Terms of Service

Strategic Decisions Group Terms of Use

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) are a legal contract between you and Strategic Decisions Group International LLC. (“us” or “our” or “we” or “SDG”) and govern your use the website located at http://sdg.com; http://www.sdgdecisioneducation.com and http://decision-quest.com, as well as all associated sites operated by SDG or its affiliates that we link to http://sdg.com; http://www.sdgdecisioneducation.com or http://decision-quest.com (collectively, the “Websites”), the services we offer through our native mobile applications and the Websites (collectively “Services”), and all of all the text, data, information, software, graphics, videos, photographs and other materials (all of which are referred to as “Materials”) that we may make available to you through the Websites, our mobile applications (“Mobile Apps”), and our Services (the Websites, Mobile Apps and Services are referred to collectively in these Terms as the “SDG Service”).

READ THESE TERMS CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING ANY PART OF THE SDG SERVICE.  USING ANY PART OF THE SDG SERVICE OR MATERIALS INDICATES THAT YOU HAVE BOTH READ AND ACCEPT THESE TERMS.  YOU CANNOT USE THE SDG SERVICE IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THESE TERMS.

THESE TERMS CONTAIN A DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND ARBITRATION PROVISION, INCLUDING CLASS ACTION WAIVER THAT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS UNDER THESE TERMS AND WITH RESPECT TO DISPUTES YOU MAY HAVE WITH SDG.  YOU MAY OPT OUT OF THE BINDING INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER AS PROVIDED BELOW.

CHANGES.

We may alter our Websites or and/or may choose to modify, suspend or discontinue the SDG Service and/or any Materials at any time and without notifying you.  Some new features and enhancements may require the payment of additional fees, and SDG will determine at its sole discretion whether access to any other such new features and/or enhancements will require an additional fee. We may also change, update, add or remove provisions (collectively, “modifications”) of these Terms from time to time.  Because everyone benefits from clarity, we promise to inform you of any modifications to these Terms by posting them on the Websites and, if you have registered for an account with us (as described more fully below), by describing the modifications to these Terms in an email that we will send to the address that you provided during registration.  To be sure we properly reach your email inbox, we just ask that you let us know if your preferred email address changes at any time after your registration.

If you object to any such modifications, your sole recourse shall be to cease all use of the SDG Service and Materials.  Continued use of any part of the SDG Service following notice of any such modifications indicates you acknowledge and agree to be bound by the modifications.  Also, please know that these Terms may be superseded by expressly-designated legal notices or terms located on particular pages of or the Websites or associated with specific Services.  These expressly-designated legal notices or terms are incorporated into these Terms and supersede the provision(s) of these Terms that are designated as being superseded.

GENERAL USE.

We invite you to use the SDG Service and Materials for individual, consumer purposes (“Permitted Purposes”).  By using the SDG Service, you promise that you are at least 13 years of age.  If you are not yet 18 years old, you must have the permission of an adult to use the SDG Service and agree to these Terms, and that adult must be a parent or legal guardian who is willing be responsible for your use of the SDG Service.

In these Terms we are granting you a limited, personal, non-exclusive and non-transferable license to use and to display the Materials solely for your personal use; your right to use the Materials is conditioned on your compliance with these Terms (including the payment of any applicable fees).  You have no other rights in the Websites, Services or Materials and you may not modify, edit, copy, reproduce, create derivative works of, reverse engineer, alter, enhance or in any way exploit any of our Websites or Materials in any manner.  If you make copies of any of a Website or our Materials while engaging in Permitted Purposes then you must be sure to keep on the copies all of our copyright and other proprietary notices as they appear on the Website and the applicable Materials.

Unfortunately, if you breach any of these Terms then all licenses granted in these Terms will terminate automatically and you must immediately destroy any downloaded or printed Materials (and any copies thereof).

MOBILE APPLICATIONS.

