Terms of Service
Last Updated: March 25, 2025
PBWC Terms of Service
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in Professional BusinessWomen of California (“PBWC,” “we,” or “us”) and our website at www.pbwc.org, along with our related websites (collectively, the “Site”), any physical or virtual professional events we host (the “Events” and collectively with the Site and other services provided by us, the “Service”). These Terms of Service are a legally binding contract between you and PBWC regarding your use of the Service.
PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS CAREFULLY:
BY CLICKING “I ACCEPT,” OR OTHERWISE ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICE OR ATTENDING AN EVENT, YOU AGREE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTOOD, AND, AS A CONDITION TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, INCLUDING BY ATTENDING ANY EVENTS, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY, THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING PBWC’S PRIVACY POLICY AND ANY AND ALL ADDITIONAL TERMS (DEFINED BELOW) (TOGETHER, ALL OF THE FOREGOING, THESE “TERMS”). IF YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE, OR DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS, THEN YOU DO NOT HAVE OUR PERMISSION TO USE THE SERVICE. YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, AND PBWC’S PROVISION OF THE SERVICE TO YOU, CONSTITUTES AN AGREEMENT BY PBWC AND BY YOU TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS.
ARBITRATION NOTICE. Except for certain kinds of disputes described in Section 18, you agree that disputes arising under these Terms will be resolved by binding, individual arbitration, and BY ACCEPTING THESE TERMS, YOU AND PBWC ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY OR TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY CLASS ACTION OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.
1. PBWC Service Overview. PBWC provides career resources, skill development, and networking opportunities for professional businesswomen, including informational materials, job opportunities, and Events.
2. Eligibility. You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service. By agreeing to these Terms, you represent and warrant to us that: (a) you are at least 18 years old; (b) you have not previously been suspended or removed from the Service; and (c) your registration and your use of the Service is in compliance with any and all applicable laws and regulations. If you are an entity, organization, or company, the individual accepting these Terms on your behalf represents and warrants that they have authority to bind you to these Terms and you agree to be bound by these Terms.
3. General Payment Terms. Certain features of the Service, including features available only to members, may require you to pay fees, such as purchasing a ticket to an Event (either through us or through a third-party service), donating to us, or purchasing any products we may offer now or in the future. In order to pay such fees, you will be asked to supply certain information, including but not limited to credit card or other payment information. You agree to pay, using a PBWC-approved payment method, all charges incurred by you or any other user of your credit card or other payment mechanism issued to you, including, without limitation, any applicable taxes and shipping, handling, and processing charges, if any, relating to such purchases and transactions. Payment transactions may be processed by a third-party payment processor, such as Stripe, Inc. (“Stripe”), in which case, by making a payment through the Service, you agree to be bound by and subject to such payment processor’s terms of service and privacy policy (which, in the case of Stripe, are available at Stripe End User Terms of Service and Stripe Privacy Policy). We reserve the right to refuse to process or complete any transaction, and to cancel any transaction, in our sole discretion. Before you pay any fees, you will have an opportunity to review and accept the fees that you will be charged. All fees are in U.S. Dollars and are non-refundable unless otherwise specifically provided for in these Terms.
3.1 Price. PBWC reserves the right to determine pricing for the Service, including the Membership Fees (defined below). PBWC will make reasonable efforts to keep pricing information published on the Service up to date. We encourage you to check the Site periodically for current pricing information. PBWC may change or add fees for any feature of the Service, including additional fees or charges, if PBWC gives you advance notice of changes before they apply. PBWC, at its sole discretion, may make promotional offers with different features and different pricing to any of PBWC’s customers. These promotional offers, unless made to you, will not apply to your offer or these Terms.
3.2 Authorization. You authorize PBWC or any third-party payment processor we may use to charge all sums for the donations, Membership Fees, and orders that you make and any Events you attend as described in these Terms or published by PBWC, or any other fees due by you, including all applicable taxes, to the payment method you specified. If you pay any fees with a credit card, then PBWC may seek pre-authorization of your credit card account prior to your purchase to verify that the credit card is valid and has the necessary funds or credit available to cover your purchase.
3.3 Membership Payments. The Service may include certain subscription-based plans (“Memberships”). The “Subscription Billing Date” is the date when you purchase your first subscription to the Service. Your Membership will begin on the Subscription Billing Date and continue for one year unless you cancel your Membership or we terminate it. If you activate a Membership, then you authorize PBWC or its third-party payment processors to charge all accrued sums on or before the payment due date. For information on the “Membership Fees,” please see our Site. You may cancel your Membership by contacting us at info@pbwc.org. Memberships may come with specific benefits, which may include access to certain webinars, discounts on conference prices, and member-only communities. Please visit our Site for more information on applicable benefits. For avoidance of doubt, Memberships do not autorenew and you must sign-up for a Membership each year.
