The agreement requires users to indemnify and defend Coursera and its affiliates against third-party claims, including attorneys' fees, arising from the user's platform use, Terms violations, or intellectual property infringement by the user or anyone using the user's account. This obligation extends to infringement caused by other users operating under the same account.
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 creates a personal financial obligation for users to cover Coursera's legal costs and damages in third-party claims connected to the user's account activity, including actions by others who access the account. The extension of liability to third parties using the same account is operationally significant for shared or institutional account contexts.
Interpretive note: Enforceability of consumer-facing indemnification clauses of this breadth may vary by jurisdiction, particularly in EU/EEA markets under unfair contract terms frameworks.
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 are financially responsible for defending Coursera against third-party claims arising from their account activity, including claims resulting from another person's use of the user's account credentials. This obligation includes coverage of attorneys' fees incurred by Coursera.
How other platforms handle this
Any claim that any user submission made by you has caused damage to a third party
Any access to or use of the Services or goods through your account by others, including your spouse, dependents, Recipients, and any access by AI Agents you enable or that operate on your behalf...
you agree to cooperate with Walmart if and as requested by Walmart in the defense and settlement of such matter.
"You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Coursera, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, suppliers, consultants, and agents from any and all third-party claims, liability, damages, and/or costs (including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees) arising from your use of our Services, your violation of these Terms of Use, or your infringement, or infringement by any other user of your account, of any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity.Excerpt from Coursera's Terms of Use
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Broad consumer indemnification clauses may require evaluation under applicable consumer protection law.
Enforcement risk, jurisdiction flags, contract triggers, and due diligence action items.
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This provision creates a personal financial obligation for users to cover Coursera's legal costs and damages in third-party claims connected to the user's account activity, including actions by others who access the account. The extension of liability to third parties using the same account is operationally significant for shared or institutional account contexts.
Under this clause, users are financially responsible for defending Coursera against third-party claims arising from their account activity, including claims resulting from another person's use of the user's account credentials. This obligation includes coverage of attorneys' fees incurred by Coursera.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 229 platforms. See the full comparison.
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