Terms and Conditions of Use
June 17, 2011
YOUR USE OF THIS WEB SITE CONSTITUTES YOUR AGREEMENT TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE.
This web site, including all of its features and content (this "Web Site") is a service made available by LexisNexis, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc., or its affiliates ("Provider") and all content, information, services and software ordered or provided on or through this Web Site ("Content") may be used solely under the following terms and conditions ("Terms of Use").
1. Web Site Limited License. As a user of this Web Site you are granted a nonexclusive, nontransferable, revocable, limited license to access and use this Web Site and Content in accordance with these Terms of Use. Provider may terminate this license at any time for any reason.
2. Limitations on Use; Third Party Communications.
2.1. Limitations on Use. The Content on this Web Site is for your personal use only and not for commercial exploitation. Notwithstanding the foregoing and to the extent this Web Site provides electronic commerce, such buying opportunities may be made available for group as well as personal purchasing, so long as you are authorized to make purchases on behalf of such group. You may not use the Content to determine a consumer's eligibility for: (a) credit or insurance for personal, family, or household purposes; (b) employment; or (c) a government license or benefit. You may not decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, rent, lease, loan, sell, sublicense, or create derivative works from this Web Site or the Content. Nor may you use any network monitoring or discovery software to determine the site architecture, or extract information about usage, individual identities or users. You may not use any robot, spider, other automatic software or device, or manual process to monitor or copy our Web Site or the Content without Provider's prior written permission. You may not use this Web Site to transmit any false, misleading, fraudulent or illegal communications. You may not copy, modify, reproduce, republish, distribute, display, or transmit for commercial, non-profit or public purposes all or any portion of this Web Site, except to the extent permitted above. You may not use or otherwise export or re-export this Web Site or any portion thereof, or the Content in violation of the export control laws and regulations of the United States of America. Any unauthorized use of this Web Site or its Content is prohibited.
2.2. Third Party Communications. Provider disclaims all liability for any Third Party Communications you may receive or any actions you may take or refrain from taking as a result of any Third Party Communications. You are solely responsible for assessing and verifying the identity and trustworthiness of the source and content of any Third Party Communications. Provider assumes no responsibility for verifying, and makes no representations or warranties regarding, the identity or trustworthiness of the source or content of any Third Party Communications. As used herein, "Third Party Communications" means any communications directed to you from any third party directly or indirectly in connection with this Web Site.
3. Not Legal Advice. Content is not intended to and does not constitute legal advice and no attorney-client relationship is formed, nor is anything submitted to this Web Site treated as confidential. The accuracy, completeness, adequacy or currency of the Content is not warranted or guaranteed. Your use of Content on this Web Site or materials linked from this Web Site is at your own risk.
4. Intellectual Property Rights.
4.1 Except as expressly provided in these Terms of Use, nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring on you or any third party any license or right, by implication, estoppel or otherwise, under any law (whether common law or statutory law), rule or regulation including, without limitation those related to copyright or other intellectual property rights. You agree that the Content and Web Site are protected by copyrights, trademarks, service marks, patents or other proprietary rights and laws. For further information see Copyright. RELX Group and the RE symbol are trademarks of Reed Elsevier Properties SA, used under license.
4.2 You grant to Provider an irrevocable, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license to use, authorize use of and have used on its behalf any ideas, expression of ideas, text, graphics, messages, links, data, information and other materials you submit (collectively, "Postings") to this Web Site. Said license is without restrictions of any kind and without any payment due from Provider to you or permission or notification, to you or any third party. The license includes, the right to make, use, sell, reproduce, publish, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works from, combine with other works, translate, distribute -, display, perform and sublicense Postings- in any form, medium, or technology now known or hereafter developed.
4.3. You certify and warrant that the Postings: (i) are your original works or that the owner of such works has expressly granted to Provider a perpetual worldwide royalty-free irrevocable, non-exclusive license for said works with all of the rights granted by you in section 4.2 of these Terms of Use and (ii) do not violate and will not violate the rights of any third party including any right of publicity, right of privacy , copyright, patent or other intellectual property right or any proprietary right.
4.4. You acknowledge and agree that your submitting Postings to this Web Site does not create any new or alter any existing relationship between you and Provider.
