Terms and Conditions of Access and Use

Welcome to www.ncfr.org. This Website (the "Site") is owned by the National Council on Family Relations ("NCFR"). It is provided as a convenience and for information purposes only. This Terms and Conditions of Use Agreement (the "Agreement") describes the terms and conditions and the general principles applicable to your access and use of the Site.

By accessing or using the Site, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all the terms and conditions of this Agreement and the Privacy Policy, which include those terms and conditions expressly set out below and those incorporated by reference. NCFR reserves the right to change or modify any of the terms and conditions contained in this Agreement, the Site, any policy or guideline of the Site, at any time and in its sole discretion without further notice. Any changes or modification will be effective upon including the revisions and changes on the Site. Your continued use of this Site following the changes or modifications will constitute your acceptance of such changes or modifications. Therefore, you should frequently review the Site, this Agreement, and applicable policies from time-to-time to understand the terms and conditions that apply to your access and use of the Site. If you do not accept these terms, you are not authorized to use this Site.

1. General Terms

a. Use of Site.

Subject to the terms and conditions of this Agreement including the Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference, NCFR grants you a limited non-exclusive revocable license to access and make personal and non-commercial use of this Site, provided you do not modify, alter or download (other than page caching) any portion of it unless otherwise specifically provided herein or you have obtained written authorization is obtained in advance from NCFR. The permission granted to you shall terminate automatically and immediately if you breach any of the terms or conditions set forth in this Agreement. NCFR reserves the right to modify or remove any materials, products, or services listed on the Site at any time without further notice. All rights not expressly granted herein, are expressly reserved by NCFR.

b. Prohibited Use of Site.

You shall not make any commercial use of this Site or its contents, product listings, descriptions, or prices. You further agree not to download or copy any content or product information for the benefit of any third-party or use any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools. This Site, or any portion of this Site, may not be reproduced, duplicated, copied, displayed, sold, resold, visited, or exploited for any commercial purpose without the express written consent of NCFR. You agree not to interfere, disrupt or attempt to gain unauthorized access to this Site, an NCFR Site, the NCFR Sites, or any other related computer network. You further agree not to disseminate, store, or transmit viruses, Trojan horses or any malicious code or program or engage in any other activity deemed by NCFR to be in conflict with the spirit or intent of this Agreement. You agree to use the Site only for lawful purposes.

c. User Content.

The Site may now or in the future permit the submission of software, text, graphics, images, video, audio and other material at the direction of users of the Site ("User Content") and permit the hosting, sharing, and/or publishing of such User Content.

You shall be solely responsible for User Content you submit and the consequences of NCFR's posting or publishing such User Content. In connection with any User Content you submit, you affirm, represent, and warrant that: (i) you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to use and authorize NCFR to use all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to any and all User Content to enable inclusion and use of the User Content in the manner contemplated by the Site and this Agreement; and (ii) you have the written consent, release, or permission to use the name, image, or likeness of each individual identified in the User Content. By submitting the User Content to us, you hereby grant NCFR its subsidiaries and related companies a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicenseable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, modify, display, and perform all or any portion of the User Content in connection with the Site and NCFR business, including without limitation for promoting and redistributing part or all of the Site (and derivative works thereof) in any media formats and through any media channels. You also hereby grant each user of the Site a non-exclusive license to access your User Content through the Site, and to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display and perform such User Content as permitted through the functionality of the Site and under this Agreement. NCFR or its agents may maintain copies of any User Content for purposes of backup, security, or maintenance, or as required by law.

In connection with User Content, you further agree that you will not submit material that is copyrighted, protected by trade secret, or otherwise subject to third-party proprietary rights, including privacy and publicity rights, unless you are the owner of such rights or have permission from their rightful owner to post the material and to grant NCFR all of the license rights granted herein.

d. User Conduct.

This Site may, from time to time, include discussion forums and interactive areas. Any forums and interactive areas of the Site shall be used only for non-commercial purposes. By using the forums or interactive areas, you agree not to do any of the following: (i) upload, post, or transmit any content for purposes of political campaigning or commercial solicitation or that is unlawful, threatens another person or entity, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libelous, invades the privacy of another, or otherwise objectionable; (ii) impersonate another user of this Site including an employee of NCFR; (iii) intentionally or unintentionally violate any local, state, or federal law; (iv) upload, post or transmit any software of files that contain software viruses or other harmful computer code; (v) interfere with the operation of NCFR web servers or other computers or Internet or network connections; (vi) upload, post, or transmit any information, pictures, graphics or other content that violates the copyright, patent, trademark, or trade secret rights of another party; (vii) upload, post or transmit any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, including spam; (viii) alter, damage or delete any content or other communications that is not your own or otherwise interfere with the ability of others to access this Site.

e. Confidential Information.

