Users agree to indemnify, defend, and hold Coursera harmless from third-party claims, liabilities, expenses, and attorney fees arising from the user's violation of the Terms, violation of law or third-party rights, or user-submitted content including intellectual property infringement claims. The indemnification obligation is qualified to the extent attributable to the user under applicable law.
This analysis describes what Coursera'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
This provision requires users to bear the cost of defending and resolving third-party claims arising from their platform conduct, including IP infringement claims related to submitted content. The qualifying phrase to the extent attributable to you under the applicable law introduces a jurisdictional dependency on how fault is allocated under local law.
Interpretive note: The practical scope of the indemnification obligation depends on applicable law in the user's jurisdiction, which determines what losses are attributable to the user and whether consumer indemnification clauses of this breadth are enforceable.
The updated refund policy establishes a new condition under which Coursera may deny refund requests: when a significant portion of the course content has been accessed prior to submitting the refund request. This addition does not replace existing denial grounds such as policy violations, repeated refund requests, or chargeback activity, but adds an access-based threshold alongside them. The terms do not define what constitutes a significant portion of content, leaving that determination to Coursera's discretion. Learners who access substantial course materials before requesting a refund may find their request denied under this provision.
View change record →The updated terms establish new procedural requirements for refunds on Coursera subscription plans. According to the revised language, canceling a subscription will stop future billing but will not automatically issue a refund; refunds must be requested separately. The terms now explicitly state that refunds will not be provided for renewal charges on annual subscription plans. For Specializations purchased through subscriptions, users may request a full refund within the applicable 7-day refund period or before earning a certificate, whichever occurs first. You can request a refund separately through Coursera's Support Services, but the updated terms indicate this is a manual process rather than an automatic one upon cancellation.
View change record →The updated terms no longer specify refund eligibility for users in India who prepay for specializations or Coursera Plus plans. Previously, these customers could request full refunds within 7 days of payment or before earning a certificate for any course included in their purchase, whichever occurred first. The removal of this language means refund terms for Indian prepaid customers are no longer explicitly defined in the publicly stated agreement, leaving refund policies unclear for this user segment.
View change record →New provision shifts legal and financial burden to users to defend Coursera against third-party claims arising from user conduct or account-holder infringements.
View full change record →Under this clause, users who submit content that gives rise to third-party intellectual property or other rights claims may be required to indemnify Coursera for the resulting legal costs and damages. The obligation applies to violations of the Terms, applicable law, and third-party rights, and includes attorney fee exposure.
Cross-platform context
See how other platforms handle Indemnification Obligation and similar clauses.
Compare across platforms →"You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Coursera from any and all claims, liabilities, expenses, and damages (to the extent attributable to you under the applicable law), including reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, made by any third party related to: (a) your use or attempted use of the Services in violation of these Terms; (b) your violation of any law or rights of any third party; or (c) User Content, including without limitation any claim of infringement or misappropriation of intellectual property or other proprietary rights.Excerpt from Coursera's Terms of Use
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This provision requires users to bear the cost of defending and resolving third-party claims arising from their platform conduct, including IP infringement claims related to submitted content. The qualifying phrase to the extent attributable to you under the applicable law introduces a jurisdictional dependency on how fault is allocated under local law.
Under this clause, users who submit content that gives rise to third-party intellectual property or other rights claims may be required to indemnify Coursera for the resulting legal costs and damages. The obligation applies to violations of the Terms, applicable law, and third-party rights, and includes attorney fee exposure.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Coursera.