Github Terms Github Pre Release License Terms (GitHub)
Updated 23 October 2025
The GitHub Pre-release License Terms govern the use of GitHub’s pre-release software, allowing evaluation and testing in non-production environments while disclaiming warranties and limiting liability. As an official GitHub legal agreement aligned with Microsoft product terms, it provides authoritative conditions on usage, data collection, confidentiality, and compliance, ensuring clarity for participants in technical previews.
[company name] Pre-release License Terms
These terms apply to the pre-release software made available to you by [company name]. To the extent there is a conflict between these terms and any other Agreement you have with us, these terms govern.
Pre-Release Software.
The software provided is a pre-release version. “Pre-release” means software, online services, and additional products and features that are not yet generally available, such as private preview, public preview, early access, technical preview, or similar versions.
Pre-release software may not operate correctly. It may delete your data, corrupt your data, or have other bugs. It also may not work the way a final commercial version of the software will.
[company name] may change or discontinue pre-release software at any time, for any reason, without notice to you. [company name] may change the software for the final commercial version, or may not release a commercial version at all. [company name] is not obligated to provide to you any maintenance, technical support, or updates for the software.
Installation and Use Rights.
General. [company name] grants you a limited right to use a non-production instance of the software for evaluation and testing. This means you may use any number of copies of the software to evaluate its functionality and internally develop and test your applications, including deployment of the software within your internal corporate network for evaluation but not external distribution. You may also use the software in internally demonstrating your applications, but may not use the pre-release software in any active production environment, including any use to process live customer data.
Inclusion of Third-Party Components. The software may include third-party components with separate legal notices or governed by other agreements, as may be described in a license file accompanying the software.
Optional Extensions. The software may give you the option to download other [company name] and third-party software packages. Any third-party software packages are provided for your convenience only, and are governed by any applicable agreements between you and the third party. [company name] is not responsible or liable for any third-party software.
Scope of License.
[company name] reserves all rights not expressly granted to you in these terms, including retaining ownership of all aspects of the pre-release software as well as all related intellectual property rights.
Unless applicable law gives you more rights despite this limitation, you may use the software only as expressly permitted in this Agreement. In doing so, you must comply with any technical limitations in the software that only allow you to use it in certain ways. You may not:
work around any technical limitations in the software;
reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the software, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code for the software, except to the extent required by applicable third party licensing terms governing use of certain open source components that may be included in the software;
remove, minimize, block, or modify any notices of [company name] or its suppliers in the software;
share, publish, or lease the software;
provide the software as a stand-alone offering or combine it with any of your applications for others to use;
transfer the software or these terms to any third party; or
use the software to create or propagate malware, or in any way that is against the law
Data Collection and Usage.
Consent to Data Collection. The pre-release software may collect telemetry information about you and your use of the software, and send that information to [company name]. Subject to the limitations in Section 4(b) below, [company name] may use this information to provide services, to improve our products and services, or for any other purpose permitted under the [company name] Data Protection Agreement or [company name] Privacy Statement. Your use of the pre-release software operates as your consent to these practices.
Use of Collected Data.
[company name] will use collected data for analytics and measurement to understand how our pre-release software and related products are used.
The software will collect data and usage information about events generated when interacting with it. These events help us analyze and measure performance and features used. This usage information is used by [company name] and may be shared with affiliates and other third parties to help deliver, develop, evaluate, and improve the software and related products.
We analyze data to ensure the pre-release software is working as intended, to evaluate the safety, reliability, and user experience of the software, and to investigate and detect potential abuse.
We may combine the information we collect from the pre-release software with other data.
For pre-release software that uses AI:
You retain ownership of the code that you input to the software.
[company name] does not own the output sent to you by the software.
[company name] will not use your inputs or the outputs generated to train AI language models, unless you have instructed us in writing to do so.
Processing of Personal Data. [company name] is the data controller in relation to the Personal Data processed in connection with the pre-release software.
Data Collection by You. There may be some features in the pre-release software that enable you and [company name] to collect data from users of your applications. If you use these features, you must comply with all applicable laws on data collection, including providing appropriate notices to users of your applications as well as a copy of [company name]’s Privacy Statement. You can learn more about data collection and use in the software documentation.
