Terms of Use

Last Updated: 10/30/20

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your use of the websites and services (collectively, the “Sites”) operated by The Connected Commerce Council. These Terms represent a binding contract between you and The Connected Commerce Council. Unless otherwise indicated, The Connected Commerce Council shall be referred to throughout these Terms as “3C,” “we,” “us” or “our.” By accessing the Sites, you expressly agree to be bound by them. If you do not agree to be bound by the terms and conditions of these Terms, you may not use the Sites.

Certain areas, features, or functionality of the Sites may be subject to different or additional terms, rules, guidelines or policies (“Additional Rules”), and we may provide such Additional Rules to you via postings, pop-up notices, links, or other means at the time that you access or use the relevant area, feature or functionality. From time to time, such Additional Rules may conflict with these Terms. In the event of such a conflict, the Additional Rules will govern.

IMPORTANT NOTICE: PLEASE NOTE THE ARBITRATION PROVISION SET FORTH BELOW, WHICH, EXCEPT WHERE AND TO THE EXTENT PROHIBITED BY LAW, REQUIRES YOU TO ARBITRATE ANY CLAIMS YOU HAVE AGAINST 3C ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. ARBITRATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS MEANS THAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE, AND YOU WAIVE, THE RIGHT FOR A JUDGE OR JURY TO DECIDE YOUR CLAIMS, AND THAT YOU MAY NOT PROCEED IN A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY.

Disclaimer: The information and services provided through the Sites do not constitute tax, legal, accounting, financial, or other similar professional advice. The content of the Sites is intended for general informational purposes only. The Sites are not intended to be relied upon and are not a substitute for qualified professional advice based on any individual circumstances. We are not liable or responsible for any consequence of your having read or relied upon any content presented on or available through the Sites, as you acknowledge that you assume full responsibility for your decisions and actions.

1. Registration, Account Creation, and Passwords

To access certain portions of the Sites, you must be registered, which requires the creation of an online account. Maintaining your account also requires compliance with our Code of Conduct. If you are registering and creating an account on behalf of a company of which you are an employee, you agree that you are authorized to do so. You agree to provide truthful and accurate information during the account creation process. You agree to maintain the accuracy of any data you submit.

You are responsible for preserving the confidentiality of your password and will notify us of any known or suspected unauthorized use of your account. You agree that you are responsible for all acts or omissions that occur on your account while your password is being used.

We have the right to suspend or cancel your account if we believe you have violated these Terms. If we suspend or cancel access to your account, you may be prevented from accessing the Sites (temporarily or permanently), your account details and/or any files or other website content contained in or accessible through your account, all of which may be deleted by us. Such suspension or cancellation of your account will mean that you may lose access to all content submitted by you.

2. User Conduct

By using the Sites, you agree to not use the Sites in any manner that:

• Is designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of, any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment (including by means of software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs);
• Interferes with or disrupts the Sites, services connected to the Sites, or otherwise interferes with operations or services of the Sites in any way;
• Infringes any copyright, trademark, trade secret, patent or other right of any party, or defames or invades the publicity rights or the privacy of any person, living or deceased (or impersonates any such person);
• Consists of any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, “junk mail,” “spam,” “chain letters,” “pyramid schemes,” or any other form of solicitation;
• Causes 3C to lose (in whole or in part) the services of our Internet service providers or other suppliers;
• Links to content, directly or indirectly, to which you do not have a right to link;
• Is false, misleading, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invasive or another’s privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable, as determined by 3C in its sole discretion;
• Fraudulent facilitation of political contributions;
• Copies, modifies, creates a derivative work of, reverse engineers, decompiles or otherwise attempts to extract the source code of the software underlying the Sites or any portion thereof;
• Violates, or encourages anyone to violate these Terms, any ancillary terms and conditions listed on the Sites, or the Privacy Policy; or
• Violates, or encourages to violate, any applicable local, state, national, or international law, regulation, or order.

3C shall have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor, evaluate, and analyze any use of and access to the Sites for any reason, including to determine compliance with these Terms.

3. Linking

We welcome links to Sites. You are usually free to establish a hypertext link to any of the Sites so long as the link does not create a false implication of sponsorship or endorsement of your site by any of the Sites or by 3C.

