Skip to content

Terms of Use

Last revised on: March 7, 2013

The websites and webpages owned and operated by Designer Fund, LLC or related companies (“Company”, “us”, “our”, and “we”), such as the sites located at www.desginerfund.com and/or designerfounder.com (collectively, the “Site”) is a copyrighted work belonging to the Company. Company provides, among others, without limitation, information, referrals, pre-screening services, educational programs, events and products related to design (collectively, with all other services provided on or through the Site, the “Services”). Certain features of the Services or Site may be subject to additional guidelines, terms, or rules, which will be posted on the Service or Site in connection with such features. All such additional terms, guidelines, and rules are incorporated by reference into this Agreement Without limiting the foregoing, the Company’s Privacy Policy is incorporated by reference into this Agreement.

These Terms of Use (“Agreement”) sets forth the legally binding terms for your use of the Site and Services. By accessing or using the Site or Services, Clicking on the “I Agree” button, completing the registration process, and/or merely browsing the Site, you are accepting this Agreement (on behalf of yourself or the entity that you represent) and you represent and warrant that you have the right, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement (on behalf of yourself or the entity that you represent). you may not access or use the Site or Services or accept the Agreement if you are not at least 18 years old. If you do not agree with all of the provisions of this Agreement, do not access and/or use the Site or Services.

  1. Accounts

    1. Account Creation. In order to use certain features of the Site (e.g., to use the Services), you must register for an account with Company (“Company Account”) and provide certain information about yourself as prompted by the Site registration form. You represent and warrant that: (a) all required registration information you submit is truthful and accurate; (b) you will maintain the accuracy of such information. You may delete your Company Account at any time, for any reason, by following the instructions on the Site. Company may suspend or terminate your Company Account in accordance with Section 8.
    2. Account Responsibilities. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your Company Account login information and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your Company Account. You agree to immediately notify Company of any unauthorized use, or suspected unauthorized use of your Company Account or any other breach of security. Company cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with the above requirements.
    3. Orders. You may place an order for products or services by following the order and payment directions on the Site. Once you order the product or service, you agree to pay the current applicable fee listed on the Site. All orders are non-refundable.

  2. Site

    1. License. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, Company grants you a non-transferable, non-exclusive, license to use the Site and Services for your personal, noncommercial use.
    2. Certain Restrictions. The rights granted to you in this Agreement are subject to the following restrictions: (a) you shall not license, sell, rent, lease, transfer, assign, distribute, host, or otherwise commercially exploit the Site or Services; (b) you shall not modify, make derivative works of, disassemble, reverse compile or reverse engineer any part of the Site or Services; (c) you shall not access the Site or Services in order to build a similar or competitive service; and (d) except as expressly stated herein, no part of the Site or Services may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means. Any future release, update, or other addition to functionality of the Site or Services shall be subject to the terms of this Agreement. All copyright and other proprietary notices on any Site or Services content must be retained on all copies thereof.
    3. Modification. Company reserves the right, at any time, to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Site or Services or any part thereof with or without notice. You agree that Company will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Site or Services or any part thereof, except and if otherwise expressly set forth in Section 8.
    4. No Support or Maintenance. You acknowledge and agree that Company will have no obligation to provide you with any support or maintenance in connection with the Site or Services.
    5. Ownership. Excluding your User Content (defined below), you acknowledge that all the intellectual property rights, including copyrights, patents, trade marks, and trade secrets, in the Site and Services are owned by Company or Company’s licensors. The provision of the Site and Services does not transfer to you or any third party any rights, title or interest in or to such intellectual property rights. Company and its suppliers reserve all rights not granted in this Agreement.

  3. User Content

    1. User Content. “User Content” means any and all information and content that a user submits to, or uses with, the Site or Services (e.g., content in the user’s profile or postings). You are solely responsible for your User Content. You assume all risks associated with use of your User Content, including any reliance on its accuracy, completeness or usefulness by others, or any disclosure of your User Content that makes you or any third party personally identifiable. You hereby represent and warrant that your User Content does not violate the Acceptable Use Policy (defined below). You may not state or imply that your User Content is in any way provided, sponsored or endorsed by Company. Because you alone are responsible for your User Content (and not Company), you may expose yourself to liability if, for example, your User Content violates the Acceptable Use Policy. Company is not obligated to backup any User Content and User Content may be deleted at anytime. You are solely responsible for creating backup copies of your User Content if you desire. Any User Content you provide will be deemed non-proprietary public information and Company shall have no obligation to maintain its confidentiality. In the event that User Content contains personally identifiable information, Company’s Privacy Policy shall govern Company’s use and disclosure of such information.
    2. License. You hereby grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to Company an irrevocable, nonexclusive, royalty-free and fully paid, worldwide license to reproduce, distribute, publicly display and perform, prepare derivative works of, incorporate into other works, and otherwise use your User Content, and to grant sublicenses of the foregoing, solely for the purposes of including your User Content in the Site and Services. You agree to irrevocably waive (and cause to be waived) any claims and assertions of moral rights or attribution with respect to your User Content.

