Privacy and Terms

Overleaf Terms of Service

Last Modified: 9th October 2024

These terms of service (the “Terms”) govern your access to and use of the website at www.overleaf.com or www.sharelatex.com (the “Site”) and the products and services made available via or in connection with the Site, including related apps and browser extensions (the “Services”) provided by Digital Science UK Limited (“we” or “our” or “Overleaf”), so please carefully read them before using the Services.

By using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you are using the Services on behalf of an organization, you are agreeing to these Terms for that organization and promising that you have the authority to bind that organization to these terms. In that case, “you” and “your” will refer to that organization.

By accessing or otherwise using any part of the Services, including to register an account, you acknowledge your agreement to these Terms, in consideration for the mutual promises and obligations contained herein and to the exclusion (to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law) of all other terms and/or conditions which you may purport to apply, including under any purchase order or similar document, even if they do not explicitly contradict.

You may use the Services only in compliance with these Terms. You may use the Services only if you have the power to form a contract with us and are not barred under any applicable laws from doing so, including if you are too young to enter into a binding contract or because you are based in a sanctioned country or are on a sanctions list. The Services may continue to change over time as we refine and add more features. We may stop, suspend, or modify the Services at any time without prior notice to you (but recognising your work is important to you, please read the note below on access to your files in these circumstances). We may also remove any content from our Services at our discretion.

Your Stuff & Your Privacy

By using our Services, you may create or provide us with information, files, and folders via our products, services and otherwise (together, “your stuff”). We don’t claim any ownership of your stuff. These Terms only grant us rights to use your stuff to fulfill a request you've made and otherwise provide the Services, and as explained below.

These include rights to store and reformat and to analyze for aggregate reporting and analysis purposes, and will involve us making choices in the way we technically administer our Services, for example, how we redundantly backup data to keep it safe. These rights extend to allow us to use our affiliates and trusted third parties to provide the Services, for example Google Cloud Platform, which provides our main storage space.

To be clear, aside from the rare exceptions we identify in our Privacy Notice or as explained in the ‘Managed Accounts’ section, we won’t share your stuff with others for any purpose unless you direct or have authorized us to, including by choosing to connect your Overleaf account to a third party app. YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT IF YOU HAVE A MANAGED ACCOUNT, THE MANAGER ORGANIZATION WILL HAVE CERTAIN ADMIN RIGHTS OVER SUCH AN ACCOUNT AND ACCESS TO / CONTROL OVER YOUR STUFF.

You are solely responsible for your conduct, the content of your stuff, and your communications with others while using the Services. For example, it’s your responsibility to ensure that you have the rights or permission needed to comply with these Terms.

We may choose to review public content for compliance with our community guidelines, but you acknowledge that we have no obligation to review or monitor any information on the Services. We are not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, appropriateness, or legality of your stuff, user posts, or any other information you provide or may be able to access using the Services.

Although we reserve the right to stop, suspend, or modify the Services at any time without prior notice to you, we recognise that your stuff is important to you, and that you may wish to retrieve your stuff from Overleaf in this event. In the case of individual accounts, we will make reasonable effort to contact you in such circumstances, and aim to keep your stuff available for retrieval from Overleaf in read-only form for up to 3 months beyond the time of suspension (or otherwise) of the Services. However, for other types of account such as managed accounts (see ‘Managed Accounts’ section), your stuff may not be directly retrievable by you.

Sharing Your Stuff

The Services provide features that allow you to share your stuff with others (including third party apps that you use to access your Overleaf account or that you connect your account with) or to make it public. There are many things that may happen with your stuff once it’s been shared or made public (for example, people may copy it, modify it, re-share it). Please therefore consider carefully what you choose to share or make public and that you have all necessary rights and permissions to do so. We will not have any responsibility arising from the sharing of your stuff.

