Expat Shield Terms of Service

Last Modified: December 14, 2009

Introduction; Your Agreement to these Terms of Service.

Welcome to the Expat Shield, Inc. ("Expat Shield") web site and online services (the "Expat Shield Site"). The following Terms of Service for the Expat Shield Site is a legal contract between You, either an individual subscriber, customer, member, or user of at least 13 years of age ("You" or, collectively, "Users"), and Expat Shield regarding your use of the Expat Shield Site.

The services hereunder are offered by Expat Shield, Inc., located at: located at: 260 Santa Ana, Sunnyvale CA 94085.

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THE FOLLOWING TERMS OF SERVICE. BY ACCESSING, BROWSING, OR USING THE EXPAT SHIELD SITE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING ANY ADDITIONAL GUIDELINES AND FUTURE MODIFICATIONS (COLLECTIVELY, THE "TERMS").

1. Eligibility. the Expat Shield Site IS not available to persons under the age of 13 or to any Users previously suspended or removed from the Expat Shield Site OR NETWORK by Expat Shield. By accessing, browsing or otherwise using the Expat Shield Site, You represent that You are at least 13 years of age and have not been previously suspended or removed from the Expat Shield Site by Expat Shield.

2. Privacy Notice. Your privacy is important to Expat Shield. Expat Shield's Privacy Notice is hereby incorporated into these Terms by reference. Please read this notice carefully for information relating to Expat Shield's collection, use, and disclosure of your personal information.

3. Individual Features and Services. When using the Expat Shield Site, You will be subject to any additional posted guidelines or rules applicable to specific services and features which may be posted from time to time (the "Guidelines"). All such Guidelines are hereby incorporated by reference into these Terms.

4. Modification of these Terms. Expat Shield reserves the right, at our discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of these Terms at any time. Please check these Terms and any Guidelines periodically for changes. Your continued use of the Expat Shield Site after the posting of changes constitutes your binding acceptance of such changes. For any material changes to these Terms, such amended terms will automatically be effective thirty days after they are initially posted on the Expat Shield Site.

5. Digital Millennium Copyright Act. It is Expat Shield's policy to respond to notices of alleged copyright infringement that comply with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. For more information, please go to Expat Shield's DMCA Notification Guidelines.

6. Prohibited Conduct.

BY USING THE EXPAT SHIELD SITE YOU AGREE NOT TO:

6.1 use the Expat Shield Site for any purposes other than to disseminate or receive original or appropriately licensed content and/or to access the Expat Shield Site as such services are offered by Expat Shield;

6.2 rent, lease, loan, sell, resell, sublicense, distribute or otherwise transfer the licenses granted herein or any Materials (as defined in section 9, below);

6.3 post, upload, or distribute any defamatory, libelous, or inaccurate Hotspots or User Submissions or other content;

6.4 post, upload, or distribute any content that is unlawful or that a reasonable person could deem to be objectionable, offensive, indecent, pornographic, harassing, threatening, embarrassing, distressing, vulgar, hateful, racially or ethnically offensive, or otherwise inappropriate;

6.5 impersonate any person or entity, falsely claim an affiliation with any person or entity, forge another persons' digital signature, misrepresent the source, identity, or content of information transmitted via the Expat Shield Site, or perform any other similar fraudulent activity;

6.6 delete the copyright or other proprietary rights on the Expat Shield Site;

6.7 make unsolicited offers, advertisements, proposals, or send junk mail or spam to other Users of the Expat Shield Site. This includes, but is not limited to, unsolicited advertising, promotional materials, or other solicitation material, bulk mailing of commercial advertising, chain mail, informational announcements, charity requests, and petitions for signatures;

6.8 use the Expat Shield Site for any illegal purpose, or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law, including, without limitation, laws governing intellectual property and other proprietary rights, and data protection and privacy;

6.9 defame, harass, abuse, threaten or defraud Users of the Expat Shield Site, or collect, or attempt to collect, personal information about Users or third parties without their consent, or use the Expat Shield Site for any commercial use, it being understood that the Expat Shield Site is for personal, non-commercial use only;

6.10 use the Expat Shield Site if You are under the age of 13 years old;

6.11 remove, circumvent, disable, damage or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Expat Shield Site, features that prevent or restrict use or copying of any content accessible through the Expat Shield Site, or features that enforce limitations on the use of the Expat Shield Site;

6.12 reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise attempt to discover the source code of the Expat Shield Site or any part thereof, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation;

6.13 modify, adapt, translate or create derivative works based upon the Expat Shield Site or any part thereof, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation; or

6.14 intentionally interfere with or damage operation of the Expat Shield Site or any user's enjoyment of them, by any means, including uploading or otherwise disseminating viruses, adware, spyware, worms, or other malicious code.

