Wikipedia:Non-Wikipedia disclaimers

Reports have sometimes cited the Wikipedia disclaimers to support claims that Wikipedia is unreliable. Here is a selection from the disclaimers of sources which are often regarded as reliable.

Associated Press (disclaimer [original text in all caps]):
- "The site and the site elements are provided on an 'as is' and 'as available' basis. To the fullest extent permitted under applicable law, AP expressly disclaims all representations and warranties of any kind with respect to the site, the site elements and any other products or services available on or through this site, whether, express or implied, including, but not limited to, any and all warranties (1) of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose; (2) of non-infringement and title; (3) that any use of the site will be free from any interruptions, delays, inaccuracies, server down-time, errors or omissions; (4) that the site will be secure, or free of viruses, worms or other harmful components; (5) that the site and/or the site elements will satisfy your requirements or expectations; and (6) that information, data or materials presented or displayed on this site are correct, accurate or reliable."
CNN (disclaimer [original text in all caps]):
- "You expressly agree that use of CNN.com is at your sole risk. Neither CNN, its parent, subsidiaries, its other affiliates nor any of their respective employees, agents, third party content providers or licensors warrant that CNN.com will be uninterrupted or error free; nor do they make any warranty as to the results that may be obtained from use of CNN.com, or as to the accuracy, reliability or content of any information, service, or merchandise provided through CNN.com."
Columbia Encyclopedia (on Bartleby.com) (disclaimer [original text in all caps]):
- "You expressly agree that use of the service is at your sole risk. Neither Bartleby, its affiliates, nor any of its employees, agents, third party content providers, or licensors warrant that the service will be uninterrupted or error free. Nor do they make any warranty as to the results that may be obtained from the use of the service, or as to the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or contents of any content, information, material, postings, or posting responses found on the service, any merchandise or services provided through the service, or any links to other sites made available on the service."
Encarta online (disclaimer):
- "We provide the service 'as-is,' 'with all faults' and 'as available.' We do not guarantee the accuracy or timeliness of information available from the service."
Encyclopædia Britannica (disclaimer [original text in all caps]):
- "In no event shall Britannica [Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.], its directors, officers, shareholders, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, agents and licensors, or content providers be liable for any direct, indirect, special (including loss of revenue or income, pain and suffering, emotional distress, or similar damages), incidental, punitive, or consequential damages arising out of or related to the use, inability to use, authorized use, performance, or nonperformance of this site, even if Britannica was previously advised of the possibility of such damages and regardless of whether such damages arise in contract, tort, under statute, in equity, at law, or otherwise."
  - Since 2004, it also contained the following text (original text in all caps):
    - "The services and all information, products, and other content included in or accessible from the services are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind (express, implied, and statutory, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose), all of which Britannica expressly disclaims to the fullest extent permitted by law."
Los Angeles Times (disclaimer):
- "While latimes.com uses reasonable efforts to include accurate and up-to-date information, we make no warranties or representations as to the accuracy of the content and assume no liability or responsibility for any error or omission in the content. [...] [remainder of text in all caps] Use of latimes.com is at your own risk. All content is provided "as is" and "as available." Neither TI [Tribune Interactive], latimes.com, nor any of their affiliated or related companies, nor any of the employees, agents, content providers or licensors of any of them, makes any representation or warranty of any kind regarding latimes.com, the content, any advertising material, information, products or services available on or through latimes.com, and/or the results that may be obtained from use of latimes.com or such content or services. All express or implied warranties, including without limitation warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, warranties against infringement, and warranties latimes.com will meet your requirements, be uninterrupted, timely, secure or error free, are specifically disclaimed."
The New York Times (disclaimer):
- "NYT does not represent or endorse the accuracy or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement, or other information displayed, uploaded, or distributed through the Services by any user, information provider or any other person or entity. You acknowledge that any reliance upon any such opinion, advice, statement, memorandum, or information shall be at your sole risk. [remainder of text in all caps] The services and all downloadable software are distributed on an 'as is' basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including, without limitation, warranties of title or implied warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. you hereby acknowledge that use of the services is at your sole risk."
The Wall Street Journal (disclaimer [original text in all caps]):