4. No Framing

Without the prior written permission of 3C, you may not frame, make it appear that a third-party website is presenting or endorsing, any of the content of the Sites, or incorporate any intellectual property of the Sites or 3C into another website or other service.

5. Age Limitation

You must be above the age of majority in your jurisdiction to use the Sites. If you are not above the age of majority in your jurisdiction, you are prohibited from using the Sites.

6. Copyright and Trademark Ownership

The Sites and their content, features and functionality, including, without limitation, information, text, graphics, logos, images, audio clips, video clips, data compilations and the design, selection and arrangement thereof (collectively, the “3C Content”), are the exclusive property of 3C, our licensors or other content suppliers, and are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, patent and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws, and may not be used or exploited in any way without our prior written consent. You may download information from the Sites and print out a hard copy provided that you keep intact and do not remove or alter any copyright or other notice (e.g., trademark, patent, etc.) contained in the information. Except as otherwise expressly stated herein, you may not modify, copy, distribute, display, reproduce, sell, license, or create derivative works from any information or 3C Content, in whole or in part, including any text, images, audio, and video in any manner, without the prior written authorization of 3C or any applicable third party suppliers. Any unauthorized use of text or images may violate copyright laws, trademark laws, the laws of privacy and publicity, and applicable regulations and statutes. You agree to comply with reasonable written requests from us to help us protect our proprietary and intellectual property rights.

We are providing you with access to the Sites pursuant to a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-sub-licensable, non-transferable, revocable license. You can use the Sites for personal, non-commercial use, and subject to these Terms. This license is available to you as long as you are not barred from the Sites by applicable law, your account is not terminated by us or by you, and your right to use the Sites is not otherwise prohibited by us. If these Terms are not enforceable where you are located, you may not use the Sites. 3C reserves all right, title, and interest not expressly granted under this license to the fullest extent possible under applicable laws.

7. Your Intellectual Property Rights and License Grant

Some features on our Sites may allow you to post or submit content and materials for publication on the Sites (“Your Content”). You own any intellectual property rights to Your Content, but you grant 3C a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, unlimited, transferable, sub-licensable, nonexclusive license to use, reproduce, create derivative works from, modify, publish, edit, translate, distribute, perform and display (publicly or otherwise) Your Content in any media or medium, and in any form, format, or forum now known or hereafter developed.

3C will have the right, but not the obligation, in our sole discretion, to edit, move, delete, or refuse to make available any of Your Content made, submitted or posted through the Sites for any reason, including for violation of these Terms or in connection with account termination procedures addressed in Section 1. That being said, you are responsible for Your Content, and acknowledge that, once published, we cannot always remove it.

8. Links to External Websites

The Sites may contain links to other websites, including third-party advertisements located on the Sites. We are not responsible for the availability of these external websites nor do we necessarily endorse the activities, services, or products available or offered through such websites. Under no circumstances shall we be held responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any loss or damage caused or alleged to have been caused to a user in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, goods, or services available on such external websites or third-party advertisements.

9. Privacy

Please see our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy for information on our privacy practices, including how we collect, use and disclose personal information.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE LAWS OF CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF WARRANTIES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE BELOW EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER LAW, THE SITES AND THE CONTENT ON THE SITES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS.” 3C MAKES NO REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THE SITES OR THE CONTENT OR COMMUNICATIONS ON THE SITES, OR ANY WEBSITE OR OTHER CONTENT OR SERVICE THAT MAY BE ACCESSIBLE DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY THROUGH THE SITES, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. 3C DISCLAIMS IMPLIED WARRANTIES THAT THE SITES AND ALL SOFTWARE, CONTENT AND SERVICES, INFORMATION DISTRIBUTED THROUGH THE SITES ARE MERCHANTABLE, OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, ACCURATE, TIMELY, FIT FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NEED, OR NON-INFRINGING. NO ORAL OR WRITTEN INFORMATION OR ADVICE GIVEN BY 3C OR A REPRESENTATIVE SHALL CREATE A WARRANTY. FOR THE AVOIDANCE OF DOUBT, NOTHING IN THIS SECTION EXCLUDES OR LIMITS ANY WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS, OR GUARANTEES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.

