Welcome to Comment.net, a website provided by Fast Digital Signs, Inc. ("Comment.net", "we", "our", "us"). This page explains the terms by which you may use our online and/or mobile services and software provided on or in connection with Comment.net (collectively, "Comment.net"). By accessing or using Comment.net, or by clicking a button or checking a box or marked "I Agree" (or something similar), you signify that you have read, understood and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions (this "Agreement") and to the collection and use of your information as set forth in our Privacy Policy, whether or not you are a registered user of Comment.net. Comment.net reserves the right to modify these terms and will provide notice of these changes as described below. This Agreement applies to all visitors, users, and others who access Comment.net ("Users").
Please read this Agreement carefully to ensure that you understand each provision. This agreement contains a mandatory individual arbitration and class action/jury trial waiver provision that requires the use of arbitration on an individual basis to resolve disputes, rather than jury trials or class actions.
1. Comment.net
Comment.net allows Users to create, operate and maintain online comment webpage ("Users Pages") for our Users' online comment webpages.
2. Comment.net Service
2.1 Eligibility
This is a contract between you and Comment.net. You must read and agree to these terms before using Comment.net. If you do not agree, you may not use Comment.net. You may use Comment.net only if you can form a binding contract with Comment.net, and only in compliance with this Agreement and all applicable local, state, national, and international laws, rules and regulations. Any use or access to Comment.net by anyone under 13 is strictly prohibited and in violation of this Agreement. Comment.net is not available to any Users previously removed from Comment.net by Comment.net
2.2 Limited License
Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement, you are hereby granted a non-exclusive, limited, non-transferable, freely revocable license to use Comment.net as permitted by the features of Comment.net. Comment.net reverses all rights not expressly granted herein in Comment.net and the Comment.net Content (as defined below). Comment.net may terminate this license at any time for any reason or no reason.
2.3 Comment.net Accounts
Your account on Comment.net (your "Comment.net Account") gives you access to the services and functionality that we may establish and maintain from time to time and in our sole discretion. We may maintain different types of Comment.net Accounts for different types of Users. If you open a Comment.net Account on behalf of a company, organization, or other entity, then (i) "you" includes you and that entity, and (ii) you represent and warrant that you are an authorized representative of the entity with the authority to bind the entity to this Agreement, and that you agree to this Agreement on the entity's behalf. By connecting to Comment.net with a third-party service, you give us permission to access and use your information from that service as permitted by that service, and to store your log-in credentials for that service.
You may never use another User's Account without permission. When creating your Account, you must provide accurate and complete information, and you must keep this information up to date. You are solely responsible to the activity that occurs on your Account, and you must keep your Account password secure. We encourage you to use "strong" passwords (passwords that use a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols) with your account. You must notify us immediately of any breach of security or unauthorized use of your Account. Comment.net will not be liable for any losses caused by any unauthorized use of your Account.
By providing us your email address you consent to our using the email address to send you service-related notices, including any notices required by law, in lieu of communication by postal mail. With your consent, we may also use your email address to send you other messages, such as changes to features and special offers. If you do not want to receive such email messages, you may opt out by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Opting out may prevent you from receiving email messages regarding updates, improvements, or offers.
2.4 Administrator Accounts
The person who first completes the registration on behalf of any company, entity or organization ("Subscribing Organization") is the initial "administrator" for purposes of such Subscribing Organization's use of Comment.net, and exercises certain options to initially determine the level of access, privacy and security for Comment.net related to the Subscribing Organization ("Administrator Account"). For example, the Administrator will determine who can be a User of Comment.net under the organization associated with that Administrator and Subscribing Organization and the level of privileges that such Users will possess. Once initial registration has been completed, each Subscribing Organization will be able to register additional Administrators. Each Administrator may designate other Users as additional and/or successor Administrators; provided that, each Administrator is responsible for confirming that those person(s) accept such responsibility. Upon becoming an Administrator, each person will be deemed to agree to the obligation hereunder. In addition, any person designated as the billing contact in the billing record for a Subscribing Organization will be deemed to assume the rights and obligations of an Administrator. Administrative Accounts must comply in all respects with all the terms and conditions applicable to Comment.net Accounts.