3.4 Delinquent Payments. We may suspend or terminate access to the Service, including any Event, for any user for which any amount is due but unpaid. In addition to the amount due for the Service, a delinquent account will be charged with fees or charges that are incidental to any chargeback or collection of any the unpaid amount, including collection fees.
4. Licenses
4.1 Limited License. Subject to your complete and ongoing compliance with these Terms, PBWC grants you, solely for your personal, non-commercial use, a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to access and use the Service.
4.2 License Restrictions. Except and solely to the extent such a restriction is impermissible under applicable law, you may not: (a) reproduce, distribute, publicly display, publicly perform, or create derivative works of the Service; (b) make modifications to the Service; (c) interfere with or circumvent any feature of the Service, including any security or access control mechanism; (d) exploit Materials from the Service for a commercial purpose; (e) infringe, misappropriate, or violate the intellectual property, proprietary, or privacy rights or any third party; (f) use the Service or any content obtained through the Service for any purpose or in any manner that is unlawful; (g) cause damage to PBWC’s business, reputation, employees, members, facilities, or to any other person or legal entity; or (h) download, save, or redistribute any material from our Site, except as expressly permitted by Section 4.1. If you are prohibited under applicable law from using the Service, then you may not use it. Any scraping, automated access, or other unauthorized access to, and storage of the Service or any content available on or through the Service may, in our sole discretion, result in immediate suspension or termination of your access to the Service. Use of the Service for any purpose other than what is described in this Section is prohibited.
4.3 Feedback. We respect and appreciate the thoughts and comments from our users. If you choose to provide input and suggestions regarding existing functionalities, problems with or proposed modifications or improvements to the Service, including by submitting surveys related to the Service or PBWC generally (“Feedback”), then you hereby grant PBWC an unrestricted, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, fully paid, royalty-free right and license to exploit the Feedback in any manner and for any purpose, including to improve the Service and create other products and services. We will have no obligation to provide you with attribution for any Feedback you provide to us.
5. Ownership; Proprietary Rights. The Service is owned and operated by PBWC. The visual interfaces, graphics, design, compilation, information, data, computer code (including source code or object code), products, software, services, and all other elements of the Service provided by PBWC (“Materials”) are protected by intellectual property and other laws. All Materials included in the Service are the property of PBWC or its third-party licensors. Except as expressly authorized by PBWC, you may not make use of the Materials. There are no implied licenses in these Terms and PBWC reserves all rights to the Materials not granted expressly in these Terms.
6. Third-Party Terms
6.1 Third-Party Services and Linked Websites. PBWC may provide tools through the Service that enable you to export information, including User Content, to third-party services, including through features that allow you to link the Service with an account on the third-party service or through our implementation of third-party buttons. By using one of these tools, you hereby authorize PBWC to transfer that information to the applicable third-party service. Third-party services are not under PBWC’s control, and, to the fullest extent permitted by law, PBWC is not responsible for any third-party service’s use of your exported information. The Service may also contain links to third-party websites. Linked websites are not under PBWC’s control, and PBWC is not responsible for their content. Please be sure to review the terms of use and privacy policy of any third-party services before you share any User Content or information with such third-party services. Once sharing occurs, PBWC will have no control over the information that has been shared.
6.2 Donations. PBWC may provide you with an opportunity to donate to PBWC on the Site through a third party. Should you choose to donate to PBWC through such third party, your donation is governed by such third party’s terms, conditions, and privacy policy.
6.3 Third-Party Software. The Service may include or incorporate third-party software components that are generally available free of charge under licenses granting recipients broad rights to copy, modify, and distribute those components (“Third-Party Components”). Although the Service is provided to you subject to these Terms, nothing in these Terms prevents, restricts, or is intended to prevent or restrict you from obtaining Third-Party Components under the applicable third-party licenses or to limit your use of Third-Party Components under those third-party licenses.
7. User Content
7.1 User Content Generally. Certain features of the Service may permit users to submit, upload, publish, broadcast, or otherwise transmit content to the Service or to submit such content to PBWC for inclusion as part of the Service (“Submit”), including messages, reviews, photos, video or audio (including sound or voice recordingsand musical recordings embodied in the video or audio), images, folders, data, text, and any other works of authorship or other works (“User Content”). You retain any copyright and other proprietary rights that you may hold in the User Content that you Submit to the Service, subject to the licenses granted in these Terms.
7.2 Limited License Grant to PBWC. By Submitting User Content to or via the Service, you grant PBWC a worldwide, non-exclusive, irrevocable, royalty-free, fully paid right and license (with the right to sublicense through multiple tiers) to host, store, transfer, publicly display, publicly perform (including by means of a digital audio transmission), communicate to the public, reproduce, modify for the purpose of formatting for display, create derivative works as authorized in these Terms, and distribute your User Content, in whole or in part, in any media formats and through any media channels, in each instance whether now known or hereafter developed. All of the rights you grant in these Terms are provided on a through-to-the-audience basis, meaning the owners or operators of external services will not have any separate liability to you or any other third party for User Content Submitted or otherwise used on external services via the Service. You agree to pay all monies owing to any person or entity resulting from Submitting your User Content and from PBWC’s exercise of the license set forth in this Section.