3C DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE SITES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, OR THAT THEY ARE ERROR-FREE, RELIABLE, WITHOUT INTERRUPTION OR AVAILABLE AT ALL TIMES. 3C DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE SERVICES THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE SITES, INCLUDING ANY SUPPORT SERVICES, WILL BE EFFECTIVE, RELIABLE, AND ACCURATE OR MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS. 3C DOES NOT GUARANTEE THAT YOU WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS OR USE THE SITES (EITHER DIRECTLY OR THROUGH THIRD-PARTY NETWORKS) AT ALL TIMES OR LOCATIONS OF YOUR CHOOSING.

FURTHER, 3C DOES NOT ENDORSE AND MAKES NO WARRANTY REGARDING THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF ANY OPINION, INFORMATION, ADVICE OR STATEMENT ON THE SITES. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL 3C BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY YOUR RELIANCE ON INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH THE CONTENT ON THE SITES. IT IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY TO EVALUATE THE ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS OR USEFULNESS OF ANY INFORMATION, OPINION, ADVICE OR OTHER CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITES. PLEASE SEEK THE ADVICE OF PROFESSIONALS, AS APPROPRIATE, REGARDING THE EVALUATION OF ANY SPECIFIC INFORMATION, OPINION, ADVICE OR OTHER CONTENT ON THE SITES.

11. Limitation of Liability and Indemnification

THE LAWS OF CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY OR CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE BELOW LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER LAW, 3C WILL HAVE NO OBLIGATION OR LIABILITY (WHETHER ARISING IN CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, PRODUCT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE) FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LIABILITIES, INCLUDING DIRECT, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL (INCLUDING ANY LOSS OF DATA, REVENUE OR PROFIT OR DAMAGES ARISING FROM PERSONAL INJURY/WRONGFUL DEATH) ARISING WITH RESPECT TO YOUR USE OF THE SITES, EVEN IF 3C HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THIS LIMITATION APPLIES TO DAMAGES ARISING FROM (i) USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITES, (ii) COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS AND SERVICES, (iii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS BY THIRD PARTIES, (iv) THIRD PARTY CONTENT MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU THROUGH THE SITES, OR (v) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SITES.

WHEN USING THE SITES, INFORMATION WILL BE TRANSMITTED OVER A MEDIUM WHICH IS BEYOND THE CONTROL AND JURISDICTION OF 3C, ITS PARTNERS, AND SPONSORS OR ANY OTHER THIRD PARTY MENTIONED ON THE SITES. ACCORDINGLY, 3C ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR OR RELATING TO THE DELAY, FAILURE, INTERRUPTION, OR CORRUPTION OF ANY DATA OR OTHER INFORMATION TRANSMITTED IN CONNECTION WITH USE OF THE SITES.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

You agree to defend (at 3C’s option), indemnify, and hold 3C harmless from and against any and all liabilities, claims, damages, costs, and expenses, including attorneys’ fees and costs, arising from or relating in any way to Your Content, your access or use of the Sites and/or any conduct in connection with the Sites, your misuse of the Sites or any breach by you of these Terms. We reserve the right, at our expense, to assume exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you and, in any case, you agree to cooperate with us if and as requested by us in the defense and settlement of such matter.

12. Dispute Resolution and Agreement to Arbitrate

The laws of certain jurisdictions do not allow for mandatory arbitration. If these laws apply to you, some or all of the mandatory arbitration requirements below may not apply to you, and you may have additional rights.