2.5 Comment.net Rules
When using Comment.net, you agree not to: (a) upload or transmit pornographic, threatening, embarrassing, hateful, racially or ethnically insulting, libelous, or otherwise inappropriate content; (b) except where expressly permitted, use Comment.net to engage in spamming, "chain letters", "pyramid schemes", advertisement of illegal or controlled products or services, other other advertising or marketing activities that violate this Agreement, the Privacy Policy or any applicable laws, regulations or generally accepted advertising or marketing industry guidelines; (c) use Comment.net in any manner that infringes, violates or misappropriates any third party's intellectual property or proprietary rights; (d) use Comment.net in any manner that is misleading, deceptive or fraudulent or otherwise illegal or promotes illegal activities, including engaging in phishing or otherwise obtaining financial or other personal information in a misleading manner or for fraudulent or misleading purposes; (e) use Comment.net in any manner that is libelous or defamatory, or that is otherwise threatening, abusive, violent, harassing, malicious or harmful to any person or entity, or is invasive of another person's privacy; (f) use Comment.net that is harmful to minors in any way; (g) use Comment.net in any manner that is hateful or discriminatory based on race, color, gender, gender identity, religion, nationality, ethnic or national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or age or is otherwise objectionable, as reasonably determined by Comment.net; (h) use Comment.net in any manner that in our sole discretion could damage, disable, overburden, or impair it; (i) use Comment.net in any manner that constitutes or contains any form of advertising or solicitation to users who requested not to be contacted about other services, products or commercial interest; (j) attempt to gain unauthorized access to Comment.net, or any part of them, other Comment.net Accounts, computer systems or networks connected to Comment.net, or any part of them, through hacking, password mining or any other means or interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of Comment.net or any activities conducted on Comment.net's (k) modify Comment.net in any manner or form, or use modified versions of Comment.net, including but not limited to for the purpose of obtaining unauthorized access to Comment.net; (l) use any robot, spider, scraper, or other automated means to access Comment.net for any purpose without our express written permission, or bypass any measures we may use to prevent or restrict access to Comment.net; (m) impersonate another person or access another User's Comment.net Account without that User's permission or to violate any contractual or fiduciary relationships; (n) share Comment.net issued passwords with any third party or encourage any other User to do so; (o) modify, adapt, translate or create derivative works based upon Comment.net; (p) reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise attempt to discover the source code of Comment.net, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation; (q) rent, lease, loan, resell, sublicense, distribute or otherwise transfer Comment.net to any third party; provide time sharing or similar services for any third party; or use Comment.net for any purpose other than your own internal business use; (r) remove, disable, circumvent, damage or otherwise interfere with security-related features of Comment.net, features that prevent or restrict use or copying any content accessible through Comment.net, or features that enforce limitations on use of Comment.net; (s) access Comment.net if you are a direct competitor of Comment.net, except with Comment.net's prior written consent, or for any other competitive purposes; or (t) except as permitted by the features of Comment.net, collect or harvest any personally identifiable information, including account names, from Comment.net.
2.6 User Pages
In creating, operating and maintaining User pages as part of Comment.net, you represent and warrant that your User Pages are not directed, in whole or i part, to persons under the age of eighteen (18) years of age and that the creation, operation and maintenance of your User Page and your underlying service will be in compliance with local, state and federal laws, rules and regulations applicable to your use of the Service to provide content to and collect information from your end users and visitors, including, without limitation, by posting a privacy policy on your User Page that discloses your and any and all third-parties' collection and use of the information of any and all visitors, users and others who access your User Page as required by applicable law, and for making all required disclosures and obtaining all required consents, if necessary, from such end users and visitors with respect to your collection, use and disclosure of personal information, including through the use of cookies, web pixels or other similar technology.
2.7 Responsibilities for Calls and Messaging
To the extent applicable to your use of the Service, you shall at all times comply with the CAN SPAM Act of 2003, the Telephone Consumer Protection Ace (47 U.S.C. §227), the Do-Not-Call Implementation Act and the Do-Not-Call registry rules (http://www.donotcall.gov), the Telemarketing Sales Rule, 47 C.F.R. § 64.1200 et seq, and all other state or local laws, rules, regulations, and guidelines relating to calling or texting, including without limitation, rules, regulations and guidelines set forth by the Federal Trade Commissions and the Federal Communications Commission (collectively, the "Calling Laws"). You agree that, ..............
