Embedding legal texts in order and contract confirmations

Legal content in order and contract confirmations

Legal texts are not only shown on websites. They are also needed in transactional processes: in order confirmations, contract emails, sign-up flows, checkout steps and app screens. That is often where it matters which approved version was documented for a specific transaction.

TermShelf addresses this use case as Transactional Legal Text Delivery. The Public Delivery API exposes approved legal texts in three equivalent artifact forms: HTML, JSON and PDF.

Three technical paths

Which form fits depends on the system the legal text is being embedded in. The three paths are complementary, not exclusive.

• Embed HTML inline. Legal-text sections can be embedded directly into transactional emails, footers, checkout flows or app screens. A good fit when the receiving system simply renders a snippet and has no template logic of its own.
• Fetch JSON and render yourself. Structured content is rendered by your own mail or app templates. The legal text stays a single source of truth, the visual layout stays in your system.
• Attach PDF to mails. Approved versions are available as PDF artifacts and can be attached to e.g. an order confirmation, a contract email or a sign-up receipt.

The PDF path is covered in depth in attaching terms as a PDF to order confirmations; for the withdrawal notice see the withdrawal notice in order confirmations.

Why versioning matters especially here

In transactional processes, what matters is not only that a legal text is included but which approved version applied at the time of the transaction. TermShelf addresses this today through version pinning:

• Version pinning: A specific approved version is referenced deliberately via ?version=N and delivered stably. If the pinned value no longer matches the currently live version, the Public Delivery API responds with 409 version_mismatch and reports the currently live version, so a pinned consumer can re-pin deterministically. Version pinning is plan-dependent and available from Business.

Complementing that, an effective_at delivery addresses the version that was published at a specific point in time: a call with ?effective_at=<ISO-8601> returns the version that was live at that instant — as JSON, HTML or PDF derived from that exact version. version and effective_at are mutually exclusive; effective_at shares the same plan gating as version pinning and is available from Business. Which version applied at contract conclusion is covered in which terms version applied at contract conclusion. The concrete endpoints, headers and error codes are documented in the developers overview.

What TermShelf does not do

TermShelf does not produce legally binding content and is not a substitute for legal advice. PDF attachments are a technical delivery path — they do not automatically satisfy every legal requirement for a specific use case. Whether HTML in a footer, JSON in a custom template, a PDF attachment or a combination of the three paths fits a specific order confirmation remains a decision for the user in coordination with qualified counsel.

What TermShelf does do

TermShelf helps systems include or attach approved legal texts in order, contract or sign-up confirmations. The Public Delivery API serves HTML, JSON and PDF from an approved version, with a stable version reference. Which form a system uses is up to the receiving system. Which legal assessment hangs on it is up to the user.