Terms of Service

Subject to these Terms of Service, as amended from time to time (“Terms of Service”), GroupHug provides (a) the GroupHug platform to you through its website at www.GroupHug.com. If you are a GroupHug organizer (as defined below), beneficiary to a GroupHug, comment contributor, or contributor (collectively referred to herein as a “User”) located in the United States, you are contracting with GroupHug, 6401 McCauley Circle Edina, MN 54439. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, for purposes of the following Terms of Service, “GroupHug,” “we,” “us,” “our,” and other similar terms, shall refer to the party with whom you are contracting.

ARBITRATION, JURY TRIAL, AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER: EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE DESCRIBED IN THE DISPUTES SECTION BELOW, BY USING THE GROUPHUG SERVICES, YOU AGREE THAT DISPUTES BETWEEN US WILL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL OR TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION. PLEASE REVIEW THE DISPUTES SECTION CAREFULLY; BY ENTERING THIS AGREEMENT, YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT.

We reserve the right, at our sole discretion, to change or modify portions of these Terms of Service at any time. When we do this, we will post the revised Terms of Service on this page and will indicate the date of such revision.

Your continued use of the Services after the date of any such changes constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms of Service. To the extent allowed by law, the English version of these Terms of Service is binding and other translations are for convenience only. If you do not wish to accept the new Terms of Service, you may discontinue your use of the Services.

In addition, when using the Services, and unless you are in European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland (“Europe”), you will be subject to additional applicable policies including without limitation, the Privacy Policy. All such terms are hereby incorporated by reference into these Terms of Service (provided, however, these Terms of Service will take precedence in the event of conflict). We shall resolve any such conflicts in our sole discretion, and all of our determinations are final.

ACCESS AND USE OF THE SERVICES

GroupHug Services Description: The GroupHug Services are offered as a platform to allow an individual, entity or non-profit organization (the “GroupHug Organizer”) to post a gift giving effort (“GroupHug”) to the GroupHug Platform to accept monetary contributions (“Contributions”) from participants (“GroupHug Participants”).

Payment Processor: GroupHug is not a payment processor. Instead, GroupHug uses third-party payment processing partners to process contributions for a GroupHug (“Payment Processor”). You acknowledge and agree that the use of Payment Processors are integral to the Services and that we exchange information with Payment Processors in order to facilitate the provision of Services.

Payment Processor Fees: Although there are no fees to set up a GroupHug, industry-standard payment processor fees may apply (hereinafter and on the website referred to as “Payment Processor Fees”). 

The Services are platforms; We are not a Broker, Financial Institution, or Creditor: The Services are administrative platforms only. GroupHug facilitates the GroupHug of the GroupHug organizers and permits contributors to make contributions to these GroupHug organizers. GroupHug is not a broker, agent, financial institution, creditor or 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation.

All information and content provided by GroupHug relating to the Services is for informational purposes only, and GroupHug does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, timeliness or reliability of any such information or content. No content is intended to provide financial, legal, tax or other professional advice. Before making any decisions regarding any GroupHugs, charities, contributions, contributors, or any information or content relating to the Services, you should consult your financial, legal, tax or other professional advisor as appropriate. You acknowledge that all information and content accessed by you using the Services is at your own risk.

GroupHug has no control over the conduct of, or any information provided by, a User and hereby disclaims all liability in this regard to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law. We do not guarantee that a GroupHug will obtain a certain amount of contributions or any contributions at all. We do not endorse any GroupHug, User, or cause and we make no guarantee, express or implied, that any information provided through the Services is accurate. We expressly disclaim any liability or responsibility for the outcome or success of any GroupHug. You, as a contributor, must make the final determination as to the value and appropriateness of contributing to any User, GroupHug, or event.

No Solicitation: The GroupHug platform is offered to help GroupHug organizers send well wishes and/or collect money used toward the purchase of gifts or similar. GroupHug merely provides the technology to allow fundraisers to connect with others. The existence of the Service is not a solicitation of contributions by GroupHug, and GroupHug does not engage in any solicitation activities, or consult on the solicitation of contributions from the public, on behalf of any individual, entity, or organization. By using the Services, you understand and agree that GroupHug shall not be responsible for the use of your contributions or the amount of funds raised for the User, GroupHug, or event.

Contributors: All contributions are at your own risk. When you make a contribution through the platform, it is your responsibility to understand how your money will be used. GroupHug is not responsible for any offers, promises, rewards or promotions made or offered by Users or GroupHugs. We do not and cannot verify the information that Users or GroupHugs supply, nor do we represent or guarantee that the contributions will be used in accordance with any fundraising purpose prescribed by a User or GroupHug or in accordance with applicable laws. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we take possible fraudulent activity and the misuse of funds raised very seriously. You can learn more about our Fraud Policy. If you have reason to believe that a User or GroupHug is not raising or using the funds for their stated purpose, please use the contact form to alert our team of this potential issue and we will investigate.

  1. Contributors are not permitted to impose restrictions on the use of contributions by the organizer. To the extent that a contribution is made in response to an appeal for a particular program of an organizer, or to the extent that a contributor purports to direct the use of contributions by an organizer, any such directions shall constitute non-binding recommendations only and the organizer shall have full discretion to determine how all contributions will be used.
  2. GroupHug makes no representation as to whether all or any portion of your contributions, including, if any, Payment Processor Fees, are tax deductible or eligible for tax credits. GroupHug will have no liability for any claim by any federal, state, provincial, territorial, local or any other tax authority with respect to the characterization on any applicable tax return of any contribution by you, any User or any Charity. You should consult your tax advisor as to the amount of your contribution that is tax deductible or eligible for tax recognition, having regard to (among other things) the tax status of the recipient of any contribution in any relevant jurisdiction.
  3. Contributors shall provide GroupHug with such information as is required to enable the issuing of an official contribution receipt. contributor acknowledges and agrees that, in accordance with the Privacy Policy, certain of contributor’s personal information will be shared with the organizer to which such contributor makes a contribution (including without limitation as part of a contributor List, as set forth above) and may be used by the organizer. GroupHug is not responsible, and shall not be liable, for any organizer’s use of any contributor information.

Certain states require written disclosures for Charities soliciting contributions. For contributors making contributions to Charities, please see the state non-profit disclosures for those charities.

