Terms of Service

Terms of Service

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in Wildlife Conservation Network (“WCN,” “we,” or “us”) and our website at wildnet.org along with any related websites, software applications, and other services provided by us (collectively, our “Service”). These Terms of Use are a legally binding contract between you and WCN regarding your use of the Service.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS CAREFULLY. BY USING THE SERVICE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE WCN PRIVACY POLICY (TOGETHER, THE “TERMS”). If you are not eligible, or do not agree to the Terms, then you do not have our permission to use the Service.

These Terms provide that all disputes between you and WCN will be resolved by BINDING ARBITRATION. YOU AGREE TO GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO GO TO COURT to assert or defend your rights under this contract,  except for matters that may be taken to small claims court. Your rights will be determined by a NEUTRAL ARBITRATOR and NOT a judge or jury, and your claims cannot be brought as a class action. Please review Section 16 (“Dispute Resolution and Arbitration”) for the details regarding your agreement to arbitrate any disputes with WCN.

  1. Eligibility. You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Service. By agreeing to these Terms, you represent and warrant to us that: (a) you are at least 13 years of age; (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 all applicable laws and regulations. If you are using the Service on behalf of an entity, organization, or company, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms and you agree to be bound by these Terms on behalf of that organization.
  2. Registration. To subscribe to our newsletters, donate to WCN, or use certain other features of the Service, you may be required to provide us with some information about yourself, such as your name, email address or other contact information. You agree that the information you provide to us is accurate and up-to-date.
  3. Donations and Purchases
    • General Payment Terms. The Service may allow you to place donations to WCN through the Service or purchase tickets or other products or services through the Service. Before you make any donation or purchase, you will have an opportunity to review and accept the amount that you will be charged. All donations and purchases are in U.S. Dollars and are non-refundable.
    • You authorize WCN to charge all sums for the donations and purchases that you make as described in these Terms or published by WCN on the Service, to the payment method specified by you. If you make any donations or purchases with a credit card, WCN may seek pre-authorization of your credit card account to verify that the credit card is valid and has the necessary funds or credit available to cover your donation or purchase.
    • Recurring Donations. The Service may allow you to make recurring donations to WCN (“Recurring Donations”). If you activate Recurring Donations, you authorize WCN to periodically charge, on a going-forward basis and until cancellation of the Recurring Donation, the amount you specify for the Recurring Donation. The “Donation Billing Date” is the date of the month when you submit your donation request to the Service. Your account will be charged automatically, on approximately the Donation Billing Date of each month, the donation amount for the next donation period. The Recurring Donations will continue unless and until you cancel your Recurring Donations or we terminate them. We will bill the periodic Recurring Donation to the payment method you provide to us when you submit the Recurring Donation request (or to a different payment method if you change your payment information). You may cancel the Recurring Donation by contacting us at donate@wildnet.org.
  4. Prohibited Conduct. BY USING THE SERVICE YOU AGREE NOT TO:
    • use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law;
    • violate, or encourage others to violate, any right of a third party, including by infringing or misappropriating any third party intellectual property right;
    • post, upload, or distribute any content that is unlawful, defamatory, libelous, inaccurate, or that a reasonable person could deem to be objectionable, profane, indecent, pornographic, harassing, threatening, embarrassing, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate;
    • interfere with security-related features of the Service, including by: (a) disabling or circumventing features that prevent or limit use or copying of any content; or (b) reverse engineering, decompiling, or otherwise attempting to discover the source code of any portion of the Service, except to the extent that such activity is expressly permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this restriction;
    • 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) attempting to collect personal information, including location 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, or violating any regulation, policy, or procedure of any such network, equipment, or server;
    • perform any fraudulent activity including impersonating any person or entity, claiming a false affiliation, accessing any other Service account without permission, or falsifying your age or date of birth;
    • modify, translate, or create derivative works, adaptations or compilations of, or based on, the Service or part thereof, or use, copy or reproduce the Service or any part thereof other than as expressly permitted in these Terms;
    • assign, sublicense, lease, sell, grant a security interest in, or otherwise transfer the access granted under these Terms or any Materials (as defined in Section 9) or any right or ability to view, access, or use any Material; or
    • attempt to do any of the acts described in this Section 4, or assist or permit any person in engaging in any of the acts described in this Section 4.
  5. Third-Party Services and Linked Websites. WCN may provide tools through the Service that enable you to export information to third party services, including through our implementation of third party buttons (such as social media “like” or “share” buttons). By using one of these tools, you agree that we may transfer that information to the applicable third-party service. Third party services are not under our control, and we are 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 our control, and we are not responsible for their content.
  6. Termination of Use; Discontinuation and Modification of the Service. You may cease to use the Service at any time. If you violate any provision of these Terms, your permission from us to use the Service will terminate automatically. In addition, WCN may in its sole discretion suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time for any reason or no reason, with or without notice. We also reserve the right to modify or discontinue the Service at any time (including by limiting or discontinuing certain features of the Service), temporarily or permanently, without notice to you. We will have no liability whatsoever on account of any change to the Service or any suspension or termination of your access to or use of the Service.
  7. Privacy Policy; Additional Terms
    • Privacy Policy. Please read the WCN Privacy Policy [Note: link to privacy policy] carefully for information relating to our collection, use, storage and disclosure of your personal information. The WCN Privacy Policy is incorporated by this reference into, and made a part of, these Terms.
    • 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”), such as end-user license agreements for any downloadable software applications, or rules that applicable to a particular feature or content on the Service, subject to Section 8. All Additional Terms are incorporated by this reference into, and made a part of, these Terms.
  8. Modification of these Terms. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change these Terms on a going-forward basis at any time. Please check these Terms periodically for changes. If a change to these Terms materially modifies your rights or obligations, we may notify you of the modified Terms by email to the address you provided in your user profile and/or in a notification on our website. Material modifications will be effective upon your acceptance of such modified Terms or fifteen (15) days after we send or post our notification of the changes, whichever is earlier. Immaterial modifications are effective upon publication. Disputes arising under these Terms will be resolved in accordance with the version of these Terms that was in effect at the time the dispute arose.
  9. Ownership; Proprietary Rights. The Service is owned and operated by WCN. 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 (“Materials”) provided by WCN are protected by intellectual property and other laws. All Materials included in the Service are the property of WCN or our third-party licensors. Except as expressly authorized by WCN, you may not make use of the Materials. WCN reserves all rights to the Materials not granted expressly in these Terms.
  10. Feedback. If you choose to provide input and suggestions regarding problems with or proposed modifications or improvements to the Service (“Feedback”), then you hereby grant WCN an unrestricted, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, fully-paid, royalty-free right to exploit the Feedback in any manner and for any purpose, including to improve the Service and create other products and services.
  11. You are responsible for your use of the Service, and you will defend and indemnify WCN and its officers, directors, employees, consultants, affiliates, subsidiaries and agents (together, the “WCN Entities”) from and against every claim, liability, damage, loss, and expense, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs, arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your access to, use of, or alleged use of, the Service; (b) your violation of any portion of these Terms, any representation, warranty, or agreement referenced in these Terms, or any applicable law or regulation; (c) your violation of any third-party right, including any intellectual property right or publicity, confidentiality, other property, or privacy right; or (d) 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 that claim.
  12. Disclaimers; No Warranties

