Al-Monitor Visitor Agreement
Last Updated: January 27, 2026
Welcome to Al-Monitor.com, a service of Al-Monitor LLC (“Al-Monitor,” “our,” “us”, or “we”). These Terms of Use (“Terms of Use” or “Terms”) are a binding legal agreement between you and Al-Monitor. Please read these Terms carefully. These Terms apply to any website or application (as well as any features, widgets, plug-ins, content, downloads or other services) that posts a link to this page (collectively, the “Site”). These Terms include disclaimers of warranties and liabilities and limitations on your rights. By accessing the Site (including by automated means), you accept all terms of these Terms of Use.
GENERAL PROVISIONS
Al-Monitor respects your privacy. Please take a moment to review our Privacy Statement so you understand what information we collect through the Site, how we use it, how we secure it, and when we may share it. These Terms of Use incorporate our Privacy Statement by reference and any additional terms and conditions and policies referenced herein and/or available by hyperlink. These Terms of Use apply to all users of the Site, including without limitation users who are browsers, account holders, and/or contributors of content, as applicable.
By accessing or using any part of the Site, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these Terms, our Privacy Statement, or any other legal notices, conditions or guidelines located within the Site, please exit our Site. However, please be advised that these Terms of Use nevertheless will be applicable to your accessing or using of the Site prior to your exit, and these Terms of Use will apply to your subsequent accessing or using of any part of the Site. If you have any questions regarding our policies or your use of our Site, please contact us by e-mail at contactus@al-monitor.com.
Any new features or tools that are added to the current Site shall also be subject to these Terms of Use. You can review the most current version of these Terms at any time on this page. We reserve the right to update, change or replace any part of these Terms by posting updates and/or changes to this Site and/or by notifying you via e-mail. It is your responsibility to check this page periodically for changes. Your continued use of or access to the Site following the posting or notification of any changes constitutes acceptance of those changes.
Al-Monitor provides access to articles from independent writers. In addition, Al-Monitor serves as a platform for exclusive editorial content from respected regional experts. Our goal is to introduce a global audience to the Middle East “in its own words,” giving voice to the diversity of perspectives and richness of experience represented by its authors, journalists and thinkers. We strive to bring local views, insight, culture and history to bear on stories and events as they unfold. Each day, our editorial team carefully selects a diverse array of articles intended to provide readers with a level of insight into the politics, economics and societies of the Middle East not otherwise available in the English language.
We reserve the right to deny access to the Site, or any service provided via the Site, to anyone who violates these Terms of Use or who, in our judgment, interferes with the ability of others to enjoy the Site, or infringes the rights of others. We may change, restrict access to, suspend, or discontinue the Site, or any portion of the Site, at any time.
The Site is provided to you on an “as is” and “as available” basis. We disclaim all responsibility for the availability, timeliness, security, or reliability of the Site or any feature or software included in the Site.
By agreeing to these Terms of Use, you represent that you are at least the age of majority in your state or country of residence, or that you are the age of majority in your state or country of residence and that you give us your consent to allow any of your minor dependents to use this Site. If you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction, please exit now and do not use this Site.
If you have other comments or questions about the Site, please send us your thoughts at contactus@al-monitor.com.
REGISTERING FOR AND TERMINATING ACCOUNTS
To receive our newsletters you will be required to provide your email address and some basic demographic information (such as the country you’re in). Some of the features on the Site may require or permit you to register for an account through an online registration process. When you register for an account, you will select login credentials and you agree that: you will not use a username (or e-mail address) used by someone else, that impersonates another person, belongs to another person, violates the intellectual property or other rights of any person or entity or that is offensive. You will provide true, accurate, current and complete registration information about yourself during any registration process and will update it as needed to keep it accurate. You will immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your account, password or username, or any other breach of security; and you will not sell, transfer, or assign your account or any account rights. You are solely responsible for all activities that occur under your account, password and username whether or not you authorize the activity. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password and for restricting access to your device(s) so that others may not access any password-protected portion of our Site using your name, username, or password. We will not be liable for any loss or damage (of any kind and under any legal theory) to you or any third party arising from your inability or failure for any reason to comply with any of the foregoing obligations in these Terms. If any information that you provide, or if we have reasonable grounds to suspect that any information that you provide, is false, inaccurate, outdated or incomplete, or violates these Terms or any applicable law, we may suspend or terminate your account. We also reserve the more general and broad right to terminate your account, or suspend or otherwise deny you access to it or its benefits, all in our sole discretion, for any reason, and without advance notice or liability.