GroupHug organizer: You, as a GroupHug organizer, represent, warrant, and covenant that (i) all information you provide in connection with a GroupHug or Beneficiary is accurate, complete, and not likely to deceive reasonable Users; (ii) all contributions contributed to your GroupHug will be used solely as described in the materials that you post or otherwise provide; (iii) if you withdraw contributions believed by reasonable contributors to be raised on behalf of someone other than you (i.e., the Beneficiary), all contributions will be given to and/or spent on behalf of the Beneficiary; (iv) if you add a Beneficiary through the Services, you relinquish control of the contributions, including the ability to issue refunds; (v) you will not infringe the rights of others; (vi) you will comply with all relevant and applicable law and financial reporting obligations, including but not limited to laws and regulations relating to registration, tax reporting, political contributions, and asset disclosures for your project; and (vii) to the extent you share with us any personal data of any third party for any purpose, including the names, email addresses and phone numbers of your personal contacts, you have the authority (including any necessary consents), as required under applicable law, to provide us with such personal data and allow us to use such personal data for the purposes for which you shared it with us. You authorize GroupHug, and GroupHug reserves the right to, provide information relating to your GroupHug to contributors, beneficiaries of your GroupHug or law enforcement, and to assist in any investigation thereof.

If you use the Services as an agent of a Charity using the services to raise funds for such Charity, you represent and warrant that: (a) you are a representative of the Charity, which representative is authorized to raise funds or bind the Charity to these Terms of Service; (b) you are raising funds for a Charity, with a cause or activity that is legal under all applicable federal, state, provincial, territorial and local laws and regulations; (c) all donated funds will be used solely for the purpose you have stated on and in connection with your GroupHug, and under no circumstances may you use the funds for any other purpose; (d) your Charity has and will maintain tax-exempt status under applicable law (example, the Internal Revenue Code in the United States or the Income Tax Act in Canada; or (e) if your Charity is in the United States, your Charity is registered with GuideStar or the IRS tax exempt organization database, or, in Canada, is listed in the Canada Revenue Agency’s database of registered charities.

Your Registration Obligations: You may be required to register with GroupHug in order to access and use certain features of the Services. If you choose to register for the Services, you agree to provide and maintain true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself or your organization as prompted by the Services’ registration form. GroupHug organizers must register using their true identities (or the identities of the organizations’ authorized representatives), including their name, address and any image or video purporting to depict the GroupHug organizer or the Beneficiary of such GroupHug. You agree to keep registration information current and up to date.

Registration data and certain other information about you are governed by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you are under 13 years of age (16 in Europe), you are not authorized to use the Services, with or without registering. In addition, if you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction (typically 18 or 19 years of age), you may use the Services, with or without registering, only with the approval of your parent or guardian. Certain aspects of our Services may also require you to register with, and agree to the terms of, third-party service providers (e.g., Payment Processors), with whom GroupHug has entered into contracts, in order to be able to benefit from their services. If GroupHug or one of our payments processors at any time discovers that the information you provided about you or the purpose of your GroupHug is incorrect or violates any of these Terms of Service or their terms of service, the Services may be suspended and/or terminated with immediate effect and fines may be applied by the relevant authorities which will in all such cases be payable by you. You acknowledge and agree that the use of third party Payment Processors are integral to the Services and that we exchange information with such third parties in order to facilitate the provision of Services as set out in our Privacy Policy.

Ownership of contributor Lists and Data

  1. GroupHug Platform. As between GroupHug and Charity using the GroupHug Platform, Charity may request contributor Lists (defined below) and contributor Data (defined below) for compliance and transactional purposes. If the Charity has a Charity Contact account on the GFM Charity Platform, GroupHug shall transfer all contributor Lists and contributor Data to Charity’s account.
  2. GroupHug Platform. As between GroupHug and Charity using the GroupHug Platform, Charity may request contributor Lists (defined below) and contributor Data (defined below) for compliance and transactional purposes.

Taxes: It is your responsibility to determine what, if any, taxes apply to the contributions you receive through your use of the Services. It is solely your responsibility to assess, collect, report or remit the correct tax, if any, to the appropriate tax authority.

Member Account, Password and Security: You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and account, if any, and are fully responsible for any and all activities that occur under your password or account. You agree to (a) immediately notify GroupHug of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and (b) sign out from your account at the end of each session when accessing the Services. GroupHug will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this Section.

Modifications to Services: GroupHug reserves the right to modify, suspend or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Services (or any part thereof) at any time and for any reason, with or without notice, and without any liability to you or to any third party for any claims, damages, costs, or losses resulting therefrom.

Content Manifestly Made Public by the User.

Public Content; Public Display of Information and contributions: Some of your activity on and through the Services is public, such as content you post publicly on the Platforms (including descriptions, texts, music, sound, information, data, software, graphics, comments, photos, videos, images, trademarks, logos, brands or other materials you upload or post through the Services or share with other users or recipients) (“User Content”). Additionally, user profile information, including your first and last name, public email address, organization, personal biography, and other information you enter in connection with your user profile may be displayed to other users to facilitate user interaction within the Services. For example, as a GroupHug organizer, you might post your personal data – such as information about a recent hospital stay – which data might be considered sensitive data. In addition, as a contributor, you have the option to publicly display your contribution for all to see, including on search engines (like Google and Yahoo). To keep the details of your contribution private from the general public, simply click the “anonymous” checkbox during the contribution process. Please remember that if you choose to provide information using certain public features of the Services, then that information is governed by the privacy settings of those particular features and may be publicly available. Individuals reading such information may use or disclose it to other individuals or entities without our knowledge and without your knowledge, and search engines may index that information. We therefore urge you to think carefully about including any specific information you may deem private in content that you create or information that you submit through the Services. Please see our Privacy Policy for information on the ways that we may collect, use, and store certain information about you and your use of the Services.