Revocation of Consent to Data Collection. You may revoke your consent to data collection by the prerelease software by contacting [company name] and requesting removal from the technical preview. Please note that, if you request removal from the preview, you will no longer be able to use the pre-release software.
Updates.
You may obtain updates to the pre-release software only from [company name] or [company name]-authorized sources. The software may install automatic updates and download and install them for you. You agree to these automatic updates without any additional notice. Software updates may not include or support all existing software features, platforms, services, or peripheral devices. These updates are generally meant to improve and evolve the software, but they may also change or disable any part of the software, including potentially removing features and services, or revoking support for certain platforms or hardware.
Time-Bound Software.
Your use of the pre-release software will end upon any of (i) commercial release of the software, or (ii) at the discretion of [company name] to discontinue the support or development of the software, or (iii) termination of the technical preview by either party. You may not be able to access data used in the software when it stops running.
Feedback.
If you give feedback about the pre-release software to [company name], you give to [company name] the right to use, share, and commercialize your feedback in any way and for any purpose, without payment to you. You agree that you will not give feedback that is subject to any license that would require [company name] to license its software or documentation to third parties if we included your feedback in them.
Communications.
By using pre-release software, you agree to be contacted by [company name] regarding your participation in the technical preview, including email request(s) for feedback about the software.
No Warranties.
You bear the sole risk of using the pre-release software.
The pre-release software is licensed “as is” without any warranty of any kind or sort, whether such warranty would be express, implied, or statutory. To the extent permitted under your local laws, [company name] disclaim all warranties in the pre-release software, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, quiet enjoyment, accuracy, course of dealing, usage of trade, and non-infringement.
[company name] doesn't give any express warranties, guarantees, or commitments about the pre-release software or its quality, reliability, availability, security, or function. The software may contain errors, may delete or corrupt your data, and may have defects or other bugs.
Defense of Third Party Claims.
If your Agreement provides for the defense of third party claims, that provision will apply to your use of the pre-release software and the outputs you receive from it. For software that uses artificial intelligence, you must have complied with (a) (a) the [acceptable use policies link/reference] in your Agreement, and (b) the [ai services code of conduct], and (c) the [customer copyright commitment / required mitigations].
No Uptime Guarantees.
The pre-release software is not subject to an uptime guarantee or similar service level agreement. The software may be unavailable or stop working entirely at any time for any reason.
Limitation of Liability.
[company name]’s maximum liability for any claim related to your use of the pre-release software is limited to direct damages up to [liability cap amount and currency]. This limit will not apply to the defense obligations in Section 10.
Compliance with Export Restrictions.
You must comply with all domestic and international export laws and regulations that apply to the pre-release software, including any applicable restrictions on destinations, end users, and end use.
Confidentiality.
The pre-release software is non-public, confidential information of [company name]. Your use is subject to the confidentiality obligations between you and [company name] in the Agreement.
Please do not (i) disclose or share the software with anyone who is not subject to these terms and a non-disclosure agreement; (ii) post or allow others to post any photos or videos of the pre-release software on or via any online platform, including personal social media websites; or (iii) describe or discuss any part of the software on or via any online platform, unless given advance and express permission by [company name] to do so.
About this template
What is this template?
Github Terms Github Pre Release License Terms (GitHub) is a free, ready-to-use Software Licence Agreements template you can open, customize, and download on GitLaw. It gives you a professionally structured starting point, so you never have to draft from a blank page. The wording is plain and modern, organized into clear sections that are easy to read, edit, and adapt to your own situation before you share or sign it.
When should you use it?
Reach for this Software Licence Agreements template whenever you need a reliable agreement quickly and want to be sure the essentials are covered. It suits individuals, freelancers, startups, and established businesses alike. Instead of paying for a document drafted from scratch, you can start here, tailor the details to your arrangement, and have a polished draft ready in minutes. This version is drafted with United States of America in mind, though you should always review the final wording against the laws that apply to you.
What's typically included?
A well-drafted Software Licence Agreements usually sets out the parties involved, the scope of the agreement, and each side's rights and responsibilities. Expect sections covering key terms and definitions, how long the agreement lasts, how it can be ended, and what happens if something goes wrong. This template brings those building blocks together in a sensible order, so you can focus on the specifics rather than worrying about what to include. Open it to read the full document, then sign up to edit, negotiate, and e-sign it directly in GitLaw.