7.3 Specific Rules for Photographs and Images. If you Submit a photograph or image to the Service that includes one or more persons, you hereby grant such persons and their administrators, guardians, heirs, and trustees, if any, an irrevocable, perpetual, royalty free, fully paid-up, worldwide license to reproduce, distribute, and publicly display that photograph for personal use and through any online platform or service, including the Service, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, but not to promote any third-party product, good, or service. The license contained in this Section does not permit the subject of any photo or their administrators, guardians, heirs, or trustees to sell that image or photograph, whether on a standalone basis or as embodied in any product.
7.4 You Must Have Rights to the Content You Submit; User Content Representations and Warranties. You must not Submit User Content if you are not the owner of or are not fully authorized to grant rights in all of the elements of that User Content. PBWC disclaims any and all liability in connection with User Content. You are solely responsible for your User Content and the consequences of providing User Content via the Service. By providing User Content via the Service, you affirm, represent, and warrant to us that:
(a) you are the creator and owner of the User Content, or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to authorize PBWC and users of the Service to use and distribute your User Content as necessary to exercise the licenses granted by you in this Section, in the manner contemplated by PBWC, the Service, and these Terms;
(b) your User Content, and the Submitting or other use of your User Content as contemplated by these Terms, does not and will not: (i) infringe, violate, misappropriate, or otherwise breach any third-party right, including any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other intellectual property, contract, or proprietary right; (ii) slander, defame, libel, or invade the right of privacy, publicity or other property rights of any other person; or (iii) cause PBWC to violate any law or regulation or require us to obtain any further licenses from or pay any royalties, fees, compensation or other amounts or provide any attribution to any third parties; and
(c) your User Content could not be deemed by a reasonable person to be objectionable, profane, indecent, pornographic, harassing, threatening, embarrassing, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate.
7.5 User Content Disclaimer. We are under no obligation to edit or control User Content that you or other users Submit and will not be in any way responsible or liable for User Content. PBWC may, however, at any time and without prior notice, screen, remove, edit, or block any User Content that in our sole judgment violates these Terms, is alleged to violate the rights of third parties, or is otherwise objectionable. You understand that, when using the Service, you will be exposed to User Content from a variety of sources and acknowledge that User Content may be inaccurate, offensive, indecent, or objectionable. You agree to waive, and do waive, any legal or equitable right or remedy you have or may have against PBWC with respect to User Content. If notified by a user or content owner that User Content allegedly does not conform to these Terms, we may investigate the allegation and determine in our sole discretion whether to remove the User Content, which we reserve the right to do at any time and without notice. For clarity, PBWC does not permit infringing activities on the Service.
7.6 Monitoring Content. PBWC does not control and does not have any obligation to monitor: (a) User Content; (b) any content made available by third parties; or (c) the use of the Service by its users. You acknowledge and agree that PBWC reserves the right to, and may from time to time, monitor any and all information transmitted or received through the Service for operational and other purposes. If at any time PBWC chooses to monitor the content, then PBWC still assumes no responsibility or liability for content or any loss or damage incurred as a result of the use of content. During monitoring, information may be examined, recorded, copied, and used in accordance with our Privacy Policy (defined below). PBWC may block, filter, mute, remove or disable access to any User Content uploaded to or transmitted through the Service without any liability to the user who Submitted such User Content to the Service or to any other users of the Service.
8. Communications. We may send you emails concerning our products and services, as well as those of third parties. You may opt out of promotional emails by following the unsubscribe instructions in the promotional email itself.
9. Prohibited Conduct. BY USING THE SERVICE, YOU AGREE NOT TO:
9.1 use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law;
9.2 harass, threaten, demean, embarrass, bully, or otherwise harm any other user of the Service;
9.3 violate, encourage others to violate, or provide instructions on how to violate, any right of a third party, including by infringing or misappropriating any third-party intellectual property right;
9.4 access, search, or otherwise use any portion of the Service through the use of any engine, software, tool, agent, device, or mechanism (including spiders, robots, crawlers, and data mining tools) other than the software or search agents provided by PBWC;
9.5 interfere with security-related features of the Service, including by: (a) disabling or circumventing features that prevent or limit use, printing or copying of any content; or (b) reverse engineering or otherwise attempting to discover the source code of any portion of the Service except to the extent that the activity is expressly permitted by applicable law;
9.6 interfere with the operation of the Service or any user’s enjoyment of the Service, including by: (a) uploading or otherwise disseminating any virus, adware, spyware, worm, or other malicious code; (b) making any unsolicited offer or advertisement to another user of the Service; (c) collecting personal information about another user or third party without consent; or (d) interfering with or disrupting any network, equipment, or server connected to or used to provide the Service;
9.7 perform any fraudulent activity including impersonating any person or entity, claiming a false affiliation or identity, or falsifying your age or date of birth;
9.8 sell or otherwise transfer the access granted under these Terms or any Materials (as defined in Section 5) or any right or ability to view, access, or use any Materials; or
9.9 attempt to do any of the acts described in this Section 9 or assist or permit any person in engaging in any of the acts described in this Section 9.