3. Customer Data
Some areas of Comment.net may allow Comment.net to collect information from tou current or potential customers, website visitors or end-users ( collectively, "Customer Data").
3.1 Use of Customer Data
By submitting or causing to be submitted Customer Data to Comment.net, you hereby grant, and represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to grant, all rights and licenses to the Customer Data required for Comment.net and its subcontractors and service providers to provide Comment.net. Comment.net shall have no right to sublicense or resell Customer Data, except however, that you agree that Comment.net may collect, and use data derived from Customer Data, which may include personally identifiable data and/or information collected from or about an individual but which does not identify the individual personally for purposes of operating, analyzing, improving, or marketing Comment.net and any related services. If Comment.net shares or publicly discloses information (e.g. in marketing materials, or in application development) that is derived from Customer Data, such data will be aggregated or anonymized to reasonably avoid identification of a specific individual. You further agree that Comment.net will have the right, both during and after the term of this Agreement, to use, store, transmit, distribute, modify, copy, display, sublicense, and create derivative works of th anonymized, aggregated data.
3.2 Your Responsibilities for Customer Data
In connection with Customer Data, you hereby represent, warrant and agree that: (a) you have obtained or will obtain Customer Data lawfully and/or have not engaged in material misrepresentation, deception or other fraudulent or improper means to cause the Customer Data to be collected by Comment.net; (b) the Customer Data does not and will not violate any applicable laws or anu person or entity's proprietary or intellectual property rights; (c) all Customer Data has and will be collected by you to do each of the foregoing; (d) you are solely responsible for ensuring compliance with all privacy laws in all jurisdictions that may apply to Customer Data; (e) Comment.net may exercise the rights in Customer Data granted hereunder without liability or cost to any third party; and (f) the Customer Data complies with the tems ot these Terms. For purposes of clarity, Comment.net takes no responsibility and assumes no liability for any Customer Data, and you will be solely responsible for its Customer Data and the consequences of colecting or sharing it hereunder. You may not submit, or cause to be submitted, any Customer data that includes a social security number, passport number, driver's license number, or similar identifier, credit card or debit card number, employment, financial or health information, or any other information which may be subject to specific data privacy abd security laws including, but not limited to, the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act (GLBA), Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) or the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), or which could give rise to notification obligations under breach notification laws, without Comment.net's prior written approval.
3.3 Securty Incidents
In the event that Customer Data is disclosed to or accessed by unauthorized party, Comment.net will promptly notify you and use reasonabl efforts to cooperate with your investigation of the incident. In the event we have a reasonable, good faith belief that an unauthorized party has accessed Customer Data, we will promptly notify you and use reasonable efforts to cooperate with your investigation of the incident. If such incident triggers any third-party notice requirements, you (not Comment.net) shall be solely responsible for the timing, content, cost and method of any such notice and compliance with applicable laws. You (not Comment.net) bears sole responsibility for adequate security, protection and backup of Customer Data when in your or your representatives' or agents' permission or control. We are not responsible, and you are fully responsible, for what your authorized Users do with Customer Data.
3.4 No Responsibility for Backups
Comment.net will not be responsible for any backup, recovery or other steps required to ensure that Customer Data is recoverable in the case of data loss. You are solely responsible for backing up your Customer Data on a regular basis, and taking appropriate steps to safeguard and ensure the integrity of your Customer Data.
3.5 Rights to Customer Data
You own all right, title and interest (including all Intellectual Property Rights) in and to Customer Data.
4. Our Proprietary Rights
Except for your User Content, Estiamte.net and all materials therein, or transferred thereby, including, without limitation, software, images, text, graphics, illustrations, logos, patents, trademarks, service marks, copyrights, photographs, audios, videos, music, and User Content belonging to other Users (the "Comment.net Content"), and all Intellectual Property Rights related thereto, are the exclusive property of Comment.net and its licensors (including other Users who post User Content to Comment.net). Ecept as explicitly provided herein, nothing in this Agreement shall be deemed to create a license in or under such Intellectual Property Rights, and you agree not to sell, license, rent, modify, distribute, copy, reproduce, transmit, publicly display, pubblicly perform, publish, adapt, edit or create derivative works from any Comment.net Content. Use of the Comment.net Content for any purpose not expressly permitted by this Agreement is strictly prohibited.
