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Service-Specific Terms

Service-specific terms are extra contract rules for particular products or features of a vendor, kept on a separate page from the main agreement. They often cover usage limits, AI, beta features and service levels, and they can override the main terms.

What are service-specific terms?

Service-specific terms are extra contract rules that apply only to certain products or features of a vendor. They sit on a separate page from the main agreement, but they are part of your contract when you use those products.

Vendors give them different names: product-specific terms, service terms, additional product terms or product terms. Atlassian's Product-Specific Terms say they "supplement" its customer agreement and cover things like service levels and storage rules. Atlassian's AI features and usage-based offerings each have their own separate terms on top of that.

GitHub's terms say some features "may be subject to additional terms" and that by using the services you agree to its additional product terms (GitHub Terms of Service, section I). Those additional terms cover Actions, Codespaces, Copilot, Pages, Packages and Previews.

A real change we caught

Venpo flagged a change in which Atlassian added usage-based billing to its paid plans, on by default. The rules for it live in separate usage-based terms, not in the main agreement.

Why it matters to you

Service-specific terms are easy to skip. You read the main terms once, but the rule that matters for the product you actually use may be on another page.

  • They can win in a conflict. Atlassian's agreement says its Policies, Product-Specific Terms and DPA control for their specific subject matter (section 20.6). Check the order of precedence to see which document wins.
  • They hold the details that cost money. HubSpot's Product Specific Terms cover seats, credits, contact tiers, AI and its uptime commitment. Usage limits and overage charges often live in pages like these.
  • They cover AI and beta features. AI terms and beta terms are often a section of service-specific terms. HubSpot's AI rules and Beta Services rules both sit in its Product Specific Terms.
  • They change on their own schedule. Atlassian's product terms page lists different effective dates for different products (Atlassian). A change to one product's section can apply to you even if the main agreement stays the same.

What to check

  • Search the main agreement for links to product, service or additional terms. List the ones for products you use.
  • Read the sections for your products, especially limits, credits, AI and beta rules.
  • Check which document wins if the service-specific terms and the main agreement disagree.
  • Save a dated copy of each page and note its effective date.
  • When you turn on a new product or feature, check whether it brings its own terms.

How Venpo helps

Service-specific terms live on separate pages that are easy to miss. Venpo monitors those public pages along with the main terms and emails you a plain-English alert when a section for one of your vendor's products changes.

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Frequently asked questions

Are product-specific terms part of my contract?

Yes, when your main agreement includes them and you use the product they cover. Atlassian's agreement, for one, defines its Agreement to include them.

What is the difference between service-specific terms and an addendum?

An addendum is often negotiated and signed for your account. Service-specific terms are standard pages that apply to every customer using that product.

Related terms

Vendor Documents AI Terms (AI Addendum) AI terms, or an AI addendum, are the part of a vendor's contract that governs its AI features: what happens to your inputs and outputs, which model providers are involved, and whether your data can train AI models. Vendor Documents Beta Terms Beta terms are the rules for a vendor's unreleased features, such as beta, preview or early access. They often remove warranties, cut liability to a small amount and let the vendor change or end the feature at any time. Vendor Documents Incorporation by Reference Incorporation by reference means a contract makes another document part of itself by pointing to it, often by a web link. If the linked page applies as updated, the vendor can change your contract by editing that page. Vendor Documents Order of Precedence Clause An order of precedence clause says which document wins when parts of a contract disagree, such as the order form, main agreement, DPA and online policies. It decides whether the terms you negotiated hold up. Vendor Documents Terms of Service (ToS) A terms of service (ToS) is the contract a software vendor publishes to set the rules for using its product, including fees, data rights, liability and how disputes are handled. Vendors can usually change it on their own. Comparisons Amendment vs Addendum An amendment changes the wording of an existing contract, such as a new price or a revised clause. An addendum adds new terms on a topic the contract did not cover, such as data protection or AI use. Both become part of the same agreement.

Sources

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