We make Mobile Apps available for use on certain Apple and Android mobile devices.  To use a Mobile App you must have a mobile device that is compatible with that Mobile App.  We do not warrant that our Mobile Apps will be compatible with your mobile device.  We hereby grant to you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use an object code copy of the Mobile App for one registered account on one mobile device owned or leased solely by you, for your personal use.  You may not: (i) modify, disassemble, decompile or reverse engineer the Mobile App, except to the extent that such restriction is expressly prohibited by law; (ii) rent, lease, loan, resell, sublicense, distribute or otherwise transfer the Mobile App to any third-party or use the Mobile App to provide time sharing or similar services for any third-party; (iii) make any copies of the Mobile App; (iv) remove, circumvent, disable, damage or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Mobile App, features that prevent or restrict use or copying of any content accessible through the Mobile App, or features that enforce limitations on use of the Mobile App; or (v) delete the copyright and other proprietary rights notices on the Mobile App.  You acknowledge that we may from time to time issue upgraded versions of our Mobile Apps, and may automatically electronically upgrade the version of the Mobile App that you are using on your mobile device.  You consent to such automatic upgrading on your mobile device, and agree that these Terms will apply to all such upgrades.  The foregoing license grant is not a sale of the Mobile App or any copy thereof, and we and our third-party licensors or suppliers retain all right, title, and interest in and to the Mobile App (and any copy of the Mobile App).  Standard carrier data charges may apply to your use of the Mobile App.

The following additional terms and conditions apply with respect to any Mobile App that we provide to you designed for use on an Apple iOS-powered mobile device (an “iOS App”):

  • You acknowledge that these Terms are between you and SDG only, and not with Apple, Inc. (“Apple”).
  • Your use of our iOS App must comply with Apple’s then-current App Store Terms of Service.
  • We, and not Apple, are solely responsible for our iOS App and the Services and Materials available thereon. You acknowledge that Apple has no obligation to provide maintenance and support services with respect to our iOS App.  To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Apple will have no warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to our iOS App.
  • You agree that we, and not Apple, are responsible for addressing any claims by you or any third-party relating to our iOS App or your possession and/or use of our iOS App, including, but not limited to: (i) product liability claims; (ii) any claim that the iOS App fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (iii) claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation, and all such claims are governed solely by these Terms and any law applicable to us as provider of the iOS App.
  • You agree that we, and not Apple, shall be responsible, to the extent required by these Terms, for the investigation, defense, settlement and discharge of any third-party intellectual property infringement claim related to our iOS App or your possession and use of our iOS App.
  • 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; and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
  • You agree to comply with all applicable third-party terms of agreement when using our iOS App (e.g., you must not be in violation of your wireless data service terms of agreement when using the iOS App).
  • The parties agree that Apple and Apple’s subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries to these Terms as they relate to your license of our iOS App. Upon your acceptance of these Terms, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as they relate to your license of the iOS App as a third-party beneficiary thereof.

The following additional terms and conditions apply with respect to any Mobile App that we provide to you designed for use on an Android-powered mobile device (an “Android App”):

  • You acknowledge that these Terms are between you and SDG only, and not with Google, Inc. (“Google”).
  • Your use of our Android App must comply with Google’s then-current Android Market and/or Google Play Terms of Service (as applicable).
  • Google is only a provider of the android market where you obtained the Android App. We, and not Google, are solely responsible for our Android App and the Services and Materials available thereon.  Google has no obligation or liability to you with respect to our Android App or these Terms.
  • You acknowledge and agree that Google is a third-party beneficiary to the Terms as they relate to our Android App.

PASSWORD RESTRICTED SERVICES AND MATERIALS.

We appreciate your decision to use the SDG Service.  You need not register with us to simply visit and view the Websites.  However, in order to use our Mobile Apps and access many of the Services and Materials, you must successfully register an account with us.