Unsolicited Information: Please be advised that User Content and other unsolicited information you provide may be publicly accessible, such as information you post in forums or comment sections. We also collect information through customer support communications, your communications to us of ideas for new products or modifications to existing products, and other unsolicited submissions, or any questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, feedback or other information about the Services (collectively, with publicly-accessible information, “Unsolicited Information”). By sending us Unsolicited Information, (a) you agree that we are under no obligation of confidentiality, expressed or implied, with respect to the Unsolicited Information; (b) you acknowledge that we may have something similar to the Unsolicited Information already under consideration or in development; (c) you agree that GroupHug will be entitled to the unrestricted use and dissemination of the Unsolicited Information for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you; (d) you represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to submit the Unsolicited Information; (e) to the extent necessary, you hereby grant to GroupHug a fully paid, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive, and fully transferable and sublicensable right (through multiple tiers) and license to use, reproduce, perform, display, distribute, adapt, modify, re-format, create derivative works of, and otherwise commercially or non-commercially exploit in any manner, any and all Unsolicited Information, and to sublicense the foregoing rights; and (f) you irrevocably waive, and cause to be waived, against GroupHug and its users any claims and assertions of any moral rights contained in such Unsolicited Information. This Unsolicited Information section shall survive any termination of your account or the Services.

You acknowledge and agree that GroupHug may preserve Unsolicited Information, as well as User Content, and may also disclose your Unsolicited Information or User Content if required to do so by law or in the good-faith belief that such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to (a) comply with legal process, applicable laws or government requests; (b) enforce these Terms of Service; (c) respond to claims that any User Content violates the rights of third parties; or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of GroupHug, its users or the public.

Third-Party Communications: If you use any feature of the Services that allows you to communicate with third parties (such as to refer a third party to the Services or to communicate with them regarding a GroupHug or a contribution), either by submitting Third-Party Data to the Services or otherwise permitting the Services to automatically access Third-Party Data in your possession, you acknowledge and agree that you have the authority of the relevant third party for us to access and use the relevant Third-Party Data and that you have notified these third parties and informed them how their information is collected and used by GroupHug to provide the Services. We reserve the right to identify you as the person who has made the referral in any messages that are sent to them. We use Third-Party Data to (a) contact such third party using the Third-Party Data provided, and/or (b) provide you with an editable template message designed to facilitate communications between you and such third party through the Services. In addition to sending the foregoing communications we may also send reminders or related messages to you and to third parties on your behalf from time to time where permitted by applicable law. In each case, any such communication sent to third parties using Third-Party Data will provide a means to “opt out” of receiving further communication of the same nature.

Promotions on the GroupHug Platform: You are not permitted to offer any contest, competition, reward, give-away, raffle, sweepstakes or similar activity (each, a “Promotion”) on or through the GroupHug Services.

Data Retention: You acknowledge that GroupHug has no obligation to you to retain data relating to any account or GroupHug. You acknowledge that GroupHug reserves the right to delete data or to terminate accounts or GroupHugs at any time and for any reason, with or without notice, and without any liability to you or to any third party for any claims, damages, costs or losses resulting therefrom. The foregoing does not apply to GroupHugs or accounts started by Charities on either Platform, in which case GroupHug will provide reasonable notice where possible.

Mobile GroupHug Services: The GroupHug Services include certain features that may be made available via a mobile device, including the ability to (i) upload User Content to the GroupHug Platform, (ii) browse the GroupHug Platform and (iii) access certain items through an application downloaded and installed on a mobile device (collectively, the “Mobile Services”). To the extent you access Mobile Services, your wireless service carrier’s standard charges, data rates and other fees may apply. In addition, downloading, installing, or using certain Mobile Services may be prohibited or restricted by your carrier, and not all Mobile Services may work with all carriers or devices. By using the Mobile Services, you agree that we may communicate with you by SMS, MMS, text message or other electronic means to your mobile device and that certain information about your usage of the Mobile Services may be communicated to us. We shall comply with any additional requirements that may apply under local laws and regulations before communicating with you in this manner. In the event that you change or deactivate your mobile telephone number, you agree to promptly update your GroupHug account information to ensure that your messages are not sent to the person that acquires your old number.

PROHIBITED CONDUCT

You are solely responsible for compliance with all applicable law in relation to your GroupHug or use of the Services. You are further solely responsible for all User Content that you upload, post, publish, display, transmit or otherwise use (hereinafter, “Upload”). If you are not the beneficiary of the GroupHug you organize, you agree to deliver funds to the ultimate beneficiary directly and as soon as possible. You agree to fully cooperate with any request we make for evidence we deem necessary to verify your compliance with these Terms of Service.

The following are examples of User Content and/or use that is illegal or prohibited by GroupHug. This list is not exhaustive and we reserve the right to remove any GroupHug and/or investigate any User who, in our sole discretion, violates any of the terms or spirit of these Terms of Service. As we investigate Your GroupHug, a User, or User Content, we may consider all available material including but not limited to social media, related news, and any other information that we, in our sole discretion, deem relevant in our review. We further reserve the right, without limitation, to ban or disable your use of the Services, remove the offending User Content, suspend or terminate Your account, stop payments to any such GroupHug, freeze or place a hold on contributions, and report you to law enforcement authorities or otherwise take appropriate legal action including seeking restitution on behalf of ourselves and/or our users.

Without limiting the foregoing, you agree:

  1. not to use the Services to raise funds or establish or contribute to any GroupHug with the implicit or explicit purpose of or involving:
    1. the violation of any law, regulation, industry requirement, or third-party guidelines or agreements by which you are bound, including those of payment card providers and transaction processors that you utilize in connection with the Services;
    2. any election related GroupHugs that are not run by a registered organization within the supported country;
    3. User Content or GroupHugs that are fraudulent, misleading, inaccurate, dishonest, or impossible;
    4. drugs, narcotics, steroids, controlled substances, pharmaceuticals or similar products or therapies that are either illegal, prohibited, or enjoined by an applicable regulatory body; legal substances that provide the same effect as an illegal drug; or other products, medical practices, or any related equipment or paraphernalia that have been found by an applicable regulatory body to cause consumer harm;
    5. knives, explosives, ammunition, firearms, or other weaponry or accessories;
    6. annuities, investments, loans, equity or lottery contracts, lay-away systems, off-shore banking or similar transactions, money service businesses (including currency exchanges, check cashing or the like), pyramid schemes, “get rich quick schemes” (i.e., Investment opportunities or other services that promise high rewards), network marketing and referral marketing programs, debt collection or crypto-currencies;
    7. gambling, gaming and/or any other activity with an entry fee and a prize, including, but not limited to raffles, casino games, sports betting, fantasy sports, horse or greyhound racing, lottery tickets, raffle tickets, auctions and other ventures that facilitate gambling, games of skill or chance (whether or not it is legally defined as a lottery), promotions involving monetary rewards, including gift cards, or sweepstakes;
    8. User Content or reflecting behavior that we deem, in our sole discretion, to be an abuse of power or in support of hate, violence, harassment, bullying, discrimination, terrorism, or intolerance of any kind relating to race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, serious disabilities or diseases;
    9. for the legal defense of alleged crimes associated with hate, violence, harassment, bullying, discrimination, terrorism, or intolerance of any kind relating to race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, serious disabilities or diseases, financial crimes or crimes of deception;
    10. activities with, in, or involving countries, regions, governments, persons, or entities that are subject to U.S. and other economic sanctions under applicable law, unless such activities are expressly authorized by the appropriate governmental authority;
    11. funding a ransom, human trafficking or exploitation, vigilantism, bribes or bounty;
    12. pornography or other sexual content;
    13. offensive, graphic, perverse or sensitive content;
    14. the sale of items before the seller has control or possession of the item;
    15. collecting payments on behalf of merchants by payment processors or otherwise; including but not limited to self-payments on GroupHugs or an attempt to bypass or otherwise circumvent the designated method of payment as provided by GroupHug;
    16. credit repair or debt settlement services;
    17. the receipt or grant of cash advances or lines of credit to yourself or to another person for purposes other than those purposes clearly stated in the GroupHug;
    18. publication or removal of User Content (such as mug shots), where the primary purpose of posting such User Content is to cause or raise concerns of reputational harm;
    19. sale or resale of a service without added benefit to the buyer; resale of government offerings without authorization or added value;
    20. aggregation of funds owed to third parties, factoring, or other activities intended to obfuscate the origin of funds;
    21. counterfeit music, movies, software, or other licensed materials without the appropriate authorization from the rights holder;
    22. products or services that directly infringe or facilitate infringement upon the trademark, patent, copyright, trade secrets, or proprietary or privacy rights of any third party;
    23. unauthorized sale or resale of brand name or designer products or services;
    24. sale of goods or services that are illegally imported or exported;
    25. processing where there is no bona fide contribution accepted; cash advance; card testing; evasion of card network chargeback monitoring programs;
    26. collecting or providing funds for any purpose other than as described in a GroupHug description;
    27. any other activity that GroupHug may deem in its sole discretion to be in support of individuals and/or entities associated with alleged financial crimes including but not limited to corruption, bribery, tax evasion, fraud, and activities of a similar nature; or
    28. any other activity that GroupHug may deem in its sole discretion to be unacceptable.
  2. not to use the Services to transmit or otherwise upload any User Content that (i) infringes any intellectual property or other proprietary rights of any party; (ii) you do not have a right to upload under any law or under contractual or fiduciary relationships; (iii) contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment; (iv) poses or creates a privacy or security risk to any person; (v) constitutes unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, commercial activities and/or sales, “junk mail,” “spam,” “chain letters,” “pyramid schemes,” “contests,” “sweepstakes,” or any other form of solicitation; or (vi) in the sole judgment of GroupHug, is objectionable or which restricts or inhibits any other person from using or enjoying the Services, or which may expose GroupHug or its users to any harm or liability of any type;
  3. not to interfere with or disrupt servers or networks connected to the Services, or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies or regulations of networks connected to the Services;
  4. not to harvest, collect or publish personally identifiable information of others;
  5. not to raise funds for a minor without the express permission of the minor’s guardian unless the funds are transferred into a trust account for the sole benefit of the minor;
  6. not to use the Services on behalf of a third party or post any personal data or other information about a third party, without the express consent of that third party;
  7. not to use another User’s account or URL without permission, impersonate any person or entity, falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity, misrepresent a Charity or GroupHug through the Services, or post User Content in any inappropriate category or areas on the Services;
  8. not create any liability for GroupHug or cause us to lose (in whole or in part) the services of our Internet Service Provider(s), web hosting company or any other vendors or suppliers;
  9. not to engage in any conduct that, in GroupHug’s sole judgment and discretion, restricts or inhibits any other user from using or enjoying the Services;
  10. not to interfere with or disrupt any servers or networks used to provide the Services or their respective features, or disobey any requirements of the networks GroupHug uses to provide the Services;
  11. not to gain unauthorized access to the Services, or any account, computer system, or network connected to these Services, by any unauthorized or illegal means;
  12. not to obtain or attempt to obtain any materials or information not intentionally made available through the Services;
  13. not to use the Services to post, transmit or in any way exploit any information, software or other material for commercial purposes, or that contains advertising, except that using the Services for fundraising activities in accordance with these Terms is expressly permitted;
  14. not to, on the GFM Charity Platform, engage in advertising or commercial solicitation of any product or service without GroupHug’s written consent, except that using the Services for fundraising activities in accordance with these Terms is expressly permitted;
  15. transmit more request messages through the Services in a given period of time than a human can reasonably produce in the same period by using a conventional online web browser;
  16. undertake any activity or engage in any conduct that is inconsistent with the business or purpose of the Services; or
  17. attempt to undertake indirectly any of the foregoing.

Additionally, with respect to all contributions you make or accept through the Services, you agree:

  1. not to make or accept any contributions that you know or suspect to be erroneous, suspicious or fraudulent;
  2. not to use the Services in or for the benefit of a country, organization, entity, or person embargoed or blocked by any government, including those on sanctions lists identified by the United States Office of Foreign Asset Control (OFAC);
  3. to maintain reasonable and standard security measures to protect any information transmitted and received through the Services, including without limitation by adhering to any security procedures and controls required by GroupHug from time to time;
  4. to maintain a copy of all electronic and other records related to GroupHugs and contributions as necessary for GroupHug to verify compliance with these Terms of Service and make such records available to GroupHug upon our request. For clarity, the foregoing does not affect or limit your obligations to maintain documentation as required by applicable laws, rules, regulations, or governmental authority; and
  5. at GroupHug’s request, including without limitation in case of investigations by GroupHug, a payment processing partner, or a regulatory or governmental authority, to fully cooperate in the auditing of such records, investigation of the relevant circumstances and remedy of any uncovered violation or wrongdoing.