10. Events
10.1 Third-Party Terms and Event Guidelines. PBWC organizes Events, including webinars, and may make them available to you as part of the Service. If you attend any Events hosted by PBWC, in addition to these Terms, you are bound by the terms set forth in any Event guidelines PBWC makes available to you, which are hereby incorporated by reference.
10.2 Appearance and Publicity Release. You understand that the Events may be filmed, recorded, or photographed for use in our social media, public relations/advertisements, and for other business purposes. By entering into these Terms and attending an Event, you hereby:
(a) consent to the Released Parties (defined below) filming, photographing and/or recording you, with or without any retouching or alteration, without restriction, by audio or visual recording technique, (the foregoing and any portions thereof, the “Recordings”) and using such Recordings, including your image, likeness, name voice, video, and other information (collectively, “Likeness”) incorporated in the Recordings, in social media, public relations/advertisements, and other business purposes and grant full permission to the Released Parties to store, use, reproduce, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, distribute, and otherwise exploit the Recordings (including, but not limited to, for resizing, color correction, or digital reformatting) in any media now known or later developed without your further consent or any further consideration;
(b) acknowledge and agree that you will not receive any payment from us in connection with such use and waive your right to any compensation related to such use;
(c) grant the Released Parties the unlimited right throughout the world in perpetuity to use the Recordings, including your Likeness incorporated therein, and waive your moral rights therein;
(d) waive any right to inspect or approve the use of the Recordings; and
(e) release and shall defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Released Parties from and against any claims, damages or liability arising from or related to the use of the Recordings, including but not limited to claims of defamation, invasion of privacy, or rights of publicity or copyright infringement, or any misuse, distortion, blurring, alteration, optical illusion or use in composite form that may occur or be produced in taking, processing or producing the finished product or its publication or distribution, or its publication or distribution. It is PBWC’s intention that any derivative works will continue to reflect accurately the character and spirit of PBWC and your participation in the Events.
10.3 Acknowledgement. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT PARTICIPATION IN AND ATTENDANCE AT THE EVENTS MAY INVOLVE CERTAIN RISKS WHICH COULD RESULT IN INJURY TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS, INCLUDING SERIOUS BODILY INJURY OR DEATH; WHETHER ARISING FROM YOUR OWN ACTIONS, THOSE OF OTHERS, FROM THE CONDITION OF THE FACILITIES OR PREMISES, OR ACTS OF NATURE. YOU ARE VOLUNTARILY PARTICIPATING IN AND ATTENDING THE EVENTS WITH KNOWLEDGE OF THE DANGERS INVOLVED AND AGREE TO ACCEPT ALL RISKS OF PARTICIPATION AND ATTENDANCE. YOU KNOWINGLY AND VOLUNTARILY ASSUME ALL SUCH RISKS, BOTH KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, EVEN IF ARISING FROM THE NEGLIGENCE OF THE RELEASED PARTIES AND ASSUME FULL RESPONSIBILITY FOR YOUR PARTICIPATION IN AND ATTENDANCE AT THE EVENTS. YOU AGREE TO ABIDE BY AND COMPLY WITH ANY POSTED RULES RELATING TO ANY OF THE EVENTS, INCLUDING THESE TERMS. YOU AGREE TO USE THE UTMOST CAUTION AND CARE TO AVOID INJURY OR DAMAGE TO YOURSELF AND OTHERS. YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT PRIOR TO PARTICIPATING IN AND ATTENDANCE AT THE EVENTS, YOU WILL INSPECT THE EVENT LOCATION AND FACILITIES AND EQUIPMENT TO BE USED, AND IF YOU BELIEVE ANYTHING IS UNSAFE, YOU WILL IMMEDIATELY CEASE TO PARTICIPATE AND WILL INFORM THE RELEASED PARTIES.
11. Intellectual Property Rights Protection
11.1 Respect of Third-Party Rights. PBWC respects the intellectual property rights of others, takes the protection of intellectual property rights very seriously, and asks users of the Service to do the same. Infringing activity will not be tolerated on or through the Service.
11.2 DMCA Notification. We comply with the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act applicable to Internet service providers (17 U.S.C. § 512, as amended). If you have an intellectual property rights-related complaint about any material on the Service, you may contact our designated agent at the following address (“Designated Agent”):
Professional BusinessWomen of California
Attn: Legal Department (IP Notification)
2261 Market #1600, San Francisco, CA, 94114-1600
Email: info@pbwc.org
11.3 Procedure for Reporting Claimed Infringement. If you believe that any content made available on or through the Service has been used or exploited in a manner that infringes an intellectual property right you own or control, then please promptly send a written “Notification of Claimed Infringement” to the Designated Agent identified above containing the following information:
(a) an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright or other right being infringed;
(b) a description of the copyrighted work or other intellectual property right that you claim has been infringed;
(c) a description of the material that you claim is infringing and where it is located on the Service;
(d) your address, telephone number, and email address;
(e) a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the use of the materials on the Service of which you are complaining is not authorized by the copyright or other intellectual property right owner, its agent, or the law; and
(f) a statement by you that the above information in your notice is accurate and that, under penalty of perjury, you are the copyright or other intellectual property right owner or authorized to act on the copyright or intellectual property owner’s behalf.