7. Third-Party Sites, Products and Services; Links The Expat Shield Site may include links or references to other web sites or services solely as a convenience to Users ("Reference Sites"). Expat Shield does not endorse any such Reference Sites or the information, materials, products, or services contained on or accessible through Reference Sites. In addition, your correspondence or business dealings with, or participation in promotions of, advertisers found on or through the Expat Shield Site are solely between You and such advertiser. Access and use of Reference Sites, including the information, materials, products, and services on or available through Reference Sites is solely at your own risk.

8. Termination; Terms of Service Violations. .

8.1 Expat Shield. You agree that Expat Shield, in its sole discretion, for any or no reason, and without penalty, may terminate your use of the Expat Shield Site and remove and discard all or any part of your User profile, at any time. Expat Shield may also in its sole discretion and at any time discontinue providing access to the Expat Shield Site, or any part thereof, with or without notice. You agree that any termination of your access to the Expat Shield Site or portion thereof may be effected without prior notice, and You agree that Expat Shield will not be liable to You or any third party for any such termination. Any suspected fraudulent, abusive or illegal activity may be referred to appropriate law enforcement authorities. These remedies are in addition to any other remedies Expat Shield may have at law or in equity. As discussed in these Terms, Expat Shield does not permit copyright infringing activities on the Expat Shield Site, and will terminate access to the Expat Shield Site, and remove all User Submissions or other content submitted by any Users who are found to be repeat infringers.

8.2 You. Your only remedy with respect to any dissatisfaction with (i) the Expat Shield Site, (ii) any term of this Terms of Service, (iii) any policy or practice of Expat Shield in operating the Expat Shield Site, or (iv) any content or information transmitted through the Expat Shield Site, is to terminate this Terms of Service. You may terminate this Terms of Service at any time by discontinuing use of any and all parts of the Expat Shield Site.

9. Ownership; Proprietary Rights. The Expat Shield Site is owned and operated by Expat Shield. The visual interfaces, graphics, design, compilation, information, computer code (including source code or object code), products, software, services, and all other elements of the Expat Shield Site provided by Expat Shield (the "Materials") are protected by United States copyright, trade dress, patent, and trademark laws, international conventions, and all other relevant intellectual property and proprietary rights, and applicable laws. All Materials contained on the Expat Shield Site are the property of Expat Shield or its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and/or third-party licensors. All trademarks, service marks, and trade names are proprietary to Expat Shield or its affiliates and/or third-party licensors. Except as expressly authorized by Expat Shield, You agree not to sell, license, distribute, copy, modify, publicly perform or display, transmit, publish, edit, adapt, create derivative works from, or otherwise make unauthorized use of the Materials. Expat Shield reserves all rights not expressly granted in this Terms of Service.

10. Indemnification. You agree to indemnify, save, and hold Expat Shield, its affiliated companies, contractors, employees, agents and its third-party suppliers, licensors, and partners harmless from any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, including legal fees and expenses, arising out of your use or misuse of the Expat Shield Site, any violation by You of these Terms, or any breach of the representations, warranties, and covenants made by You herein. Expat Shield reserves the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which You are required to indemnify Expat Shield, and You agree to cooperate with Expat Shield's defense of these claims. Expat Shield will use reasonable efforts to notify You of any such claim, action, or proceeding upon becoming aware of it.

11. Disclaimers; No Warranties.

11.1 No Warranties. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, EXPAT SHIELD, AND ITS AFFILIATES, PARTNERS, AND SUPPLIERS DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, STATUTORY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF PROPRIETARY RIGHTS. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM EXPAT SHIELD OR THROUGH THE EXPAT SHIELD SITE WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY STATED HEREIN. YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT AS USED IN THIS SECTION 11 THE TERM EXPAT SHIELD INCLUDES EXPAT SHIELD'S OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, SHAREHOLDERS, AGENTS, LICENSORS AND SUBCONTRACTORS.

