ProJourn Terms of Service
Effective Date of Current Terms: July 29, 2024
The Reporters Committee for Freedom of the Press’ ProJourn Initiative (“ProJourn,” “we,” or “us”) operates the ProJourn website located at www. projourn.org and any content or services available via such site or successor site (“Website”). The following terms and conditions (“Terms of Service”) and any other applicable terms, including our Privacy Policy (the “Privacy Policy”), clarify our relationship and govern your use of the Website. Please read these Terms of Service carefully. By visiting this Website or using any of our information, data text, sound, images or other material or the services provided to you on, from, or through the Website or a virtual event hosted by us, or submitting your information for review (the “Services”) you agree to these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to any of the Terms of Service or the Privacy Policy, please do not use the Site or the site Services.
We reserve the right to update and revise these Terms of Service, the Privacy Policy, or any other policy in effect at any time at our sole discretion. We will provide notice of such changes, however you should periodically review the most up-to-date version. You agree that your continued use of our Website means that you accept and agree to these Terms of Service as amended. We recommend that you review these Terms of Service regularly to ensure that you are aware of these terms. Nothing in these Terms of Service shall be deemed to confer any third-party rights or benefits.
PRIVACY
ProJournis committed to helping safeguard your privacy. Please review our Privacy Policy for details about how we collect, use, and disclose your information.
GENERAL RIGHT TO USE WEBSITE
Except as set forth below, we grant you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable right to access and use the Website for your internal and noncommercial purposes. Such grant does not permit you to: (1) remove any proprietary notices or attempt to disable, bypass, modify, or otherwise circumvent any authentication or security system used as part of the Website, (2) interfere with or disrupt the proper functioning of the Website, (3) use the Website for any purpose or in any manner that is unlawful, (4) provide or upload any content, data or information to the Website that contains viruses or malicious code or is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, obscene, libelous, or invasive of another’s privacy or right of publicity, or (4) use any data mining, bots, spiders, automated tools or similar data gathering and extraction methods on the contents of the Website or to collect any information from the Website or any other user of the Website. The Website and all content and material posted thereon is the property of ProJourn and its licensors, which reserve all rights not expressly granted herein.
NONPROFIT AND EDUCATIONAL USE
We intentionally allow generous use of our materials for nonprofit or educational purposes. The details of those licensed uses is described below. You should presume that any use not covered below is a use for which payment may be required; contact projourn@rcfp.org for more information. Except as expressly outlined in these Terms of Service, permission is required from ProJourn to reproduce, or reuse in any form, any of the content and/or materials on this Website.
Educational Use
Students, teachers, professors or other school officials making copies for classes may reproduce our materials for no fee, without obtaining permission or request a license, provided they are given to students at no cost or for a fee that only covers reproduction costs.
Textbook Publishers
For-profit publishers of textbooks must pay a fee for duplications of any of our materials. Contact us at the email address above for details.
Nonprofit Use
Nonprofit organizations, including state bar associations and continuing legal education groups, may reproduce ProJourn materials for no fee, provided that the use is for an event (as opposed to a publication not tied to attendance at an event), and that any attendance fee for the event is only enough to cover costs of the event.
Legal Writing
Reproduction of any of our works to submit to a legal authority, such as in an appendix to a brief, is allowed under copyright law. No permission is required from ProJourn.
Fair Use
Fair use of a portion of a copyrighted work is allowed under copyright law and the First Amendment, and no permission is required. ProJourn encourages the broad use of our materials in such limited manners. However, reprinting an entire ProJourn publication or training, even for not-for-profit use, will usually exceed fair use rights. If you want to use a portion of our works and are not sure if the amount is excessive, contact us at the email address above. We will always prefer uses that include this attribution: “Copyright [year] ProJourn. The original work is available at [provide the ProJourn link].”
Use on Websites and Linking
Fair use exceptions apply equally on the web. However, we discourage websites from using extensive portions of our materials on websites, primarily because readers will not be aware of any changes or updates we make. We encourage you to provide links to our Website instead. We make every effort to make the links permanent, or automatically redirected when links are outdated.
ProJourn is a program that provides journalists — small news organizations, nonprofit newsrooms, documentary filmmakers and freelancers — access to no-cost legal help with pre-publication review and public records access. In submitting an application for this program, this does not establish an attorney-client relationship between you and ProJourn. Should your application be selected, you will be put in contact with an attorney. Contacting this attorney does not automatically establish an attorney-client relationship between you and the attorney. After discussing your specific situation with the attorney, the attorney will discuss with you the parameters of the work they will perform, and the documents that they may require you to sign in order to establish an attorney-client relationship with the attorney.