Do not use this Site as a means of submitting information you consider to be confidential or proprietary. Except as otherwise expressly provided herein or in a written agreement with NCFR applicable to your particular use of an NCFR Site, any submission of material by you will be considered a contribution to NCFR for further use in its sole discretion, regardless of any proprietary claims or reservation of rights noted in the submission. Accordingly, you agree that any material, including but not limited to questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, plans, notes, drawings, original or creative materials or other information, provided by you in the form of e-mail or submissions to NCFR, or postings on this Site, are not confidential (subject to NCFR's Privacy Policy). NCFR shall be entitled to the unrestricted use of this material for any purpose, commercial or otherwise, without acknowledgment or compensation to you. The submission of any material to NCFR, irrevocably waives any and all "moral rights" in such materials, including the rights of paternity and integrity.

f. Removal of Content/Termination of Access.

NCFR does not endorse any User Content or any opinion, recommendation, or advice expressed therein, and we expressly disclaim any and all liability in connection with any User Content. NCFR does not permit copyright infringing activities and infringement of intellectual property rights on this Site, and we will remove all User Content if properly notified that such User Content infringes on another's intellectual property rights. NCFR may remove any User Content without prior notice. NCFR may also terminate your access to the Site at its sole discretion and without prior notice. NCFR also reserves the right to decide whether User Content is appropriate and complies with this Agreement for violations other than copyright infringement and violations of intellectual property law, such as, but not limited to, pornography, obscene or defamatory material, or excessive length. NCFR may remove such User Content or terminate your access for uploading such material in violation of this Agreement at any time, without prior notice and at its sole discretion.

If you are a copyright owner or an agent thereof and believe that any User Content infringes upon your copyrights, you may submit a notification pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") by providing NCFR with the following information in writing (see 17 U.S.C 512(c)(3) for further detail): (i) a physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed; (ii) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site; (iii) identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled and information reasonably sufficient to permit NCFR to locate the material; (iv) information reasonably sufficient to permit NCFR to contact you, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail; (v) a statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and (vi) a statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed. This information should be sent to National Council on Family Relations, 661 LaSalle Street, Suite 200, Saint Paul, MN 55114-2034. 

g. Equipment.

You shall be solely responsible for providing, maintaining and ensuring compatibility with the Site including all hardware, software, electrical and other physical requirements for your use of this Site, including, without limitation, telecommunications, Internet access connections, Web browsers or other equipment, programs and services required to access and use the Site.

h. Privacy.

NCFR does not sell or rent your personal information to third parties for their marketing purposes without your consent and we only use your information as described in the Privacy Policy. Our current Privacy Policy is incorporated herein by reference.

i. Accessibility.

You acknowledge and agree that at times this Site may be inaccessible or inoperable for any reason whatsoever, including, without limitation: (i) equipment malfunctions; (ii) periodic maintenance procedures or repairs which NCFR may undertake from time to time; or (iii) causes which are beyond the control of NCFR or which are not reasonably foreseeable.

2. Ownership of Intellectual Property

a. Trademarks.

The trademarks, service marks, brand names and logos appearing on this Site are owned by NCFR and others. Nothing herein shall be construed as granting any license or right to use any trademarks, service marks, brand names, or logos appearing on the Site, without the express written permission of the owner. You may not frame or utilize framing techniques to enclose any trademarks, brand names, service marks, logos, or use any meta tags or any other "hidden text" utilizing NCFR's trademarks, brand names, or service marks without the express written consent of NCFR. The following is a nonexclusive list of registered and unregistered trademarks, service marks, brand names and logos used and displayed on this Site that are owned by NCFR or its subsidiaries or related companies in the United States and other countries or jurisdictions:

  • NCFR Logo TM
  • Mark Image ®
  • NATIONAL COUNCIL ON FAMILY RELATIONS TM
  • NCFR TM
  • CATALYZING RESEARCH, THEORY AND PRACTICE TM

b. Copyrighted Works.

Copyrights in content provided on this Site, including, but not limited to, images, video, photos, electronic art, animations, graphics, sounds, audio, information and data, communication programs, electronic mail services, and user interfaces, executable code, and data formatted, organized, and collected in a variety of forms, including layouts, pages, screens, directories, and databases (hereafter "Copyrighted Works") is exclusively owned by NCFR, its subsidiaries or related companies, or others, and is protected by U.S. and international copyright laws. Except as stated herein, you agree that you will not copy, reproduce, modify, alter, create derivative works from, distribute, display, post, or transmit any Copyrighted Works (except for your personal, private, non-commercial use) in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of NCFR and any appropriate third party as applicable.

