Cohere · Cohere Terms of Use · View original document ↗

Acceptable Use and API Usage Restrictions

Medium severity Low confidence Inferredfromcontext Unique · 0 of 325 platforms
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Recent governance activity Cohere recorded 2 documented changes in the last 30 days.
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Document Record

What it is

The terms establish restrictions on how users may use the Cohere API and services, including prohibitions on submitting certain types of content to the models and restrictions on the types of applications that can be built using Cohere's API outputs.

This analysis describes what Cohere's agreement states, permits, or reserves. It does not constitute a legal determination about enforceability. Regulatory applicability and practical outcomes may vary by jurisdiction, enforcement context, and individual circumstances. Read our methodology

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The provision operationalizes the service boundaries by establishing enforceable usage rules that govern API consumption, protecting platform infrastructure and ensuring service availability across the user base. These restrictions create compliance obligations that users must satisfy to maintain uninterrupted service access.

Interpretive note: The specific acceptable use restrictions were not directly extractable from the truncated document text; this provision is inferred from the standard structure of AI API terms of service and the document's stated scope covering the Cohere API.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Users and developers who submit content to the Cohere API or build applications using its outputs must comply with usage restrictions; the specific categories of restricted use are defined in the acceptable use policy, which is incorporated into or referenced by the Terms of Use.

How other platforms handle this

Perplexity AI Medium

You may not use the API to: (a) develop applications that compete directly with Perplexity's core products; (b) generate content that is illegal, harmful, abusive, or violates third-party rights; (c) attempt to circumvent or reverse-engineer the underlying AI models or infrastructure; (d) use the AP...

Squarespace Medium

You are solely responsible for your User Content and the consequences of posting or publishing it. You represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to use and authorize Squarespace to use all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other ...

Meta Medium

Your use of the Llama Materials must comply with applicable laws and regulations (including trade compliance laws and regulations) and adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy for the Llama 3 models (currently available at https://llama.meta.com/llama3/use-policy), which is hereby incorporated by referen...

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ConductAtlas Analysis

Institutional analysis (Compliance & governance intelligence)

(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Acceptable use provisions for AI model APIs engage FTC consumer protection authority regarding deceptive practices, and may intersect with the EU AI Act's prohibited use categories for AI systems where the API is used to build downstream applications. GDPR's data minimization principles are also relevant where personal data is submitted through the API. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: High. For enterprise customers, the acceptable use restrictions define the boundaries of permitted commercial deployment; non-compliance can result in service termination, which may constitute a material operational risk for businesses that have built products on the API. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU AI Act prohibited use categories apply to downstream applications built on the API and deployed within the EU, regardless of where the API call originates. Organizations in regulated industries (healthcare, financial services) should assess whether specific use cases require additional compliance measures beyond what the Terms of Use address. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Enterprise procurement teams should confirm that the acceptable use restrictions in the standard Terms of Use are compatible with their intended deployment before committing to a production integration. Any use case involving sensitive data categories, automated decision-making, or high-risk AI applications as defined under the EU AI Act warrants specific legal review. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Compliance teams should document their specific API use cases and map them against the acceptable use restrictions; they should also assess whether any use cases trigger obligations under the EU AI Act, GDPR automated decision-making provisions, or sector-specific regulations.

Full compliance analysis

Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.

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Applicable agencies

  • FTC
    The FTC has jurisdiction over unfair or deceptive practices related to service terms and API usage policies affecting US-based developers and businesses
    File a complaint →

Applicable regulations

CFAA
United States Federal
Trump Executive Order on AI Policy Framework
US

Provision details

Document information
Document
Cohere Terms of Use
Entity
Cohere
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
April 30, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-011097
Document ID
CA-D-00441
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
fce6a3fe9260708841b139a17617c1f2c9485f652de86766eaaf928e6f5e0872
Analysis generated
April 30, 2026 06:55 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: Cohere
Document: Cohere Terms of Use
Record ID: CA-P-011097
Captured: 2026-04-30 06:55:06 UTC
SHA-256: fce6a3fe92607088…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/cohere/cohere-terms-of-use/acceptable-use-and-api-usage-restrictions/
Accessed: May 20, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does Cohere's Acceptable Use and API Usage Restrictions clause do?

The provision operationalizes the service boundaries by establishing enforceable usage rules that govern API consumption, protecting platform infrastructure and ensuring service availability across the user base. These restrictions create compliance obligations that users must satisfy to maintain uninterrupted service access.

How does this clause affect you?

Users and developers who submit content to the Cohere API or build applications using its outputs must comply with usage restrictions; the specific categories of restricted use are defined in the acceptable use policy, which is incorporated into or referenced by the Terms of Use.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with Cohere?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Cohere.