We reserve the right to reject or terminate use of any username or account that we deem inappropriate. If you believe your account or password has been compromised, you should contact us immediately at ALMPRIVACY@AL-MONITOR.COM. You agree to notify us immediately at ALMPRIVACY@AL-MONITOR.COM of any unauthorized use of your account or any other breach of security of which you become aware.
SITE CONTENT
The Site is made available for your personal, noncommercial use only. Unless otherwise noted, all photographs, pictures, graphics, product descriptions, and all other images, including digital, and video images, and portions thereof, and all content, data, information, news, and all other text and materials, including digital and audio materials, along with the layout and design of the Site and all documentation, data, services, features, products and other content at the Site (collectively, “Site Content”) are protected by the copyright laws of the United States and other jurisdictions. All Site Content is owned by, or licensed to, Al-Monitor. Site Content may not be reproduced, modified, redistributed or otherwise used in any way without a written license with the applicable Site Content owner.
Subject to and conditioned on your continued compliance with these Terms and all other terms and conditions that we may provide to you from time to time, Al-Monitor grants you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-assignable, non-transferable, non-sublicenseable, revocable license to access and display on your personal computer or mobile device or to print a copy of (but not otherwise copy or transfer or broadcast or otherwise use in any way) the Site Content found at this Site for your personal, non-commercial and educational use only. You further agree not to change or delete any proprietary notices from materials downloaded from the Site. For information about requesting permission to reproduce or distribute Site Content from the Site, please contact us at PRESS@AL-MONITOR.COM
All rights not expressly granted by Al-Monitor herein are reserved. Nothing on the Site or in these Terms of Use grants, expressly or implicitly, by estoppel or otherwise, any right or license to use any Site Content or other materials of any third party or may be construed to mean that Al-Monitor has the authority to grant any license on behalf of any third party.
Al-Monitor’s trademarks, including AL-MONITOR, THE PULSE OF THE MIDDLE EAST, its, logo, all page headers, graphics, images, symbols, trade names, service marks and other marks found at the Site are the proprietary property of Al-Monitor or its affiliates (collectively the “Marks”). Use of the Marks is strictly prohibited without the prior written consent of us.
The trademarks of third parties may also appear on the Site from time to time; you may not use these trademarks without prior written permission of their respective owners. You acknowledge and agree that nothing on the Site grants, expressly or implicitly, by estoppel or otherwise, any right or license to use any of these trademarks, nor may anything be construed to mean that we have authority to grant any right or license on behalf of any third-party trademark owner.
You are free to establish a hypertext link to the Site so long as the link does not state or imply that we sponsor, endorse, or are affiliated with you or your website. You may not, without our prior written permission, frame or inline link any of the Site Content, or incorporate into another website or other service any of the Site Content you find on the Site.
YOUR CONDUCT WHEN USING THE SITE AND OUR PARTICIPATION GUIDELINES
The Site may include features that allow users to interact with each other on the Site and to post content for display on the Site. These features are intended to create a community where you can share news and have conversations about what’s happening in the Middle East. While we reserve the right to monitor third-party content on the Site, it is up to our users to ensure that the discourse on Al-Monitor remains polite and informative.
First and foremost, we ask that you treat other Site users with respect. Language and content should be appropriate for a civil, adult conversation. Please respect the rights of others to their opinions; understand that there may be many other sides to every story. If you see something on the Site that you believe is inaccurate, or about which you hold a different opinion, feel free to post a comment in response.