    3. Acceptable Use Policy. The following sets forth Company’s “Acceptable Use Policy”:

      1. You agree not to use the Site or Services to collect, upload, transmit, display, or distribute any User Content (i) that violates any third-party right, including any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other intellectual property or proprietary right; (ii) that is unlawful, harassing, abusive, tortious, threatening, harmful, invasive of another’s privacy, vulgar, defamatory, false, intentionally misleading, trade libelous, pornographic, obscene, patently offensive, promotes racism, bigotry, hatred, or physical harm of any kind against any group or individual or is otherwise objectionable; (iii) that is harmful to minors in any way; or (iv) that is in violation of any law, regulation, or obligations or restrictions imposed by any third party.
      2. In addition, you agree not to use the Site or Services to: (i) upload, transmit, or distribute any computer viruses, worms, or any software intended to damage or alter a computer system or data; (ii) send unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, junk mail, spam, chain letters, pyramid schemes, or any other form of duplicative or unsolicited messages, whether commercial or otherwise; (iii) harvest, collect, gather or assemble information or data regarding other users, including e-mail addresses, without their consent; (iv) interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on servers or networks connected to the Site or Services or violate the regulations, policies or procedures of such networks; (v) attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Site or Services, other computer systems or networks connected to or used together with the Site or Services, through password mining or other means; (vi) harass or interfere with another user’s use and enjoyment of the Site or Services; or (vi) introduce software or automated agents or scripts to the Site or Services so as to produce multiple accounts, generate automated searches, requests and queries, or to strip, scrape, or mine data from the Site or Services (except that we grant the operators of public search engines revocable permission to use spiders to copy materials from the Site for the sole purpose of and solely to the extent necessary for creating publicly available searchable indices of the materials, but not caches or archives of such materials).
    4. Enforcement. We reserve the right (but have no obligation) to review any User Content, investigate, and/or take appropriate action against you in our sole discretion if you violate the Acceptable Use Policy or any other provision of this Agreement or otherwise create liability for us or any other person. Such acts may include removing or modifying your User Content, terminating your Company Account in accordance with Section 8, and/or reporting you to law enforcement authorities.
    5. Feedback. If you provide Company any feedback or suggestions regarding the Site or Services (“Feedback”), you hereby assign to Company all rights in the Feedback and agree that Company shall have the right to use such Feedback and related information in any manner it deems appropriate. Company will treat any Feedback you provide to Company as non-confidential and non-proprietary. You agree that you will not submit to Company any information or ideas that you consider to be confidential or proprietary.
  4. Indemnity. You agree to indemnify and hold Company (and its officers, employees, and agents) harmless, including costs and attorneys’ fees, from any claim or demand made by any third party due to or arising out of (a) your use of the Site or Services, (b) your User Content, (c) your violation of this Agreement; or (d) your violation of applicable laws or regulations. Company reserves the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us and you agree to cooperate with our defense of these claims. You agree not to settle any matter without the prior written consent of Company. Company will use reasonable efforts to notify you of any such claim, action or proceeding upon becoming aware of it.

