Affiliate Program Terms &
Conditions
This Agreement contains all of the terms and conditions between BuildersPlanet.com.
("BP"), and the individual or organization (the
"Affiliate") participating in the BP Affiliate Program (the
"Program").
In this Agreement, "we" and
"us" means BP, and "you" means the Affiliate
participating in the Program. "BP Web Site" or "Our
Site" means the web site located at http://www.buildersplanet.com,
and "Your Site" means the web site upon which you establish
the Links to Our Site as part of this Program. The "BP
Services" means BP web hosting services and other products and
services that BP may introduce from time to time in the future and
offer through the Program.
1. Enrollment in the Affiliate
Network
To begin the enrollment process, you
must submit a properly completed Program application via Our Site. We
will evaluate your application in good faith and will notify you of
your acceptance or rejection in a timely manner. We may reject your
application if we determine, in our sole discretion, that Your Site is
unsuitable for the Program. Your Site may be deemed by us to be
unsuitable if, in our view, it:
a. contains, promotes or links to
sexually explicit or violent material;
b. promotes, depicts or links to
material that promotes or depicts discrimination based on race,
gender, religion, national origin, physical or mental disability,
sexual orientation, or age;
c. contains unlawful material,
including but not limited to materials that may violate another's
intellectual property rights, or links to a site that contains such
material;
d. contains information regarding,
promotes or links to a site that provides information or promotes
illegal activity; or
e. for any other reason that is
deemed by us to be unsuitable.
In this regard, you understand that
we reserve the right to conclude that Your Site is unsuitable in
accordance with our standards, and we may come to such a conclusion
even if it is based upon our opinion or mere suspicion or belief,
without any duty to prove that our opinion or suspicion is
well-founded and even if our opinion or suspicion is proven not to be
well-founded or if others' sites have been accepted despite having the
same or similar characteristics as Your Site. You also understand that
if we accept your application, such acceptance shall not imply that
Your Site does not meet one or more of the criteria that would have
permitted us to reject your application. If we reject your
application, you are welcome to reapply to the Program at any time.
2. Exclusive Provider
Subject to the terms and conditions
set forth below, we shall be the sole and exclusive Internet web
hosting service provider appearing on Your Site or in any materials to
promote Your Site. You agree that you will not, directly or
indirectly, promote or sell services or allow any other person or
entity to promote or sell services the same as or similar to the BP
Services on Your Site or link their web site to yours in connection
with the promotion or sale of services the same or similar to the BP
Services. This Agreement does not prevent an Affiliate from
selling/fulfilling its own Internet access or other related services
on Your Site.
3. Promotion of Our Affiliate
Relationship
As an Affiliate, we will make
available to you all hyper links ("Links") necessary to
promote and offer the BP Services, which, subject to the terms and
conditions hereof, you may display as often and in as many areas on
Your Site as you desire. The Links will serve to identify Your Site as
a member of our Program and will establish a Link from Your Site to
Our Site.
a. Link:
Subject to the terms of clause (b)
below, we will provide you a special link, which will consist of a
graphic image provided by us (and subject to change from time to time
in our sole discretion) which will contain our logo and an action box
which will allow a user of Your Site to enter a Web address into the
graphic. This Link will connect Your Site with the area on Our Site
that will inform the user if the requested Web address is presently
available or unavailable. The user will then be able to apply for the BP
Services directly with us.
b. Agreements Regarding Links:
In utilizing the Get a Web Address
Link you agree that you will cooperate fully with us in order to
establish and maintain such Link. You also agree that you will display
in Your Site only those graphic images indicating a Link that are
provided by us, and you will substitute such images with any new
images provided by us from time to time throughout the term of this
Agreement. You shall display such graphic images prominently in
relevant sections of Your Site. All Links may be modified and/or
expanded from time to time throughout the term of this Agreement
pursuant to the mutual agreement of the parties hereto. Each Link
connecting users of Your Site to the pertinent area of Our Site will
in no way alter the look, feel or functionality of Our Site. In
addition, for the term of this Agreement, you shall include a Link,
designated by the BP logo, in a prominent position on your home page
to Our Site.
4. Our Responsibilities
We will be responsible for providing
all information necessary to allow you to make appropriate Links from
Your Site to Our Site. We will be solely responsible for processing
every application for BP Services placed by a customer following a
Link from Your Site, for tracking the number and amount of sales
generated by the Link from Your Site, and for providing information to
you regarding commission payments. Also, we will be responsible for
credit card authorizations, payment processing, cancellations,
returns, and related customer service for the BP Services, it being
understood that such activities shall be for our account.