If you want an account with us, you must provide the information requested on the applicable registration page.  The requested information will vary, depending on the particular service for which you are registering, but may include, without limitation, your name, email address, password, company name, job title, city, and country.  Once you submit the required registration information, we alone will determine whether or not to approve your proposed account.  If approved, you will be permitted to log in to your account with the password you’ve chosen.

For so long as you use the account, you agree to provide true, accurate, current, and complete information which can be accomplished by logging into your account and making relevant changes.  And, if you forget your password – no worries as we will happily send a password update to your provided email address.

You are responsible for complying with these Terms when you access the SDG Service.  Because it is your account, it is your job to obtain and maintain all equipment and services needed for access to and use the SDG Service as well as paying related charges.  It is also your responsibility to maintain the confidentiality of your password(s).  Should you believe your password or security has been breached in any way, you must immediately notify us.

PAYMENTS.

You agree to pay any fees applicable to your use of the SDG Service and/or Materials, including but not limited to fees related to registrations for webinars and events or your purchase of items on the Websites. We may suspend or terminate your account(s) and/or access to the SDG Service if your offered payment method (e.g., credit card, PayPal or purchase order) cannot be processed.  By providing a payment method, you expressly authorize us and/or our third party payment processor to charge the applicable fees on said payment method as well as taxes and other charges incurred thereto, all of which depend on the Services and/or Materials you utilize and the products you purchase.

All fees are exclusive of any applicable sales, use, import or export taxes, duties, fees, value-added taxes, tariffs or other amounts attributable to your use of the SDG Service and Materials (collectively, “Taxes”). You are solely responsible for the payment of any such Taxes. In the event we are required to pay Taxes on your behalf, you shall promptly reimburse us for all amounts paid.

Unless otherwise stated on the applicable Website, all sales are final and no refunds will be provided in the event that you cancel a registration.  You agree that we may charge any unpaid amounts to your provided payment method and/or send you a bill for such unpaid fees.

ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS.

By using the SDG Service and/or our Materials, you consent to receiving electronic communications from us.  These electronic communications may include notices about applicable fees and charges, transactional information and other information concerning or related to the SDG Service.  These electronic communications are part of your relationship with us.  You agree that any notices, agreements, disclosures or other communications that we send you electronically will satisfy any legal communication requirements, including that such communications be in writing.

PRIVACY POLICY.

We respect the information that you provide to us, and want to be sure you fully understand exactly how we use that information.  So, please review our Privacy Policy (“Privacy Policy”) which explains everything.

LINKS TO THIRD-PARTY SITES.

We think links are convenient, and we sometimes provide links on the SDG Service to third-party websites.  If you use these links, you will leave the SDG Service. We provide these links to you as a convenience, and we do not verify, make any representations or take responsibility for such Third-Party Sites, including, without limitation, the truthfulness, accuracy, quality or completeness of the content, services, links displayed and/or any other activities conducted on or through such third-party sites. Therefore, unless specifically stated on our applicable Website, we do not endorse or make any representations about such websites or any information, material or results that may be obtained from using them. If you decide to access any of the third-party websites linked to from the SDG Service, you do this entirely at your own risk and you must follow the privacy policies and terms and conditions for those third-party websites. YOU AGREE THAT SDG WILL NOT, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, FOR ANY GOODS, SERVICES, INFORMATION, RESOURCES AND/OR CONTENT AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH ANY THIRD-PARTY SITES AND/OR THIRD-PARTY DEALINGS OR COMMUNICATIONS, OR FOR ANY HARM RELATED THERETO, OR FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSS CAUSED OR ALLEGED TO BE CAUSED BY OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OR RELIANCE ON THE CONTENT OR BUSINESS PRACTICES OF ANY THIRD-PARTY.

SUBMISSIONS.

Certain areas of the SDG Service may permit you to submit information, data, text, messages, or other materials (each, a “User Submission”).  You agree that you are solely responsible for all of your User Submissions and that any such User Submission is considered both non-confidential and non-proprietary. Further, we do not guarantee that you will be able to edit or delete any User Submission you have submitted.

