Clear explanations of 500+ contract clauses, written in plain English for businesses and individuals.
This clause defines what "competing" actually means—which businesses or activities you cannot do. A narrow scope might say "you cannot sell software to banks," while a broad scope might say "you cannot work in the entire technology industry." The sco
Read More →This clause stops you from working for competitors in a specific geographic area after you leave the job. For example, it might say you cannot work for a rival company within 50 miles of the office for two years. Courts in both the UK and US will onl
Read More →This clause restricts how long after the contract ends you cannot work for competitors or start a competing business. If you work for a software company and sign a non-compete, you might be banned from working for any rival software company for 12 mo
Read More →This clause lets someone use general knowledge, skills, or experience they gained from working with you, even after the contract ends. For example, a consultant might use problem-solving techniques they learned while working for you on future project
Read More →This clause gives one party the right to use feedback, suggestions, or ideas you provide during the contract. If you suggest a feature to a software company, this clause might let them use your idea in their product without paying you or crediting yo
Read More →This clause covers who owns improvements, upgrades, or enhancements made to existing intellectual property during the contract. For example, if you license software from a vendor and your team discovers a way to make it faster, this clause decides wh
Read More →This clause decides who owns the software, designs, or other creative work that one party builds specifically for the other. If you pay a developer to build a website just for your business, this clause determines whether you or the developer owns it
Read More →A major upgrade is a significant new version of software with substantial new features or changes (for example, moving from Microsoft Word 2019 to Word 2024). This clause specifies whether you must pay extra for major upgrades, whether you can stay o
Read More →A maintenance release is a small software update that fixes bugs or security problems, rather than adding major new features. This clause defines whether the vendor will provide these updates for free, how often, and for how long. This matters becaus
Read More →Object code is the compiled, machine-readable version of software that actually runs on your computer—it's what you normally receive and use. This clause specifies how the vendor will give you the software (download, USB drive, cloud access), in what
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