OpenAI · OpenAI Terms of Use · View original document ↗

Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

Medium severity Uncommon · 38 of 343 platforms
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Recent governance activity OpenAI recorded 28 documented changes in the last 30 days.
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This analysis describes what OpenAI'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

ConductAtlas Analysis

Why it matters (compliance & governance perspective)

The clause designates California law as the substantive legal framework for interpreting the agreement and establishes exclusive venue for dispute resolution in a specific geographic jurisdiction, which determines where litigation would be conducted and which legal standards apply.

Clause Stability Stable

0
Changes
3
Months Monitored
Apr 27, 2026
First Seen
Apr 27, 2026
Last Seen
This clause type exists across 560 other provisions on other platforms.

Consumer impact (what this means for users)

Users agree that any disputes with OpenAI will be litigated in California courts under California law rather than in courts in their own state or jurisdiction. This requires users to bring legal claims, if any, in San Francisco County courts and subjects the dispute to California's legal framework.

How other platforms handle this

Amazon Associates Medium

This Agreement will be governed by the laws of the State of Washington, without regard to principles of conflict of laws. Any dispute relating in any way to your visit to or use of the Amazon Site or to products or services sold or distributed by Amazon or through the Amazon Site will be resolved by...

Kindle Medium

Any dispute or claim relating in any way to your use of the Service or to any Kindle Content will be resolved by binding arbitration, rather than in court, except that you may assert claims in small claims court if your claims qualify. The Federal Arbitration Act and federal arbitration law apply to...

Neon Medium

This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. Any disputes arising out of or relating to this Agreement will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Delaware, and eac...

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▸ View Original Clause Language DOCUMENT RECORD
"
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of laws principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Services shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco County, California.

— Excerpt from OpenAI's OpenAI Terms of Use

Applicable regulations

FAA
United States Federal

Provision details

Document information
Document
OpenAI Terms of Use
Entity
OpenAI
Document last updated
May 5, 2026
Tracking information
First tracked
March 10, 2026
Last verified
May 12, 2026
Record ID
CA-P-003153
Document ID
CA-D-00009
Evidence Provenance
Source URL
Wayback Machine
Content hash (SHA-256)
6ae7df627f8ff0f0434212dde1986e4d1bfced272b18d29c3cea01e80cf3dbb0
Analysis generated
March 10, 2026 03:23 UTC
Methodology
Evidence
✓ Snapshot stored   ✓ Hash verified
Citation Record
Entity: OpenAI
Document: OpenAI Terms of Use
Record ID: CA-P-003153
Captured: 2026-03-10 03:23:22 UTC
SHA-256: 6ae7df627f8ff0f0…
URL: https://conductatlas.com/platform/openai/openai-terms-of-use/governing-law-and-dispute-resolution/
Accessed: June 18, 2026
Permanent archival reference. Stable identifier suitable for legal filings, compliance documentation, and research citation.
Classification
Severity
Medium
Categories

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Frequently Asked Questions

What does OpenAI's Governing Law and Dispute Resolution clause do?

The clause designates California law as the substantive legal framework for interpreting the agreement and establishes exclusive venue for dispute resolution in a specific geographic jurisdiction, which determines where litigation would be conducted and which legal standards apply.

How does this clause affect you?

Users agree that any disputes with OpenAI will be litigated in California courts under California law rather than in courts in their own state or jurisdiction. This requires users to bring legal claims, if any, in San Francisco County courts and subjects the dispute to California's legal framework.

How many platforms have this type of clause?

ConductAtlas has identified this type of provision across 38 platforms. See the full comparison.

Is ConductAtlas affiliated with OpenAI?

No. ConductAtlas is an independent monitoring service. We are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by OpenAI.