  5. Third Party Sites & Ads; Other Users

    1. Third Party Sites & Ads. The Site might contain links to third party websites, services, and advertisements for third parties (collectively, “Third Party Sites & Ads”). Such Third Party Sites & Ads are not under the control of Company and Company is not responsible for any Third Party Sites & Ads. Company provides these Third Party Sites & Ads only as a convenience and does not review, approve, monitor, endorse, warrant, or make any representations with respect to Third Party Sites & Ads. You use all Third Party Sites & Ads at your own risk. When you link to a Third Party Site & Ad, the applicable third party’s terms and policies apply, including the third party’s privacy and data gathering practices. You should make whatever investigation you feel necessary or appropriate before proceeding with any transaction in connection with such Third Party Sites & Ads.
    2. Other Users. Each Site or Service user is solely responsible for any and all of its User Content. Because we do not control User Content, you acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible for any User Content and we make no guarantees regarding the accuracy, currency, suitability, or quality of any User Content, and we assume no responsibility for any User Content. Your interactions with other Site or Service users are solely between you and such user. You agree that Company will not be responsible for any loss or damage incurred as the result of any such interactions. If there is a dispute between you and any Site or Service user, we are under no obligation to become involved.
    3. Release. You hereby release and forever discharge us (and our officers, employees, agents, successors, and assigns) from, and hereby waive and relinquish, each and every past, present and future dispute, claim, controversy, demand, right, obligation, liability, action and cause of action of every kind and nature (including personal injuries, death, and property damage), that has arisen or arises directly or indirectly out of, or relates directly or indirectly to, any interactions with, or act or omission of, other Site or Service users or Third Party Sites & Ads. IF YOU ARE A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT, YOU HEREBY WAIVE CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE SECTION 1542 IN CONNECTION WITH THE FOREGOING, WHICH STATES: “A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, WHICH IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER MUST HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR.”

  6. Disclaimers

    THE SITE AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” AND WE (AND OUR SUPPLIERS) EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, ACCURACY, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE (AND OUR SUPPLIERS) MAKE NO WARRANTY THAT THE SITE OR SERVICES: (A) WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; (B) WILL BE AVAILABLE ON AN UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE BASIS; OR (C) WILL BE ACCURATE, RELIABLE, FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL CODE, COMPLETE, LEGAL, OR SAFE.

    SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

  7. Limitation on Liability

    IN NO EVENT SHALL WE (AND OUR SUPPLIERS) BE LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY LOST PROFIT OR ANY INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR YOUR USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE SITE OR SERVICES, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. ACCESS TO, AND USE OF, THE SITE AND SERVICES ARE AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA RESULTING THEREFROM.

    NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, OUR LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT (FOR ANY CAUSE WHATSOEVER AND REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF THE ACTION), WILL AT ALL TIMES BE LIMITED TO THE GREATER OF (A) FIFTY US DOLLARS ($50) OR (B) AMOUNTS YOU’VE PAID COMPANY IN THE PRIOR 12 MONTHS (IF ANY). THE EXISTENCE OF MORE THAN ONE CLAIM WILL NOT ENLARGE THIS LIMIT. YOU AGREE THAT OUR SUPPLIERS WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY OF ANY KIND ARISING FROM OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT.

    SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OF CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

  8. Term and Termination. Subject to this Section, this Agreement will remain in full force and effect while you use the Site or Services. We may (a) suspend your rights to use the Site and/or Services (including your Company Account) or (b) terminate this Agreement, at any time for any reason at our sole discretion, including for any use of the Site or Services in violation of this Agreement. Upon termination of this Agreement, your Company Account and right to access and use the Site and Services will terminate immediately. You understand that any termination of your Company Account involves deletion of your User Content associated therewith from our live databases. Company will not have any liability whatsoever to you for any termination of this Agreement, including for termination of your Company Account or deletion of your User Content. Even after this Agreement is terminated, the following provisions of this Agreement will remain in effect: Sections 3.2-3.5, 4 –10.

  9. Copyright Policy. Company respects the intellectual property of others and asks that users of our Site and Services do the same. In connection with our Site and Services, we have adopted and implemented a policy respecting copyright law that provides for the removal of any infringing materials and for the termination, in appropriate circumstances, of users of our online Site and Services who are repeat infringers of intellectual property rights, including copyrights. If you believe that one of our users is, through the use of our Site and Services, unlawfully infringing the copyright(s) in a work, and wish to have the allegedly infringing material removed, the following information in the form of a written notification (pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)) must be provided to our designated Copyright Agent:

    1. your physical or electronic signature;
    2. identification of the copyrighted work(s) that you claim to have been infringed;
    3. identification of the material on our services that you claim is infringing and that you request us to remove;
    4. sufficient information to permit us to locate such material;
    5. your address, telephone number, and e-mail address;
    6. a statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the objectionable material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or under the law; and
    7. a statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are either the owner of the copyright that has allegedly been infringed or that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

    Please note that, pursuant to 17 U.S.C. § 512(f), any misrepresentation of material fact (falsities) in a written notification automatically subjects the complaining party to liability for any damages, costs and attorney’s fees incurred by us in connection with the written notification and allegation of copyright infringement.