By using the Site and Site Content, participating in discussions or posting user-generated content to the Site, you agree that you will not engage in any of the following activities (“Participation Guidelines”):
- Use the Site or Site Content to impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
- Use the Site to restrict or inhibit others from using the Site
- Interfere with or disrupt any servers or networks used to provide the Site or its features;
- Use the Site to engage in or to instigate or encourage others to engage in illegal activities or to cause injury or damage to any person or entity;
- Gain unauthorized access to the Site, or any account, computer system, or network connected to the Site;
- Use the Site to post or transmit any unlawful, threatening, harassing, abusive, libelous, obscene, or pornographic content;
- Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, reverse assemble or modify any Site source or object code or any software or other services or processes accessible through any portion of the Site or Site Content (to the extent such restriction is permitted under applicable law);
- Use the Site to post or transmit any information or content (i) that violates or infringes the rights of others, including information or content that invades the privacy or violates the right of publicity of any person; (ii) that is defamatory or libelous; or (iii) that is protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right without the permission of the owner of such rights;
- Use the Site to post or transmit any information or content that violates any law or engage in activity that would constitute a criminal offense or give rise to a civil liability;
- Use the Site to post or transmit any content or material that contains a virus worm or other harmful component;
- Use the Site to advertise or solicit to anyone to buy or sell products or services, or to make donations of any kind, unless we have explicitly authorized such use in a particular circumstance;
- Gather for marketing purposes any email address or other personal information that has been posted by other users of the Site;
- Engage in personal attacks, harass or threaten another user, or deliberately disrupt the conversation;
- Repeatedly post the same or similar content or otherwise impose an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure;
- Access parts of the Site to which you are not authorized, or attempt to circumvent any restrictions imposed on your use or access of the Site;
- Use any Site Content to train large learning models or in connection with any artificial intelligence input or output services;
- Use any automated mechanism to collect information from the Site, including in any manner that fails to respect the Robots Exclusion Protocol.
YOUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR INFORMATION AND CONTENT YOU SUBMIT
You acknowledge that you are solely responsible for the text, comments, photographs, videos and other information and content that you post on or submit to the Site (“User Content”), or share with others using the Site. By submitting or posting User Content to the Site, you represent and warrant that: (1) you are 13 years of age or older; (2) you are the owner of all User Content you submit or are making your posting or submission with the express consent of the owner of any portion of such User Content that you do not own; (3) you have abided by all Participation Guidelines and the User Content you post or submit will not violate or infringe the rights of others or otherwise cause injury to any person or entity; (4) your User Content does not and will not violate any confidentiality obligations between you and any person or organization or the privacy rights, publicity rights or other rights of any person and you have the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable person or organization in your User Content to use the name, image, or likeness of each and every such identifiable person or organization to enable inclusion and use of the User Content in the manner contemplated by the Site and these Terms of Use; and (5) you will indemnify and hold harmless us and our parent, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and each of our and their respective directors, officers, managers, employees, shareholders, agents, representatives, licensors, successors, and assigns, from and against any liability of any nature arising out of any information or User Content that is displayed on or submitted via the Site by you or by others using your account, username, or password as set forth below.
You alone are responsible for the information and User Content you post or submit to the Site. We do not control the information or User Content that you or others may post or submit to or otherwise transmit through the Site. You are responsible for creating backup copies of any information or content you submit or post to the Site. We will not be responsible for the deletion of, or the failure to store, display or transmit, any information or User Content submitted by you.
We may enforce the Participation Guidelines in our discretion. You understand that we have no obligation to monitor any areas of the Site through which users can supply information or User Content. We reserve the right, however, in our discretion to screen User Content and to edit, move, delete, and/or refuse to accept any User Content that in our judgment violates these Terms of Use or otherwise is unacceptable or inappropriate, whether for legal or other reasons. We also reserve the right to prohibit, and/or to take steps intended to block, your access to and use of the Site if you violate any Participation Guidelines or any other term of these Terms of Use
OUR RIGHTS TO USE AND DISCLOSE USER CONTENT
When you post or submit any User Content to the Site, you are not giving up any ownership rights you otherwise have in such User Content. You grant us and anyone authorized by us, however, a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, transferrable, sublicensable, non-exclusive, unrestricted, worldwide right and license to use, copy, publish, modify, transmit, sell, exploit, create derivative works from, distribute, and/or publicly perform or display such User Content, in whole or in part, in any manner or medium (whether now known or hereafter developed), for any purpose that we choose. The foregoing grant includes the right to exploit any proprietary rights in such User Content, including, but not limited to, rights under copyright, trademark or patent laws that exist in any relevant jurisdiction. Also, in connection with the exercise of these rights, you grant us, and anyone authorized by us, the right to identify you by username as the author of any of your User Content if we choose to do so. You understand that technical processing of the Site, including User Content you post or submit, may involve transmission over various networks, and may involve changes to the User Content to conform and adapt it to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices. You will not receive any compensation of any kind for our use of any User Content you post or submit and we have no obligation to attribute such materials to you or otherwise provide any credit to you. You hereby waive any moral rights to any User Content that you post or submit to the Site.