You may choose to or we may invite you to submit comments or ideas about Comment.net, including without limitation about how to improve Comment.net or our products ("Ideas"). By submitting any Idea, you agree that your disclosure is gratuitousm unsolicited and without restriction and will not place Comment.net under any fiduciary or other obligation, and that we are free to use the Idea without any additional compensation to you, and/or to disclose the Idea on a non-confidential basis or otherwise to anyone. You further acknowledge that, by acceptance of your submission, Comment.net does not waive any rights to use similar or related ideas previously known to Comment.net, or developed by its employessm or obtained from sources other than you.
5. Subscription; Fees and Payment
5.1 Fees
We will charge you fees ("Fees") for your use of Comment.net. You agree to pay any and all Fees specified in an ordering document or online order for your access and use of Comment.net ("Ordering Document"). For the most current information about our pricing and payment, please review out Pricing and Payment Terms, which are incorporated by reference herein. Comment.net may add new services for additional fees and charges and add or amend fees and charges for existing services, at any time in its sole discretion. If we add or amend our Fees, we will update our Pricing and Payment Terms. Any change in our Pricing and Payment Terms shall become effective in the billing cycle following notice of such change to you as provided in this Agreement; provided however that if we have offered a specific duration and Fees for your use of Comment.net, we agree that the Fees will remain in force for that duration.
5.2 Continuous Subscription Services: Automatic Billing and Policies
Unless otherwise provided on Ordering Document any purchase and use of Comment.net are on an automatically renewing subscription basis. YOUR Comment.net SUBSCRIPTION WILL AUTOMATICALLY RENEW AT THE END OF YOUR SUBSCRIPTION TERM IDENTIFIED IN YOUR ORDERING DOCUMENT FOR SUBSEQUENT TERMS EQUAL IN LENGTH TO THE INITIAL SUBSCRIPTION TERM (EACH A "SUBSCRIPTION TERM") UNLESS AND UNTIL YOU CANCEL YOUR Comment.net SUBSCRIPTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CANCELLATION PROCEDURED IDENTIFIED IN SECTION 6.3 OF THIS AGREEMENT. When you purchase Comment.net, you expressly acknowledge and agree that: (1) Comment.net is authorized to charge you at the beginning of each Subscription Term the Fees identified in an Ordering Document, any applicable taxes, and any other charges you may incur in connection with your use of Comment.net, for as long as your subscription continues; and (2) your subscription is contiuous until you cancel it or Comment.net is suspended, discontinued or terminated in accordance with this Agreement. You acknoldge and agree that the amount billed may vary due to promotional offers, changes in your subscriptio plan, changes in applicable taxes, and changes in Fees in accordance with Sections 6.1 and 6.3 and you authorize us to charge your payment method fr the changed amounts.
5.3 Cancellation; Refunds
You may cancel your Comment.net Account or the Comment.net Service at any time. To cance your Comment.net Account ir the Comment.net Service, you must notify us at least three (3) days before the start of the next Subscription Term using the appropriate functionalities of Comment.net or by contacting us at support@comment.net. There will be no refunds or credits for partial months of service or for periods in which your Subscription remains unused. For renewal purposes, if adequate notice is not received and your credit card is subsequently charged, you will not receive a refund. In the event that Comment.net suspends or terminates your account or this Agreement, you understand and agree that you shall receive no refund or exchange for any Comment.net Property, any unused time on a subscription, any license or subscription fees for any portion of the Service, any content or data associated with your account, or for anything else.