Registering with us

When registering to use a Service you must choose a username and password, unless you use a single sign-on (SSO) option where supported. You are responsible for all actions taken under your chosen username and password, even if you have not authorized them, which you will keep private and not allow anyone else to use.

You must ensure that the information you provide is accurate and truthful, and to tell us promptly if it changes.

You should immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your account and update your user credentials if you suspect that they are not secure. You acknowledge that if you wish to protect your transmission of data or files to Overleaf, it is your responsibility to use a secure encrypted connection to communicate with the Services.

Managed Accounts

If your account is a managed account, you are part of a managed Overleaf subscription that is controlled by the owner of that subscription (the “Manager Organization”), who typically pays for it. We have entered into a separate contract to set up the managed subscription, which contains our commitment to provide the Services and look after your stuff (which we will owe to the Manager Organization), so that you and others could join. Importantly, the Manager Organization will have admin rights over your account and control over your stuff. For example, the Manager Organization will be able to close your account (managed users cannot do this themselves) and access, delete and/or share your stuff, including by re-assigning projects; and by joining a managed Overleaf subscription or using a managed account, you give us all permissions as may be required for us to act in accordance with their directions and requests in respect of your Overleaf account and stuff. These permissions, which cannot be revoked, give the Manager Organization ultimate control of your account and stuff, which will be subject to any ownership or other terms that you have agreed with the Owning Subscription. You should review these terms and the Manager Organization’s policies before joining a managed Overleaf subscription or using a managed account, as, for example, they may explain who owns content you create using a managed account, and how the Manager Organization will use it.

You cannot change from a managed to an unmanaged account. Therefore, it is important that you consider whether a managed account is right for you before you register for one or agree to transfer an existing unmanaged account to a managed account.

Overleaf AI

If you use AI powered features or functionality of Overleaf (collectively, “Overleaf AI Tools”), this section shall apply.

“Input” means an input you enter into the Overleaf AI Tool; and “Output” means an output generated and returned to you by the Overleaf AI Tool based on your Input.

Inputs and Outputs will be treated by us as your Stuff under these Terms. We will not use your Inputs to train models without your consent, and as between you and us, you retain ownership of the Inputs and shall own Outputs, to the extent permitted by applicable law. Due to the nature of the Overleaf AI Tools and artificial intelligence generally, Outputs are provided “AS-IS” and may not be unique, meaning other users may receive similar outputs from the Overleaf AI Tools. You are solely responsible for all use of the Outputs, which you should always check, including for accuracy, completeness and suitability.

Writefull for Overleaf shall be deemed an Overleaf AI Tool and as such, form part of the Services and be subject to these Terms (and, for the avoidance of doubt, corresponding Inputs and Outputs will be treated as your Stuff). By being a Writefull for Overleaf user, you may also become eligible to access related products and services provided by our affiliate, ThinqLab Ltd (with whom we may share your details for such purposes in accordance with our privacy policy), use of which will be subject to their own terms of use and not these Terms.

Our Rights

The Service is owned by or licensed to Overleaf and/or its affiliates, and is protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, patents, trade secrets and/or other industrial and proprietary rights and laws, including international conventions and treaties (“Proprietary Rights”). In particular, you acknowledge that the Site and other parts of the Service are protected by copyright as collective works and/or compilations pursuant to U.S. copyright laws. Nothing in these Terms shall operate to transfer any Proprietary Rights in any part of the Service, to grant any rights to use the name “Overleaf” or our other trademarks or to give rise to any implied rights.

You agree not to remove, suppress or modify in any way the proprietary markings, including any trademark or copyright notice, used in relation to part of the Service.

Unless otherwise agreed in a Contract, the Service is provided for your own non-commercial, internal and personal use, at all times subject to these Terms. For paid subscriptions (excluding personal or student plans), you may also use the Service for your own internal business purposes (which, for the avoidance of doubt, would not include the right to re-sell or commercialize access). You shall not otherwise use any part of the Service without our prior and express written agreement.

