All legal disputes with Coursera are governed by California law and must be filed in courts in Santa Clara County, California — regardless of where you live.
Non-California users who have disputes with Coursera that are not subject to arbitration must litigate in Santa Clara County, California, making legal action impractical and expensive for the vast majority of users worldwide.
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Compare across platforms →This means that if you need to go to court over a dispute with Coursera, you may need to travel to or retain legal counsel in California, creating a significant practical barrier for users outside that state or country.
1) REGULATORY FRAMEWORK: Choice-of-law and exclusive jurisdiction clauses in consumer contracts are subject to the Restatement (Second) of Conflict of Laws § 187 and state consumer protection rules that may override chosen law where it would deprive consumers of protections in their home state. In the EU, Rome I Regulation (EC 593/2008) Art. 6 provides that consumer contracts cannot deprive EU consumers of mandatory protections in their country of habitual residence. The Brussels I Regulation (EU 1215/2012) prevents exclusive jurisdiction clauses from depriving EU consumers of the right to sue in their local courts. 2)
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