Except where and to the extent prohibited by law, by using the Sites, you and 3C agree that, if there is any controversy, claim, action, or dispute arising out of or related to your use of the Sites or the breach, enforcement, interpretation, or validity of these Terms or any part of it, other than disputes relating to 3C’s intellectual property (“Dispute”), both parties shall first try in good faith to settle such Dispute by providing written notice to the other party describing the facts and circumstances of the Dispute and allowing the receiving party thirty days in which to respond to or settle the Dispute. Notice shall be sent to:

• The Connected Commerce Council at 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington D.C. 20036,

Both you and 3C agree that this dispute resolution procedure is a condition precedent that must be satisfied before initiating any litigation or filing any claim against the other party. IF ANY DISPUTE CANNOT BE RESOLVED BY THE ABOVE DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEDURE, YOU AGREE THAT THE SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE JURISDICTION FOR SUCH DISPUTE WILL BE DECIDED BY BINDING ARBITRATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS. ARBITRATION ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS MEANS THAT YOU WILL NOT HAVE, AND YOU WAIVE, THE RIGHT FOR A JUDGE OR JURY TO DECIDE YOUR CLAIMS, AND THAT YOU MAY NOT PROCEED IN A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, OR REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY. Other rights that you and we would otherwise have in court will not be available or will be more limited in arbitration, including discovery and appeal rights. All such disputes shall be exclusively submitted to JAMS (www.jamsadr.com) for binding arbitration under its rules then in effect, before one arbitrator to be mutually agreed upon by both parties.

The arbitrator, and not any federal, state, or local court or agency, shall have exclusive authority to resolve any dispute arising under or relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, or formation of these Terms, including any claim that all or any part of these Terms are void or voidable. The arbitrator will conduct hearings, if any, by teleconference or videoconference, rather than by personal appearances, unless the arbitrator determines upon request by you or by us that an in-person hearing is appropriate. Any in-person appearances will be held at a location which is reasonably convenient to both parties with due consideration of their ability to travel and other pertinent circumstances. If the parties are unable to agree on a location, such determination will be made by JAMS or by the arbitrator.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, you and 3C may exercise any rights under applicable law to bring an action before a court or tribunal, or to seek a legal remedy, to the extent that arbitration of such rights cannot be required by contract.

13. Choice of Law and Choice of Forum

Except as otherwise provided herein and subject to applicable law, these Terms have been made in and shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia, without giving effect to any conflict of law principles. Any disputes or claims not subject to the arbitration provision above shall be resolved by a court located in the District of Columbia and you agree and submit to the exercise of personal jurisdiction of such courts for the purpose of litigating any such claim or action.

14. Modification of these Terms and Termination

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we do so, we will update the “Last Updated” date above. You will be notified of any material changes to these Terms via a posting on the Sites and/or via email at the email address we have on file for you.

We retain the right to terminate these Terms with respect to any user which we, in our sole discretion, consider to be unacceptable, or in the event of a breach by you of these Terms. More generally, we may change, restrict access to, suspend or discontinue the Sites, or any portion of the Sites, at any time and at our sole discretion.

15. Miscellaneous

1. No waiver. Our failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive our right to act with respect to a subsequent or similar breach or breaches. If 3C does not exercise or enforce any legal right or remedy which is contained in these Terms (or which 3C has the benefit of under any applicable law or regulation), such action or inaction shall not be taken to be a formal waiver of 3C’s rights, and all such rights or remedies shall still be available to 3C.
2. Severability. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, in whole or in part, under any applicable law, such provision is to be read down, limited or severed for the purposes of that law, if possible, to the minimum extent necessary so as to be valid or enforceable. If such provision continues to be held invalid or unenforceable, the invalidity or unenforceability of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms, which shall remain in full force and effect.
3. Entire Agreement. These Terms and any Additional Rules set forth the entire understanding and agreement between us with respect to your use of the Sites and supersedes all prior agreements or communications.
4. Assignment. You may not assign, transfer, or sub-license any or all of your rights or obligations under these Terms without our express prior written consent. We may assign, transfer, or sub-license any or all of our rights or obligations under these Terms without restriction.
5. No Relationship. These Terms do not, and shall not be construed to, create any partnership, joint venture, employer-employee, agency, or franchisor-franchisee relationship between you and 3C.
6. Headings. The headings in these Terms are for convenience only and are not intended to affect or influence the interpretation of the Terms.

17. Contact Us

If you have any questions, comments or concerns about these Terms, please contact us at:

Connected Commerce Council

1701 Rhode Island Ave NW

Washington D.C. 20036

United States

Website: https://connectedcouncil.org

Email: info@connectedcouncil.org

Phone number: 202-769-3003