A liability waiver and a release of liability are both legal agreements signed to transfer responsibility in order not to get sued in court. However, the documents work differently and the terms shouldn’t be used interchangeably.
By signing a waiver, a person agrees to abandon a right they would otherwise have. A release, on the other hand, results in transferring the rights to another person.
Let’s say you collaborate with a copywriter. If they sign a waiver regarding the intellectual property rights, anyone who has access to the texts written by the freelancer will be allowed to use them as they please. If you sign a release with the copywriter, they will transfer the intellectual property rights to you, and you will be the one managing the rights to the texts.
If it seems like you need a release rather than a waiver, take a look at the release of liability form template prepared by our team.