3. Links

The Site may provide links to other Web sites maintained by third parties. You acknowledge and agree that such links are provided for your convenience only and do not reflect any endorsement, affiliation, relationship, or sponsorship by NCFR with respect to the provider of such linked site or the quality, reliability or any other characteristic or feature of such linked site. You further acknowledge and agree that NCFR is not responsible in any manner (including without limitation with respect to any loss or injury you may suffer) for any matter associated with the linked site, including without limitation, the content provided on or through any such linked site or your reliance thereon. NCFR MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO ANY LINKED SITE. YOUR USE OF ANY LINKED SITE IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. In addition, you should be aware that your use of any non NCFR Site is subject to the terms and conditions applicable to that site, including the privacy policies (or lack thereof) of such site.

If a third party links to the Site, it is not necessarily an indication of endorsement, affiliation, relationship, or sponsorship by or with NCFR. NCFR may not even be aware that a third party has linked to the Site.

4. Disclaimer of Warranties

NCFR AND ITS AGENTS, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, SUCCESSORS, ASSIGNS, AND AFFILIATES PROVIDE THIS SITE "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

NCFR AND ITS AGENTS, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, SUCCESSORS, ASSIGNS, AND AFFILIATES DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE OPERATION OF THIS SITE, OR THE INFORMATION, CONTENT, OR MATERIALS INCLUDED ON THIS SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE. YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT YOUR USE OF THIS SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE BY APPLICABLE LAW, NCFR DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NCFR DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THIS SITE, OR ITS SERVERS, ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

5. Limitation of Liability

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL NCFR OR ITS AGENTS, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, SUCCESSORS, ASSIGNS, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES FOR ANY MATTER ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR YOUR USE OF THIS SITE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITE, ANY CHANGES TO OR INACCESSIBILITY OF THE SITE, DELAY, FAILURE, UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF ANY TRANSMISSION OR DATA, ANY MATERIAL OR DATA SENT OR RECEIVED OR NOT SENT OR RECEIVED, ANY TRANSACTION OR AGREEMENT ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE SITE, OR ANY DATA OR MATERIAL FROM A THIRD PERSON ACCESSED ON OR THROUGH THE SITE, WHETHER SUCH LIABILITY IS ASSERTED ON THE BASIS OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE.

6. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, hold harmless and defend NCFR, its subsidiaries, related companies, affiliates, directors, officers, employees, successors, assigns, and agents from and against any action, cause, claim, damage, debt, demand or liability, including reasonable costs and attorney's fees, asserted by any person, arising out of, or relating to: (i) this Agreement; (ii) your use of this Site, including any data or work transmitted or received by you; and (iii) any prohibited use of the Site as set forth in Sections 1.b and 1.c.

7. Termination

This Agreement is effective upon your acceptance as set forth herein and shall continue in full force until terminated. NCFR reserves the right, in its sole discretion and without notice, at any time and for any reason, to: (i) remove or disable access to all or any portion of the Site; (ii) suspend your access to or use of all or any portion of the Site; and (iii) terminate this Agreement. Sections 1-6 shall survive any termination of this Agreement.

8. Miscellaneous

a. Waiver.

No waiver of any term, provision or condition of this Agreement, whether by conduct or otherwise, in any one or more instances, shall be deemed to be, or shall constitute, a waiver of any other term, provision or condition hereof, whether or not similar, nor shall such waiver constitute a continuing waiver of any such term, provision or condition hereof. No waiver shall be binding unless executed in writing by the party making the waiver.

b. Severability.

If any provision of this Agreement is determined to be illegal or unenforceable, then such provision will be enforced to the maximum extent possible and the other provisions will remain fully effective and enforceable.

c. Law.

This Agreement is made in and shall be governed and construed by the laws of the State of Minnesota, United States of America, without reference to conflicts of laws. If you access this site from locations outside Minnesota or the United States, you are voluntarily and purposefully availing yourself of the laws of the State of Minnesota, United States of America, and you are solely responsible for compliance with all your local laws. Access to the Site from locations where the Site's contents may be unlawful is prohibited.

d. Forum.

All actions, claims or disputes arising under or relating to this Agreement shall be brought in the federal or state courts located in Hennepin County, Minnesota. You irrevocably submit and consent to the exercise of subject matter jurisdiction and personal jurisdiction over you by the federal and/or state courts in Hennepin County, Minnesota. You hereby irrevocably waive any and all objections which you may now or hereafter have to the exercise of personal and subject matter jurisdiction by the federal or state courts in Hennepin County, Minnesota and to the laying of venue of any such suit, action or proceeding brought in any such federal or state court in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

e. Headings.

The captions and headings of this Agreement are included for ease of reference only and shall be disregarded in interpreting or construing this Agreement.

f. Entire Agreement.

This Agreement constitutes the complete and exclusive statement of the agreement between the parties and supersedes any and all prior or contemporaneous communications, representations, statements and understandings, whether oral or written, between the parties.