We may preserve User Content you post or submit, and may disclose such User Content and your username if we determine we are required to do so by law or if, in our judgment, such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary: (a) to comply with legal process; (b) to enforce these Terms of Use; (c) to respond to claims that any User Content you post or submit violates the rights of third parties; or (d) to protect the rights, property, or personal safety of (i) the Site, (ii) us, our parent, our affiliates, our subsidiaries, and each of our and their respective directors, officers, managers, employees, shareholders, agents, representatives, and/or licensors, (iii) other users, and/or (iv) the public.
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT.
The following terms apply if you allow Al-Monitor to use photographs, videos, or other content that you post on social media accounts (your “Social Media Content”). We are granted a royalty-free, irrevocable, transferrable, non-exclusive, unrestricted, worldwide, perpetual right, but not obligation:
- to reproduce, exhibit and otherwise use your Social Media Content on the Site;
- to edit your Social Media Content in connection with the foregoing.
You represent and warrant that:
- No person other than you appears or is mentioned in the Social Media Content
- You own the photograph or video or have all the rights to the Social Media Content;
- You actually used any products tagged, shown or mentioned in the Social Media Content.
- All statements or testimonials in your Social Media Content are true and accurate and represent your current opinion and/or experience; and
- You have the right to grant Al-Monitor the right to use your Social Media Content as set forth in these terms and such use by us will not violate the rights of any third party.
NOTICE OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
Pursuant to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) (see 17 U.S.C. 512(c)(3), if you are a copyright owner or agent thereof who believes your copyrighted material has been reproduced, posted or distributed on the Site in a manner that constitutes copyright infringement, please inform our designated copyright agent by sending written notice by U.S. Mail to Al-Monitor LLC, 600 Travis, Suite 6800, Houston, TX 77002 Attn: Designated Copyright Agent, or by email to DMCA@AL-MONITOR.COM. Please include the following information in your written notice: (1) a detailed description of the copyrighted work that is allegedly infringed or if multiple copyrighted works are covered by a notification, a representative list of such works at the Site; (2) a description of the location of the allegedly infringing material on the Site; (3) your contact information, including your address, telephone number, and, if available, email address; (4) a statement by you indicating that you have a good-faith belief that the allegedly infringing use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; (5) a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, affirming that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf; and (6) an electronic or physical signature of the copyright owner or someone authorized on the owner’s behalf to assert infringement of copyright and to submit the statement. Please note that the contact information provided in this paragraph is for suspected copyright infringement only. Contact information for other matters is provided elsewhere in these Terms of Use or on the Site.
You acknowledge that if you fail to comply with all of the notice requirements of the DMCA, your notice may not be valid.
If you believe that any User Content of yours that was removed is not infringing, or that you have the appropriate rights from the copyright owner or third party, or pursuant to the law, to post and use the material in your User Content, you may send a counter notification containing the following information to the Designated Copyright Agent: (i) your physical or electronic signature; (ii) 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 disabled; (iii) a statement (under penalty of perjury) that you have a good faith belief that the content was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or a misidentification of the material; and (iv) your name, address, telephone number, and e-mail address, along with a statement that you consent to the federal court of your jurisdiction and a statement that you will accept service of process from the person who provided notification of the alleged infringement.
If a counter notification is received by the Designated Copyright Agent, we shall send a copy of such counter notification to the original notifying party. The original notifying party shall have ten (10) business days to file an action for copyright infringement and seek a court order against the content provider or user posting such material. If no such infringement action is filed within such 10 business days, we may, in our sole discretion, reinstate the removed material or cease disabling such material.
In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, we will, in appropriate circumstances, terminate access, at our sole discretion, of any member or user that we find to be a repeat infringer of others’ copyrights. We may also, in our sole discretion, limit or fully terminate access to the Site of any user infringing the intellectual property rights of others, regardless of whether such user is repeat offender or not.
