AI training
- Severity 4
"To the extent necessary to provide the Services to you and others, to protect you and the Services, and to improve Microsoft products and services, you grant to Microsoft a worldwide and royalty-free intellectual property license to use Your Content, for example, to make copies of, retain, transmit, reformat, display, and distribute via communication tools Your Content on the Services."
Microsoft Teams uses your content to provide, protect, and improve its services by making copies, retaining, reformatting, displaying, and distributing it.
Your content may be used by Microsoft for purposes beyond simply providing the service you are using.
- Severity 4
"You may not use the AI services, or data from the AI services, to create, train, or improve (directly or indirectly) any AI technology."
You cannot use AI services or their data to train or improve any AI technology.
This prevents you from leveraging Microsoft's AI tools to build competing AI products.
Auto-renewal
No flags in this category.
Price hikes
No flags in this category.
Data residency
No flags in this category.
Termination friction
- Severity 3
"If your Microsoft account is closed (whether by you or us), a few things happen. First, your right to use the Microsoft account to access the Services stops immediately. Second, we’ll delete Data or Your Content associated with your Microsoft account or will otherwise disassociate it from you and your Microsoft account (unless we are required by law to keep it, return it, or transfer it to you or a third party identified by you). You should have a regular backup plan as Microsoft won’t be able to retrieve Your Content or Data once your account is closed."
If your Microsoft account is closed, your access to services stops immediately, and Microsoft deletes or disassociates your content and data unless legally required to keep it.
You will lose access to your content and data stored in the account if it is closed, so regular backups are essential.
- Severity 3
"If your Services are canceled (whether by you or us), first your right to access the Services stops immediately and your license to the software related to the Services ends. Second, we’ll delete Data or Your Content associated with your Service or will otherwise disassociate it from you and your Microsoft account (unless we are required by law to keep it, return it, or transfer it to you or a third party identified by you). As a result you may no longer be able to access any of the Services (or Your Content that you’ve stored on those Services). You should have a regular backup plan. Third, you may lose access to products you’ve acquired."
If your services are canceled, your access and software license end immediately, and Microsoft deletes or disassociates your content and data unless legally required to keep it.
You will lose access to your content and data stored in the service if it is canceled, making regular backups crucial.
- Severity 3
"If you initiate a chargeback or reversal with your bank for your payment of Services, we will deem you to have canceled as of the date that the original payment was made, and you authorize us to immediately cancel your service and/or revoke any content that was provided to you in exchange for such payment."
If you initiate a chargeback, Microsoft will cancel your service and revoke any content provided for that payment.
You risk losing access to services and content you paid for if you dispute a charge with your bank.
Liability caps
- Severity 4
"If you have any basis for recovering damages (including breach of these Terms), you agree that your exclusive remedy is to recover, from Microsoft or any affiliates, resellers, distributors, Third-Party Apps and Services providers, and vendors, direct damages up to an amount equal to your Services fee for the month during which the loss or breach occurred (or up to $10.00 if the Services are free)."
Your exclusive remedy for damages from Microsoft is limited to the amount of your services fee for the month the breach occurred, or $10.00 for free services.
Your ability to recover financial losses from Microsoft for issues like breaches is capped at a low amount.
- Severity 4
"You can't recover any other damages or losses, including direct, consequential, lost profits, special, indirect, incidental, or punitive. These limitations and exclusions apply even if this remedy doesn’t fully compensate you for any losses or fails of its essential purpose or if we knew or should have known about the possibility of the damages."
You cannot recover damages beyond direct damages, including lost profits or consequential losses, even if the remedy fails or Microsoft knew about the possibility of damages.
You are barred from seeking compensation for indirect or significant financial losses you suffer due to Microsoft's actions.
Indemnification
- Severity 4
"You are solely responsible for responding to any third-party claims regarding Your use of the AI services in compliance with applicable laws (including, but not limited to, copyright infringement or other claims relating to content output during Your use of the AI services)."
You are solely responsible for addressing any third-party claims related to your use of AI services, including those concerning content output.
You must handle all legal claims arising from your use of AI services, even if the claims relate to content generated by the AI.
- Severity 3
"You represent and warrant that for the duration of these Terms, you have (and will have) all the rights necessary for Your Content that is uploaded, stored, or shared on or through the Services and that the collection, use, and retention of Your Content will not violate any law or rights of others."
You guarantee that you have all necessary rights for your content and that its use by Microsoft will not violate any laws or others' rights.
You are responsible if your content infringes on third-party rights or violates laws, potentially leading to legal action against you.
- Severity 3
"You represent and warrant to us that you and each person you have instructed us to message consents to receive such messages and any other related administrative text messages from Microsoft and Microsoft-controlled affiliates."
You confirm that you and anyone you instruct Microsoft to message consent to receive messages, including administrative texts, from Microsoft and its affiliates.
You agree that you and those you authorize can receive various messages from Microsoft, including administrative ones.
- Severity 3
"You represent and warrant that your registered bank account is held in your name or you are authorized to register and use this bank account as a payment method."
You confirm that the bank account you registered for payments is either in your name or you have authorization to use it.
You are responsible for ensuring you have the legal right to use the bank account provided for payments.
Silent term changes
- Severity 4
"Microsoft reserves the right to change, modify, discontinue, or cancel the Rewards Program or any part thereof at any time, in its sole discretion, and without prior notice."
Microsoft can change, cancel, or discontinue the Rewards Program or any part of it at any time without prior notice.
You may lose out on rewards or benefits from the program if Microsoft makes changes or cancels it without warning.
- Severity 3
"We may change these Terms at any time, and we’ll tell you when we do. Using the Services after the changes become effective means you agree to the new terms."
Microsoft can change the terms at any time and will notify you; continued use signifies your agreement to the new terms.
You must stay informed about changes, as continued use implies acceptance of new terms you may not have read.
- Severity 3
"Microsoft may at any time regulate, control, modify and/or eliminate the game currency and/or virtual goods associated with any one or more Xbox games or apps as it sees fit in its sole discretion."
Microsoft can modify or remove virtual goods and game currency for Xbox games or apps at its discretion.
Your virtual items or currency in Xbox games could be changed or removed by Microsoft without your consent.
- Severity 3
"Microsoft may change its calling rates at any time by posting such change at www.skype.com/go/allrates. The new rate will apply to your next call after publication of the new rates."
Microsoft can change its calling rates at any time by posting the new rates on its website, and the new rate applies to your next call.
Your calling costs can increase unexpectedly after your next call if Microsoft updates its rates.
- Severity 3
"Microsoft may update or discontinue offering specific Redemption Options at any time for any reason."
Microsoft can update or stop offering specific redemption options at any time for any reason.
You might lose the ability to redeem specific offers or rewards that you were expecting to use.
Better alternatives
Higher-rated vendors in communication that may be safer than Microsoft Teams.
Ask the lawyer
Microsoft Teams · grade C
Hey 👋
I've read every word of Microsoft Teams's ToS so you don't have to. Ask me anything — I'll quote the actual contract.
Try asking