Distill lengthy Terms of Service into a scannable, plain-language summary highlighting key rights, obligations, and red flags.
📝 The Prompt
Summarize the Terms of Service for [COMPANY/PRODUCT NAME] into a clear, user-friendly document that helps [TARGET AUDIENCE, e.g., customers, app users, subscribers] understand their rights and obligations without reading dense legal text.
Source material: [PASTE FULL TOS TEXT OR WRITE 'Generate a typical TOS summary for a [TYPE OF BUSINESS]']
Structure the summary with these sections, using a consistent format of a plain-language heading followed by a 2-4 sentence explanation:
1. **What You're Agreeing To:** A one-paragraph overview of the relationship between the user and [COMPANY NAME].
2. **Your Account Responsibilities:** What users must do (accurate info, password security, age requirements of [MINIMUM AGE]).
3. **Acceptable Use — The Do's and Don'ts:** Create two clear columns or bullet lists:
- ✅ You CAN: [list permitted activities]
- ❌ You CANNOT: [list prohibited activities like spamming, scraping, illegal use]
4. **Payment & Billing (if applicable):** Subscription terms, auto-renewal details, how to cancel, and refund conditions for [PRICING MODEL].
5. **Content Ownership:** Who owns what — clarify user-generated content rights, licensing, and [COMPANY NAME]'s intellectual property.
6. **Termination:** When and how either party can end the agreement, what happens to user data upon termination.
7. **Liability Limits — What We're NOT Responsible For:** Translate liability and warranty disclaimers into honest, plain language.
8. **Dispute Resolution:** How conflicts are handled — mediation, arbitration, or courts in [JURISDICTION].
9. **Key Changes Alert:** Highlight the 3-5 most unusual or noteworthy clauses that users often overlook.
Use a [TONE, e.g., friendly but straightforward] tone. Add a ⚠️ icon before any clause that significantly impacts user rights. End with: 'This summary is provided for convenience only. The full, legally binding Terms of Service can be found at [LINK].'
💡 Tips for Better Results
Flag any unusual clauses (like forced arbitration or broad content licensing) prominently — these are what users care about most. Use consistent formatting with icons and headers so users can jump to relevant sections quickly. Compare the summary against the original TOS line by line to ensure nothing material is omitted or misrepresented.
🎯 Use Cases
Product managers, legal teams, and UX writers use this when onboarding users to a platform and want to increase trust and reduce 'I didn't know that was in the TOS' complaints.