Right to Reject Changes

What is a right to reject changes?

A right to reject changes is a contract term that lets you say no when a vendor changes its terms, instead of being bound by them. In practice it often means a right to end the contract early, often with a refund, rather than a right to keep the old terms.

Many standard vendor terms give you a simpler choice: accept the new terms or stop using the service. The X Purchaser Terms of Service say that if you do not agree to a revision, you should stop using the paid services. That is a way out, and the same terms describe payments as final, except where the law requires otherwise.

A real right to reject is better. The Atlassian Customer Agreement lets paid customers who object to certain mid-term changes end the rest of their subscription for the affected products. They must give notice within 30 days of the change notice, and Atlassian refunds prepaid fees for the unused time.

Why it matters to you

Without this right, a change can lock you in. You may have prepaid for a year, and the vendor's unilateral amendment clause lets it change the deal halfway through. Leaving means losing what you paid. Staying means accepting terms you did not want.

The deadline matters as much as the right. A 30-day window that starts with an email to a former employee can pass before anyone sees it.

What to check

• Whether you can end the contract if you object to a change, and for which kinds of change.
• Whether you get a refund of prepaid fees for the unused period.
• How long you have to object, and when that clock starts.
• How you must send the objection. See notices clause.
• Whether free plans get the same right. Under Atlassian's agreement, free subscriptions do not.

Changes effective at renewal

Changes effective at renewal is a contract protection that says new terms only apply to you from your next renewal or order, not in the middle of your current term. Until then, the version you signed up under keeps applying.

The Atlassian Customer Agreement works this way for paid subscriptions. Most changes take effect at the next order or renewal. The exceptions are changes needed to comply with law or to reflect product updates, which can apply sooner and come with the right to end early described above. Atlassian has used this approach for years: its 2014 version also applied mid-term changes at the next renewal.

This gives you time. You can review the new terms before your auto-renewal date and decide whether to renew. Make sure your notice deadline for non-renewal is in your calendar, since missing it can renew you on the new terms.

In a negotiated contract, this is one of the most useful things to ask for.

How Venpo helps

A right to reject only helps if you hear about the change in time. Venpo watches your vendors' public legal pages and emails you a plain-English alert when they change, with what changed and why it matters, so you can object or plan your renewal.