Your Notification of Claimed Infringement may be shared by PBWC with the user alleged to have infringed a right you own or control as well as with the operators of publicly available databases that track notifications of claimed infringement, and you consent to PBWC making such disclosures. You should consult with your own lawyer or see 17 U.S.C. § 512 to confirm your obligations to provide a valid notice of claimed infringement.
11.4 Repeat Infringers. PBWC’s policy is to: (a) remove or disable access to material that PBWC believes in good faith, upon notice from an intellectual property rights owner or authorized agent, is infringing the intellectual property rights of a third party by being made available through the Service; and (b) in appropriate circumstances, to terminate the accounts of and block access to the Service by any user who repeatedly or egregiously infringes other people’s copyright or other intellectual property rights. PBWC will terminate the accounts of users that are determined by PBWC to be repeat infringers. PBWC reserves the right, however, to suspend or terminate accounts of users in our sole discretion.
11.5 Counter Notification. If you receive a notification from PBWC that material made available by you on or through the Service has been the subject of a Notification of Claimed Infringement, then you will have the right to provide PBWC with what is called a “Counter Notification.” To be effective, a Counter Notification must be in writing, provided to PBWC’s Designated Agent through one of the methods identified in Section 11.2(DMCA Notification), and include substantially the following information:
(a) your physical or electronic signature;
(b) identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or access to it was disabled;
(c) a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled; and
(d) your name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of Federal District Court for the judicial district in which the address is located, or if you are residing outside of the United States, then for any judicial district in which PBWC may be found, and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided notification under Section 11.2 (DMCA Notification) above or an agent of that person.
A party submitting a Counter Notification should consult a lawyer or see 17 U.S.C. § 512 to confirm the party’s obligations to provide a valid counter notification under the Copyright Act.
11.6 Reposting of Content Subject to a Counter Notification. If you submit a Counter Notification to PBWC in response to a Notification of Claimed Infringement, then PBWC will promptly provide the person who provided the Notification of Claimed Infringement with a copy of your Counter Notification and inform that person that PBWC will replace the removed User Content or cease disabling access to it in 10 business days, and PBWC will replace the removed User Content and cease disabling access to it not less than 10, nor more than 14, business days following receipt of the Counter Notification, unless PBWC’s Designated Agent receives notice from the party that submitted the Notification of Claimed Infringement that such person has filed an action seeking a court order to restrain the user from engaging in infringing activity relating to the material on PBWC’s system or network.
12. False Notifications of Claimed Infringement or Counter Notifications. The Copyright Act provides at 17 U.S.C. § 512(f) that: “[a]ny person who knowingly materially misrepresents under [Section 512 of the Copyright Act (17 U.S.C. § 512)] (1) that material or activity is infringing, or (2) that material or activity was removed or disabled by mistake or misidentification, will be liable for any damages, including costs and attorneys’ fees, incurred by the alleged infringer, by any copyright owner or copyright owner’s authorized licensee, or by a service provider, who is injured by such misrepresentation, as the result of PBWC relying upon such misrepresentation in removing or disabling access to the material or activity claimed to be infringing, or in replacing the removed material or ceasing to disable access to it.” PBWC reserves the right to seek damages from any party that submits a Notification of Claimed Infringement or Counter Notification in violation of the law.
13. Modification of Terms. We may, from time to time, change these Terms. Please check these Terms periodically for changes. Revisions will be effective immediately except that, for existing users, material revisions will be effective 30 days after posting or notice to you of the revisions unless otherwise stated. We may require that you accept modified Terms in order to continue to use the Service. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, then you should discontinue your use of the Service. Except as expressly permitted in this Section 13, these Termsmay be amended only by a written agreement signed by authorized representatives of the parties to these Terms.
14. Term, Termination, and Modification of the Service
14.1 Term. These Terms are effective beginning when you accept the Terms or first access or use the Service, and ending when terminated as described in Section 14.2.
14.2 Termination. If you violate any provision of these Terms, then your authorization to access the Service and these Terms automatically terminate. In addition, PBWC may, at its sole discretion, terminate these Terms, or suspend or terminate your access to the Service, at any time for any reason or no reason, with or without notice, and without any liability to you arising from such termination. You may terminate these Terms at any time by contacting customer service at info@pbwc.org; .
