# End User Licence Agreement: [Software name]

> Structural format for an end user licence agreement (EULA) for
> software that users install and run on their own devices: desktop
> applications, mobile apps distributed outside or alongside app
> stores, command-line tools and on-premises software. It covers
> acceptance, the licence grant, restrictions, ownership, open-source
> components, updates, data collected by the software, support,
> warranty, liability, consumer rights, termination, export and
> governing law. Based on common software licensing practice. Replace
> every `[bracketed]` value and every row marked *Example*.
> **This is a documentation format, not legal advice.** It makes no claim that any
> clause is valid or enforceable. Consumer and copyright law limit what
> a licence can exclude, and they differ by country. Have a qualified
> lawyer review it before you ship it. For hosted (SaaS) products, use
> legal-lite/terms-of-service instead.

<!--
Guidance: How to use this template
- Decide the licence model first (section 2 table): perpetual,
  subscription, free or trial. It shapes the grant, termination and
  refund clauses.
- If you distribute through an app store, check the store's rules: some
  stores provide a default licence and require your own EULA to include
  certain terms or not to conflict with theirs.
- List every open-source component and its licence in a separate
  notices file. Your EULA cannot restrict rights that an open-source
  licence grants for that component.
- Show the EULA before installation or first use and record acceptance
  (version and date) where you can.
- Remove guidance comments and document control before shipping.
-->

## Document control

<!-- Guidance: Internal record. Ship the EULA with the build and keep each version, because users are bound by the version they accepted. -->

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Document ID | [LEGAL-EULA-001] |
| Software | [Name, editions, platforms] |
| Licensor | [Legal entity, address] |
| Version | [0.1] |
| Status | [Draft / Legal review / Approved / Shipped] |
| Owner | [@owner, Legal or Product] |
| Approvers / reviewers | [Legal counsel], [Engineering lead], [Privacy lead] |
| Applies from software version | [x.y] |
| Last updated | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Classification | Public once shipped |

### Approvals

| Role | Name | Decision | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal counsel | [@name] | [Approved / Changes requested] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Engineering lead | [@name] | [Confirmed telemetry and update behaviour match sections 6 and 7] | YYYY-MM-DD |
| Privacy lead | [@name] | [Approved data section] | YYYY-MM-DD |

### Revision history

| Version | Date | Author | Change summary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | First draft |
| 1.0 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | *Example:* Shipped with version 3.0 of the desktop app |
| 1.1 | YYYY-MM-DD | [@name] | *Example:* Crash reporting made opt-in (section 7) |

## 1. Acceptance

<!-- Guidance: Say how the user accepts and what happens if they do not. If an organisation licenses the software for its staff, say who the licensee is. -->

This End User Licence Agreement (**EULA**) is between you and
[Licensor legal name] (**we**, **us**). By [installing, copying or
using] [Software name] (the **Software**), you agree to this EULA. If
you do not agree, do not install or use the Software [and you may
return it for a refund under section 10].

If you accept on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you have
authority to bind it, and "you" means that organisation.

## 2. Licence grant

<!-- Guidance: Grant only what you mean to grant. State the scope (devices, users, purpose), the duration and whether it can be transferred. Choose the row that fits and delete the others. -->

2.1 Subject to this EULA [and payment of the applicable fee], we grant
you a [non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable] licence to
install and use the Software [in object code form] as follows:

| Licence type | Scope | Duration | Transfer |
|---|---|---|---|
| [Perpetual, per user] | [One named user on up to (N) devices] | Perpetual for the version bought [plus updates for (N) months] | [Not transferable / Transferable once with notice to us] |
| [Subscription] | [As stated in your order] | For the paid subscription period | Not transferable |
| [Free] | [Personal, non-commercial use] | Until terminated | Not transferable |
| [Trial] | [Evaluation only] | [(N) days] | Not transferable |
| *Example:* Tarnwick Forms Desktop, Pro (fictional) | One named user on up to 3 devices | Perpetual for version 3, updates for 12 months | Not transferable |