By transmitting, uploading or otherwise providing any User Submission, you are promising us that:

  • You own all rights in your User Submission (including, without limitation, all rights to the reproduction and display of your User Submission) or, alternatively, you have acquired all necessary rights in your User Submission to enable you to grant to us the rights in your User Submission as described in these Terms;
  • You have paid and will pay in full all license fees, clearance fees, and other financial obligations, of any kind, arising from any use or commercial exploitation of your User Submission;
  • Your User Submission do not infringe the copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, or other intellectual property rights, privacy rights, or any other legal or moral rights of any third party;
  • You voluntarily agree to waive all “moral rights” that you may have in your User Submission;
  • Any information contained in your User Submission is not known by you to be false, inaccurate, or misleading;
  • Your User Submission does not violate any law (including, but not limited to, those governing export control, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination, or false advertising);
  • Your User Submission is not, and may not reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially, ethnically, religiously, or otherwise biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening, or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership, or corporation, vulgar, pornographic, obscene, or invasive of another’s privacy;
  • You were not and will not be compensated or granted any consideration by any third party for submitting your User Submission;
  • Your User Submission does not incorporate materials from a third-party website, or addresses, email addresses, contact information, or phone numbers (other than your own);
  • Your User Submission does not contain any viruses, worms, spyware, adware, or other potentially damaging programs or files;
  • Your User Submission does not contain any information that you consider confidential, proprietary, or personal; and
  • Your User Submission does not contain or constitute any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, junk mail, spam, chain letters, pyramid schemes, or any other form of solicitation.

By submitting User Submission, you grant to SDG an irrevocable, perpetual, transferable, non-exclusive, fully-paid, worldwide, royalty-free license (sublicensable through multiple tiers) to:

  • Use, distribute, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, publicly perform, and publicly display your User Submission (or any modification thereto), in whole or in part, in any format or medium now known or later developed;
  • Use (and permit others to use) your User Submission in any manner and for any purpose (including, without limitation, commercial purposes) that we deem appropriate in our sole discretion (including, without limitation, to incorporate your User Submission or any modification thereto, in whole or in part, into any technology, product, or service);
  • Display advertisements in connection with your User Submission and to use your User Submission for advertising and promotional purposes.

We may, but are not obligated to, pre-screen User Submissions or monitor any area of the SDG Service through which User Submissions may be submitted. We are not required to host, display, or distribute any User Submission on or through the SDG Service and may remove at any time or refuse any User Submission for any reason. We are not responsible for any loss, theft, or damage of any kind to any User Submission. Further, you agree that we may freely disclose your User Submission to any third party absent any obligation of confidence on the part of the recipient.

UNAUTHORIZED ACTIVITIES.

To be clear, we authorize your use of the SDG Service and Materials only for Permitted Purposes.  Any other use of the SDG Service or Materials beyond the Permitted Purposes is prohibited and, therefore, constitutes unauthorized use.  This is because as between you and us, all rights in the SDG Service and Materials remain our property.

Unauthorized use of the Materials and/or SDG Service may result in violation of various United States and international copyright laws.  Because we prefer keeping this relationship drama-free, we want to give you examples of things to avoid.  So, unless you have written permission from us stating otherwise, you are not authorized to use the SDG Service, the Materials or any part thereof in any of the following ways (these are examples only and the list below is not a complete list of everything that you are not permitted to do):

  • For any commercial purpose which includes use of the SDG Service or any of our Materials on another site or through a networked computer environment;
  • In a manner that modifies, publicly displays, publicly performs, reproduces or distributes any part of the SDG Service or Materials;
  • In a manner that violates any local, state, national, foreign, or international statute, regulation, rule, order, treaty, or other law;
  • To stalk, harass, or harm another individual;
  • To impersonate any person or entity or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
  • To interfere with or disrupt the SDG Service or the servers or networks connected to the SDG Service;
  • To use any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering or extraction methods in connection with the SDG Service; or
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the SDG Service or any other accounts, computer systems, or networks connected to the SDG Service, whether through hacking, password mining, or any other means.