5. Other Responsibilities and
Opportunities of Affiliates:
a. If you qualify and agree to
participate as an Affiliate, you shall display the provided link
prominently throughout Your Site as you see fit and with our prior
consent.
b. Contests and Promotions: As an
Affiliate, you will be entitled to participate and promote on Your
Site any sweepstakes, contests, and special promotions we may offer,
and in connection therewith, we shall make such contests and
promotions available to users of Your Site. In addition, you may
become entitled to earn referral fees as set forth in Articles 6 and 7
below.
c. Compliance with this Agreement: We
have the right in our sole discretion to monitor Your Site at any time
and from time to time to determine if you are in compliance with the
terms of this Agreement.
6. Referral Fees
a. Subject to clause (b) below, we
will pay you referral fees on sales of BP Services to third parties.
Your entitlement to a referral fee will accrue only if the customer (i)
accesses Our Site through the use of a Link on Your Site; (ii)
purchases the BP Service(s) using our online signup process; and
(iii) remits full payment to us. The Program is intended for
commercial use only, and you may not purchase services through the
Program for your own use. This includes registering account under your
reseller code through this link for an end user. Such purchases may result, in our sole
discretion, in the withholding of referral fees or the termination of
this Agreement and accounts registered in such manner.
b. If during the first quarter of the
term of this Agreement, or during any quarter following the payment of
referral fees to you, your referral fees earned do not exceed fifty dollars ($50.00), then you shall not be entitled to receive
any referral fees during the applicable quarter. Subject to Article 14
below, thereafter, you will be paid referral fees at the end of each
quarter during which your aggregate unpaid referral fees exceed fifty dollars ($50.00). At such time, you also will be paid all
previously earned and unpaid referral fees.
7. Fee Schedule
You will earn referral fees based on
the sale of BP Services according to the fee schedule set forth
herein during the month in which such services are sold. Only services
that are sold by us to users of Your Site linked to Our Site and for
which we have received full payment will qualify for a referral
fee.
a. Subject to Section 6(b) hereof,
referral fees will be ten dollars ($20.00) for every paying customer
referred to us by Your Site, utilizing the Links between Your Site
and Our Site, excluding amounts due to credit card fraud, chargebacks
and bad debt and credits for cancelled services ("Net Sales").
We will delay payment for up to sixty (60) days to allow for the
aforementioned actions to take place.
b. We will then issue checks on a
monthly basis, sixty (60) days in arrears for signups processed.
8. Waiting Period
In order to alleviate the liability
imposed on either party, we will hold your first commission payment
for 60 days.
9. Your Responsibilities
You are solely responsible for
ensuring that the content of Your Site and your products and services
that you offer from Your Site comply with all applicable copyright and
other laws. You must have express permission to use another party's
copyrighted or other proprietary material. We will not be responsible
if you use another party's copyrighted or other proprietary material
on Your Site in violation of the law or any agreement, and your
indemnity, below, will protect us if you do so.
10. Policies and Pricing
Customers who buy BP Services
through the Program will be deemed to be customers of BP.
Accordingly, all of our rules, policies, and operating procedures
concerning customer applications, customer service, and sales of our
services will apply to those customers. We may change our policies and
operating procedures at any time. For example, we will determine the
prices to be charged for BP Services sold through the Program in
accordance with our own pricing policies. Service prices may vary from
time to time.
11. Publicity
You shall not create, publish,
distribute, or permit any written material that makes reference to us
without first submitting such material to us and receiving our prior
written consent, which we agree shall not be unreasonably withheld.
12. Licenses and Use of the BP Logos
and Trademarks
a. We grant you a non-exclusive,
non-transferable, revocable right (i) to access Our Site through the
Links solely in accordance with the terms of this agreement and (ii)
solely in connection with such Links, to use our logos, trade names,
trademarks and similar identifying material relating to us
(collectively, the "Licensed Materials"), for the sole
purpose of establishing a Link to Our Site so users of Your Site can
subscribe to BP Services. You may not alter, modify or change the
Licensed Materials in any way.
b. Other than establishing a Link
from Your Site to Our Site, you shall not make any use of any Licensed
Materials without first obtaining our prior written consent. You shall
not use the Licensed Materials in any manner that is disparaging or
that otherwise portrays us in a negative light. We reserve all of our
rights in the Licensed Materials and of our other proprietary rights.
We, in our sole discretion, may revoke your license at any time, by
giving you written notice.
c. You grant to us a non-exclusive
license to utilize your company name and logo, as the same may be
amended from time to time (the "Affiliate Trademarks"), to
advertise, market, promote and publicize in any manner your
participation in the Program or our rights hereunder; provided,
however, that we shall not be required to so advertise, market,
promote or publicize.
d. The licenses described in this
Article 12 shall expire upon the effective date of the expiration or
termination of this Agreement.