2.2 We reserve all rights not expressly granted.

## 3. Restrictions

<!-- Guidance: Restrictions must not take away rights the law gives users (for example, in some jurisdictions, the right to make a backup copy or to decompile for interoperability under strict conditions). Add "except where the law allows" to keep the clause valid. -->

Except where the law expressly allows it despite this restriction, you
must not:

- copy the Software, except [for one backup copy and] as needed to
  install and use it under section 2;
- modify, translate, or create derivative works of the Software;
- reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the Software;
- rent, lease, lend, sell or sublicense the Software;
- remove or change any copyright notice, licence key check or other
  protection;
- use the Software to build a competing product [or for benchmarking
  published without our consent];
- use the Software in breach of law, including export control and
  sanctions laws (section 13).

## 4. Ownership and open-source components

<!-- Guidance: The software is licensed, not sold. Name where the open-source notices are, and say that open-source licences prevail for those components. -->

4.1 The Software is licensed, not sold. We and our licensors own the
Software and all intellectual property rights in it.

4.2 The Software includes open-source components listed in
[Help > About > Third-party notices / the NOTICE file]. Each is licensed
under its own licence, which prevails over this EULA for that
component. See compliance/software-licence-review for how to check the
list.

4.3 **Your content.** Files you create with the Software belong to you.
We claim no rights in them.

## 5. Activation and licence keys

<!-- Guidance: If the software checks a licence online, say so, what it sends and what happens offline. Users dislike surprises here more than anywhere else. -->

[The Software requires activation with a licence key. Activation sends
the key, a device identifier and the Software version to our licence
server. The Software checks the licence [every (N) days] and continues
to work offline for [(N) days] between checks.] *or* [The Software does
not require online activation.]

## 6. Updates

<!-- Guidance: Say whether updates are automatic, whether they can change features, and whether they are covered by the licence or need payment. In the EU, Directive (EU) 2019/770 on digital content requires traders to supply updates needed to keep consumer digital content in conformity for a period; check the national law that applies. -->

6.1 We may provide updates, patches and new versions (**Updates**).
Updates are covered by this EULA unless they come with a different
licence.

6.2 [The Software checks for and installs security Updates
automatically. You can turn off automatic feature Updates in
(Settings > Updates).]

6.3 [Major new versions after (date or period) require a new
licence or upgrade fee.]

## 7. Data the Software collects

<!-- Guidance: List exactly what the software sends, when and why, and how to turn optional parts off. This must match what engineering actually built. Link the privacy policy for detail. Common pitfall: telemetry enabled by default where the law requires consent. -->

| ID | Data | When sent | Purpose | Optional? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| EULA-DATA-001 | [Licence key, device ID, version] | [At activation and licence checks] | [Licence verification] | [No] |
| EULA-DATA-002 | [Crash reports] | [After a crash, if you agree] | [Fix defects] | [Yes, opt-in] |
| EULA-DATA-003 | [Usage statistics] | [Weekly] | [Improve features] | [Yes, (opt-in / opt-out) in Settings] |
| EULA-DATA-004 *(Example)* | Update check: version and operating system | Daily | Offer security updates | No, but no personal data is sent |

Our [Privacy Policy](link) explains how we handle personal data.

## 8. Support

<!-- Guidance: State what support is included, for how long and through which channels, or say that none is included. -->

[Support is included for (N) months from purchase by (email or
portal), in (language), with a response target of (N) business days.]
*or* [No support is included with free licences.]

## 9. Warranty

<!-- Guidance: Many jurisdictions give consumers legal guarantees that a licence cannot exclude. Separate business and consumer wording, and keep disclaimers clearly within what the law allows. -->

9.1 **Limited warranty.** [For (90) days from purchase, the Software
will perform substantially as described in its documentation. Your
remedy is that we will, at our option, fix the defect or refund the
licence fee.]