14.3 Effect of Termination. Upon termination of these Terms: (a) your license rights will terminate and you must immediately cease all use of the Service; (b) you will no longer be authorized to access the Service; (c) you must pay PBWC or any third-party provider any unpaid amount that was due prior to termination; and (d) all payment obligations accrued prior to termination and Sections 4.3 (Feedback), 5 (Ownership), 13(Modification of Terms), 14.3 (Effect of Termination), 15 (Release, Waiver, and Indemnity), 16(Disclaimers; No Warranties by PBWC), 17 (Limitation of Liability), 18 (Dispute Resolution and Arbitration), and 19 (Miscellaneous) will survive. You are solely responsible for retaining copies of any User Content you Submit to the Service because upon termination of your access, you may lose access rights to any User Content you Submitted. If your access has been terminated for a breach of these Terms, then you are prohibited from taking action to circumvent such termination, including attending any future Events.
14.4 Modification of the Service. PBWC reserves the right to modify or discontinue all or any portion of the Service at any time (including by limiting or discontinuing certain features of the Service), temporarily or permanently, without notice to you. PBWC will have no liability for any change to the Service, including any paid-for functionalities of the Service, or any suspension or termination of your access to or use of the Service. You should retain copies of any User Content you Submit that you have permanent copies in the event the Service is modified in such a way that you lose access to User Content you Submitted.
15. Release, Waiver, and Indemnity.
15.1 Release and Waiver of Liability. In return for your access to the Service, including attendance at the Events, you, for yourself, and on behalf of your family, estate, heirs, executors, trustees, personal representatives, successors and assigns, to the maximum extent permitted by law, hereby release PBWC, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, agents, representatives, employees, contractors, sponsors, licensees, successors and assigns (collectively, the “Released Parties”), for, from and against any and all present and future liabilities, obligations, damages, losses, claims, actions, suits, procedures, demands, costs or expenses (collectively, “Claims”) for personal injury, wrongful death, or property damage or loss (whether to yourself or your property, or to any persons or property under your care, custody or control), arising as a result of, or relating to, your use of the Service, our use of any Recordings or Likeness as permitted herein, participation in the Events, and use of the Event premises, facilities, or equipment, including as a result of the ordinary negligence or fault of any of the Released Parties (collectively, the “Released Claims”). You acknowledge that you have read and understand Section 1542 of the California Civil Code or any similar law of any other jurisdiction, which says, in substance:
A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS THAT THE CREDITOR OR RELEASING PARTY DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE AND THAT, IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER, WOULD HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR OR RELEASED PARTY.
You hereby expressly waive and relinquish all rights and benefits under that section and any law of any jurisdiction of similar effect with respect to your release of any claims you may have against PBWC.
15.2 Covenant Not to Sue. You, for yourself, and on behalf of your family, estate, heirs, executors, trustees, personal representatives, successors and assigns, to the maximum extent permitted by law, hereby covenant not to sue the Released Parties for any of the Released Claims.
15.3 Indemnity. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you are responsible for your use of the Service and participation in the Events, and you will defend and indemnify PBWC, its affiliates and their respective shareholders, directors, managers, members, officers, employees, consultants, service providers, and agents (together, the “PBWC Entities”) from and against every claim brought by a third party, and any related liability, damage, loss, and expense, including attorneys’ fees and costs, arising out of or connected with: (1) your unauthorized use of, or misuse of, the Service; (2) your involvement in the Events, or use of the Event premises, facilities, or equipment, whether or not related to the Events, including without limitation, any Released Claims; (3) your violation of any portion of these Terms, any representation, warranty, or agreement referenced in these Terms, or any applicable law or regulation; (4) your violation of any third-party right, including any intellectual property right or publicity, confidentiality, other property, or privacy right; or (5) any dispute or issue between you and any third party. We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you (without limiting your indemnification obligations with respect to that matter), and in that case, you agree to cooperate with our defense of those claims.
16. Disclaimers; No Warranties by PBWC
16.1 THE SERVICE AND ALL MATERIALS AND CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ON AN “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. PBWC DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, RELATING TO THE SERVICE AND ALL MATERIALS AND CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE, INCLUDING: (A) ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT; AND (B) ANY WARRANTY ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE. PBWC DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE OR ANY PORTION OF THE SERVICE, OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT OFFERED THROUGH THE SERVICE, WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR FREE OF ERRORS, VIRUSES, OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, AND PBWC DOES NOT WARRANT THAT ANY OF THOSE ISSUES WILL BE CORRECTED.
16.2 NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM THE SERVICE OR PBWC ENTITIES OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY REGARDING ANY OF THE PBWC ENTITIES OR THE SERVICE THAT IS NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS. WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY RESULT FROM THE SERVICE AND YOUR DEALING WITH ANY OTHER SERVICE USER. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU USE ANY PORTION OF THE SERVICE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND THAT WE ARE NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY (INCLUDING YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR MOBILE DEVICE USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE) OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, INCLUDING USER CONTENT.