13. Obligations Regarding Your Site
You will be solely responsible for
the development, operation and maintenance of Your Site and for all
materials that appear on Your Site. Such responsibilities include, but
are not limited to, the technical operation of Your Site and all
related equipment; the accuracy and propriety of materials posted on
Your Site; and, ensuring that materials posted on Your Site do not
violate or infringe upon the rights of any third party and are not
libelous or otherwise illegal. We disclaim all liability for all such
matters.
14. Term of this Agreement and
Termination
This Agreement will begin upon our
acceptance of your Program application and continue for an initial
term of two (2) years and for additional successive one (1) year terms
unless the Agreement is terminated under one of the following
provisions:
a. You may terminate this Agreement
upon the expiration of the initial or any successive term by notifying
us in writing at least thirty (30) days prior to the expiration of the
then current term that you desire to terminate the Agreement; or upon
written notice given to us and effective within thirty (30) days of
our giving to you notice of a modification to this Agreement in
accordance with Article 15.
b. We may terminate this Agreement at
any time, with or without cause, by notifying you in writing that we
desire to terminate this Agreement.
You are only eligible to earn
referral fees on sales occurring during the term, and fees earned
through the date of termination will remain payable excluding amounts
due to credit card fraud, chargebacks and bad debt and credits for
cancelled services. We may withhold your final payment, or a portion
thereof, for a reasonable time to ensure that the correct amount is
paid. Within one (1) day of any termination of this Agreement, the
Links established under this Agreement shall be removed by you and the
you shall discontinue the use of the Licensed Materials provided under
Article 12 above.
15. Modification
We may modify any of the terms and
conditions contained in this Agreement at any time and in our sole
discretion. You will be notified by email and a change notice will be
posted on Our Site. Modifications may include, but are not limited to,
changes in the scope of available referral fees, referral fee
schedules, payment procedures and Program rules. If any modification
is unacceptable to you, your only recourse is to terminate this
Agreement as provided in Article 14; should you so terminate, the
changes we have announced shall nevertheless become effective unless
we agree, in writing, to the contrary. Your continued participation in
the Program following our posting of a change notice or new Agreement
on Our Site will constitute binding acceptance of the change.
16. Relationship of Parties
You and BP are independent
contractors, and nothing in this Agreement will create any
partnership, joint venture, agency, franchise, sales representative or
employment relationship between the parties. You will have no
authority to make or accept any offers or representations on our
behalf. You will not make any statement, whether on Your Site or
otherwise, that reasonably would contradict anything in this Article.
17. Representations and Warranties
Except as otherwise stated in this
Article 17, we make no express or implied warranties or
representations with respect to the Program or any BP Services sold
through the Program (including, without limitation, warranties of
fitness, merchantability or non-infringement, or any implied
warranties arising out of course of performance, dealing or trade
usage). In addition, we make no representation that the operation of
Our Site will be uninterrupted or error free, and we will not be
liable for the consequences of any interruptions or errors.
Each of us (the
"Warrantor") hereby represent and warrant to the other party
as follows:
a. This Agreement has been duly and
validly executed and delivered by the Warrantor and constitutes its
legal, valid, and binding obligation, enforceable against the
Warrantor in accordance with its terms.
b. The execution, delivery, and
performance by the Warrantor of this Agreement and the consummation of
the transactions contemplated hereby will not, with or without giving
of notice, the lapse of time, or both, conflict with or violate (i)
any provision of law, rule or regulation to which the Warrantor is
subject, (ii) any order, judgment or decree applicable to or binding
upon the Warrantor's assets, (iii) any provision of the Warrantor's
by-laws or certificate of incorporation, or (iv) any agreement or
other instrument applicable to or binding upon the Warrantor's assets.
c. No consent, approval,
authorization of, exemption by or filing with any governmental
authority or any third party is required to be obtained or made by the
Warrantor in connection with the execution, delivery and performance
of this Agreement or the taking by the Warrantor of any other action
contemplated hereby.
d. There is no pending or, to the
best of the Warrantor's knowledge, threatened claim, action, or
proceeding against Warrantor with respect to the execution, delivery
or consummation of this Agreement, or with respect to the Warrantor's
trademarks, and, to the best of the Warrantor's knowledge, there is no
basis for any such claim, action, or proceeding.
You hereby represent and warrant to
us that you are the sole and exclusive owner of the Affiliate
Trademarks and have the right and power to grant to us the license to
use your trademarks in the manner contemplated herein, and such grant
does not and will not (i) breach, conflict with or constitute a
default under any agreement or other instrument applicable to you or
binding upon your assets or properties, or (ii) infringe upon any
trademark, trade name, service mark, copyright or other proprietary
right of any other person or entity.
