Terms of Service

These terms cover your use of Refusenik, the independent publication at www.refusenik.com, published by Refusenik, LLC. When we say "we" or "us," we mean Refusenik. By reading, signing up for, or taking part in Refusenik, you agree to these terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use the site.

Your account

You don't need an account to read Refusenik. To comment, rate, save favorites or flag something, you do. To have one:

• you must be at least 13, and old enough where you live to agree to these terms;
• the information you give us must be accurate, and the account must be yours alone;
• you're responsible for keeping your sign-in details safe and for everything done with your account. If you think someone else has used it, let us know.

What you post

Your comments are yours. By posting one, you give us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to show it on Refusenik with the piece it's on, store it, and edit it only to fix formatting or remove what breaks these terms. The license ends when the comment is removed, except for copies we keep for a limited time in backups or because the law requires it.

You're responsible for what you post. Don't post anything that:

• is unlawful, threatening, harassing or hateful, or encourages violence;
• is defamatory, or makes false claims of fact about a real person;
• shares someone else's private information without their consent;
• infringes someone's copyright, trademark or other rights;
• pretends to be someone else, or misleads readers about who you are;
• is spam, advertising, or links meant to promote another site;
• contains malware or anything meant to harm a reader's device.

Use ratings and flags honestly: rate what you've read, and flag what you believe breaks these terms, not what you disagree with. If you use "Email this," send pieces only to people you know and who'd want them; your name goes with the email.

We may remove anything that, in our judgment, breaks these terms or harms Refusenik or its readers, and we may suspend or close an account that does. We don't have to review everything posted, and a comment staying up doesn't mean we agree with it.

Our work

The articles, posts, listings, images and design of Refusenik belong to us or to the people who license them to us, and are protected by copyright and other laws. You're welcome to read them, share links to them, and quote short passages with credit and a link back. Unless we've given you written permission, don't:

• republish, sell or redistribute our work, in whole or in large part;
• copy or collect it in bulk, by hand or with scrapers, bots or other automated tools (ordinary search-engine indexing is fine);
• use it to train or improve artificial intelligence or machine-learning systems.

The Refusenik name and logo are ours. Don't use them in a way that suggests we endorse you or are connected to you.

Our work on social media

When we publish a piece, we may post it to Refusenik's own accounts on social networks. Those posts link back to the piece and are covered by these terms as well as by each network's own rules. Replies and comments made on a social network are part of that network, not Refusenik, and we don't control them.

Accuracy, opinion and advice

We work to get things right, and we correct mistakes when we find them. If you think we've got something wrong, tell us. Opinion pieces are their writer's views. Nothing on Refusenik is legal, financial, medical or other professional advice; for that, ask a qualified professional about your own situation.

Links to other sites

Our pieces link to other websites. We don't control them and aren't responsible for what they say or do, and a link isn't an endorsement.

Using the site fairly

Don't try to break, overload or get around the security of Refusenik; access accounts or areas that aren't yours; send automated traffic at a rate a person couldn't; or use the site to send spam. We may block any person, device or network that does.

Copyright complaints

If you believe something on Refusenik infringes your copyright, contact us with:

• the work you believe is infringed, and where on Refusenik the material is;
• your name and how to reach you;
• a statement that you believe in good faith the use isn't authorized by the owner, its agent or the law;
• a statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized to act for them;
• your physical or electronic signature.

We'll remove or disable material that infringes, and close the accounts of people who infringe repeatedly. If your comment was removed and you believe that was a mistake, you can send us a counter-notice the same way.

Ending your use

You can stop using Refusenik at any time, and you can ask us to delete your account. We may suspend or end your access if you break these terms, or if we stop offering the site or a feature. The parts of these terms that by their nature should last, such as the license for comments already posted, the disclaimers and the limits on liability, keep applying after your access ends.

Disclaimers

Refusenik is provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent the law allows, we make no warranties of any kind, express or implied, including that the site will be accurate, complete, uninterrupted, secure or free of errors, or fit for a particular purpose.

Limits on our liability

To the fullest extent the law allows, Refusenik, LLC and the people who work on Refusenik won't be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential or punitive damages, or for lost data, profits or goodwill, arising from your use of the site, even if we were told they were possible. Our total liability for any claim about Refusenik is limited to US$100. Some places don't allow these limits, so they may not all apply to you.

Your responsibility to us

If someone brings a claim against us because of what you posted or how you used Refusenik in breach of these terms or the law, you agree to cover the reasonable costs of that claim, including legal fees.

Governing law

These terms are governed by the laws of the United States and of the state in which Refusenik, LLC is organized, without regard to conflict-of-law rules. Any dispute about them or about Refusenik will be decided in the state or federal courts of that state, unless the law where you live gives you the right to bring it elsewhere.

Changes to these terms

We may update these terms. When we do, we'll post the new version here, and if the change is significant, we'll also let account holders know by email or on the site. If you keep using Refusenik after a change, you accept the new terms.

The rest

These terms and our Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between you and us about Refusenik. If a court finds part of them unenforceable, the rest still applies. If we don't enforce a term right away, we haven't given up the right to enforce it later. You can't transfer your rights under these terms to anyone else; we may transfer ours if Refusenik changes hands.

Contact

Questions about these terms? Contact us.