Terms and conditions for selling ebooks and templates

An ebook or template is bought once and used indefinitely, edited, and sometimes resold by a buyer who assumes that buying the file bought the rights in it. The terms have to grant a licence that allows use and editing for the buyer's own purposes and nothing more, capture consent to immediate supply, say what a template does and does not do for the buyer's situation, and deal with updates and refunds. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Authors, consultants and businesses in England and Wales selling ebooks, guides, workbooks, spreadsheets, document templates and toolkits as downloads to consumers and business buyers through their own website.

What matters in ebook and template terms

The licence: use and edit, do not resell

The terms should grant the buyer a non-transferable licence to read, use and, for templates, edit and adapt the file for their own personal or internal business use, and prohibit resale, redistribution, sharing, publishing, offering the file or its adaptations as a product or service to others, and removing the seller's notices. Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 the seller owns the content and the licence is what the buyer receives. A team or multi-user licence should be priced separately.

What a template is and is not

A template is a starting point prepared for general use, and the terms should say that it is not advice on the buyer's situation, that the buyer is responsible for adapting it to their own circumstances and for checking it suits their needs, and that where the subject calls for professional advice the buyer should take it. The seller performs its obligations by supplying the file as described, not by guaranteeing the buyer's outcome.

Consent to immediate supply and cancellation

Digital content bought online carries a fourteen-day cancellation right under the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013 unless, under regulation 37, the consumer expressly consents to immediate supply and acknowledges losing the right, which the checkout must capture before the file is released; the terms should say so and say that business buyers have no cancellation right. Digital content must be of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose and as described under sections 34 to 36 of the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and a corrupt or wrong file is replaced or refunded.

Updates, versions and support

The terms should say whether updates are included and for how long, that the seller may issue new versions without obligation to supply them free, that support is limited to access and file problems rather than help with the buyer's use, and that download links are available for a stated period after which the buyer keeps their own copy.

Prices, formats and data

Formats and requirements should be stated per product, with compatibility the buyer's to check. Prices include all mandatory charges under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, card payments carry no surcharge under the Consumer Rights (Payment Surcharges) Regulations 2012, business buyers are invoiced with interest on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998 where credit is given, and the privacy notice governs buyer data and marketing consent.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

A buyer edited our template and is selling it on their own site. What can we do?

If the licence prohibits resale and offering the file or adaptations as a product to others, they are in breach of the licence and infringing your rights. Require them to stop, and consider what licence you would sell them instead.

A buyer says the template did not work for their situation. Do they get a refund?

If the terms say a template is a general starting point the buyer adapts and checks, and the file was as described, no refund is due once supplied with consent. Faulty or misdescribed files are different.

Can a company buy one copy for its whole team?

Only if the licence allows it. A single-user licence is for one user; the terms should offer a team licence at a price, and say that use beyond the licence requires an upgrade.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for selling digital downloads
• Terms and conditions for an online course

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.