5.4 Payment Information; Taxes
We or our third-party payment processors will charge your Fees and any other charges you may incur to the payment method you provide when you register for a Comment.net Account or you identify in an Ordering Document. All information that you provide in connection with a purchase or transaction or other monetary transaction interaction with Comment.net must be accurate, complete, and current. You may change your payment method by changing the information in your Comment.net Account. You agree to pay all charges incurred by users of your credit card, debit card, or other payment method used in connection with a purchase or transaction or other monetary transaction interaction with Comment.net at the prices in effect when such charges are incurred. If we are unsuccessful in charging your payment method and have still not received payment within seven (7) days after informing you, we may (without liability to you) suspend or temporarily disable all or part of your access to Comment.net and we shall be under no obligation to provide any or all of Comment.net while the Fees concerned remain unpaid. This does not affect any other rights and remedies available to us. You will pay any and all applicable taxes, if any, relating to any such payments of Fees, purchases, transactions or other monetary transactions.
6. Privacy
We care about the privacy of our Users. You understand that by using Comment.net you consent to the collection, use and disclosure of your personally identifiable information and aggregate and/or anonymized data as set forth in our Privacy Policy, and to have your personally identifiable information collected, used, transferred to and processed in the United States. IF YOU CREATE OR USE YOUR OWN PRIVACY POLICY OR STATEMENT FOR YOUR BUSINESS IN CONNECTION WITH THE USE OF Comment.net, YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE TO INCLUDE IN SUCH PRIVACY POLICY OR STATEMENT, A DISCLOSURE WITH RESPECT TO OUR COLLECTION, USE AND DISCLOSURE OF PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION OF YOUR CUSTOMERS DISCLOSED TO US THAT IS CONSISTENT AND IN ACCORDANCE WITH OUR PRIVACY POLICY, INCLUDING WITH RESPECT TO THE POTENTIAL DISCLOSURE OF SUCH INFORMATION TO THIRD PARTIES.
7. Security
Comment.net uses commercially reasonable physical, managerial, and technical safeguards to preserve the integrity and security of your personal information and implement your privacy settings. However, we cannot guarantee that unauthorized third parties will never be able to defeat our security measures or use your personal information for improper purposes. You acknowledge that you provide your personal information at your own risk.
8. DMCA Notice
Since we respect artist and content owner rights, it is Comment.net's policy to respond to alleged infringement notices that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA").
If you believe that your copyrighted work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement and is accessible via Comment.net, please notify Comment.net's copyright agent as set forth in the DMCA. For your complaint to be valid under the DMCA, you must provide the following information in writing:
8.1 An electronic or physical signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner;
8.2 Identification of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed;
8.3 Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing and where it is located on Comment.net;
8.4 Information reasonably sufficient to permit Comment.net to contact you, such as your address, telephone number, and, e-mail address;
8.5 A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or law; and>
8.6 A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information is accurate, and that you are the copyright owner or are authorized to act on behalf of the owner.
The above information must be submitted to the following DMCA Agent:
Attn: Comment.net DMCA Notice
Address: Crown Valley Parkway, Suite F-288, Laguna Niguel, CA 92563
Email: legal@comment.net
Under federal law, if you knowingly misrepresent that online material is infringing, you may be subject to criminal prosecution for perjury and civil penalties, including monetary damages, court costs, and attorneys' fees.
Please note that this procedure is exclusively for notifying Comment.net and its affiliates that your copyrighted material has been infringed. The preceding requirements are intended to comply with Comment.net's rights and obligations under the DMCA, including 17 U.S.C. §512(c), but do not constitute legal advice. It may be advisable to contact an attorney regarding your rights and obligations under the DMCA and other applicable laws.
In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, Comment.net has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances, Users who are deemed to be repeat infringers. Comment.net may also at its sole discretion limit access to Comment.net and/or terminate the Comment.net Accounts of any Users who infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.
9. Indemnity
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Comment.net and its subsidiaries, agents, licensors, managers, and other affiliated companies, and their employees, contractors, agents, officers and directors, from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney's fees) arising from: (a) your use of and access to Comment.net, including any data or content transmitted or received by you; (b) your violation of any term of this Agreement, including without limitation your breach of any of the representations and warranties above; (c) your violation of any third-party right, including without limitation any right of privacy or Intellectual Property Rights; (d) your violation of any applicable law, rule or regulation; (e) User Content or any content that is submitted via your Comment.net Account including without limitation misleading, false, or inaccurate information; (f) your willful misconduct; or (g) any other party's access and use of Comment.net with your unique username, password or other appropriate security code.