You agree to hire attorneys to defend us if you violate these Terms and that violation results in a problem for us.  You also agree to pay any damages that we may end up having to pay as a result of your violation.  You alone are responsible for any violation of these Terms by you.  We reserve the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you and, in such case, you agree to cooperate with our defense of such claim.

PROPRIETARY RIGHTS.

The SDG Service and Materials include registered and unregistered trademarks that belong to us.  Other trademarks, names and logos found in the SDG Service and Materials are the property of their respective owners.

Unless otherwise specified in these Terms, all Materials, including the arrangement of them in the SDG Service are our sole property or the property of our licensors.  All rights not expressly granted herein are reserved.  Except as otherwise required or limited by applicable law, any reproduction, distribution, modification, retransmission, or publication of any copyrighted material is strictly prohibited without the express written consent of the copyright owner.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY INFRINGEMENT.

We respect the intellectual property rights of others and encourage you to do the same. Accordingly, we have a policy of removing User Submissions that violate intellectual property rights of others, suspending access to this the SDG Service (or any portion thereof) to any user who uses the SDG Service in violation of someone’s intellectual property rights, and/or terminating in appropriate circumstances the account of any user who uses the SDG Service in violation of someone’s intellectual property rights.

Pursuant to Title 17 of the United States Code, Section 512, we have implemented procedures for receiving written notification of claimed copyright infringement and for processing such claims in accordance with such law. If you believe your copyright or other intellectual property right is being infringed by an SDG Service user, please provide written notice to our agent for notice of claims of infringement:

Attn: SDG DMCA Agent

CC: Legal Department

Email: legal@sdg.com

To be sure the matter is handled immediately, your written notice must:

  • Contain your physical or electronic signature;
  • Identify the copyrighted work or other intellectual property alleged to have been infringed;
  • Identify the allegedly infringing material in a sufficiently precise manner to allow us to locate that material;
  • Contain adequate information by which we can contact you (including postal address, telephone number, and e-mail address);
  • Contain a statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted material or other intellectual property is not authorized by the owner, the owner’s agent or the law;
  • Contain a statement that the information in the written notice is accurate; and
  • Contain statement, under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright or other intellectual property right owner.

Unless the notice pertains to copyright or other intellectual property infringement, our agent will be unable to address the listed concern.

Submitting a DMCA Counter-Notification

We will notify you that we have removed or disabled access to copyright-protected material that you provided, if such removal is pursuant to a validly received DMCA take-down notice. In response, you may provide our agent with a written counter-notification that includes the following information:

  1. Your physical or electronic signature;
  2. Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled, and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or access to it was disabled;
  3. A statement from you under the penalty of perjury, that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of a mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled; and
  4. Your name, physical address and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of a court for the judicial district in which your physical address is located, or if your physical address is outside of the United States, for any judicial district in which we may be located, and that you will accept service of process from the person who provided notification of allegedly infringing material or an agent of such person.

Termination of Repeat Infringers

We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to terminate the account or access of any user of the SDG Service who is the subject of repeated DMCA or other infringement notifications.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES.

THE MATERIALS AND SDG SERVICE (INCLUDING ALL PARTS THEREOF) ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “WITH ALL FAULTS” AND THE ENTIRE RISK AS TO THE QUALITY AND PERFORMANCE OF THE MATERIALS AND SDG SERVICE IS WITH YOU.

WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND (EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY) WITH RESPECT TO THE SDG SERVICE AND ANY MATERIALS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED THROUGH YOUR USE OF THE SDG SERVICE, WHICH INCLUDES BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE OR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS.