16.3 THE LIMITATIONS, EXCLUSIONS AND DISCLAIMERS IN THIS SECTION 16 APPLY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. PBWC does not disclaim any warranty or other right that PBWC is prohibited from disclaiming under applicable law.
17. Limitation of Liability
17.1 TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE PBWC ENTITIES BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, OR ANY OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF, OR YOUR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE, THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT ON THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT ANY PBWC ENTITY HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE.
17.2 EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTIONS 18.5 AND 18.7 AND TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THE PBWC ENTITIES TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE USE OF OR ANY INABILITY TO USE ANY PORTION OF THE SERVICE OR OTHERWISE UNDER THESE TERMS, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, IS LIMITED TO THE LESSER OF: (A) THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO PBWC FOR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICE IN THE 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE EVENT OR CIRCUMSTANCE GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM AND (B) US$100.
17.3 EACH PROVISION OF THESE TERMS THAT PROVIDES FOR A LIMITATION OF LIABILITY, DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES, OR EXCLUSION OF DAMAGES IS INTENDED TO AND DOES ALLOCATE THE RISKS BETWEEN THE PARTIES UNDER THESE TERMS. THIS ALLOCATION IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF THE BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN THE PARTIES. EACH OF THESE PROVISIONS IS SEVERABLE AND INDEPENDENT OF ALL OTHER PROVISIONS OF THESE TERMS. THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS SECTION 17 WILL APPLY EVEN IF ANY LIMITED REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.
18. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration
18.1 Generally. Except as described in Section 18.2 and 18.3, you and PBWC agree that every dispute arising in connection with these Terms, the Service, or communications from us will be resolved through binding arbitration. Arbitration uses a neutral arbitrator instead of a judge or jury, is less formal than a court proceeding, may allow for more limited discovery than in court, and is subject to very limited review by courts. This agreement to arbitrate disputes includes all claims whether based in contract, tort, statute, fraud, misrepresentation, or any other legal theory, and regardless of whether a claim arises during or after the termination of these Terms. Any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, or enforceability of this binding arbitration agreement will be resolved by the arbitrator.
YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, BY ENTERING INTO THESE TERMS, YOU AND PBWC ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY OR TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION.
18.2 Exceptions. Although we are agreeing to arbitrate most disputes between us, nothing in these Terms will be deemed to waive, preclude, or otherwise limit the right of either party to: (a) bring an individual action in small claims court; (b) pursue an enforcement action through the applicable federal, state, or local agency if that action is available; (c) seek injunctive relief in a court of law in aid of arbitration; or (d) to file suit in a court of law to address an intellectual property infringement claim.
18.3 Opt-Out. If you do not wish to resolve disputes by binding arbitration, you may opt out of the provisions of this Section 18 within 30 days after the date that you agree to these Terms by sending a letter to Professional BusinessWomen of California, Attention: Legal Department – Arbitration Opt-Out, 2261 Market #1600, San Francisco, CA, 94114-1600 that specifies: your full legal name, the email address associated with your use of the Service, and a statement that you wish to opt out of arbitration (“Opt-Out Notice”). Once PBWC receives your Opt-Out Notice, this Section 18 will be void and any action arising out of these Terms will be resolved as set forth in Section 19.2. The remaining provisions of these Terms will not be affected by your Opt-Out Notice.
18.4 Arbitrator. This arbitration agreement, and any arbitration between us, is subject the Federal Arbitration Act and will be administered by the JAMS under the rules applicable to consumer disputes (collectively, “JAMS Rules”) as modified by these Terms. The JAMS Rules and filing forms are available online at www.jamsadr.org, by calling the JAMS at +1-800-352-5267 or by contacting PBWC.
18.5 Commencing Arbitration. Before initiating arbitration, a party must first send a written notice of the dispute to the other party by certified U.S. Mail or by Federal Express (signature required) or, only if that other party has not provided a current physical address, then by electronic mail (“Notice of Arbitration”). PBWC’s address for Notice is: Professional BusinessWomen of California, 2261 Market #1600, San Francisco, CA, 94114-1600. The Notice of Arbitration must: (a) identify the name or account number of the party making the claim; (b) describe the nature and basis of the claim or dispute; and (c) set forth the specific relief sought (“Demand”). The parties will make good faith efforts to resolve the claim directly, but if the parties do not reach an agreement to do so within 30 days after the Notice of Arbitration is received, you or PBWC may commence an arbitration proceeding. If you commence arbitration in accordance with these Terms, PBWC will reimburse you for your payment of the filing fee, unless your claim is for more than US$10,000 or if PBWC has received 25 or more similar demands for arbitration, in which case the payment of any fees will be decided by the JAMS Rules. If the arbitrator finds that either the substance of the claim or the relief sought in the Demand is frivolous or brought for an improper purpose (as measured by the standards set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b)), then the payment of all fees will be governed by the JAMS Rules and the other party may seek reimbursement for any fees paid to JAMS.
