California law governs your agreement with Medium, and any court disputes that are not sent to arbitration must be filed in courts in San Francisco, California.
This analysis describes what Medium'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
If you live outside California and have a dispute with Medium that is not resolved through arbitration, you may be required to litigate in California courts, which creates practical barriers for out-of-state users.
The updated terms establish that Medium may stop providing the Services or any of its features within its sole discretion. The prior language focused on subscription account sign-up mechanics; the new provision creates an explicit contractual reservation allowing Medium to discontinue platform features or the entire service without conditions tied to a specific event or timeline. The terms do not specify advance notice requirements, transition periods, or user remedies if the service is discontinued.
View change record →The updated terms expand a data collection warranty to apply to all personal information users provide to Medium, not limited to newsletter editor submissions. Users now represent and warrant that any personal information they submit has been lawfully collected and that all required notices and consents were obtained before collection. This means the warranty applies whether data is provided through newsletters, account profiles, submissions, or other Medium features. If a user provides personal information collected without proper notice or consent, they may be in breach of this representation.
View change record →Removal of explicit California governing law and San Francisco jurisdiction provisions may alter the legal framework, though arbitration likely substitutes for court jurisdiction.
View full change record →Minor wording refinement from 'conflict of law provisions' to 'its conflict of laws provisions' and from 'personal jurisdiction and venue' to 'exclusive jurisdiction.'
View full change record →Non-California users who have a dispute with Medium that falls outside the arbitration clause would need to litigate in San Francisco courts, which may be practically inaccessible and cost-prohibitive for most individuals.
How other platforms handle this
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California and the United States without regard to conflicts of laws provisions
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of laws rules, and the proper venue for any disputes arising out of or relating to any of the same will be the arbitration venue set forth in Section 9, or if arbitration does not apply, then the state and fe...
In the EU and EEA, the choice of Texas governing law shall not apply only where a mandatory consumer protection law explicitly prohibits such choice of law provisions.
"These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. Any disputes not subject to arbitration will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in San Francisco, California.Excerpt from Medium's Terms of Service
(1) REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: California governing law clauses are standard in technology platform agreements.
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If you live outside California and have a dispute with Medium that is not resolved through arbitration, you may be required to litigate in California courts, which creates practical barriers for out-of-state users.
Non-California users who have a dispute with Medium that falls outside the arbitration clause would need to litigate in San Francisco courts, which may be practically inaccessible and cost-prohibitive for most individuals.
ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 267 platforms. See the full comparison.
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