If you are an organization, unless requested in writing otherwise, we may publicly refer to you as a customer, including on our website(s) and presentational material, provided such reference accurately reflects the nature of our relationship and that any use of your trade marks is in accordance with your reasonable guidelines given as to the form and manner of their use.

Your Responsibilities

You must comply with all laws and regulations applicable to you and the use of the Services.

Files and other content in the Services you receive or share may be protected by intellectual property rights of others. You agree to always respect the proprietary rights of others and must never copy, upload, download, or share files unless you have the rights and permissions to do so. You, not Overleaf, will be fully responsible and liable for what you copy, share, upload, download, receive or otherwise use while using the Services. If you require use of files (including font files) that are accessible within Overleaf’s compiler system, but owned by a third party, you must first ensure you have the permission of the owner.

You are responsible for maintaining and protecting all of your stuff, and should always make sure to keep a local copy. We will not be liable for any loss or corruption of your stuff, or for any costs or expenses associated with backing up or restoring it.

Beta Services

From time to time, we may make available Beta Services. Beta Services may not always perform as expected and may be changed or withdrawn at any time without notice. Any use of Beta Services, which are provided “AS IS” and “AS AVAILABLE”, is solely at your own risk, and may be subject to additional requirements specified by us and include features that are of a confidential nature. You agree not to make public statements relating to any Beta Service without our prior written approval, and specifically acknowledge that any feedback you provide in relation to any Beta Service, and data collected from their use, may be used to help us develop and improve our products, notwithstanding any other provision of these Terms.

All Beta Services shall be considered as being made available subject to these Terms, to the exclusion of all other terms and conditions, including those of any Contract - even where a Beta Service is an additional feature or module to a Service provided as part of a Contract - unless the Beta Service is specifically identified in the Contract as being provided pursuant thereto.

The term “Beta Service” includes any service or feature that is identified, including via the applicable user interface or other communication from us, as “Beta”, “Prototype”, “Limited Release”, “Early Release” or similar, or provided as part of Overleaf Labs.

Your Feedback

While we appreciate it when users provide us or post in our forums feedback, suggestions or other comments, please be aware that we may use, edit and disclose these without any obligation to you. By providing such comments, you irrevocably grant all rights necessary for their use for product improvement purposes and otherwise as we may choose.

You are responsible for ensuring that any comments you make do not contain any material that could be considered offensive, false, defamatory or unlawful or violates any Proprietary Rights or other rights.

Acceptable Use Policy

You will not, and will not attempt to, misuse the Services, and will use the Services only in a manner consistent with the Overleaf Acceptable Use Policy.

Links to or from the Service

The Services may contain links to third-party websites or resources. We do not endorse and are not responsible or liable for such resources in any way, including their availability, accuracy, nor for any related content, products, or services. You accept sole responsibility for your use of any such websites or resources. If you want to link to any part of the Service, you must ask our permission first, and only do so for non-commercial purposes and in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it.

Order Process and Formation of a Contract

If you are paying for a Service, a contract to provide that Service will only arise upon receipt of payment in cleared funds and once we have made the Service available to you.

Whilst we try and ensure that all the information on the Site is accurate, errors may occur. In the unlikely event that such information, including any price and/or description of an item listed on the Site has been incorrectly advertised, we will not be under any obligation to sell or provide those Services to you. If we discover the error before a Contract is formed we will at our discretion, either reject your order and notify you of such rejection, or inform you as soon as possible and give you the option of canceling your order or reconfirming it at the correct price and/or description. If we give you the option of canceling your order or reconfirming it at the correct price and/or description but either cannot contact you or do not receive your response within 14 days of sending you notification (whether or not you receive it), we will reject your order.

Prices, Payments, Tax and Refunds

Prices included on the Site are illustrative only and are subject to change at any time. Amounts are stated exclusive of VAT, sales tax and other Taxes.