- "You agree that your access to, and use of, the services and the content available through the services is on an 'as-is', 'as available' basis and we specifically disclaim any representations or warranties, express or implied, including, without limitation, any representations or warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. [...] Dow Jones and its subsidiaries, affiliates, shareholders, directors, officers, employees and licensors ('the Dow Jones Parties') will not be liable (jointly or severally) to you or any other person as a result of your access or use of the services for indirect, consequential, special, incidental, punitive, or exemplary damages, including, without limitation, lost profits, lost savings and lost revenues (collectively, the 'Excluded Damages'), whether or not characterized in negligence, tort, contract, or other theory of liability, even if any of the Dow Jones Parties have been advised of the possibility of or could have foreseen any of the Excluded Damages, and irrespective of any failure of an essential purpose of a limited remedy. If any applicable authority holds any portion of this section to be unenforceable, then the Dow Jones Parties' liability will be limited to the fullest possible extent permitted by applicable law."
Oxford English Dictionary (disclaimer):
- "Oxford University Press makes no warranties or representations of any kind concerning the accuracy or suitability of the information contained on this web site for any purpose. All such information is provided "as is" and with specific disclaimer of any warranties of merchantability, fitness for purpose, title and/or non-infringement. Oxford University Press makes no warranties or representations of any kind that the services provided by this web site will be uninterrupted, [or] error-free [...] In no event shall Oxford University Press, its employees or agents be liable for any direct, indirect or consequential damages resulting from the use of this web site. This exclusion and limitation only applies to the extent permitted by law and is without prejudice to any express provisions to the contrary in any written licence or subscription agreement from Oxford University Press in respect of the use of any online service provided via this web site."
The Washington Post (disclaimer):
- "This Service is available "as is." We do not warrant that this Service will be uninterrupted or error-free. There may be delays, omissions, interruptions and inaccuracies in the news, information or other materials available through this Service. [...] We do not make any warranties, express or implied, including without limitation, those of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, with respect to this Service or any information or goods that are available or advertised or sold through this Service. We do not make any representations, nor do we endorse the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or reliability of any advice, opinion, statement or other material or database displayed, uploaded or distributed in this Service or available though links in this Service. [...] If you rely on this Service and any materials available through this Service, you do so solely at your own risk. [...] WP Company LLC, and its parent and affiliates, and their directors, officers, managers, employees, shareholders, agents and licensors are not liable for incidental, indirect, consequential, special, punitive, or exemplary damages of any kind, including lost revenues or profits, loss of business or loss of data, in any way related to this Service or for any claim, loss or injury based on errors, omissions, interruptions or other inaccuracies in this Service (). Any claim against us shall be limited to the amount you paid, if any, for use of this Service."
Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary (disclaimer [text almost entirely in all caps]):
- "The Services and all information, products, and other content included in or accessible from the Services are provided "as is" and without warranties of any kind (express, implied, and statutory, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose), all of which Merriam-Webster expressly disclaims to the fullest extent permitted by law. [...] In no event shall Merriam-Webster, its directors, officers, shareholders, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, agents and licensors, or content providers be liable: (i) for any indirect, special, incidental, punitive, or consequential damages arising out of or related to the use, inability to use, performance or nonperformance of the Services, even if Merriam-Webster was previously advised of the possibility of such damages and regardless of whether such damages arise in contract, tort, under statute, in equity, at law, or otherwise; and (ii) for any damages, losses and/or causes of action exceeding one thousand U.S. dollars (US $1,000) in the aggregate. [...] Some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on implied warranties or the exclusion or limitation of certain damages, so some of the above limitations and exclusions may not apply to you."

The Guardian (disclaimer):
- "To the extent permitted at law, we do not accept any responsibility for any statement in the Guardian Content. Nothing in the Guardian Content is provided for any specific purpose or at the request of any particular person. For the avoidance of confusion, we will not be liable for any loss caused as a result of your doing, or not doing, anything as a result of viewing, reading or listening to the Guardian Content or any part of it. You can access other sites via links from the Guardian Site. These sites are not under our control and we are not responsible in any way for any of their contents."
- "We give no warranties of any kind concerning the Guardian Site or the Guardian Content. In particular, we do not warrant that the Guardian Site or any of its contents is virus free. You must take your own precautions in this respect as we accept no responsibility for any infection by virus or other contamination or by anything which has destructive properties."

Wikipedia:Non-Wikipedia disclaimers

Further reading