content on your website or following links to third-party websites that you share.
- No Guarantee Disclaimer
- It serves to warn your website visitors that, while you are doing your best to ensure the accuracy of the content that you publish, you cannot provide guarantee for it and, thus, cannot be held responsible for incorrect information and the consequences that could arise from acting upon it.
FAQs
Yes, your blog requires a disclaimer if your content can be interpreted also as advise. Disclaimers will help limit your liability if users suffer damages resulting from information found on your blog.
You put a disclaimers in visible places on your website. For your disclaimer to be valid in the event of a legal claim, it needs to be visible to users. Some visible locations to put your disclaimers include your website footer, product description pages, and also within your terms and conditions.
No, disclaimers do not require notarization. Disclaimers are valid as long as they are visible to users.
A Privacy Policy is not only the legally required document to disclose your practices on protecting personal information, but it’s also a great way to show users that you can be trusted, and that you have procedures in place to handle their personal information with care.