If you sign up for a free trial, we may require you to provide a valid credit card or other payment method. We will charge you automatically on the first day after the free trial is over, unless you cancel or downgrade to a charge-free Service before the end of the free-trial period.

If you pay using a credit card or any digital payment method supported by Overleaf, you authorize us to charge your account for the Services using that payment method on a recurring basis, unless otherwise specified. If you choose to pay via PayPal, we use “PayPal Reference Transactions” for this purpose. If your payment details cease to be valid or you notify us to stop using a previously designated payment method and fail to designate an alternative, we may immediately suspend use and access to the Services at the end of your paid subscription.

If you upgrade any Service, we will charge you the additional cost for that upgrade in respect of the remainder of your (then current) payment period and update your new payment period according to your new subscription.

For certain paid-for Services, we may allow for individual licenses to be purchased in bulk. If you make such a purchase, you'll be free to allocate these "premium" licenses as you see fit on a ‘named user basis’ (this will upgrade those end users' free accounts). The licenses will be valid for the 12 month period commencing on the date on which you make the purchase (the “Bulk License Period”). While you won't - unless the licenses are part of a managed subscription (see the ‘Managed Accounts’ section above) - have any privileged access rights in respect of other end user accounts, even though you've paid for them to have premium features, they're linked on our systems - this means you can withdraw the paid-for license rights you've allocated to one account (so you might want to warn the account holder!) and transfer them to another. You may also purchase additional licenses at any time; however these will be chargeable at the then-prevailing price (pro-rated if the purchase is made part way through the Bulk License Period), which may be in excess of the original price paid. All licenses will auto-renew for additional 12 month periods (each a “Renewal Period”) on an annual basis unless canceled by you in your accounts settings or in writing not less than thirty (30) days in advance of the date of renewal (or such shorter period as we may allow).

You will be responsible for payment of any Taxes in addition to our price. If we are required to collect or pay Taxes, the Taxes will be charged to you. This includes adding VAT or local sales taxes (where applicable) at the checkout / to our invoice(s) at the appropriate rate based on information you provide to us. Please note that we have no control over these charges and cannot predict their amount. Please contact your local customs office or taxation authority for further information before placing your order. Any assessment we make, including at the time of purchase, of the amount or applicability of sales or other Taxes will rely on the information you have provided and you agree to reimburse us on demand for any charges, and additional costs or expenses, we might incur if such information is not accurate and complete.

Where we refer to "Taxes", we mean any duties, customs fees, levies or taxes (other than income tax) associated with the purchase or use of the Services, including any related penalties or interest.

If you are an individual and are not happy with our Service, we will offer a full refund if you give us written notice that you wish to cancel within 30 days of payment. Otherwise, you will have no right to a refund.

If you are entitled to a refund, we will notify you about your refund via email within a reasonable period of time. We will usually process a refund as soon as possible and, in any case, within 30 days of the day we confirmed to you via email that you are entitled to a refund. Refunds will usually be made by crediting the payment card or electronic payment account you used to purchase the Services.

Termination

Though we’d much rather you stay, you can stop using our Services any time. If you wish to downgrade or cancel a Service, you must do this at least one full working day before the end of your payment period via your Account Settings, and the change will take effect at the end of that payment period. Your ability to downgrade or cancel a Service is limited for managed accounts - see the ‘Managed Accounts’ section above.

Unless otherwise agreed, we reserve the right to suspend or end the Services at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. For example, we may suspend or terminate your use if you are not complying with these Terms, or use the Services in any way that would cause us legal liability or disrupt others’ use of the Services. If we suspend or terminate your use without cause, we will try to let you (or in the case of a managed Overleaf subscription, the Manager Organization) know in advance and help with the retrieval of your stuff, though there may be some cases (for example, repeatedly or flagrantly violating these Terms, a court order, or danger to other users) where we may suspend immediately.

