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This page describes what the document states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability may vary by jurisdiction. Methodology
The AWS Customer Agreement is the primary contract between AWS and its cloud services customers, covering account access, payment obligations, service suspension rights, data handling, intellectual property, and dispute procedures. The agreement states that AWS may suspend customer access immediately without advance notice if AWS determines there is a security risk, violation of the Acceptable Use Policy, or legal requirement to do so, and that customers remain liable for fees incurred through the suspension period. The agreement also caps AWS's total liability to the customer at the amount the customer paid in the twelve months preceding the claim, and explicitly excludes liability for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages regardless of cause.
The AWS Customer Agreement governs the contractual relationship between Amazon Web Services, Inc. (or the applicable AWS contracting entity) and customers accessing AWS cloud services, establishing the legal basis for service access, payment, data handling, and dispute resolution. The agreement states that customers are responsible for all activity under their accounts, that AWS may suspend or terminate services immediately for cause (including suspected security incidents or legal compliance requirements), and that fees are due without offset based on AWS usage records unless customers raise disputes within 60 days of the applicable invoice. The agreement asserts a limitation of liability capping AWS's aggregate liability at the fees paid by the customer in the twelve months prior to the claim, excludes consequential and indirect damages, and reserves broad unilateral rights to modify service terms by posting updated versions, with continued use constituting acceptance; these provisions are operationally distinct in that they place significant financial risk on customers operating production workloads. The agreement engages GDPR, CCPA, and sector-specific frameworks such as HIPAA through its Data Processing Addendum and service-specific terms, with regulatory applicability varying by customer geography, service type, and data categories processed. Compliance teams should note that the governing law and jurisdiction provisions vary by contracting entity and customer location, and that the agreement incorporates by reference a substantial body of supplemental terms including the Service Terms, Acceptable Use Policy, and Privacy Notice, each of which may carry independent compliance obligations.
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3 versions captured · Last updated: June 2026
This new provision imposes a strict monetary cap on AWS's liability, significantly limiting customer recovery to 12 months of fees paid or $25 for free services, fundamentally altering liability exposure.
This standalone provision clarifies and strengthens the exclusion of consequential damages with explicit enumeration of damage types, making the liability limitation more specific and enforceable.
This new provision imposes a strict 60-day deadline for billing disputes with automatic waiver of rights, eliminating customer ability to challenge charges beyond this window.
This new provision explicitly defines the limited scope of license rights granted to customers, restricting copying and use of AWS Content to only what is necessary for service use.
This revised provision clarifies customer ownership of content while obtaining explicit consent for collection and processing, and limits AWS's use to service provision and written agreements only.
Removal of the original limitation of liability provision was replaced with more granular provisions (Consequential Damages Exclusion and Aggregate Liability Cap), potentially shifting liability treatment.
Removal of AWS's broad content use and disclosure rights for government requests eliminates explicit legal justification for disclosing customer data without additional consent.
Removal of the explicit indemnification clause eliminates customer obligation to defend AWS against third-party claims related to customer use and content, reducing customer liability.
Removal of explicit reference to Data Processing Addendum availability and GDPR compliance specificity eliminates clear guidance on obtaining a DPA for regulatory compliance.
Removal of comprehensive fees and payment provision eliminates detail about monthly billing, fraud-based acceleration billing, payment methods, and prohibition on setoff and counterclaim.
Capitalization of 'Your' changed to match formal style conventions, but substantive meaning remains identical.
Added explicit reference to 'our affiliates' in the liability disclaimer, expanding AWS's liability shield.
Specified notification channels (Service Health Dashboard, email, Management Console) rather than general notification, providing more detailed implementation guidance.
Narrowed dispute scope from 'your use of the Service Offerings or to products or services sold or distributed by AWS or through AWS.com' to 'the Service Offerings or this Agreement' and changed 'you consent' to 'each party consents'.
Expanded to explicitly cover Your Content compliance, added requirement to comply with all policies and applicable law, and introduced sole responsibility clause for content development and operation.
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