Comment Policy

1.     ACKNOWLEDGMENT AND ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS

2.     DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES

 1.     The Website provides Member with various services, including but not limited to the capability to post information to a web page and participate in web-based discussions (the “Services”). The requirements for any service or option will be clearly explained and separately agreed to when Member implements those options, if any. Each Member must: (1) provide all equipment, including a computer and modem, necessary to establish a connection to the world wide web; (2) provide for their own access to the world wide web and pay any telephone service fees associated with such access.

3.     MEMBER ACCOUNT, PASSWORD, AND SECURITY

 1.     Once you become a member of the Website, you shall receive a password and an account. Each Member agrees to keep their account details and password confidential. Furthermore, each Member is entirely responsible for any and all activities which occur under your account. 

2.     Each Member agrees to immediately notify the Institute of any unauthorised use of that Member's account or any other breach of security known to a Member.

4.     MEMBER CONDUCT 

1.     Each Member acknowledges that the Website is for their personal and non-commercial use.

2.     Each Member is solely responsible for the contents of his or her transmissions through the Services. Each Member's use of the Services is subject to all applicable local, state, national and international laws and regulations.

3.     Each Member agrees:

1. to comply with English law regarding the transmission of data through the Services;
2. not to use the Services for illegal purposes;
3. not to interfere or disrupt networks connected to the Services; and
4. to comply with all regulations, policies and procedures of networks connected to the Services.

4.     The Services make use of the Internet to send and receive certain messages; therefore, a Member's conduct is subject to internet regulations, policies and procedures.

5.     Each Member agrees that they will only use the bulletin boards, chat rooms and other message or communication facilities on the Website (the “Forums”) to send and receive messages and material that are proper and related to the particular Forum and in particular that they will not:

1. defame, abuse, harass, stalk threaten or otherwise violate the legal rights of others;
2. publish post, distribute, link or disseminate any defamatory, infringing, obscene, pornographic, foul language, swearing, indecent, libelous or unlawful material or information;
3. upload files that contain software or other material protected by intellectual property law or by rights of privacy unless the Member owns or controls the rights or has received all necessary consents;
4. upload any files that contain viruses, corrupted files or any other similar software or programs that may damage the operation of another person’s computer; 
5. delete any author attributions, legal notices or proprietary designations or labels in any file that is uploaded;
6. falsify the origin or source of software or other material contained in a file that is uploaded;
7. advertise, offer to buy or sell any goods or services, or conduct or forward surveys, contests or chain letters; and
8. download any file posted by another user of a Forum which you know, or reasonably should know, cannot be legally distributed in such a manner.

6. Each Member shall not interfere with another Member's use and enjoyment of the Services or another entity's use and enjoyment of similar services.

7. The Institute may, at its sole discretion, immediately terminate the Services should a Member's conduct fail to conform with these terms and conditions.

5.     MODIFICATIONS TO TERMS AND CONDITIONS

1.     The Institute may change the terms and conditions of the Website from time to time. Upon major changes in the terms and conditions of the Website, the Institute will notify you by posting the changes as a start-up screen prior to your subsequent use of the Services. If you agree to be bound by the changes, you must again click the “I Accept” button that will follow the posted changes. If you do not click the “I Accept” button, you may terminate your use of the Services at that time. Minor changes in the terms and conditions will be posted at reutersinstitute.politics.ox.ac.uk. 

2.     Member's continued use of the Services constitutes an affirmative: (1) acknowledgment by Member of these terms and conditions and any modifications; and (2) agreement by Member to abide and be bound by the terms and conditions and any modifications.

6.     MODIFICATIONS TO SERVICES

 1.     The Institute reserves the right to modify or discontinue the Services with or without notice to Member. The Institute shall not be liable to a Member or any third party should the Institute exercise its rights to modify or discontinue the Services.

7.     PRIVACY POLICY

1.     All information entered into the Website by a Member is private to that Member except to the extent that he or she opts to share that information with other Website members and/or the public, through the Website or otherwise.

2.     It is the Institute's policy to respect the privacy of Members. Therefore, the Institute will not disclose to any third party a Member's name or contact information.  The Institute will also not monitor, edit, or disclose the contents of a Member's information unless required to do so by law or in the good faith belief that such action is necessary to: (1) conform to the edicts of the law or comply with legal process served on the Institute; (2) protect and defend the rights or property of the Institute; or (3) act under exigent circumstances to protect the personal safety of the Website members or the public; (4) fix or debug problems with the Website software/service.

8.     CONTENT OWNERSHIP

1.     Unless stated otherwise for specific services, a Member will retain copyright ownership and all related rights for information he or she publishes through the Website or otherwise enters into Website-related services.

