Any legal disputes with Squarespace that are not resolved through arbitration will be decided under New York state law in New York courts, regardless of where you live.
This analysis describes what Squarespace'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 you are not subject to the arbitration provision (for example, as an EU or UK consumer), you would generally need to pursue claims in New York courts under New York law, which may be geographically and financially impractical for international users.
Interpretive note: The interaction between the New York governing law clause and mandatory consumer protection laws in EU, UK, and other jurisdictions means this provision's practical scope varies significantly by user geography.
Non-US users, including EU and UK consumers, who have a dispute with Squarespace that falls outside the arbitration clause face the practical hurdle of pursuing claims in New York courts, though mandatory local consumer protection laws in their home jurisdictions may provide alternative recourse regardless of this choice-of-law clause.
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This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law principles. Each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Ontario, Canada for t...
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes not subject to arbitration shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco County, California.
These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions. Any disputes arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal court...
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"These Terms of Service and any separate agreements whereby we provide you Services shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict of law provisions. You agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located within New York County, New York for any disputes not subject to arbitration.— Excerpt from Squarespace's Squarespace Terms of Service
REGULATORY LANDSCAPE: The New York governing law and jurisdiction clause interacts with mandatory choice-of-law protections for consumers in the EU under Rome I Regulation, which generally preserves the mandatory protections of a consumer's home country law regardless of contractual choice-of-law provisions. UK consumers retain similar protections under UK conflict of laws rules post-Brexit. The clause's enforceability against EU and UK consumers for substantive consumer law matters is therefore significantly limited. GOVERNANCE EXPOSURE: Low to Medium. New York governing law is standard for US-headquartered technology companies and creates a predictable legal framework for contract interpretation. The practical limitation is primarily for non-US users who may find home-jurisdiction mandatory consumer protections override this clause. JURISDICTION FLAGS: EU users retain the benefit of mandatory EU consumer law protections regardless of the New York governing law clause under Rome I Regulation. UK users retain analogous protections. Australian users may also have statutory consumer guarantees under the Australian Consumer Law that cannot be contractually excluded. CONTRACT AND VENDOR IMPLICATIONS: B2B clients contracting with Squarespace for services delivered to international end users should be aware that the governing law clause may not resolve jurisdictional uncertainty for EU or UK consumer disputes arising from their Squarespace-hosted platforms. Multi-jurisdictional deployments should include separate legal assessments of applicable mandatory consumer law. COMPLIANCE CONSIDERATIONS: Legal teams with EU or UK operations should assess whether home-jurisdiction mandatory consumer protections are adequately preserved in practice, and whether Squarespace's terms for EU/UK users include a separate governing law provision or supplemental terms that reflect local requirements.
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This clause means that if you are not subject to the arbitration provision (for example, as an EU or UK consumer), you would generally need to pursue claims in New York courts under New York law, which may be geographically and financially impractical for international users.
Non-US users, including EU and UK consumers, who have a dispute with Squarespace that falls outside the arbitration clause face the practical hurdle of pursuing claims in New York courts, though mandatory local consumer protection laws in their home jurisdictions may provide alternative recourse regardless of this choice-of-law clause.
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