Google limits its financial responsibility to you for most types of losses, including lost business, lost data, or consequential damages, even if Google was aware these losses could occur.
This analysis describes what Google Maps'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 clause means that if a Maps API outage or error causes significant business loss, your ability to recover damages from Google is substantially limited.
Interpretive note: Enforceability of the liability limitation may vary by jurisdiction; EU/EEA and UK law may impose independent limits on the scope of such exclusions.
The updated terms establish a broader definition of activities that are subject to heightened restrictions under the Google Maps Platform Terms of Service. Previously, the definition enumerated specific high-risk categories. The revised language now encompasses any use case where service failure could reasonably be expected to result in death, serious personal injury, or severe environmental or property damage, and explicitly identifies weaponry as a restricted application. Developers and organizations using Google Maps for restricted purposes should review their use cases against the new definition to ensure continued compliance.
View change record →Removal from Maps-specific Terms indicates liability limitations now exclusively governed by incorporated Google Cloud Platform Terms.
View full change record →List of liable parties narrowed from 'Google, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors' to 'Google and its suppliers'; formatting changed to all capitals for emphasis.
View full change record →For businesses that depend on Maps APIs in production systems, this limitation means that significant financial losses caused by API failures or errors may not be recoverable from Google under these terms.
How other platforms handle this
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To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Pinterest shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses, res...
You will remain responsible for any amounts you fail to pay in connection with your subscription, including collection costs, bank overdraft fees, collection agency fees, reasonable attorneys' fees, and arbitration or court costs.
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"TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, GOOGLE AND ITS SUPPLIERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, BUSINESS, OR GOODWILL, EVEN IF GOOGLE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.— Excerpt from Google Maps's Google Maps Platform Terms of Service
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Limitation of liability clauses are governed by contract law and, in some jurisdictions, statutory limits on exclusion of liability. EU consumer protection law and the UK Unfair Contract Terms Act may limit the enforceability of broad liability exclusions in certain contexts. US courts generally enforce limitation of liability clauses in commercial contracts, with some exceptions for gross negligence or willful misconduct. (2) GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. Organizations building mission-critical applications on Maps Platform should assess whether this liability limitation creates unacceptable business risk and whether contractual or insurance mitigation is available. (3) JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU/EEA users should note that liability exclusions may not be fully enforceable under applicable consumer protection directives. UK users should evaluate this clause under the Unfair Contract Terms Act. In the US, enforceability generally depends on whether the parties are sophisticated commercial entities. (4) CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Procurement teams should treat this limitation as a known risk in vendor assessment and consider whether cyber liability or business interruption insurance provides coverage for Maps API-related losses. SLA terms should be reviewed in conjunction with this limitation. (5) COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Risk management teams should document the business impact of potential Maps API unavailability and assess whether the liability cap is consistent with the organization's risk tolerance.
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This clause means that if a Maps API outage or error causes significant business loss, your ability to recover damages from Google is substantially limited.
For businesses that depend on Maps APIs in production systems, this limitation means that significant financial losses caused by API failures or errors may not be recoverable from Google under these terms.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 265 platforms. See the full comparison.
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