THE SERVICE AND ALL MATERIALS AND CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ON AN “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. THE WCN ENTITIES DISCLAIM 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. THE WCN ENTITIES DO 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 DO NOT WARRANT THAT ANY OF THOSE ISSUES WILL BE CORRECTED.

NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY REGARDING ANY OF THE WCN ENTITIES OR THE SERVICE THAT IS NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS. YOU ASSUME ALL RISK FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY RESULT FROM YOUR USE OF OR ACCESS TO THE SERVICE, YOUR DEALING WITH ANY OTHER SERVICE USER, AND ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU USE THE SERVICE, AND USE, ACCESS, DOWNLOAD, OR OTHERWISE OBTAIN MATERIALS OR CONTENT THROUGH THE SERVICE AND ANY ASSOCIATED SITES OR SERVICES, AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND THAT YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY (INCLUDING YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR MOBILE DEVICE USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE), OR THE LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE USE OF THE SERVICE OR THE DOWNLOAD OR USE OF THAT MATERIAL OR CONTENT.

SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY PROHIBIT A DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS THAT VARY FROM JURISDICTION TO JURISDICTION.

  1. Limitation of Liability

IN NO EVENT WILL THE WCN 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 WCN ENTITY HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE.

EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 16.4(III), THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THE WCN 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 $100.

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

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 13 WILL APPLY EVEN IF ANY LIMITED REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.