GroupHug reserves the right to refuse, condition, or suspend any contributions or other transactions that we believe in our sole discretion may violate the Terms of Service or harm the interests of our users, business partners, the public, or GroupHug, or that expose you, GroupHug, or others to risks unacceptable to us. We may share any information related to your use of the Services with the appropriate financial institution, regulatory authority, or law enforcement agency consistent with our legal obligations. This information may include information about you, your account, your contributors, your contributions, and transactions made through or in connection with your use of the Services.

Contributor Conduct

Contributions: In order to contribute to a GroupHug or to a Charity, a contributor will be required to provide GroupHug information regarding its credit card or other payment instrument (“Payment Instrument”) that is linked to the contributor’s account on the Services (a “Billing Account”). You, as a contributor, represent and warrant to GroupHug that such information is true and that you are authorized to use the applicable Payment Instrument. You agree that a certain minimum contribution amount may apply, and that all contributions are final and will not be refunded unless GroupHug, in its sole discretion, agrees to issue a refund, for example in accordance with the GroupHug Guarantee. GroupHug uses third-party payment processing partners to bill you through your Payment Instrument and Billing Account for any contributions made, and contributors acknowledge that by contributing a contribution to a GroupHug, the contributor agrees to the processing, use, transfer or disclosure of data by our Payment Processors pursuant to any and all applicable terms set forth by our payment partners (currently, Stripe, Inc., in addition to these Terms of Service, including Stripe’s terms of service. 

GroupHug Organizers

Account Holds: From time to time, GroupHug may, in its sole discretion, place a hold on a GroupHug account (a “Hold”), restricting Withdrawals (defined herein), initiate a reverse ACH transfer, secure reserves, or take similar actions to protect its interests and those of its Users. Some of the reasons that we may take such actions include, but aren’t necessarily limited to, the following: (i) if we have reason to believe (in our sole discretion) that information provided by a GroupHug organizer is false, misleading, or fraudulent, or that funds are being used in a prohibited manner, (ii) if the funds available (as determined by GroupHug in its sole discretion) should be provided directly to a person other than the GroupHug organizer (such as a legal beneficiary or person entitled by law to act on behalf of a GroupHug organizer), (iii) if we have reason to believe that a GroupHug or GroupHug organizer has violated these Terms of Service, (iv) if GroupHug determines that the GroupHug organizer is colluding with contributors to engage in fraudulent activity, (v) if we have reason to believe (in our sole discretion) that there may be suspicious or fraudulent contribution activity, or (vi) if required in order to comply with a court order, subpoena, writ, injunction, or as otherwise required under applicable laws and regulations.

Withdrawing contributions from a GroupHug: While GroupHug strives to make Withdrawals available to you promptly, you acknowledge and agree that Withdrawals may not be available to you for use immediately, and GroupHug does not guarantee that Withdrawals will be available to you within any specific time frame, and GroupHug expressly disclaims any and all responsibility for any delay or inability to access and use Withdrawals at any specified time, and any consequences arising from such delay or inability. You, as a GroupHug organizer, are responsible for ensuring that the information you provide to GroupHug in order to process a Withdrawal, including your bank account information, is accurate and up to date. GroupHug may, at any time, for any reason, without notice, and in its sole discretion, offer or issue a refund of contribution(s) with or without consulting with you, which may comprise the entire amount donated to your GroupHug. GroupHug is not liable to you or to any third party for any claims, damages, costs, losses, or other consequences caused by GroupHug issuing refunds, including, but not limited to transaction or overdraft fees.

Payment Processors

GroupHug uses Payment Processors to process contributions for your GroupHug and thereafter deliver it to you. In order to withdraw funds from a GroupHug, a GroupHug organizer or, if not the same, Beneficiary (collectively “Withdrawing Entity”) will be required to provide the Payment Processor information regarding bank account information (“Withdrawing Account”). You, as Withdrawing Entity, represent and warrant to Payment Processor and GroupHug that such information is true and that you are authorized to use the applicable Withdrawing Account.

By setting up a GroupHug or accepting the role of organizer of a GroupHug, the Withdrawing Entity agrees to the processing, use, transfer or disclosure of data by the Payment Processors pursuant to any and all applicable terms set forth by the applicable Payment Processors (currently, Stripe, Inc., in addition to these Terms of Service, including Stripe’s terms of service. 

Special Notice for International Use; Export Controls

Software (defined below) available in connection with the Services and the transmission of applicable data, if any, may be subject to export controls and economic sanctions laws of the United States or other jurisdictions. No Software may be downloaded from the Services or otherwise exported or re-exported in violation of such export control and economic sanctions laws. Downloading or using the Software is at your sole risk. Recognizing the global nature of the Internet, you agree to comply with all local rules and laws regarding your use of the Services, including as it concerns online conduct and acceptable content.

APPLE-ENABLED SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS

GroupHug offers Software applications that are intended to be operated in connection with products made commercially available by Apple Inc. (“Apple”), among other platforms. With respect to Software that is made available for your use in connection with an Apple-branded product (such Software, “Apple-Enabled Software”), in addition to the other terms and conditions set forth in these Terms of Service, the following terms and conditions apply:

  • GroupHug and you acknowledge that these Terms of Service are concluded between GroupHug and you only, and not with Apple, and that as between GroupHug and Apple, GroupHug, not Apple, is solely responsible for the Apple-Enabled Software and the content thereof.
  • You may not use the Apple-Enabled Software in any manner that is in violation of or inconsistent with the Usage Rules set forth for Apple-Enabled Software in, or otherwise be in conflict with, the App Store Terms of Service.
  • Your license to use the Apple-Enabled Software is limited to a non-transferable license to use the Apple-Enabled Software on an iOS Product that you own or control, as permitted by the Usage Rules set forth in the App Store Terms of Service.
  • Apple has no obligation whatsoever to provide any maintenance or support services with respect to the Apple-Enabled Software.
  • Apple is not responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law. In the event of any failure of the Apple-Enabled Software to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price for the Apple-Enabled Software to you, if any; and, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Apple will have no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the Apple-Enabled Software, or any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs or expenses attributable to any failure to conform to any warranty, which will be GroupHug’s sole responsibility, to the extent it cannot be disclaimed under applicable law.
  • GroupHug and you acknowledge that GroupHug, not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claims of you or any third party relating to the Apple-Enabled Software or your possession and/or use of that Apple-Enabled Software, including, but not limited to: (i) product liability claims; (ii) any claim that the Apple-Enabled Software fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (iii) claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation.
  • In the event of any third party claim that the Apple-Enabled Software or the end-user’s possession and use of that Apple-Enabled Software infringes that third party’s intellectual property rights, as between GroupHug and Apple, GroupHug, not Apple, will be solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement and discharge of any such intellectual property infringement claim.
  • You represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a “terrorist supporting” country; (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties and (iii) you are not located in any other country or jurisdiction from which you would be barred from using the Services by applicable law.