THIS MEANS THAT WE DO NOT PROMISE YOU THAT THE SDG SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS ARE FREE OF PROBLEMS.  Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, we make no warranty that the SDG Service or any part thereof will meet your requirements or that the SDG Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error free or that defects in the SDG Service will be corrected. We make no warranty as to the results that may be obtained from the use of the SDG Service or as to the accuracy or reliability of any information obtained through the SDG Service. No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you through the SDG Service, from SDG or our subsidiaries/other affiliated companies shall create any warranty. We disclaim all equitable indemnities.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.

WE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES RESULTING FROM YOUR USE OF ANY PARTY OF THE SDG SERVICE OR FROM YOUR DISPLAYING, COPYING, OR DOWNLOADING ANY MATERIALS TO OR FROM THE SDG SERVICE.  TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL WE BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, EXTRAORDINARY, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING LOSS OF DATA, REVENUE, PROFITS, USE OR OTHER ECONOMIC ADVANTAGE) HOWEVER ARISING, EVEN IF WE KNOW THERE IS A POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. CERTAIN STATE LAWS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS, EXCLUSIONS, OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

LOCAL LAWS; EXPORT CONTROL.

We control and operate the SDG Service from our headquarters in the United States of America and the entirety of the Materials and/or SDG Service may not be appropriate or available for use in other locations.  If you use the Materials, SDG Service or any part of the SDG Service outside the United States of America, you are solely responsible for following applicable local laws.

FEEDBACK.

If you send or transmit any communications, comments, questions, suggestions, or related materials to us, whether by letter, email, telephone, or otherwise (collectively, “Feedback”), suggesting or recommending changes to the Materials or SDG Service, including, without limitation, new features or functionality relating thereto, all such Feedback is, and will be treated as, non-confidential and non-proprietary.  You hereby assign all right, title, and interest in, and we are free to use, without any attribution or compensation to you, any ideas, know-how, concepts, techniques, or other intellectual property and proprietary rights contained in the Feedback, whether or not patentable, for any purpose whatsoever, including but not limited to, developing, manufacturing, having manufactured, licensing, marketing, and selling, directly or indirectly, products and services using such Feedback.  Where the foregoing assignment is prohibited by law, you hereby grant Us an exclusive, transferable, worldwide, royalty-free, fully paid up license (including the right to sublicense) to use and exploit all Feedback as We may determine in our sole discretion.  You understand and agree that we are not obligated to use, display, reproduce, or distribute any such ideas, know-how, concepts, or techniques contained in the Feedback, and you have no right to compel such use, display, reproduction, or distribution.

DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND ARBITRATION; CLASS ACTION WAIVER.

Please Read This Provision Carefully.  It Affects Your Legal Rights.

This Dispute Resolution and Arbitration; Class Action Waiver provision (this “Provision”) facilitates the prompt and efficient resolution of any dispute (e.g., claim or controversy, whether based in contract, statute, regulation, ordinance, tort – including, but not limited to, fraud, misrepresentation, fraudulent inducement, or negligence – or any other legal or equitable theory, and includes the validity, enforceability or scope of this Provision (with the exception of the enforceability of the Class Action Waiver clause below) that may arise between you and SDG.  Effectively, then, “dispute” is given the broadest meaning enforceable by law and includes any claims against other parties relating to services or products provided or billed to you (such as our licensors, suppliers, dealers or third-party vendors) whenever you also assert claims against us in the same proceeding.

This Provision provides that all disputes between you and us shall be resolved by binding arbitration because acceptance of These Terms constitutes a waiver of your right to litigation claims and all opportunity to be heard by a judge or jury.  We prefer this because we believe arbitration is less drama-filled than litigation.  To be clear, there is no judge or jury in arbitration, and court review of an arbitration award is limited.  The arbitrator must follow this agreement and can award the same damages and relief as a court (including attorney’s fees).  You may, however, opt-out of this Provision which means you would have a right or opportunity to bring claims in a court, before a judge or jury, and/or to participate in or be represented in a case filed in court by others (including, but not limited to, class actions).  BOTH YOU AND SDG AGREE THAT, EXCEPT AS PROVIDED BELOW, ANY AND ALL DISPUTES, AS DEFINED ABOVE, WHETHER PRESENTLY IN EXISTENCE OR BASED ON ACTS OR OMISSIONS IN THE PAST OR IN THE FUTURE, WILL BE RESOLVED EXCLUSIVELY AND FINALLY BY BINDING ARBITRATION RATHER THAN IN COURT IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS PROVISION.