We reserve the right to suspend the provision of any part of the Services, or terminate our agreement to provide Services to you for non-payment or any deliberate or material breach, which will include any breach of the Overleaf Acceptable Use Policy, fraudulent or illegal activity or misuse of the Service, or if you fail to provide us upon request with sufficient information to enable us to determine the accuracy and validity of any information supplied by you, or your identity.

This clause does not affect your statutory rights as a consumer.

Use post-termination

If your subscription for a paid account expires (including where payment has been made by someone else (e.g. an institution or other organization that you belong to) and that payment ends), unless you had a managed account, we’ll try to make sure your stuff continues to be accessible via a “free” account, subject to compliance with the respective terms and conditions. If you’ve exceeded the limits of the free account, you will need to archive old content before being able to add more content.

If you don’t want to continue to have an account with us at all, unless you have a managed account, you may close your account via your Account Settings. We may retain and use your stuff as necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes and enforce our agreements. Consistent with these requirements, we will try to delete your stuff quickly but there might be latency in deletions from our servers, and backed-up versions might persist. In addition, files that you have in common with other users may be retained.

For managed accounts, the Manager Organization can close your account at any time and access, delete and/or share your stuff, including by re-assigning projects - see “Managed Accounts” section.

Overleaf is provided “AS-IS”

THOUGH WE WANT TO PROVIDE A GREAT SERVICE, WE CAN’T PROMISE THAT ALL PARTS OF THE SERVICE WILL BE FREE FROM ERRORS AND BUGS OR SECURE AT ALL TIMES. AS SUCH, THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”, AT YOUR OWN RISK, WITHOUT ANY EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHER WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, WE DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, FREEDOM FROM ERRORS AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. (We are not shouting — it’s just that these disclaimers are really important, so we want to highlight them.) Neither Overleaf nor its affiliates will have any responsibility for any harm to your computer system, loss or corruption of data, or other harm that results from your access to or use of the Services. Some US states do not allow the types of disclaimers in this paragraph, so they may not apply to you.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL OVERLEAF, ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, SUPPLIERS OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR (A) ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, REGARDLESS OF LEGAL THEORY, WHETHER OR NOT OVERLEAF HAS BEEN WARNED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, AND EVEN IF A REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE; (B) ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, BUSINESS OR SAVINGS, DEPLETION OF GOODWILL AND/OR SIMILAR LOSSES, OR LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA; OR (C) IN RESPECT OF ANY CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICES, AN AMOUNT IN AGGREGATE THAT IS MORE THAN THE GREATER OF £0.01 OR THE AMOUNTS PAID BY YOU TO OVERLEAF FOR THE PAST THREE MONTHS OF THE SERVICES IN QUESTION. SOME US STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE TYPES OF LIMITATIONS IN THIS PARAGRAPH, SO THEY MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

US Electronic Communications Privacy Act Notice (18 U.S.C. §§ 2701-2711): COMPANY MAKES NO GUARANTY OF CONFIDENTIALITY OR PRIVACY OF ANY COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TRANSMITTED ON THE SITE OR ANY WEBSITE LINKED TO THE SITE. Company will not be liable for the privacy of email addresses, registration and identification information, disk space, communications, confidential or trade-secret information, or any other Content stored on Company’s equipment, transmitted over networks accessed by the Site, or otherwise connected with your use of the Service.

Notwithstanding any other provision in these Terms, nothing will affect or limit your statutory rights; or will exclude or limit our liability to the extent not permitted by applicable laws or regulations.

You agree to fully indemnify, defend and hold Overleaf, and its affiliates, officers, employees, agents, suppliers and licensors, harmless on demand, from and against all claims, including losses (including loss of profit, revenue, goodwill or reputation), costs and expenses, including reasonable administrative and legal costs, arising out of any breach of these Terms by you.