10. No Warranty
Comment.net is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. Use of Comment.net is at your own risk. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Comment.net is provided without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement. No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you from Comment.net or through Comment.net will create any warranty not expressly stated herein. Without limiting the foregoing, Comment.net, its subsidiaries, its affiliates, and its licensors do not warrant that the content is accurate, reliable or correct; that Comment.net will meet your requirements; that Comment.net will be available at any particular time or location, uninterrupted or secure; that any defects or errors will be corrected; or that Comment.net is free of viruses or other harmful components. Any content downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of Comment.net is downloaded at your own risk and you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or mobile device or loss of data that results from such download or your use of Comment.net.
Further, Comment.net does not warrant, endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for any product or service advertised or offered by a third party through Comment.net or any hyperlinked website or service, and Comment.net will not be a party to or in any way monitor any transaction between you and third-party providers of products or services.
Federal law, some states, provinces and other jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion and limitations of certain implied warranties, so the above exclusions may not apply to you. This Agreement gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. The disclaimers and exclusions under this Agreement will not apply to the extent prohibited by applicable law.
11. Limitation of Liability
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Comment.net, its affiliates, agents, directors, employees, suppliers or licensors be liable for any indirect, punitive, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, including without limitation damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data or other intangible losses, arising out of or relating to the use of, or inability to use, Comment.net. Under no circumstances will Comment.net be responsible for any damage, loss or injury resulting from hacking, tampering or other unauthorized access or use of Comment.net or your account or the information contained therein.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Comment.net assumes no liability or responsibility for any (i) errors, mistakes, or inaccuracies of content; (ii) personal injury or property damage, of any nature whatsoever, resulting from your access to or use of our service; (iii) any unauthorized access to or use of our secure servers and/or any and all personal information stored therein; (iv) any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from Comment.net; (v) any bugs, viruses, Trojan horses, or the like that may be transmitted to or through our service by any third party; (vi) any errors or omissions in any content or for any loss or damage incurred as a result of the use of any content posted, emailed, transmitted, or otherwise made available through Comment.net; and/or (vii) User Content or the defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of any third party. In no event shall Comment.net, its affiliates, agents, directors, employees, suppliers, or licensors be liable to you for any claims, proceedings, liabilities, obligations, damages, losses or costs in an amount exceeding the amount you paid to Comment.net hereunder or $100.00, whichever is greater.
This limitation of liability section applies whether the alleged liability is based on contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or any other basis, even if Comment.net has been advised of the possibility of such damage.
Some states do not allow the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages, so the above limitations or exclusions may not apply to you. This Agreement gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state. The disclaimers, exclusions, and limitations of liability under this Agreement will not apply to the extent prohibited by applicable law.
12. Governing Law, Arbitration, and Class Action/Jury Trial Waiver
12.1 Governing Law
You agree that: (i) Comment.net shall be deemed solely based in Minnesota; and (ii) Comment.net shall be deemed a passive service that does not give rise to personal jurisdiction over us, either specific or general, in jurisdictions other than Minnesota. This Agreement shall be governed by the internal substantive laws of the State of Minnesota, without respect to its conflict of laws principles. The parties acknowledge that this Agreement evidences a transaction involving interstate commerce. Notwithstanding the preceding sentences with respect to the substantive law, any arbitration conducted pursuant to the terms of this Agreement shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (9 U.S.C. §§ 1-16). The application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is expressly excluded. You agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located in Minneapolis, Minnesota for any actions for which we retain the right to seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation or violation of a our copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, patents, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights, as set forth in the Arbitration provision below, including any provisional relief required to prevent irreparable harm. You agree that Minneapolis, Minnesota is the proper forum for any appeals of an arbitration award or for trial court proceedings in the event that the arbitration provision below is found to be unenforceable.
