Grammarly's terms are governed by California law, and any court disputes that are not sent to arbitration must be filed in San Francisco, California.
This analysis describes what Grammarly'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
For users outside California — particularly those in the EU, UK, or other US states — this clause requires that any non-arbitration legal action take place in California courts, which can be practically difficult and costly for individual consumers.
Interpretive note: EU and UK mandatory consumer protection rules may override this governing law and forum selection clause for users in those jurisdictions, making its practical effect jurisdiction-dependent.
If you have a dispute with Grammarly that is not covered by the arbitration agreement, you would generally need to pursue it in California courts under California law, even if you live elsewhere. EU and UK users may have statutory rights that override this provision under their local consumer protection frameworks.
How other platforms handle this
These Terms shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, excluding its conflicts of law rules, and the federal laws of the United States. Any dispute arising from or relating to the subject matter of these Terms shall be finally settled by arbitration in San Francisco County, California...
These Terms of Service and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter or formation (including non-contractual disputes or claims) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without giving effect to any choice o...
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Minnesota, without giving effect to any choice of law or conflict of law provisions. Any disputes not subject to arbitration will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Hennepin County, Minnesota.
Monitoring
Grammarly has changed this document before.
Receive same-day alerts, structured change summaries, and monitoring for up to 25 platforms.
"These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. You and Grammarly agree to submit to personal jurisdiction in the state and federal courts located in San Francisco County, California for any disputes not subject to arbitration.— Excerpt from Grammarly's Grammarly Terms of Service
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: Governing law and forum selection clauses in consumer contracts engage state and federal consumer protection frameworks, as well as EU Regulation Rome I (governing law in contractual matters) and Brussels I (jurisdiction). EU consumer protection law generally entitles consumers to bring claims in their country of residence, which may override this California forum selection clause for EU users. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Medium. The California forum selection clause is standard for a US-headquartered tech company but creates practical access-to-justice concerns for non-California US users and international users who are not covered by the arbitration carve-outs. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU users benefit from mandatory rules of consumer protection law that generally entitle them to sue in their home jurisdiction regardless of forum selection clauses in B2C contracts. UK consumer law similarly protects consumers from being forced to litigate abroad. For US users outside California, the forum selection clause is likely enforceable but creates practical barriers. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: Enterprise contracts should specify governing law and dispute resolution forum explicitly rather than relying on this consumer ToS provision. Organizations outside California should assess whether they have negotiated more favorable jurisdiction terms in enterprise agreements. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams advising non-California based organizations on Grammarly deployments should note that consumer-facing disputes may be subject to local mandatory law regardless of this clause, creating potential conflict between contractual and regulatory dispute resolution frameworks.
Full compliance analysis
Regulatory citations, enforcement risk, and due diligence action items.
Free: track 1 platform + weekly digest. Monitor: 25 platforms + same-day alerts. No credit card required.
Compliance Governance Intelligence
Need to monitor specific governance provisions?
Compliance includes provision-level monitoring, governance timelines, regulatory mapping, and audit-ready analysis.
Built from archived source documents, structured governance mappings, and historical version tracking.
For users outside California — particularly those in the EU, UK, or other US states — this clause requires that any non-arbitration legal action take place in California courts, which can be practically difficult and costly for individual consumers.
If you have a dispute with Grammarly that is not covered by the arbitration agreement, you would generally need to pursue it in California courts under California law, even if you live elsewhere. EU and UK users may have statutory rights that override this provision under their local consumer protection frameworks.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 201 platforms. See the full comparison.
No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Grammarly.