18. Confidentiality
Except as otherwise provided in this
Agreement or with the consent of the other party hereto, each of the
parties hereto agrees that all information including, without
limitation, the terms of this Agreement, business and financial
information, customer and vendor lists, and pricing and sales
information, concerning us or you, respectively, or any of our
Affiliates provided by or on behalf of any of them shall remain
strictly confidential and secret and shall not be utilized, directly
or indirectly, by such party for its own business purposes or for any
other purpose except and solely to the extent that any such
information is generally known or available to the public or through a
source or sources other than such party hereto or its affiliates.
Notwithstanding the foregoing, each party is hereby authorized to
deliver a copy of any such information (a) to any person pursuant to a
subpoena issued by any court or administrative agency, (b) to its
accountants, attorneys or other agents on a confidential basis, and
(c) otherwise as required by applicable law, rule, regulation or legal
process including, without limitation, the Securities Act of 1933, as
amended, and the rules and regulations promulgated thereunder, and the
Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, and the rules and
regulations promulgated thereunder.
19. Limitation of Liability
We will not be liable for indirect,
special, incidental, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages, or
for any loss of revenue, profits, or data, arising in connection with
this Agreement or the Program, even if we have been advised of the
possibility of such damages. Further, our aggregate liability arising
with respect to this Agreement and the Program will not exceed the
total referral fees paid or payable to you under this Agreement.
20. Indemnification
You hereby agree to indemnify and
hold harmless BP, its subsidiaries and affiliates, and their
directors, officers, employees, agents, shareholders, partners,
members and other owners, against any and all claims, actions,
demands, liabilities, losses, damages, judgments, settlements,
expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees), and costs (any or all
of the foregoing hereinafter referred to as "Losses")
insofar as such Losses (or actions in respect thereof) arise out of or
are based on (i) any claim that our use of the Affiliate Trademarks
infringes on any trademark, trade name, service mark, copyright,
license, intellectual property, or other proprietary right of any
third party, (ii) any misrepresentation of a representation or
warranty or breach of a covenant and agreement made by you herein,
(iii) the development, operation, maintenance and content of Your Site
and products and services offered from Your Site, or (iv) any claim
related to Your Site, including, without limitation, content therein
not attributable to us.
21. Notification
All notices to us in connection with
this Agreement shall be deemed given as of the day they are received
either by messenger, delivery service or in the United States of
America mails, postage prepaid, certified or registered, return
receipt requested, and addressed as follows:
BuildersPlanet.com. 240-A Sanborn Lane, Felton, Ca 95018
Attention: Affiliate Program Manager
With Copy to: General Counsel
All notices to you in connection with
this Agreement shall be deemed given as of the day they are dispatched
either by messenger, delivery service or in the United States of
America mails, postage prepaid, certified or registered, return
receipt requested.
22. Independent Investigation
YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ
THIS AGREEMENT AND AGREE TO ALL ITS TERMS AND CONDITIONS. YOU
UNDERSTAND THAT WE MAY AT ANY TIME (DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY) SOLICIT
CUSTOMER REFERRALS ON TERMS THAT MAY DIFFER FROM THOSE CONTAINED IN
THIS AGREEMENT OR OPERATE WEB SITES THAT ARE SIMILAR TO OR COMPETE
WITH YOUR SITE. YOU HAVE INDEPENDENTLY EVALUATED THE DESIRABILITY OF
PARTICIPATING IN THE PROGRAM AND ARE NOT RELYING ON ANY
REPRESENTATION, GUARANTEE, OR STATEMENT OTHER THAN AS SET FORTH IN
THIS AGREEMENT.
23. Construction
If for any reason a court of
competent jurisdiction finds any provision of this Agreement, or
portion thereof, to be unenforceable, that provision of the Agreement
will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible so as to effect the
intent of the parties, and the remainder of this Agreement will
continue in full force and effect. Our failure to enforce your strict
performance of any provision of this Agreement will not constitute a
waiver of our right to subsequently enforce such a provision or any
other provision of this Agreement.
24. Governing Law
This Agreement will be governed by
the laws of the United States and the Commonwealth of Kentucky,
without reference to rules governing choice of laws. Any action
relating to this Agreement must be brought in the federal or state
courts located in the eastern district of the Commonwealth of
Kentucky, and you irrevocably consent to the personal and subject
matter jurisdiction of such courts. You may not assign this Agreement,
by operation of law or otherwise, without our prior written consent.
Subject to that restriction, this Agreement will be binding on, inure
to the benefit of, and be enforceable against the parties and their
respective successors and assigns.
25. Entire Agreement
This Agreement constitutes the entire
agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter
hereof and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous communications.
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