ONLINE COMMERCE
Certain sections of the Site may allow you to purchase products and services that are provided by Al-Monitor and/or third parties. We are not responsible for the quality, accuracy, timeliness, reliability or any other aspect of third-party products or services. If you make a purchase from a third party on the Site, or on a third-party website that you have accessed via a link on the Site, the information obtained during your visit to that merchant’s online store or website, and the information that you provide in connection with the transaction may be collected by both the merchant and us and be subject to the merchant’s privacy policy and our Privacy Statement. A merchant may have privacy and data collection practices that are different from ours. We are not responsible for the privacy and data collection practices of these merchants. When you purchase products or services on or through the Site, you may be subject to additional terms and conditions that specifically apply to your purchase or use of such products or services. For more information regarding a merchant, its online store, its privacy policies, and/or any additional terms and conditions that may apply, visit that merchant’s website or contact the merchant directly. You release us and our affiliates from any damages that you incur, and agree not to assert any claims against us or any of our affiliates, arising from your purchase or use of any products or services made available by third parties through the Site.
You agree to be financially responsible for all purchases made by you or someone acting on your behalf through the Site. You agree to only purchase goods or services for yourself or for another person for whom you are legally permitted to do so. When making a purchase for a third party that requires you to submit the third party’s personal information to us or a merchant, you represent that you have obtained the express consent of such third party to provide such third party’s personal information.
THIRD PARTY LINKS
Throughout the Site, we may provide links and pointers to websites maintained by third parties. Our linking to such third-party websites does not imply that we endorse or sponsor such websites, or the information, products or services offered on or through the websites. Neither we nor our parent or subsidiary companies nor any of our respective affiliates operate or control any information, products or services that third parties may provide on or through the Site or on websites to which we link. Please review carefully the third-party’s policies and practices and make sure you understand them before you engage in any transaction. Complaints, claims, concerns, or questions regarding third-party products should be directed to the third-party.
ERRORS, INACCURACIES AND OMISSIONS
Occasionally there may be information on our Site or Site Content that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies or omissions. We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions, and to change or update information or cancel orders if any information on the Site or on any related website is inaccurate at any time without prior notice.
We undertake no obligation to update, amend or clarify information on the Site or on any related website, except as required by law.
PROHIBITED USES
In addition to other prohibitions as set forth in these Terms of Use, you are prohibited from using the Site or Site Content: (a) for any unlawful purpose; (b) to solicit others to perform or participate in any unlawful acts; (c) to violate any international, federal, provincial or state regulations, rules, laws, or local ordinances; (d) to infringe upon or violate our intellectual property rights or the intellectual property rights of others; (e) to harass, abuse, insult, harm, defame, slander, disparage, intimidate, or discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, age, national origin, or disability; (f) to submit false or misleading information; (g) to upload or transmit viruses or any other type of malicious code that will or may be used in any way that will affect the functionality or operation of the Site, other websites, or the Internet; (h) to collect or track the personal information of others; (i) to spam, phish, pharm, pretext, spider, crawl, or scrape; (j) for any obscene or immoral purpose; or (k) to interfere with or circumvent the security features of the Site, other websites, or the Internet. We reserve the right to terminate your use of the Site for violating any of the prohibited uses.
DISCLAIMERS
You expressly agree that use of, or inability to use, the Site or Site Content is at your own risk. The information, Site Content products and services offered on or through the Site are provided “as is” and without warranties of any kind either express or implied. We do not warrant or make any representations regarding use or the results of use of the Site or Site Content or any information or content made available on or via the Site in terms of their correctness, accuracy, timeliness, reliability or otherwise. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including, but not limited to, implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Site or any of its functions will be uninterrupted or error-free, that defects will be corrected, or that any part of the Site, including public posting areas, or the servers that make the Site available, are free of viruses or other harmful components. You agree that from time to time we may remove the Site or Site Content for indefinite periods of time or terminate the Site at any time, without notice to you.
Your interactions with companies, organizations and/or individuals found on or through the Site, including any purchases, transactions, or other dealings, and any terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and such companies, organizations and/or individuals. You agree that we will not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such dealings. You also agree that, if there is a dispute between users of the Site, or between a user and any third party, we are under no obligation to become involved, and you agree to release us and our parent, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and each of our and their respective directors, officers, managers, employees, shareholders, agents, representatives, licensors, successors and assigns, from any claims, demands and damages of every kind or nature, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, disclosed or undisclosed, arising out of or in any way related to such dispute and/or the Site.