11.2 "As is" and "As available"and "With All Faults". YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT USE OF THE EXPAT SHIELD SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE EXPAT SHIELD SITE AND ANY DATA, INFORMATION, THIRD-PARTY SOFTWARE, REFERENCE SITES, SERVICES, OR APPLICATIONS MADE AVAILABLE IN CONJUNCTION WITH OR THROUGH THE EXPAT SHIELD SITE ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE", "WITH ALL FAULTS" BASIS AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.

11.3 Content. EXPAT SHIELD, ITS SUPPLIERS, LICENSORS, AFFILIATES, AND PARTNERS DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE DATA, FUNCTIONS, OR ANY OTHER INFORMATION OFFERED ON OR THROUGH THE EXPAT SHIELD SITES OR ANY REFERENCE SITES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, OR FREE OF ERRORS, VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS AND DO NOT WARRANT THAT ANY OF THE FOREGOING WILL BE CORRECTED.

11.4 Accuracy. EXPAT SHIELD, ITS SUPPLIERS, LICENSORS, AFFILIATES, AND PARTNERS DO NOT WARRANT OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE EXPAT SHIELD SITES OR ANY REFERENCE SITES IN TERMS OF CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE.

11.5 Harm to Your Computer. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU USE, ACCESS, DOWNLOAD, OR OTHERWISE OBTAIN INFORMATION, MATERIALS, OR DATA THROUGH THE EXPAT SHIELD SITES (INCLUDING RSS FEEDS) OR ANY REFERENCE SITES AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK AND THAT YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPRERTY (INCLUDING YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM) OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OR USE OF SUCH MATERIAL OR DATA.

12. Limitation of Liability and Damages.

12.1 Limitation of Liability. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE, WILL EXPAT SHIELD OR ITS AFFILIATES, CONTRACTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR THIRD-PARTY PARTNERS, LICENSORS, OR SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, RELIANCE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY UNSUCCESSFUL COURT ACTION OR LEGAL DISPUTE, LOST BUSINESS, LOST REVENUES, OR LOSS OF ANTICIPATED PROFITS OR ANY OTHER PECUNIARY OR NON-PECUNIARY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THAT RESULT FROM YOUR USE OF OR YOUR INABILITY TO USE THE EXPAT SHIELD SITES OR ANY REFERENCE SITES, OR ANY OTHER INTERACTIONS WITH EXPAT SHIELD, EVEN IF EXPAT SHIELD OR AN EXPAT SHIELD AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. APPLICABLE LAW MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN SUCH CASES, EXPAT SHIELD'S LIABILITY WILL BE LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW.

12.2 Limitation of Damages. IN NO EVENT WILL EXPAT SHIELD OR ITS AFFILIATES, CONTRACTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR THIRD-PARTY PARTNERS, LICENSORS, OR SUPPLIERS TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, AND CAUSES OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR YOUR USE OF THE EXPAT SHIELD SITES OR YOUR INTERACTION WITH OTHER EXPAT SHIELD SITES USERS (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, WARRANTY, OR OTHERWISE), EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU, IF ANY, FOR ACCESSING THE EXPAT SHIELD SITES DURING THE TWELVE MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE CLAIM OR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS, WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

12.3 Reference Sites. THESE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY ALSO APPLY WITH RESPECT TO DAMAGES INCURRED BY YOU BY REASON OF ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES SOLD OR PROVIDED ON ANY REFERENCE SITES OR OTHERWISE BY THIRD PARTIES OTHER THAN EXPAT SHIELD AND RECEIVED THROUGH OR ADVERTISED ON THE EXPAT SHIELD SITES OR RECEIVED THROUGH ANY REFERENCE SITES.

