Legal disclaimer

[myvalk]

Anyone else get a looooong contract to accept when opening Jw library? I can’t access it without agreeing to the terms. If what I read is correct, just quoting an article on here is not allowed. 🚫 

[Brother_Bliss]

Moved to the "Computers, Tablets, Mobile Devices, and Apps" forum because your topic has nothing to do with the results of your "Bible Research [or] Scriptural Discussion"

 

Yes, I recently had to Accept the terms all over again. No, this does not mean you cannot quote small portions of various articles. This is protected by free-use laws. What you cannot do is copy and paste whole articles or media in their entirety, nor redistribute the app itself. These are protected by copyright laws. The terms are simply reinforcing the rights they already have according to the law.

[bvr]

Here are the changes and you'll see below why that legal terms showed up.

1. Update date changed

Old: The Terms were updated March 23, 2023.

New: The Terms were updated August 1, 2025.

2. A new “Designated Countries” category was added

Old: There was no special category for users in the European Union, European Economic Area, or Switzerland.

New: A new sentence was added saying that, where specifically stated later, special rules apply to individuals who habitually reside in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland. These are now called “Designated Countries.”

What changed: The newer Terms now create a separate legal category for certain European and Swiss users. This affects later sections about liability and governing law.

3. The way users accept future changes was changed

Old: If the Terms were modified, revised, or terminated, the user’s continued use or access counted as acceptance of the changes.

New: The user must be given notice of any material change when they next start the Application. If the user does not accept the revised or modified Terms, they will not be allowed to continue using the Application.

What changed: The old version relied on continued use as acceptance. The new version requires notice of material changes and makes continued use depend on accepting the revised Terms.

4. The reverse-engineering exception was narrowed

Old: Reverse engineering, decompiling, modifying, adapting, translating, or disassembling the Application was prohibited, except where the restriction was prohibited by applicable law or allowed by open-source license terms.

New: The exception was shortened. It now mainly says the restriction does not apply to the extent permitted by the licensing terms governing open-source components included in the Application.

What changed: The older version had broader exception wording. The newer version removes the broader “prohibited by applicable law” wording from that clause and keeps the open-source licensing exception.

5. The intellectual-property violation example was changed

Old: The Terms prohibited using the Application or its content to violate or encourage violation of others’ legal rights, including infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights “in violation of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.”

New: The same basic restriction remains, but the specific reference to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act was removed. It now simply refers to infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property rights of others.

What changed: The new wording is less tied to one specific U.S. law. It is broader and more general.

6. The warranty disclaimer opening was changed

Old: The warranty disclaimer said the Application is provided “as is,” “as available,” and with all faults, and then added “to the maximum extent permitted by law” before disclaiming warranties.

New: The phrase “to the maximum extent permitted by law” was removed from the opening of the warranty disclaimer. The disclaimer itself remains very broad.

What changed: The wording was adjusted, but the Terms still strongly disclaim warranties, representations, and conditions.

7. The limitation-of-liability opening was changed

Old: The limitation-of-liability section began with “to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.”

New: That phrase was removed from the opening of the limitation-of-liability section.

What changed: The newer version simplifies the opening wording, likely because it now adds specific exceptions for Designated Countries later in the same section.

8. The liability cap was increased

Old: The total liability of the Watchtower parties, and the user’s exclusive remedy, was limited to $10.

New: The total liability cap is now $1,000 USD.

What changed: This is a major change. The maximum stated liability increased from $10 to $1,000 USD.

9. A new liability exception was added for Designated Countries

Old: There was no special exception for EU, EEA, or Switzerland users in the liability section.

New: If the user lives in the Designated Countries, the limitation of liability does not apply to damages directly caused by Watchtower’s gross negligence or willful misconduct, or to damages involving life, body, or health.

What changed: The newer Terms add stronger protection for users in the EU, EEA, and Switzerland in serious liability situations.

10. Some detailed legal-theory wording was removed from the liability section

Old: The liability section said the limitation applied whether the claim was based on contract, warranty, tort, negligence, product liability, strict liability, fault, breach of warranty, breach of contract, or other legal theories, even if Watchtower had been advised of the possibility of damages.

New: That long explanatory sentence is no longer included in the same form. The newer section still excludes special, incidental, indirect, consequential, and punitive damages, but the detailed list of legal theories was removed.

What changed: The newer liability section is shorter and less detailed in that part, while adding the new Designated Countries exception.

11. The indemnity wording was simplified

Old: The user had to indemnify, defend, and hold Watchtower harmless from “threatened or actual claims, actions, suits, and demands.”

New: The wording now says “claims, actions, suits, and demands.” The words “threatened or actual” were removed.

What changed: The basic indemnity obligation remains, but the wording is shorter.

12. The governing-law section was changed for Designated Countries

Old: The Terms were governed by New York law, excluding New York’s choice-of-law principles. There was no special option for users in the EU, EEA, or Switzerland.

New: The Terms still generally use New York law, but users in the Designated Countries may also choose the governing law and courts of their country of residence for disputes related to the Terms.

What changed: The newer version gives EU, EEA, and Switzerland users an additional legal option tied to their own country of residence.

13. The invalid-provision clause was changed

Old: If part of the Agreement was void, invalid, unenforceable, or illegal, the court could modify that provision so it would most closely resemble Watchtower’s intent. The rest of the Agreement would continue.

New: The court-modification wording was removed. The newer version simply says that if any provision is void, invalid, unenforceable, or illegal, all other provisions continue in full force and effect.

What changed: The newer version no longer says a court should rewrite an invalid provision to match Watchtower’s intent. It only says the rest of the Terms remain effective.