Pre-Arbitration Claim Resolution

For all Disputes, whether pursued in court or arbitration, you must first give us an opportunity to resolve the Dispute which is first done by emailing us at legal@sdg.com the following information: (1) Your name, (2) Your address, (3) A written description of your Claim, and (4) A description of the specific relief you seek. If we do not resolve the Dispute within 45 days after receiving your notification, then you may pursue your Dispute in arbitration.  You may pursue your dispute in a court only under the circumstances described below.

Exclusions from Arbitration/Right to Opt Out

Notwithstanding the above, you or we may choose to pursue a Dispute in court and not by arbitration if: (a) The dispute qualifies for initiation in small claims court; or (b) YOU OPT-OUT OF THESE ARBITRATION PROCEDURES WITHIN 30 DAYS FROM THE DATE THAT YOU FIRST CONSENT TO THIS AGREEMENT (the “Opt-Out Deadline”).  You may opt-out of this Provision by emailing us at legal@sdg.com the following information: (1) Your name; (2) Your address; (3) A clear statement that you do not wish to resolve disputes with us through arbitration. Either way, we will not take any decision you make personally.  In fact, we promise that your decision to opt-out of this Arbitration Provision will have no adverse effect on your relationship with us.  But, we do have to enforce the Opt-Out Deadline so keep in mind that any opt-out request received after the Opt-Out Deadline will not be valid and you must pursue your dispute in arbitration or small claims court.

Arbitration Procedures

If this Provision applies and the dispute is not resolved as provided above (Pre-Arbitration Claim Resolution) either you or we may initiate arbitration proceedings.  The American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), www.adr.org, or JAMS, www.jamsadr.com, will arbitrate all disputes, and the arbitration will be conducted before a single arbitrator.  The arbitration shall be commenced as an individual arbitration, and shall in no event be commenced as a class arbitration.  All issues shall be for the arbitrator to decide, including the scope of this Provision.

For arbitration before AAA, for Disputes of less than $75,000, the AAA’s Supplementary Procedures for Consumer-Related Disputes will apply; for Disputes involving $75,000 or more, the AAA’s Commercial Arbitration Rules will apply.  In either instance, the AAA’s Optional Rules For Emergency Measures Of Protection shall apply.  The AAA rules are available at www.adr.org or by calling 1-800-778-7879.  For arbitration before JAMS, the JAMS Comprehensive Arbitration Rules & Procedures and the JAMS Recommended Arbitration Discovery Protocols For Domestic, Commercial Cases will apply.  The JAMS rules are available at www.jamsadr.com or by calling 1-800-352-5267.  This Provision governs in the event it conflicts with the applicable arbitration rules.  Under no circumstances will class action procedures or rules apply to the arbitration.

Because the SDG Service and these Terms concern interstate commerce, the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”) governs the arbitrability of all disputes.  However, the arbitrator will apply applicable substantive law consistent with the FAA and the applicable statute of limitations or condition precedent to suit.

Arbitration Award – The arbitrator may award on an individual basis any relief that would be available pursuant to applicable law, and will not have the power to award relief to, against or for the benefit of any person who is not a party to the proceeding.  The arbitrator will make any award in writing but need not provide a statement of reasons unless requested by a party.  Such award will be final and binding on the parties, except for any right of appeal provided by the FAA, and may be entered in any court having jurisdiction over the parties for purposes of enforcement.