12.4 Basis of the Bargain. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT EXPAT SHIELD HAS OFFERED ITS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, SET ITS PRICES, AND ENTERED INTO THESE TERMS IN RELIANCE UPON THE WARRANTY DISCLAIMERS AND THE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SET FORTH HEREIN, THAT THE WARRANTY DISCLAIMERS AND THE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SET FORTH HEREIN REFLECT A REASONABLE AND FAIR ALLOCATION OF RISK BETWEEN YOU AND EXPAT SHIELD, AND THAT THE WARRANTY DISCLAIMERS AND THE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SET FORTH HEREIN FORM AN ESSENTIAL BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN YOU AND EXPAT SHIELD. EXPAT SHIELD WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO PROVIDE THE EXPAT SHIELD SITE TO YOU ON AN ECONOMICALLY REASONABLE BASIS WITHOUT THESE LIMITATIONS.

12.5 Limitations by Applicable Law. CERTAIN STATE LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS, EXCLUSIONS, OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

12.6 Consumer End Users (Outside of the USA). This section 12.6 applies only to Users residing and using the Expat Shield Site outside of the United States. The limitations or exclusions of warranties and liability contained in this Terms of Service do not affect or prejudice the statutory rights of a consumer, i.e., a person acquiring goods for solely personal use otherwise than in the course of business outside of the U.S.A. The limitations or exclusions of warranties, remedies or liability contained in this Terms of Service apply to You to only the extent such limitations or exclusions are permitted under the laws of the jurisdiction where You are located.

13. Miscellaneous.

13.1 Notice. Expat Shield may provide You with notices, including those regarding changes to Expat Shield's terms and conditions, by email, regular mail or postings on the Expat Shield Site. Notice will be deemed given twenty-four hours after email is sent, unless Expat Shield is notified that the email address is invalid. Alternatively, we may give You legal notice by mail to a postal address, if provided by You through the Expat Shield Site. In such case, notice will be deemed given three days after the date of mailing. Notice posted on the Expat Shield Site is deemed given 30 days following the initial posting.

13.2 Waiver. The failure of Expat Shield to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. Any waiver of any provision of these Terms will be effective only if in writing and signed by Expat Shield.

13.3 Governing Law. These Terms will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law.

13.4 Arbitration. For Users residing outside the United States of America and using the Expat Shield Site in another territory, section 13.5 (Jurisdiction) does not apply and this section 13.4 applies to You. Any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Expat Shield Services shall be finally settled by binding arbitration in San Francisco, California under the Rules of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce by three arbitrator(s) appointed in accordance with said rules; judgment on the award rendered by these arbitrators may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. The parties agree that this arbitration is the exclusive remedy for any disputes.

13.5 Jurisdiction. For Users residing inside the United States of America and using the Expat Shield Site in the United States, section 13.4 (Arbitration) does not apply and this section 13.5 applies to You. You agree that any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to these Terms or Expat Shield will be filed only in the state or federal courts in and for Santa Clara County, California, and You hereby consent and submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of such courts for the purposes of litigating any such action.

13.6 Severability. If any provision of these Terms or any Guidelines is held to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision will be limited or eliminated from these Terms to the minimum extent necessary and will not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.

13.7 Assignment. These Terms and related Guidelines, and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not be transferred or assigned by You, but may be assigned by Expat Shield without restriction. Any assignment attempted to be made in violation of this Terms of Service shall be void.

13.8 Survival. Upon termination of these Terms, any provision which, by its nature or express terms should survive, will survive such termination or expiration, including, but not limited to, sections 6 through 13.

13.9 Headings. The heading references herein are for convenience purposes only, do not constitute a part of these Terms, and will not be deemed to limit or affect any of the provisions hereof.

13.10 Entire Agreement.. This is the entire agreement between You and Expat Shield relating to the subject matter herein and will not be modified except in writing, signed by both parties, or by a change to these Terms or Guidelines made by Expat Shield as set forth in Section 4 above.

13.11 Claims. YOU AND EXPAT SHIELD AGREE THAT ANY CAUSE OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE EXPAT SHIELD SITES MUST COMMENCE WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES. OTHERWISE, SUCH CAUSE OF ACTION IS PERMANENTLY BARRED.

13.12 Disclosures. The services hereunder are offered by Expat Shield, Inc., 260 Santa Ana, Sunnyvale CA 94085 and email: support@Expat Shield.com. If You are a California resident, You may have this same information emailed to You by sending a letter to the foregoing address with your email address and a request for this information.