Separate Contract and Additional Terms

If you are accessing and/or otherwise using the Service pursuant to a separate agreement between the organization that you belong to or are acting for (“Contract”), your use will also be subject to the Contract, provided to the extent there is any conflict, the terms of the Contract shall prevail. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in these Terms shall impose additional obligations on that organization.

Usage restrictions and other additional terms and conditions (“Additional Terms”) may apply to certain parts of the Service and shall form part of these Terms. If we provide you with any software under an open source license, these may include the terms of those licenses. You shall comply with all Additional Terms referenced on any part of the Service you use, posted to the Site or otherwise that you are given notice of, and to the extent there is any conflict between the Additional Terms and other parts of these Terms, the Additional Terms shall prevail in respect of the relevant part of the Service.

Change to these Terms

We may revise these Terms from time to time and the most current version will always be posted on our website. If a revision, in our sole discretion, is material we will notify you (for example via email to the email address associated with your account). Other changes may be posted to our news or terms page, so please check those pages regularly. By continuing to access or use the Services after revisions become effective, you agree to be bound by the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the new terms, please stop using the Services.

US Government Users

The Service is deemed to be “commercial computer software” / “commercial computer software documentation” and other commercial items including “technical data of a “commercial item”. If any U.S. Government user requires rights beyond those expressly granted in these Terms, or has other requirements not met by these Terms / the Service, it should immediately discontinue use of the Service.

Miscellaneous Legal Terms

These Terms, and any dispute, claim or proceedings of whatever nature arising out of, or in any way relating to, these Terms will be governed by and construed in accordance with English law, without regard to its conflict of law principles, except if you are resident (as determined by the most recent information about yourself provided to Overleaf prior to the cause of action) in the United States, in which case the laws of the State of New York, shall apply. Both parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the English courts, except if you are a resident in the United States in which case action may be brought in any federal or state court located in the County of New York, State of New York. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Overleaf shall have the right to bring an action in any court of proper jurisdiction for injunctive or other equitable relief.

These Terms constitute the entire and exclusive agreement between you and Overleaf with respect to the Services, and supersede and replace any other agreements, terms and conditions applicable to the Services. These Terms create no third party beneficiary rights. Overleaf's failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver of its right to do so later. If a provision is found unenforceable the remaining provisions of the Agreement will remain in full effect and an enforceable term will be substituted reflecting our intent as closely as possible. Any reference to “includes” and “including” shall mean including without limitation and general words shall not be given a restrictive meaning by reason of the fact that they are followed by particular examples intended to be embraced by the general words. You may not assign any of your rights in these Terms, and any such attempt is void, but Overleaf may assign its rights to any of its affiliates or subsidiaries, or to any successor in interest of any business associated with the Services. Overleaf and you are not legal partners or agents; instead, our relationship is that of independent contractors.

Force Majeure

We shall have no liability for delays or failures in delivery or performance of our obligations to you resulting from any act, events, omissions, failures or accidents that are outside of our control including: late, defective performance or non-performance by suppliers and private or public telecommunication, computer network failures or breakdown of equipment. If a delay is caused, we will be entitled to a reasonable extension of time for performing its obligations. If the period of delay or non-performance continues for 15 days, either party may terminate by written notice.

Notices

Any notice required to be given under these Terms must be in writing and may be delivered by hand or sent by registered mail or email to the other party at the contact address provided (subject in the case of any notice to be sent to Overleaf in respect of any legal proceedings, to a copy also being sent by hand or registered mail and marked for the attention of the Legal Department to its registered address) and shall be deemed to have been duly given or made, if delivered by hand, upon delivery, if sent by registered mail, on the recorded date of receipt, or if sent by e-mail when actually received by the intended recipient in readable form.

Digital Science UK Limited Company Details

Digital Science UK Limited (doing business as Overleaf) is a limited company registered in England and Wales under company number: 8343637 having its registered office at 4 Crinan Street, London, United Kingdom, N1 9XW.

Digital Science UK Limited was formerly known as Writelatex Limited.