4.5. By submitting Postings to this Web Site, you acknowledge and agree that Provider may create on its own ideas that may be, or may obtain submissions that may be, similar or identical to Postings you submit. You agree that you shall have no recourse against Provider for any alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation of any proprietary or other right in the Postings you provide to Provider.
4.6. Provider shall have the exclusive option to purchase from you and acquire all right, title and interest in any Postings containing patentable subject-matter that you submit to this Web Site. The option shall be exercisable by Provider from the date you submit such Posting until one year from that date. If Provider exercises its option under this section 4.6, you agree to accept payment in the amount of $1,000.00 USD or value in kind at Provider's discretion as full and sufficient consideration for such purchase, and you agree to execute, acknowledge and deliver any and all instruments required to transfer legal ownership of Postings to Provider. Such instruments include, but are not limited to, assignments and declarations executed by you.
5. Digital Millennium Copyright Act - Notification of Alleged Copyright Infringement. Provider has registered an agent with the United States Copyright Office in accordance with the terms of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (the "Act") and avails itself of the protections under the Act. Provider reserves the right to remove any Content that allegedly infringes another person's copyright. Provider will terminate, in appropriate circumstances, subscribers and account holders of Provider's system or network who are repeat infringers of another person's copyright. Notices to Provider regarding any alleged copyright infringement should be directed to the LexisNexis Chief Legal Officer via mail or courier at 9443 Springboro Pike, Miamisburg, Ohio 45342, via fax at 937-865-1211 or via email atlegalnotices@lexisnexis.com .
6. Linking to this Web Site. You may provide links to this Web Site, provided that (a) you do not remove or obscure, by framing or otherwise, any portion of this Web Site, including any advertisements, terms of use, copyright notice, and other notices on this Web Site, (b) you immediately deactivate and discontinue providing links to this Web Site if requested by Provider, and (c) Provider may deactivate any link(s) at its discretion.
7. No Solicitation. You shall not distribute on or through this Web Site any Postings containing any advertising, promotion, solicitation for goods, services or funds or solicitation for others to become members of any enterprise or organization without the express written permission of Provider. Notwithstanding the foregoing, in any interactive areas of this Web Site (the "Interactive Areas"), which includes, without limitation, any blogs, wikis, bulletin boards, discussion boards, chat rooms, email forums, and question and answer features, where appropriate you a) may list along with your name, address and email address, your own web site's URL and b) may recommend third party web sites, goods or services so long as you have no financial interest in and receive no direct or indirect benefit from such recommended web site, product or service or its recommendation. In no event may any person or entity solicit anyone with data retrieved from this Web Site.
8. Advertisers. This Web Site may contain advertising and sponsorship. Advertisers and sponsors are responsible for ensuring that material submitted for inclusion on this Web Site is accurate and complies with applicable laws. Provider will not be responsible for the illegality of or any error or inaccuracy in advertisers' or sponsors' materials or for the acts or omissions of advertisers and sponsors.
9. Registration. Certain sections of this Web Site require you to register. If registration is requested, you agree to provide accurate and complete registration information. It is your responsibility to inform Provider of any changes to that information. Each registration is for a single individual only, unless specifically designated otherwise on the registration page. Provider does not permit a) anyone other than you to use the sections requiring registration by using your name or password; or b) access through a single name being made available to multiple users on a network or otherwise. You are responsible for preventing such unauthorized use. If you believe there has been unauthorized use, you must notify Provider immediately by emailing legalnotices@lexisnexis.com .
10. Postings in interactive areas of this Web Site.
10.1. Postings to be Lawful. If you participate in Interactive Areas on this Web Site, you shall not post, publish, upload or distribute any Postings which are unlawful or abusive in any way, including, but not limited to, any Postings that are defamatory, libelous, pornographic, obscene, threatening, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, inclusive of hate speech, or would constitute or encourage a criminal offense, violate the rights of any party, or give rise to liability or violate any local, state, federal or international law, or the regulations of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, any rules of any securities exchange such as the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, or the NASDAQ, either intentionally or unintentionally. Provider may delete your Postings at any time for any reason without permission from you.