9.     CONTENT RESPONSIBILITY

1.     Each Member acknowledges that all Forums are public and not private communications and the Institute has the right to monitor all communications on the platform. Further, each Member acknowledges that the Institute does not endorse chats, postings, conferences, and other communications by other users, and such communications shall not be considered reviewed, screened, or approved by the Institute.

2.     Each Member understands that all information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages or other materials, whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, are the sole responsibility of the person from which such content originated. This means that each Member, and not Institute, is entirely responsible for all content that each Member uploads, posts, emails, transmits or otherwise makes available via the Services.

3.     The Institute does not control the content posted via the Services and, as such, does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of such content. Each Member understands that by using the Website, they may be exposed to content that is offensive, indecent or objectionable. Under no circumstances will the Institute be liable in any way for any content, including, but not limited to, for any errors or omissions in any content, or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any content posted, emailed, transmitted or otherwise made available via the Website or service or any site that chooses to link to or display the content.

4.     This Website may contain hyperlinks to websites operated by third parties other than the Institute. Such hyperlinks are provided for your reference only.  The Institute does not control such websites and is not responsible for their contents.

5.     The Institute reserves the right for any reason to remove without notice any content including without limitation bulletin board postings, articles, weblogs and private messages. The Institute reserves the right to deny in its sole discretion any user access to the Website and/or revoke membership without notice. 

10.  DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

1.     Each Member expressly agrees that use of the Services is at the Member's sole risk. The Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

2.     The Institute expressly disclaims all warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement.

3.     The Institute makes no warranty that the Services will meet your requirements, or that the Services will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error free; nor does the Institute make any warranty as to the results that may be obtained from the use of the Services or as to the accuracy or reliability of any information obtained through the Services or that defects in the software will be corrected.

4.     Each Member understands and agrees that any material and/or data downloaded or otherwise obtained through the use of the Services is done at the Member's own discretion and risk and that the Member will be solely responsible for any damage to the Member's computer system or loss of data that results from the download of such material and/or data.

5.     No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by a Member from or through the Services shall create any warranty not expressly made herein.

11.  LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

1.     The Institute shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages, resulting from or connected with the use or the inability to use the Services or for cost of procurement of substitute goods and services or resulting from any goods or services purchased or obtained or messages received or transactions entered into through the Services or resulting from unauthorized access to or alteration of a Member's transmissions or data, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, use, data or other intangible, even if has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

2.     Nothing in these terms and conditions will, however, operate to limit or exclude any liability which cannot be excluded at law in the relevant jurisdiction.

12.  STORAGE AND OTHER LIMITATIONS

1.     The Institute assumes no responsibility for the deletion or failure to store information entered into the Website.

2.     The Institute has set no fixed upper limit on the number or posts a Member may send or receive through the Services or the amount of storage spaced used; however, the Institute retains the right, at the Institute's sole discretion, to determine whether or not a Member's conduct is consistent with the letter and spirit of these terms and conditions and may terminate the Services if a Member's conduct is found to be inconsistent with these terms and conditions.

13.  INDEMNIFICATION

1.     Each Member agrees to indemnify and hold the Institute, and it parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers and employees, harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable fees, costs and expenses made by any third party due to or arising out of a Member's use of the Services, the violation of these terms and conditions by a Member, or the infringement by a Member, or other user of the Services using a Member's computer, of any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity.

14.  TERMINATION

1.     Either a Member or the Institute may terminate the Services with or without cause at any time and effective immediately. The Institute shall not be liable to Member or any third party for termination of Services.

2.     Should a Member object to any of these terms and conditions or any subsequent modifications thereto or become dissatisfied with the Services in any way, the Member's only recourse is to immediately discontinue use of the Services.

3.     Upon termination of the Services, a Member's right to use the Services immediately ceases. Each Member shall have no right and the Institute will have no obligation thereafter to forward any unread or unsent messages to a Member or any third party.

15.  SEVERANCE

1.     If any provision of these terms and conditions is held by any competent authority to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable in whole or in part, these terms and conditions will continue to be legal, valid and enforceable as to the other provisions and the remainder of the affected provision.

16.  NOTICE

1.     All notices to a party shall be in writing and shall be made either via email or conventional mail. The Institute may broadcast notices or messages through the Services to inform a Member of changes to these terms and conditions, the Services, or other matters of importance; such broadcasts shall constitute notice to the Member.

17.  LAWS

1.     These terms and conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with English law.

2.     Each Member and the Institute agrees to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts England.

3.     The Institute's failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these terms and conditions shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision unless acknowledged and agreed to by the Institute in writing.

4.     Each Member and the Institute agree that any cause of action arising out of or related to the Services must commence within one (1) year after the cause of action arose; otherwise, such cause of action is permanently barred.