Attorney Client Relationship
Accessing this Website or any of the links or resources contained within the Website does not create an attorney-client relationship between you and ProJourn or the attorneys, law firms, and organizations that ProJourn partners with. The information provided on the Website does not, and is not intended to, constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content, and materials available on this Website are for general informational purposes only. Website readers can attempt to touch base with an attorney via the Hotline or through our partnerships described below, but only an individual attorney can provide assurances that the information contained herein – and your interpretation of it – is applicable or appropriate to your particular situation.
Legal Hotline and Contacting ProJourn
RCFP’s Legal Hotline is for informational purposes only. Contacting RCFP’s Hotline or ProJourn (e.g., via email) does not create an attorney-client relationship. Please do not submit confidential information through the Hotline or to ProJourn. Please review our Privacy Policy before sending us any personal or sensitive information.
Attorney Contact
While ProJourn may provide a mechanism to reach an attorney, you are responsible for selecting an attorney. We do not make any representation, guarantee or warranty (express or implied) as to the legal ability, competence, quality, or reliability of any legal services provided by any such lawyers. If you attempt to contact an attorney through the Website, you agree that IN NO EVENT WILL WE BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOST PROFITS OR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES) ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH SUCH CONNECTION.
DONATIONS
If you are interested in supporting us, please visit our Donate page.
THIRD-PARTY SITES
If the Website links to other websites and resources provided by third parties, these links are provided for your convenience only. We have no control over the content of those websites or resources, and accept no responsibility for them or for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of them. If you decide to access any of the third-party websites linked to this Website, you do so entirely at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use for such websites.
DIGITAL MILLENNIUM COPYRIGHT ACT (“DMCA”) NOTICE
If you believe any material available via the Website infringes a copyright, you should notify us using the notice procedure for claimed infringement under the DMCA (17 U.S.C. Sect. 512(c)(2)). We will respond expeditiously to remove or disable access to the material claimed to be infringing and will follow the procedures specified in the DMCA to resolve the claim between the notifying party and the alleged infringer who provided the material. Please send all infringement notices under the DMCA to DMCA@rcfp.org. We will disable or terminate users who are repeat infringers.
TERMINATION AND ACCESS RESTRICTION
ProJournreserves the right, in its sole discretion, to terminate your access to the Website and the related services or any portion thereof at any time, without notice.
DISCLAIMER; LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
You acknowledge that ProJourndoes not guarantee or warrant that files available for downloading from the Internet or the Website, and any information you provide to us through the Website, will be free of viruses or other destructive code. YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT OR ANYTHING OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT AND ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. ProJournHEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT AND FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE. THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY WARRANTIES WHICH CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
IN NO EVENT WILL PROJOURN, ITS AFFILIATES OR ITS OR THEIR LICENSORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS OR DIRECTORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES ARISING FROM LOSS OF REVENUE, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF GOODWILL, OR LOSS OF DATA. IF YOU HAVE ANY BASIS FOR RECOVERING DAMAGES, YOU AGREE THAT YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO RECOVER DIRECT DAMAGES FROM THE FOREGOING PARTIES UP TO $100. THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY LIABILITY WHICH CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
INDEMNIFICATION
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless ProJourn, its affiliates, licensors and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses or fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to (1) your use of the Website, including use of its content, and (2) your violation of these Terms of Service, our Privacy Policy, any other terms or rules applicable to the Website, any rights of any other person or entity, or any applicable laws, rules or regulations.
INTERNATIONAL USE
We control and operate the Website solely from the United States. We make no representation that materials on the Website are appropriate or available for use outside the United States. If you choose to access this Website from outside the United States, you do so at your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable.
GOVERNING LAW
All disputes relating to the enforcement of any rights arising from the Terms of Service shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the District of Columbia, without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule. Any legal suit, action or proceeding arising out of, or related to, these Terms of Service or the Website shall be instituted exclusively in the courts in the District of Columbia, and you hereby irrevocably submit to the exercise of in personam jurisdiction over you by such courts in connection with any such proceeding.
WAIVER AND SEVERABILITY
Any failure of ProJournto assert a right or provision under these Terms of Service shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. If any provision of these Terms of Service is held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent such that the remaining provisions of the Terms of Service will continue in full force and effect.
ENTIRE AGREEMENT
These Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy constitute the sole and entire agreement between you and ProJournwith respect to the Website and supersede all prior agreements.
ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE
If you do not understand any of these Terms of Service or if you have any questions or comments, you may contact us at projourn@rcfp.org.