Location of Arbitration – You or we may initiate arbitration in either Illinois or the federal judicial district that includes your billing address.  In the event that you select the latter, we may transfer the arbitration to Illinois so long as we agree to pay any additional fees or costs which the arbitrator determines you incur as a result of the transfer.

Payment of Arbitration Fees and Costs – So long as you place a request in writing prior to commencement of the arbitration, we will pay all arbitration fees and associated costs and expenses. But, you will still be responsible for all additional fees and costs that you incur in the arbitration which include but are not limited to attorneys’ fees or expert witnesses.  In addition to any fees and costs recoverable under applicable law, if you provide notice and negotiate in good faith with us as provided in the section above titled “Pre-Arbitration Claim Resolution” and the arbitrator concludes that you are the prevailing party in the arbitration, you will be entitled to recover reasonable attorney’s fees and costs as determined by the arbitrator.

Class Action Waiver

Except as otherwise provided in this Provision, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of a class or representative proceeding or claims (such as a class action, consolidated action or private attorney general action) unless both you and we specifically agree to do so following initiation of the arbitration.  If you choose to pursue your Dispute in court by opting out of the Arbitration Provision, as specified above, this Class Action Waiver will not apply to you.  Neither you, nor any other user of the SDG Service can be a class representative, class member, or otherwise participate in a class, consolidated, or representative proceeding without having complied with the opt-out requirements above.

Jury Waiver

You understand and agree that by accepting this Provision in these Terms, you and we are each waiving the right to a jury trial or a trial before a judge in a public court.  In the absence of this Provision, you and we might otherwise have had a right or opportunity to bring disputes in a court, before a judge or jury, and/or to participate or be represented in a case filed in court by others (including class actions).  Except as otherwise provided below, those rights are waived.  Other rights that you would have if you went to court (e.g., the rights to both appeal and  certain types of discovery) may be more limited or may also be waived.

Severability

If any clause within this Provision (other than the Class Action Waiver clause above) is found to be illegal or unenforceable, that clause will be severed from this Provision whose remainder will be given full force and effect.  If the Class Action Waiver clause is found to be illegal or unenforceable, this entire Provision will be unenforceable and the dispute will be decided by a court.

Continuation

This Provision shall survive the termination of your account with us or our affiliates and your discontinued use of the SDG Service.  Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement to the contrary, we agree that if we make any change to this Provision (other than a change to the Notice Address), you may reject any such change and require us to adhere to the language in this Provision if a dispute between us arises.

GENERAL.

We think direct communication resolves most issues – if we feel that you are not complying with these Terms, we will tell you.  We will even provide you with recommended necessary corrective action(s) because we value this relationship.

However, certain violations of these Terms, as determined by us, may require immediate termination of your access to the SDG Service without prior notice to you.  The Federal Arbitration Act, California state law and applicable U.S. federal law, without regard to the choice or conflicts of law provisions, will govern these Terms.  Foreign laws do not apply.  Except for disputes subject to arbitration as described above, any disputes relating to these Terms, the Materials or the SDG Service will be heard in the courts located in San Mateo County, California.  If any of these Terms are deemed inconsistent with applicable law, then such term(s) shall be interpreted to reflect the intentions of the parties, and no other terms will be modified.  By choosing not to enforce any of these Terms, we are not waiving our rights.  These Terms are the entire agreement between you and us and, therefore, supersede all prior or contemporaneous negotiations, discussions or agreements between you and SDG about the SDG Service and/or the Materials.  The proprietary rights, disclaimer of warranties, representations made by you, indemnities, limitations of liability and general provisions shall survive any termination of these Terms.

CONTACT US.

If you have any questions about these Terms or otherwise need to contact us for any reason, you can reach us by mail:  Strategic Decisions Group International LLC, 101 Jefferson Drive, Menlo Park CA 94404.


These terms went into effect August 17, 2017 at 2 p.m. Pacific Time. These terms were updated June 3, 2019, at 5 p.m. Pacific Time to update the mailing address. 

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