18.6 Arbitration Proceedings. Any arbitration hearing will take place in the county and state of your residence unless we agree otherwise or, if the claim is for US$10,000 or less (and does not seek injunctive relief), you may choose whether the arbitration will be conducted: (a) solely on the basis of documents submitted to the arbitrator; (b) through a telephonic or video hearing; or (c) by an in-person hearing as established by the JAMS Rules in the county (or parish) of your residence. During the arbitration, the amount of any settlement offer made by you or PBWC must not be disclosed to the arbitrator until after the arbitrator makes a final decision and award, if any. Regardless of the manner in which the arbitration is conducted, the arbitrator must issue a reasoned written decision sufficient to explain the essential findings and conclusions on which the decision and award, if any, are based.
18.7 Arbitration Relief. Except as provided in Section 18.8, the arbitrator can award any relief that would be available if the claims had been brough in a court of competent jurisdiction. If the arbitrator awards you an amount higher than the last written settlement amount offered by PBWC before an arbitrator was selected, PBWC will pay to you the higher of: (a) the amount awarded by the arbitrator and (b) US$10,000. The arbitrator’s award shall be final and binding on all parties, except (1) for judicial review expressly permitted by law or (2) if the arbitrator’s award includes an award of injunctive relief against a party, in which case that party shall have the right to seek judicial review of the injunctive relief in a court of competent jurisdiction that shall not be bound by the arbitrator’s application or conclusions of law. Judgment on the award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.
18.8 No Class Actions. YOU AND PBWC AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. Further, unless both you and PBWC agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding.
18.9 Modifications to this Arbitration Provision. If PBWC makes any substantive change to this arbitration provision, you may reject the change by sending us written notice within 30 days of the change to PBWC’s address for Notice of Arbitration, in which case your access to the Service will be immediately terminated and this arbitration provision, as in effect immediately prior to the changes you rejected will survive.
18.10 Enforceability. If Section 18.8 or the entirety of this Section 18 is found to be unenforceable, or if PBWC receives an Opt-Out Notice from you, then the entirety of this Section 18 will be null and void and, in that case, the exclusive jurisdiction and venue described in Section 19.2 will govern any action arising out of or related to these Terms.
19. Miscellaneous
19.1 General Terms. These Terms, including the Privacy Policy and any other agreements expressly incorporated by reference into these Terms, are the entire and exclusive understanding and agreement between you and PBWC regarding your use of the Service. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under these Terms, in whole or in part, by operation of law or otherwise, without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms and all rights granted under these Terms, including with respect to your User Content, at any time without notice or consent. The failure to require performance of any provision will not affect our right to require performance at any other time after that, nor will a waiver by us of any breach or default of these Terms, or any provision of these Terms, be a waiver of any subsequent breach or default or a waiver of the provision itself. Use of Section headers in these Terms is for convenience only and will not have any impact on the interpretation of any provision. Throughout these Terms the use of the word “including” means “including but not limited to.” If any part of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, then the unenforceable part will be given effect to the greatest extent possible, and the remaining parts will remain in full force and effect.
19.2 Governing Law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to conflict of law principles. You and PBWC submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the state courts and federal courts located within Santa Clara County, California for resolution of any lawsuit or court proceeding permitted under these Terms. We operate the Service from our offices in California, and we make no representation that Materials included in the Service are appropriate or available for use in other locations.
19.3 Privacy Policy. Please read PBWC’s Privacy Policy (the “Privacy Policy”) carefully for information relating to our collection, use, storage, and disclosure of your personal information. The Privacy Policy is incorporated by this reference into, and made a part of, these Terms.
19.4 Additional Terms. Your use of the Service is subject to all additional terms, policies, rules, or guidelines applicable to the Service or certain features of the Service that we may post on or link to from the Service (the “Additional Terms”). All Additional Terms are incorporated by this reference into, and made a part of, these Terms.
19.5 Consent to Electronic Communications. By using the Service, you consent to receiving certain electronic communications from us as further described in our Privacy Policy. Please read our Privacy Policy to learn more about our electronic communications practices. You agree that any notices, agreements, disclosures, or other communications that we send to you electronically will satisfy any legal communication requirements, including that those communications be in writing.
19.6 Contact Information. The Service is offered by PBWC, located at 2261 Market #1600, San Francisco, CA, 94114-1600. You may contact us by sending correspondence to that address or by emailing us at info@pbwc.org.
19.7 Notice to California Residents. If you are a California resident, then under California Civil Code Section 1789.3, you may contact the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs in writing at 1625 N. Market Blvd., Suite N 112, Sacramento, California 95834, or by telephone at +1-800-952-5210 in order to resolve a complaint regarding the Service or to receive further information regarding use of the Service.
19.8 No Support. We are under no obligation to provide support for the Service. In instances where we may offer support, the support will be subject to published policies.
19.9 International Use. The Service is intended for visitors located within the United States. We make no representation that the Service is appropriate or available for use outside of the United States. Access to the Service from countries or territories or by individuals where such access is illegal is prohibited.