If you are dissatisfied with the Site, or any Site Content, products, or services on the Site, or with any of the Terms of Use, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue using the Site.
LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE, WILL WE BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR USE OF THIS SITE OR ANY INFORMATION, SITE CONTENT, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE SITE, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF WE ARE ADVISED BEFOREHAND OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
If you are a consumer, the provisions in these Terms of Use are intended to be only as broad and inclusive as is permitted by the laws of your state or country of residence. Certain jurisdictions have heightened consumer protection laws that may make certain portions of these Terms of Use inapplicable to you. In any event, Al-Monitor reserves all rights, defenses and permissible limitations under the law of your state or country of residence.
INDEMNIFICATION
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless AL-Monitor and our parent, subsidiaries, and affiliates, and each of our and their respective directors, officers, managers, employees, shareholders, agents, representatives, licensors, successors and assigns from and against any and all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, that arise out of your use of the Site, any information or Site Content that is posted or submitted via the Site by you or by others using your account, violation of these Terms of Use by you or any other person using your account, or your violation of any rights of another. We reserve the right to control the defense of any claim for which we are entitled to indemnification under this section. In such event, you agree to provide us with such cooperation as is reasonably requested by us. We will make reasonable efforts to provide you with notice of any such claim, but our failure to provide such notice will not relieve you of these obligations.
MISCELLANEOUS
These Terms of Use constitutes the entire agreement between us and you with respect to the subject matter of this agreement and supersedes all previous and contemporaneous agreements, proposals and communications on this subject, whether written or oral. These Terms of Use are personal to you, are not intended to benefit any third party, and do not create any third party beneficiaries. You may not assign these Terms of Use to anyone. We may assign, novate or subcontract any or all of our rights and obligations under these Terms of Use at any time.
Our failure to enforce any terms of these Terms of Use or to respond to a breach by you or other parties shall not in any way waive our rights to enforce subsequently any terms of these Terms of Use or to act with respect with similar breaches.
We control and operate the Site from our offices in the United States of America. We do not represent that the content and other materials on the Site are appropriate or available for use in other locations. Persons who choose to access or use the Site from other locations do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable. The Site may describe products and services that are available only in certain jurisdictions (or only parts of them). We reserve the right to limit the availability of our Site and/or the provision of any Site Content, product, service, or other feature described or available on our Site to any person, entity, geographic area, or jurisdiction, at any time and in our sole discretion, and to limit the quantities of any Site Content, program, product, service, or other feature that we provide. Further information on your rights regarding personal information collected on the Site are set forth in our Privacy Policy.
In the event that any provision of these Terms of Use is determined to be unlawful, void or unenforceable, such provision shall nonetheless be enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, and the unenforceable portion shall be deemed to be severed from these Terms of Use, such determination shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any other remaining provisions.
These Terms of Use are effective unless and until terminated by either you or us. You may terminate these Terms of Use at any time by notifying us that you no longer wish to use our Site or when you cease using our Site. Your termination will be effective after we receive such notification or after you cease using our Site, but you will remain liable for all amounts due up to and including the date of termination.
If in our sole judgment you fail, or we suspect that you have failed, to comply with any term or provision of these Terms of Use, we also may terminate these Terms of Use at any time without notice and you will remain liable for all amounts due up to and including the date of termination; and/or accordingly may deny you access to our Site (or any part thereof).
GOVERNING LAW
These Terms of Use will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Texas, without giving effect to any principles of conflicts of law. Subject to the dispute resolution and arbitration provisions set forth below, you hereby consent and submit to the person jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Harris County, Texas.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION; INFORMATION RESOLUTION AND FORMAL RESOLUTION BY ARBITRATION / CLASS ACTION WAIVER
In order to expedite and control the cost of disputes, you and Al-Monitor agree that any legal or equitable claim relating to the use of the Site or the use of any Site Content or any services from the Site (referred to as a “Claim”) will be resolved as follows:
Informal Resolution:
You and Al-Monitor will first attempt to resolve any Claim informally for a period of thirty (30) days after Al-Monitor’s receipt of written notice from you regarding any potential dispute. In the event that any dispute between Al-Monitor and you arises out of or relates to: (i) these Terms of Use; (ii) the Site; or (iii) your account through the Site, you and we agree to try to promptly resolve any such dispute informally within such 30-day period. You must send the written notice describing the dispute to contact@al-monitor.com
Formal Resolution by Arbitration / Class Action Waiver.