    The designated Copyright Agent for Company is:
    Designated Agent: Copyright Agent
    Address of Agent: 164 Townsend, Unit 3, San Francisco, California 94107
    Telephone: 415.322.8406
    Email: copyright@designerfund.com

  10. General
1.  **Changes to Terms of Use.** This Agreement is subject to occasional revision, and if we make any substantial changes, we may notify you by sending you an e-mail to the last e-mail address you provided to us (if any) and/or by prominently posting notice of the changes on our Site. Any changes to this agreement will be effective upon the earlier of thirty (30) calendar days following our dispatch of an e-mail notice to you (if applicable) or thirty (30) calendar days following our posting of notice of the changes on our Site. These changes will be effective immediately for new users of our Site or Services. You are responsible for providing us with your most current e-mail address. In the event that the last e-mail address that you have provided us is not valid, or for any reason is not capable of delivering to you the notice described above, our dispatch of the e-mail containing such notice will nonetheless constitute effective notice of the changes described in the notice. Continued use of our Site or Services following notice of such changes shall indicate your acknowledgement of such changes and agreement to be bound by the terms and conditions of such changes.
2.  **Dispute Resolution**.
    
    1.  **Governing Law and Venue.** This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California without giving effect to any conflict of laws principles that may require the application of the law of another jurisdiction. Any action or proceeding relating to a claim or controversy at law or equity that arises out of or relates to this Agreement or the Site or Services (a “**claim**”) must be brought in a federal or state court located in San Francisco, California and each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of any such court in any such action or proceeding, unless such claim is submitted to arbitration as set forth below. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, Company may seek injunctive relief in any court having jurisdiction to protect its intellectual property or confidential or proprietary information.
    2.  **Contact Company First.** If a dispute arises between you and Company, our goal is to learn about and address your concerns and, if we are unable to do so to your satisfaction, to provide you with a neutral and cost effective means of resolving the dispute quickly. You agree that you will notify us about any dispute you have with Company regarding our Site or Services by emailing hello@designerfund.com.
    3.  **Alternative Dispute Resolution.** For any claim where the total amount of the award sought is less than $10,000 USD, the party requesting relief may choose to resolve the dispute through binding non-appearance-based arbitration in accordance with the following: (i) the arbitration will be provided through a nationally-recognized alternative dispute resolution provider mutually agreed upon by the parties; (ii) the arbitration will be conducted in one or more of the following manners at the option of the party initiating arbitration: telephone, online, or written submissions; (iii) the arbitration will not involve any personal appearances by the parties or witnesses unless otherwise agreed by the parties; and (iv) any judgment on the award rendered by the arbitrator may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
    4.  **Improperly Filed Claims.** All claims between you and Company must be resolved in accordance with this Section 10.2. All claims filed or brought contrary to this Section shall be considered improperly filed. Should you file a claim contrary to this Section, Company may recover attorneys’ fees and costs up to $1,000, provided that Company has notified you in writing of the improperly filed claim, and you fail to promptly withdraw the claim. Similarly, should Company file a claim contrary to this Section, you may recover attorneys’ fees and costs up to $1,000, provided that you have notified Company in writing of the improperly filed claim, and Company fails to promptly withdraw the claim. The remedies in this subsection will not limit any other remedies that either party may have in law or in equity.
3.  **Entire Agreement.** This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and us regarding the use of the Site and Services. Our failure to exercise or enforce any right or provision of this Agreement shall not operate as a waiver of such right or provision. The section titles in this Agreement are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect. The word including means including without limitation. If any provision of this Agreement is, for any reason, held to be invalid or unenforceable, the other provisions of this Agreement will be unimpaired and the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed modified so that it is valid and enforceable to the maximum extent permitted by law. Your relationship to Company is that of an independent contractor, and neither party is an agent or partner of the other. This Agreement, and your rights and obligations herein, may not be assigned, subcontracted, delegated, or otherwise transferred by you without Company’s prior written consent, and any attempted assignment, subcontract, delegation, or transfer in violation of the foregoing will be null and void. The terms of this Agreement shall be binding upon assignees.
4.  **Copyright/Trademark Information.** Copyright © 2013, Designer Fund, LLC. All rights reserved. All trademarks, logos and service marks (“**Marks**”) displayed on the Site are our property or the property of other third parties. You are not permitted to use these Marks without our prior written consent or the consent of such third party which may own the Marks.
5.  **Contact Information:**
    
    Address: 164 Townsend, Unit 3, San Francisco, California 94107  
    Telephone: 415.322.8406  
    Email: hello@designerfund.com