12.2 Arbitration
Read this section carefully because it requires the parties to arbitrate their disputes and limits the manner in which you can seek relief from Comment.net. For any dispute with Comment.net, you agree to first contact us at legal@comment.net and attempt to resolve the dispute with us informally. In the unlikely event that Comment.net has not been able to resolve a dispute it has with you after sixty (60) days, we each agree to resolve any claim, dispute, or controversy (excluding any claims for injunctive or other equitable relief as provided below) arising out of or in connection with or relating to this Agreement, or the breach or alleged breach thereof (collectively, "Claims"), by binding arbitration by JAMS, under the Optional Expedited Arbitration Procedures then in effect for JAMS, except as provided herein. JAMS may be contacted at www.jamsadr.com. The arbitration will be conducted in Minneapolis, Minnesota, unless you and Comment.net agree otherwise. If you are using Comment.net for commercial purposes, each party will be responsible for paying any JAMS filing, administrative and arbitrator fees in accordance with JAMS rules, and the award rendered by the arbitrator shall include costs of arbitration, reasonable attorneys' fees and reasonable costs for expert and other witnesses. If you are an individual using Comment.net for non-commercial purposes: (i) JAMS may require you to pay a fee for the initiation of your case, unless you apply for and successfully obtain a fee waiver from JAMS; (ii) the award rendered by the arbitrator may include your costs of arbitration, your reasonable attorney's fees, and your reasonable costs for expert and other witnesses; and (iii) you may sue in a small claims court of competent jurisdiction without first engaging in arbitration, but this does not absolve you of your commitment to engage in the informal dispute resolution process. Any judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing in this Section shall be deemed as preventing Comment.net from seeking injunctive or other equitable relief from the courts as necessary to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation, or violation of our data security, Intellectual Property Rights or other proprietary rights.
12.3 Class Action/Jury Trial Waiver
With respect to all persons and entities, regardless of whether they have obtained or used Comment.net for personal, commercial or other purposes, all Claims must be brought in the parties' individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class action, collective action, private attorney general action or other representative proceeding. This waiver applies to class arbitration, and, unless we agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's Claims. You agree that, by entering into this Agreement, you and Comment.net are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate in a class action, collective action, private attorney general action, or other representative proceeding of any kind.
12.4 Limitation on Claims
You and Comment.net agree that any cause of action arising out of or related to Comment.net and/or your use thereof must commence must commence within one (1) year after the cause of action accrues. Otherwise, such cause of action is permanently barred.
13. General
13.1 Assignment
This Agreement, and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not be transferred or assigned by you, but may be assigned by Comment.net without restriction. Any attempted transfer or assignment in violation hereof shall be null and void.
13.2 Notification Procedures and Changes to the Agreement
Comment.net may provide notifications, whether such notifications are required by law or are for marketing or other business related purposes, to you via email notice, written or hard copy notice, or through posting of such notice on our website, as determined by Comment.net in our sole discretion. Comment.net reserves the right to determine the form and means of providing notifications to our Users, provided that you may opt out of certain means of notification as described in this Agreement. Comment.net is not responsible for any automatic filtering you or your network provider may apply to email notifications we send to the email address you provide us. Comment.net may, in its sole discretion, modify or update this Agreement from time to time, and so you should review this page periodically. When we change the Agreement in a material manner, we will update the ‘last modified' date at the top of this page and notify you that material changes have been made to the Agreement. Your continued use of Comment.net after any such change constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms of Comment.net. If you do not agree to any of these terms or any future Terms of Comment.net, do not use or access (or continue to access) Comment.net.
13.3 No Waiver
No waiver of any term of this Agreement shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or any other term, and Comment.net's failure to assert any right or provision under this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
13.4 Contact
Please contact us at legal@comment.net with any questions regarding this Agreement.
13.5 Disclosures; California Residents
The provider of services is Comment.net (US), Inc. If you are a California resident, in accordance with Cal. Civ. Code §1789.3, you may report complaints to the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Comment.net of the California Department of Consumer Affairs by contacting them in writing at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N 112 Sacramento, CA 95834, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210 or (916) 445-1254.
13.6 Entire Agreement/Severability
This Agreement, together with any amendments and any additional agreements you may enter into with Comment.net in connection with Comment.net, shall constitute the entire agreement between you and Comment.net concerning Comment.net. If any provision of this Agreement is deemed invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of this Agreement, which shall remain in full force and effect, except that in the event of unenforceability of the universal Class Action/Jury Trial Waiver, the entire arbitration agreement shall be unenforceable.