  1. Governing Law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to conflict of law principles. If a lawsuit or court proceeding is permitted under these Terms, then you and WCN agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the state courts and federal courts located within San Francisco, California for the purpose of litigating any dispute. 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.
  2. These Terms, together with 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 WCN regarding your use of the Service. Except as expressly permitted above, these Terms may be amended only by a written agreement signed by authorized representatives of all parties to these Terms. 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 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. If any part of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the unenforceable part will be given effect to the greatest extent possible, and the remaining parts will remain in full force and effect. Upon termination of these Terms, Sections 1, and 9 through 17, along with the Privacy Policy and any other accompanying agreements, will survive.
  3. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration
    • Generally. In the interest of resolving disputes between you and WCN in the most expedient and cost effective manner, you and WCN agree that every dispute arising in connection with these Terms will be resolved by binding arbitration. Arbitration is less formal than a lawsuit in court. Arbitration uses a neutral arbitrator instead of a judge or jury, may allow for more limited discovery than in court, and can be subject to very limited review by courts. Arbitrators can award the same damages and relief that a court can award. This agreement to arbitrate disputes includes all claims arising out of or relating to any aspect of these Terms, 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. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, BY ENTERING INTO THESE TERMS, YOU AND WCN ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY OR TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION.
    • Exceptions. Despite the provisions of Section 1, 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; or (d) to file suit in a court of law to address an intellectual property infringement claim.
    • Arbitrator. Any arbitration between you and WCN will be settled under the Federal Arbitration Act, and governed by the Commercial Dispute Resolution Procedures and the Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (collectively, “AAA Rules”) of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), as modified by these Terms, and will be administered by the AAA. The AAA Rules and filing forms are available online at www.adr.org, by calling the AAA at 1-800-778-7879, or by contacting WCN.
    • Notice; Process. A party who intends to seek arbitration 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 such other party has not provided a current physical address, then by electronic mail (“Notice”). WCN’s address for Notice is: Wildlife Conservation Network, 209 Mississippi Street, San Francisco, CA 94107. The Notice must: (a) describe the nature and basis of the claim or dispute; and (b) 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 is received, you or WCN may commence an arbitration proceeding. During the arbitration, the amount of any settlement offer made by you or WCN must not be disclosed to the arbitrator until after the arbitrator makes a final decision and award, if any. If the dispute is finally resolved through arbitration in your favor, WCN will pay you the highest of the following: (i) the amount awarded by the arbitrator, if any; (ii) the last written settlement amount offered by WCN in settlement of the dispute prior to the arbitrator’s award; or (iii) $1,000.
    • Fees. If you commence arbitration in accordance with these Terms, WCN will reimburse you for your payment of the filing fee, unless your claim is for more than $10,000, in which case the payment of any fees will be decided by the AAA Rules. Any arbitration hearing will take place at a location to be agreed upon in Santa Clara County, California, but if the claim is for $10,000 or less, you may choose whether the arbitration will be conducted: (a) solely on the basis of documents submitted to the arbitrator; (b) through a non-appearance based telephone hearing; or (c) by an in-person hearing as established by the AAA Rules in the county (or parish) of your billing address. If the arbitrator finds that either the substance of your 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 AAA Rules. In that case, you agree to reimburse WCN for all monies previously disbursed by it that are otherwise your obligation to pay under the AAA Rules. 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. The arbitrator may make rulings and resolve disputes as to the payment and reimbursement of fees or expenses at any time during the proceeding and upon request from either party made within 14 days of the arbitrator’s ruling on the merits.
    • No Class Actions. YOU AND WCN 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 WCN 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.
    • Modifications to this Arbitration Provision. If WCN makes any future change to this arbitration provision, other than a change to WCN’s address for Notice, you may reject the change by sending us written notice within 30 days of the change to WCN’s address for Notice, in which case your account with WCN will be immediately terminated and this arbitration provision, as in effect immediately prior to the changes you rejected will survive.
    • Enforceability. If Section 6 is found to be unenforceable or if the entirety of this Section 16 is found to be unenforceable, then the entirety of this Section 16 will be null and void and, in that case, the parties agree that the exclusive jurisdiction and venue described in Section 14 will govern any action arising out of or related to these Terms.
  4. 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.
  5. Contact Information. The Service is offered by Wildlife Conservation Network, 209 Mississippi Street, San Francisco, CA 94107. You may contact us by sending correspondence to that address or by emailing us at info@wildnet.org.