GroupHug and you acknowledge and agree that Apple, and Apple’s subsidiaries, are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms of Service with respect to the Apple-Enabled Software, and that, upon your acceptance of the terms and conditions of these Terms of Service, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms of Service against you with respect to the Apple-Enabled Software as a third-party beneficiary thereof. Accordingly, the parties acknowledge and agree that GroupHug enters into this clause (“Apple-Enabled Software Applications”) for its own benefit and on its own behalf and also as an agent for the benefit and on behalf of Apple and its subsidiaries with respect to the exercise and enforcement of all rights, benefits and remedies of Apple and its subsidiaries (but not any obligation or burden) in this clause (“Apple-Enabled Software Applications”) which rights, benefits and remedies shall be enforceable by GroupHug in its own right and also as agent for and on behalf of each of Apple and its subsidiaries. GroupHug may amend, terminate or rescind these Terms of Service without the consent of Apple or any such subsidiary.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Services Content, Software and Trademarks: You acknowledge and agree that the Services may contain content or features (“Services Content”) that are protected by copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights and laws. Except as expressly authorized by GroupHug, you agree not to modify, copy, frame, scrape, rent, lease, loan, sell, distribute or create derivative works based on the Services, the Services Content, or Content, in whole or in part, except that the foregoing does not apply to your own User Content that you legally upload to the Services. In connection with your use of the Services you will not engage in or use any data mining, spiders, robots, scraping or similar data gathering or extraction methods. If you are blocked by GroupHug from accessing the Services (including by blocking your IP address), you agree not to implement any measures to circumvent such blocking (e.g., by masking your IP address or using a proxy IP address). Any use of the Services or the Services Content other than as specifically authorized herein is strictly prohibited. The technology and software underlying the Services or distributed in connection therewith are the property of GroupHug, our affiliates and our partners (the “Software”). You agree not to copy, modify, create a derivative work of, reverse engineer, reverse assemble or otherwise attempt to discover any source code, sell, assign, sublicense, or otherwise transfer any right in the Software. Any rights not expressly granted herein are reserved by GroupHug.

The GroupHug name and logos are trademarks and service marks of GroupHug (collectively the “GroupHug Trademarks”). Other company, product, and service names and logos used and displayed via the Services may be trademarks or service marks of their respective owners, who may or may not endorse or be affiliated with or connected to GroupHug. Nothing in these Terms of Service or the Services should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any of GroupHug Trademarks displayed on the Services, without our prior written permission in each instance. All goodwill generated from the use of GroupHug Trademarks will inure to our exclusive benefit.

Third-Party Material: Under no circumstances will GroupHug be liable in any way for any content or materials of any third parties (including Users) or any User Content (including, but not limited to, for any errors or omissions in any User Content), or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any such User Content. You acknowledge that GroupHug does not pre-screen User Content, but that GroupHug and its designees will have the right (but not the obligation) in their sole discretion to refuse, remove, or allow any User Content that is available via the Services at any time and for any reason, with or without notice, and without any liability to you or to any third party for any claims, damages, costs or losses resulting therefrom.

User Content Transmitted Through the Services: With respect to the User Content, you represent and warrant that you own all right, title and interest in and to, or otherwise have all necessary rights and consents to (and to allow others to) fully exploit, such User Content, including, without limitation, as it concerns all copyrights, trademark rights and rights of publicity or privacy related thereto. By uploading, sharing, providing, or otherwise making available any User Content, or any portion thereof, in connection with the Services, you hereby grant and will grant GroupHug and its affiliated companies and users a nonexclusive, worldwide, royalty free, fully paid up, transferable, sublicensable, perpetual, irrevocable license to copy, display, upload, perform, distribute, store, modify and otherwise use your User Content in connection with the operation of the Services or the promotion, advertising or marketing thereof, in any form, medium or technology now known or later developed. Without limiting the foregoing, if any User Content contains your name, image or likeness, you hereby release and hold harmless GroupHug and its contractors and employees, from (i) all claims for invasion of privacy, publicity or libel, (ii) any liability or other claims by virtue of any blurring, distortion, alteration, optical illusion, or other use or exploitation of your name, image or likeness, and (iii) any liability for claims made by you (or any successor to any claim you might bring) in connection with your User Content, name, image or likeness. You waive any right to inspect or approve any intermediary version(s) or finished version(s) of the results of the use of your User Content (including your name, image or likeness). Further, if any person (other than you) appears in your User Content, you represent and warrant that you have secured all necessary licenses, waivers and releases from such person(s) for the benefit of GroupHug in a manner fully consistent with the licenses, waivers and releases set forth above. You further acknowledge that your participation in the Services and submission of User Content is voluntary and that you will not receive financial compensation of any type associated with the licenses, waivers, and releases set forth herein (or GroupHug’s exploitation thereof), and that the sole consideration for subject matter of this agreement is the opportunity to use the Services.

We do not guarantee that any Services Content will be made available through the Services. We reserve the right to, but do not have any obligation to, (i) remove, edit or modify any Services Content or User Content, in our sole discretion, at any time, without notice to you and for any reason (including, but not limited to, upon receipt of claims or allegations from third parties or authorities relating to such Services Content or User Content, or if we are concerned that you may have violated these Terms of Service), or for no reason at all and (ii) to remove or block any Services Content or User Content from the Services.

Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard: The Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is a set of industry-mandated requirements for any business that handles, processes, or stores credit cards. The primary purpose of the standards is to maintain controls around cardholder data to reduce credit card fraud. As a service provider, GroupHug is PCI DSS compliant and will maintain all applicable PCI DSS requirements to the extent that we possess or otherwise store, process, or transmit cardholder data on behalf of you, or to the extent that we can in any way impact the security of your cardholder data environment.

Copyright Complaints: GroupHug respects the intellectual property of others, and we ask our users to do the same. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, or that your intellectual property rights have been otherwise violated, you should notify GroupHug of your infringement claim in accordance with the procedure set forth below.

GroupHug will process and investigate notices of alleged infringement and will take appropriate actions under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) and other applicable intellectual property laws with respect to any alleged or actual infringement. A notification of claimed copyright infringement should be emailed to GroupHug’s Copyright Agent at info@givegrouphug.com (Subject line: “DMCA Takedown Request”). 

To be effective, the notification must be in writing and contain the following information:

  • an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright or other intellectual property interest;
  • a description of the copyrighted work or other intellectual property that you claim has been infringed;
  • a description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the Services, with enough detail that we may find it on the Services;
  • your address, telephone number, and email address;
  • a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright or intellectual property owner, its agent, or the law; and
  • a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright or intellectual property owner or authorized to act on the copyright or intellectual property owner’s behalf.

Counter-Notice: If you believe that your User Content that was removed (or to which access was disabled) is not infringing, or that you have the authorization from the copyright owner, the copyright owner’s agent, or pursuant to the law, to upload and use the content in your User Content, you may send a written counter-notice containing the following information to the above-listed Copyright Agent:

  • your physical or electronic signature;
  • identification of the content that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the content appeared before it was removed or disabled;
  • a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the content was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or a misidentification of the content; and
  • your name, address, telephone number, and email address, and a statement that you will accept service of process from the person who provided notification of the alleged infringement.

If a counter-notice is received by the Copyright Agent, GroupHug will send a copy of the counter-notice to the original complaining party, informing that person that it may replace the removed content or cease disabling it in 10 business days. Unless the copyright owner files an action seeking a court order against the content provider, member or user, the removed content may be replaced, or access to it restored, in 10 to 14 business days or more after receipt of the counter-notice, at our sole discretion.

Repeat Infringer Policy: In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, GroupHug has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances and at GroupHug’s sole discretion, users who are deemed to be repeat infringers. GroupHug may also at its sole discretion limit access to or terminate the Services and/or terminate the memberships of any users who infringe any intellectual property rights of others, whether or not there is any repeat infringement.

THIRD PARTY WEBSITES/SERVICES

The Services or third parties may provide or facilitate links, tools, widgets or other features that allow you to access other sites, services and resources provided by third parties (collectively, “Third Party Resources”). GroupHug has no control over such Third Party Resources or any products, services or content made available through or by such Third Party Resources, or the business practices of the third parties providing such Third Party Resources, and GroupHug is not responsible for and does not endorse such Third Party Resources or the products, services or content made available thereby. You acknowledge that GroupHug is not responsible or liable for the content, functions, accuracy, legality, appropriateness or any other aspect of such Third Party Resources. You further acknowledge and agree that GroupHug will not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with the use of or reliance on any content, events, goods or services available on or through any such Third Party Resources. Any dealings you have with third parties found while using the Services are between you and the third party and may be subject to additional terms provided by the third party, which you agree to by using such Third Party Resources. As an example of this, if you use the GroupHug Platform through your mobile device, and you upload a video to a fundraiser, that video will be uploaded using YouTube, and subject to the YouTube Terms of Service. And you agree that GroupHug is not liable for any loss or claim that you may have against any such third party.

INDEMNITY AND RELEASE

You agree to release, indemnify on demand and hold GroupHug and its affiliates and their officers, employees, directors and agents harmless from any and all losses, damages, expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, costs, awards, fines, damages, rights, claims, actions of any kind and injury (including death) arising out of or relating to your use of the Services, any contribution or GroupHug, any User Content, your connection to the Services, your violation of these Terms of Service or your violation of any rights of another. You agree that GroupHug has the right to conduct its own defense of any claims at its own discretion, and that you will indemnify GroupHug for the costs of its defense (including, but not limited to attorney’s fees.) If you are a California resident, you waive California Civil Code Section 1542, which says: “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.” If you are a resident of another jurisdiction—in or outside of the United States—you waive any comparable statute or doctrine.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. GroupHug AND ITS AFFILIATES EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM AND EXCLUDE, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ALL WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

GroupHug AND ITS AFFILIATES MAKE NO WARRANTY OR CONDITION THAT (I) THE SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS, (II) THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE, (III) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE, OR (IV) THE QUALITY OF ANY PRODUCTS, SERVICES, INFORMATION, OR OTHER MATERIAL PURCHASED OR OBTAINED BY YOU THROUGH THE SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, NEITHER GroupHug NOR ITS AFFILIATES WILL BE LIABLE FOR ANY (A) INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, (B) DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, (C) DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF GOODWILL, (D) DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF USE, (E) LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF DATA, OR (F) OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES (EVEN IF GroupHug HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), WHETHER BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, RESULTING FROM (I) THE USE OR THE INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICES; (II) THE COST OF PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS AND SERVICES RESULTING FROM ANY GOODS, DATA, INFORMATION OR SERVICES PURCHASED OR OBTAINED OR MESSAGES RECEIVED OR TRANSACTIONS ENTERED INTO THROUGH OR FROM THE SERVICES; (III) ANY PROMOTIONS AND RELATED PRIZES OR REWARDS MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICES; (IV) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (V) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICES; OR (VI) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATING TO THE SERVICES. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL GroupHug’S TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES (INCLUDING CONTRACT, NEGLIGENCE, STATUTORY LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE) OR CAUSES OF ACTION EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID GroupHug IN THE LAST SIX (6) MONTHS, OR, IF GREATER, ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES OR THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. ACCORDINGLY, SOME OF THE LIMITATIONS SET FORTH ABOVE MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF THE SERVICES OR WITH THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USE OF THE SERVICES.