READ THE FOLLOWING ARBITRATION PROVISION CAREFULLY, IT LIMITS YOUR RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO MAINTAIN A COURT ACTION. You agree that any dispute, controversy or Claim arising out of or relating to these Terms of Use, your use of the Site or any Site Content, or the purchase of any products from the Site, or the determination of the scope or applicability of arbitration shall be governed as set forth below.
If you and Al-Monitor cannot resolve a Claim informally, any Claim asserted by either party will be resolved only by binding arbitration (“Arbitration”). By agreeing to Arbitration, both you and Al-Monitor understand and agree that all processes, such as a court action or administrative proceeding, to settle disputes shall be decided by a single arbitrator and that you are waiving your rights to maintain other available resolution processes, such as a court action or administrative proceeding, to settle disputes. Instead of suing in court, both you and Al-Monitor each agree to settle disputes (except certain small claims as set forth below) only by Arbitration.
ARBITRATION MEANS THAT YOU WAVE YOUR RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL.
The rules in Arbitration are different. There is no judge or jury, and review is limited, but an arbitrator can award the same damages and relief and must honor the same limitations stated in these Terms as a court would. The Arbitration will be conducted under the American Arbitration Association Consumer Arbitration Rules (referred to as the “AAA Rules”) and under the rules set forth in these Terms of Use. If there is a conflict between AAA Rules and the rules set forth in these Terms of Use, the rules set forth in these Terms will govern. You may in Arbitration seek any and all remedies otherwise available to you pursuant to the law of the governing jurisdiction. If you decide to initiate Arbitration, Al-Monitor agrees to pay the Arbitration initiation fee and any additional required deposit required by AAA to initiate your Arbitration. You and Al-Monitor agree to pay equally the costs of the Arbitration proceedings, provided however, that if you are a consumer, you shall not be required to pay more than $250.00 of the fees or such higher amount as the AAA Rules may later prescribe. All other fees, such as attorneys’ fees and expenses of travel to the Arbitration, will be paid in accordance with AAA Rules. The arbitration will be held at a location in Harris County, Texas, if possible, unless you and Al-Monitor both agree to another location or telephonic Arbitration. To initiate Arbitration, you or Al-Monitor must do the following things:
- Write a demand for Arbitration. The demand must include a description of the Claim and the amount of damages sought to be recovered. You can file a Demand for Arbitration at https://www.adr.org/ .
- Send one copy of the Demand for Arbitration to the other party.
- Special rules in the Arbitration Proceeding.
- Except for errors of law, the arbitrator’s decision is final and binding on all parties and may be enforced in any court that has jurisdiction.
- Neither you nor Al-Monitor shall be entitled to join or consolidate claims in Arbitration by or against other individuals or entities or arbitrate any claim as a representative member of a class or in a private attorney general capacity.
THIS MEANS THAT YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO INITIATE OR PARTICIPATE IN ANY CLASS OR CONSOLIDATED ACTION WHATSOEVER.
Accordingly, you and Al-Monitor agree that the AAA Class Action Rules do not apply to our Arbitration. A court may sever any portion of this dispute resolution provision if it finds such provision unenforceable, except for the prohibition on class, representative and private attorney general arbitrations. Notwithstanding the obligation to arbitrate all Claims under these Terms of Use, you may assert an individual Claim in small claims court in lieu of Arbitration.
LIMITED TIME TO FILE CLAIMS
You agree that you will assert any Claim arising out of your use of any Site or any Site Content or the purchase of any product from this Site, if applicable, within one (1) year after the Claim arises, or such claim will be barred.
GENERAL CONDITIONS
We reserve the right to refuse or prohibit anyone from accessing or using the Site for any reason at any time. You understand that your information (not including credit card information), may be transferred unencrypted and involve (a) transmissions over various networks; and (b) changes to conform and adapt to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices. The headings used in these Terms of Use are included for convenience only and will not limit or otherwise affect these Terms.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Questions about the Terms of Use should be sent to us at contactus@al-monitor.com.
Our contact information is:
Al-Monitor LLC
600 Travis, Suite 6800
Houston, TX 77002