10.2. Postings to be in Your Name. Your Postings shall be accompanied by your real name and shall not be posted anonymously. Notwithstanding the previous sentence, if the applicable registration page for your participation in an Interactive Area allows you to create a screen name, you may select and use a screen name that is not your real name, provided that you use your real name when registering for participation in the Interactive Area. Participants in Interactive Areas shall not misrepresent their identity or their affiliation with any person or entity.
10.3. Postings shall not contain protected health information. You are strictly prohibited from submitting Postings that are considered protected health information under the Health Accountability and Portability Protection Act of 1996 (HIPAA) or the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act of 2009 (HITECH).
10.4. No Monitoring of Postings. Provider has no obligation to monitor or screen Postings and is not responsible for the content in such Postings or any content linked to or from such Postings. Provider however reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to monitor Interactive Areas, screen Postings, edit Postings, cause Postings not to be posted, published, uploaded or distributed, and remove Postings, at any time and for any reason or no reason.
10.5. Non-Commercial Use only of Interactive Areas. Any Interactive Area is provided solely for your personal use. Any unauthorized use of any Interactive Area of this Web Site, its Content, or Postings is expressly prohibited.
11. Errors and Corrections. Provider does not represent or warrant that this Web Site or the Content or Postings will be error-free, free of viruses or other harmful components, or that defects will be corrected or that it will always be accessible. Provider does not warrant or represent that the Content or Postings available on or through this Web Site will be correct, accurate, timely, or otherwise reliable. Provider may make improvements and/or changes to its features, functionality or Content or Postings at any time.
12. Third Party Content. Third party content (including, without limitation, Postings) may appear on this Web Site or may be accessible via links from this Web Site. Provider shall not be responsible for and assumes no liability for any infringement, mistakes, misstatements of law, defamation, slander, libel, omissions, falsehood, obscenity, pornography or profanity in the statements, opinions, representations or any other form of content contained in any third party content appearing on this Web Site. You understand that the information and opinions in the third party content is neither endorsed by nor does it reflect the belief or opinion of Provider. Further, information and opinions provided by employees and agents of Provider in Interactive Areas are not necessarily endorsed by Provider and do not necessarily represent the beliefs and opinions of Provider.
13. Attorney Ethics Notice. If you are an attorney participating in any aspect of this Web Site, including but not limited to Interactive Areas, you acknowledge that the Rules of Professional Conduct of the jurisdictions where you are licensed ("Rules") apply to all aspects of your participation and that you will abide by these Rules. These Rules include, but are not limited to, the rules relating to advertising, solicitation of clients, unauthorized practice of law, and misrepresentations of fact. Provider disclaims all responsibility for your compliance with these Rules. You further agree and acknowledge that when you participate in any Interactive Area on this Web Site, that you will not offer legal advice, but will only provide general information.
14. DISCLAIMER. THIS WEB SITE, THE INTERACTIVE AREAS, THE CONTENT, AND POSTINGS ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS, AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. PROVIDER EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. PROVIDER DISCLAIMS ALL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ANY LOSS, INJURY, CLAIM, LIABILITY, OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM, ARISING OUT OF OR ANY WAY RELATED TO (A) ANY ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS FROM THIS WEB SITE, THE INTERACTIVE AREAS, THE CONTENT, AND THE POSTINGS INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, TECHNICAL INACCURACIES AND TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS, (B) THIRD PARTY COMMUNICATIONS, (C) ANY THIRD PARTY WEB SITES OR CONTENT THEREIN DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY ACCESSED THROUGH LINKS IN THIS WEB SITE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY ERRORS IN OR OMISSIONS THEREFROM, (D) THE UNAVAILABILITY OF THIS WEB SITE, THE INTERACTIVE AREAS, THE CONTENT, THE POSTINGS, OR ANY PORTION THEREOF, (E) YOUR USE OF THIS WEB SITE, THE INTERACTIVE AREAS, THE CONTENT, OR THE POSTINGS, OR (F) YOUR USE OF ANY EQUIPMENT OR SOFTWARE IN CONNECTION WITH THIS WEB SITE, THE INTERACTIVE AREAS, THE CONTENT, OR THE POSTINGS.
15. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. PROVIDER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS, INJURY, CLAIM, LIABILITY, OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND RESULTING FROM YOUR USE OF THIS WEB SITE, THE CONTENT, THE POSTINGS, THE INTERACTIVE AREAS, ANY FACTS OR OPINIONS APPEARING ON OR THROUGH AN INTERACTIVE AREA, OR ANY THIRD PARTY COMMUNICATIONS. PROVIDER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ATTORNEYS' FEES) IN ANY WAY DUE TO, RESULTING FROM, OR ARISING IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THIS WEB SITE, THE INTERACTIVE AREAS, THE CONTENT, THE POSTINGS, OR ANY THIRD PARTY COMMUNICATIONS. TO THE EXTENT THE FOREGOING LIMITATION OF LIABILITY IS PROHIBITED OR FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE, PROVIDER'S SOLE OBLIGATION TO YOU FOR DAMAGES SHALL BE LIMITED TO $100.00.
16. Indemnification. You agree to indemnify, defend and hold Provider, its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, suppliers and any third party information providers to this Web Site harmless from and against all claims, losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees, resulting from any violation of these Terms of Use by you or arising from or related to any Postings uploaded or submitted by you.
17. Third Party Rights. The provisions of paragraphs 14 (Disclaimer), 15 (Limitation of Liability), and 16 (Indemnification) are for the benefit of Provider and its officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, suppliers, and any third party information providers to this Web Site. Each of these individuals or entities shall have the right to assert and enforce those provisions directly against you on its own behalf.
18. Unlawful Activity. Provider reserves the right to investigate complaints or reported violations of our Terms of Use and to take any action we deem appropriate including but not limited to reporting any suspected unlawful activity to law enforcement officials, regulators, or other third parties and disclosing any information necessary or appropriate to such persons or entities relating to user profiles, e-mail addresses, usage history, posted materials, IP addresses and traffic information.
19. Remedies for Violations. Provider reserves the right to seek all remedies available at law and in equity for violations of these Terms of Use, including but not limited to the right to block access from a particular internet address to this Web Site and any other Provider web sites and their features.
20. Governing Law and Jurisdiction. The Terms of Use are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York and any action arising out of or relating to these terms shall be filed only in state or federal courts located in New York and you hereby consent and submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts for the purpose of litigating any such action.
21. Additional Terms.
21.1. Privacy. Except with respect to Martindale-Hubbell Connected, your use of this Web Site is subject to Provider's Privacy Policy . With respect to Martindale-Hubbell Connected, your use of such Web Site is subject to this Privacy Policy .
21.2. Additional Terms for LexisNexis Services. Your use of the LexisNexis Online Services, case law, legal forms and other related legal materials ("LexisNexis Services") is also governed by the General Terms and Conditions for Use of the LexisNexis Services , and if applicable the LexisNexis Services Supplemental Terms for Specific Materials , (collectively the "LN Services Terms") which are provided during the registration process for these LexisNexis Services, all of which are incorporated by reference herein. Your completion of the LexisNexis Services registration process constitutes your acceptance of the LN Services Terms. If you do not agree with any LN Services Terms, you are not permitted to access the LexisNexis Services.
22. Severability of Provisions. These Terms of Use incorporate by reference any notices contained on this Web Site, the Privacy Policy and the LN Services Terms and constitute the entire agreement with respect to access to and use of this Web Site, the Interactive Areas, and the Content and Postings. If any provision of these Terms of Use is unlawful, void or unenforceable, or conflicts with the LN Services Terms then that provision shall be deemed severable from the remaining provisions and shall not affect their validity and enforceability. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in these Terms of Use, if you have a separate signed written agreement with a Provider that applies to your use of any of that Provider's Content, that agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and that Provider with respect to the affected Content subject thereto (the "Otherwise Covered Content"), and these Terms of Use shall be treated as having no force or effect with respect to the Otherwise Covered Content.
23. Modifications to Terms of Use. Provider reserves the right to change these Terms of Use at any time. Updated versions of the Terms of Use will appear on this Web Site and are effective immediately. You are responsible for regularly reviewing the Terms of Use. Continued use of this Web Site after any such changes constitutes your consent to such changes.