DISPUTES

ARBITRATION CLAUSE & CLASS ACTION WAIVER – IMPORTANT – PLEASE REVIEW AS THIS AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS

Arbitration; Class Action Waiver. YOU AGREE THAT ALL DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND US OR ANY OF OUR OFFICERS, DIRECTORS OR EMPLOYEES ACTING IN THEIR CAPACITY AS SUCH (WHETHER OR NOT SUCH DISPUTE INVOLVES A THIRD PARTY) WITH REGARD TO YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH US, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION DISPUTES RELATED TO THESE TERMS OF SERVICE, YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, AND/OR RIGHTS OF PRIVACY AND/OR PUBLICITY, WILL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND YOU AND WE HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVE TRIAL BY JURY. DISCOVERY AND RIGHTS TO APPEAL IN ARBITRATION ARE GENERALLY MORE LIMITED THAN IN A LAWSUIT, AND OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU AND WE WOULD HAVE IN COURT MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ARBITRATION. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, BY ENTERING INTO THESE TERMS, YOU AND WE ARE EACH WAIVING OUR RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY OR TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, nothing in these Terms of Service will be deemed to waive, preclude, or otherwise limit the right of either of us 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) file suit in a court of law to address an intellectual property infringement claim.

The Process. Any arbitration between you and us will be settled under the Federal Arbitration Act and administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules (collectively, “AAA Rules”) as modified by these Terms of Service. The AAA Rules and filing forms are available online at www.adr.org.

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 that other party has not provided a current physical address, then by electronic mail (“Notice of Arbitration”). Our current address for Notice is: GroupHug, ℅ Legal Department, 855 Jefferson Avenue, PO Box 1329, Redwood City, CA 94063. The Notice of Arbitration must: (a) describe the nature and basis of the claim or dispute; and (b) set forth the specific relief sought (“Demand”). We agree to work with you and make a good faith effort to resolve the claim directly, but if we aren’t successful within 60 days after the Notice of Arbitration is received, you or we may commence an arbitration proceeding. All arbitration proceedings between the parties will be confidential unless otherwise agreed by the parties in writing. During the arbitration, the amount of any settlement offer made by either of us must not be disclosed to the arbitrator until after the arbitrator makes a final decision and award, if any. If the arbitrator awards you an amount which exceeds the last written settlement amount offered by us in settlement of the dispute prior to the award, we will pay to you the higher of: (i) the amount awarded by the arbitrator; or (ii) $10,000.00.

Fees. If you commence arbitration in accordance with these Terms of Service, we 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 an agreed upon location in San Francisco, 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 telephone hearing or (c) by an in-person hearing as established by the AAA Rules in the county of your billing address. If the arbitration 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 the 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 us for all monies previously disbursed by us 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 WE AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS TO THE FULLEST EXTENT LEGALLY PERMISSIBLE 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 we 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 we make any future change to this arbitration provision, other than a change to our address for Notice of Arbitration, you may reject the change by sending us written notice within 30 days of the change to our address for Notice of Arbitration, in which case your account with us will be immediately terminated and this arbitration provision, as in effect immediately prior to the changes you rejected will survive.
  • Enforceability. If this Disputes section is found to be unenforceable, then the entirety of this Disputes section will be null and void and, in that case, the parties agree that the exclusive jurisdiction and venue described in the General section below will govern any action arising out of or related to these Terms of Service.

Confidentiality. We each agree to keep the arbitration proceedings, all information exchanged between us, and any settlement offers confidential, unless otherwise required by law or requested by law enforcement or any court or governmental body. However, we may each disclose these matters, in confidence, to our respective accountants, auditors, and insurance providers.

TERMINATION

You agree that GroupHug, in its sole discretion, may suspend or terminate your account (or any part thereof) or your access to the Services and remove and discard any User Content or data at any time and for any reason, with or without notice, and without any liability to you or to any third party for any claims, damages, costs or losses resulting therefrom.

USER DISPUTES

You agree that you are solely responsible for your interactions with any other user in connection with the Services and GroupHug will have no liability or responsibility with respect thereto. GroupHug reserves the right, but has no obligation, to become involved in any way with disputes between you and any other user of the Services.

GENERAL

These Terms of Service constitute the entire agreement between you and GroupHug and govern your use of the Services, superseding any prior agreements between you and GroupHug with respect to the Services. You also may be subject to additional terms of service that may apply when you use affiliate or third-party services, third-party content or third-party software. These Terms of Service will be governed by the laws of the State of California without regard to its conflict of law provisions. With respect to any disputes or claims not subject to arbitration, as set forth above, you and GroupHug agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located within San Mateo County, California. The failure of GroupHug to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms of Service will not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of these Terms of Service is found by a court of competent jurisdiction to be (or are otherwise) invalid, the parties nevertheless agree that the court should endeavor to give effect to the parties’ intentions as reflected in the provision, and the other provisions of these Terms of Service remain in full force and effect. You agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action arising out of or related to use of the Services or these Terms of Service must be filed within one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred. A printed version of this agreement and of any notice given in electronic form will be admissible in judicial or administrative proceedings based upon or relating to this agreement to the same extent and subject to the same conditions as other business documents and records originally generated and maintained in printed form. You may not assign these Terms of Service without the prior written consent of GroupHug, but GroupHug may assign or transfer these Terms of Service, in whole or in part, without restriction. If we fail to enforce any of our rights, that does not result in a waiver of that right. The section titles in these Terms of Service are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect. Notices to you may be made via either email or regular mail. The Services may also provide notices to you of changes to these Terms of Service or other matters by displaying notices or links to notices generally on the Platforms. GroupHug may, at any time, assign our rights or delegate our obligations hereunder without notice to you in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization or sale of equity or assets, or by operation of law or otherwise. Nothing in these Terms shall prevent GroupHug from complying with the law. GroupHug shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform resulting from causes outside its reasonable control, including, but not limited to, acts of God, war, terrorism, riots, embargos, acts of civil or military authorities, fire, floods, accidents, strikes or shortages of transportation facilities, fuel, energy, labor or materials.

PRIVACY POLICY

At GroupHug, we respect the privacy of our users. For details please see our Privacy Policy. By using the Services, you consent to our collection and use of personal data as outlined therein. If you are in Europe, by using the Services, you acknowledge GroupHug’s collection and use of personal information as described in the Privacy Policy.

QUESTIONS? CONCERNS? SUGGESTIONS?

Contact us to report violations or ask any questions.