9.2 **Disclaimer.** Except as stated in 9.1 and to the extent the law
allows, the Software is provided "as is" without other warranties.

9.3 **Consumers.** If you are a consumer, you have legal rights in
relation to software that is faulty or not as described, and nothing
in this EULA affects them.

## 10. Refunds and consumer rights

<!-- Guidance: Link the refund policy. For EU and UK consumers, explain whether the withdrawal right applies to downloads and how it is lost once download starts with consent. -->

Refunds and withdrawal rights are described in our
[Refund and Cancellation Policy](link) (legal-lite/refund-cancellation-policy).

## 11. Limitation of liability

<!-- Guidance: Set a cap that is reasonable for the price of the software and keep the carve-outs that the law requires. Consumer contracts often cannot limit liability as far as business contracts. -->

11.1 Nothing in this EULA limits liability for death or personal
injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or any other liability that
cannot be limited by law.

11.2 Subject to 11.1, we are not liable for indirect or consequential
loss, or for loss of data that you could have avoided by keeping
backups, [or for loss of profits].

11.3 Subject to 11.1, our total liability under this EULA is limited
to [the amount you paid for the Software in the 12 months before the
claim / (fixed amount)].

## 12. Termination

<!-- Guidance: Say when the licence ends and what the user must do. Do not end rights to files the user created. -->

12.1 This EULA ends automatically if you breach it [and do not fix the
breach within (14) days of notice]. A subscription or trial licence ends
when its period ends.

12.2 On termination you must stop using and uninstall the Software.
Sections 4, 9.2, 11 and 14 survive.

## 13. Export and sanctions

<!-- Guidance: Keep this short and specific to where you ship. Some software (for example with strong encryption) has export classification duties; check with counsel. -->

You must not export, re-export or use the Software in breach of export
control or sanctions laws that apply to you or to us, including
[the laws of (countries)].

## 14. Governing law and general terms

<!-- Guidance: Consumers often keep the protection of the law of the country where they live, whatever law you choose. Say so. -->

14.1 This EULA is governed by the law of [country or state]. If you are
a consumer, you also keep the protection of mandatory laws of the
country where you live.

14.2 Courts of [place] have [exclusive / non-exclusive] jurisdiction,
except that consumers may bring claims in their home courts where the
law allows.

14.3 If any provision is invalid, the rest stays in effect. This EULA,
with the documents it refers to, is the entire agreement about the
Software. We may assign it to a successor of our business.

14.4 **Contact:** [Licensor name, address, email].

## References

<!-- Guidance: Internal list of related documents and legal texts named as dated examples. -->

| Source | Use |
|---|---|
| Directive (EU) 2019/770 on contracts for the supply of digital content and digital services, applying from 1 January 2022 (Art. 24), https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2019/770/oj/eng | EU consumer conformity and updates, Art. 8(2) (check national transposition) |
| Directive 2009/24/EC on the legal protection of computer programs, Arts. 5 and 6, https://eur-lex.europa.eu/eli/dir/2009/24/oj/eng | EU example of user rights a licence cannot remove (backup copy, decompilation for interoperability), section 3 |
| Terms of Service (legal-lite/terms-of-service) | For hosted services instead of installed software |
| Refund and Cancellation Policy (legal-lite/refund-cancellation-policy) | Section 10 |
| Privacy Policy (legal-lite/privacy-policy) | Section 7 |
| Software licence review (compliance/software-licence-review) | Open-source notices, section 4 |

## Standard and licence note

Based on common software licensing practice for installed software.
There is no official standard for this document; the structure and all
wording are original to this collection, and examples are fictional.
This is a documentation format, not legal advice: it does not create a
lawyer-client relationship and makes no claim that any clause is valid
or enforceable. Check the current consumer, copyright and export law
that applies before use. Legal texts named here were checked on
2026-10-30.
Template licence: MIT.