Terms of Use

Last Updated Date: 07/09/2024
Welcome and thank you for your interest in Synthesize Bio, Inc. (“Company”, “we”, “us” or “our”).  This Terms of Use Agreement (“Terms of Use”, and together with any applicable Supplemental Terms (as defined in Section 1.2 (Supplemental Terms)), the “Agreement”) describes the terms and conditions that apply to your use of (i) the website located at www.synthesize.bio and its subdomains and any of Company’s other websites on which a link to these Terms of Use appears (collectively, the “Website”), and (ii) the services, content, and other resources available on or enabled via our Website, including any application programming interfaces ("API”) that we make available (collectively, with our Applications and Website, the “Service”).
PLEASE READ THIS AGREEMENT CAREFULLY.  THIS AGREEMENT GOVERNS THE USE OF THE SERVICE AND APPLIES TO ALL USERS VISITING OR ACCESSING THE SERVICE.  BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICE IN ANY WAY, ACCEPTING THIS AGREEMENT BY CLICKING ON THE “I ACCEPT” BUTTON, COMPLETING THE ACCOUNT REGISTRATION PROCESS, BROWSING THE WEBSITE, YOU REPRESENT THAT: (1) YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTAND, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THIS AGREEMENT, (2) YOU ARE OF LEGAL AGE TO FORM A BINDING CONTRACT WITH COMPANY, (3) YOU ARE NOT BARRED FROM USING THE SERVICE UNDER THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES, YOUR PLACE OF RESIDENCE OR ANY OTHER APPLICABLE JURISDICTION, AND (4) YOU HAVE THE AUTHORITY TO ENTER INTO THIS AGREEMENT PERSONALLY OR, IF YOU ARE ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICE ON BEHALF OF AN ENTITY, ON BEHALF OF THE ENTITY IDENTIFIED IN THE ACCOUNT REGISTRATION PROCESS.  IF THE INDIVIDUAL ENTERING INTO THIS AGREEMENT IS DOING SO ON BEHALF OF AN ENTITY, ALL REFERENCES TO “YOU” OR “YOUR” IN THIS AGREEMENT WILL ALSO BE DEEMED TO REFER TO SUCH ENTITY.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE TERMS OF USE, YOU MAY NOT ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE.
IF YOU ARE AN INDIVIDUAL USER: IF YOU SUBSCRIBE TO ANY FEATURE OR FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SERVICE FOR A TERM (THE “INITIAL TERM”), THEN YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY RENEWED FOR ADDITIONAL PERIODS OF THE SAME DURATION AS THE INITIAL TERM AT COMPANY’S THEN-CURRENT FEE FOR SUCH FEATURES AND FUNCTIONALITY UNLESS YOU OPT OUT OF THE AUTOMATIC RENEWAL OF SERVICE TERM IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 8.3(a) (AUTOMATIC RENEWAL) BELOW.
SECTION 14 (ARBITRATION AGREEMENT) CONTAINS PROVISIONS THAT GOVERN HOW TO RESOLVE DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND COMPANY.  AMONG OTHER THINGS, SECTION 14 (ARBITRATION AGREEMENT) INCLUDES AN AGREEMENT TO ARBITRATE WHICH REQUIRES, WITH LIMITED EXCEPTIONS, THAT ALL DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND US SHALL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING AND FINAL ARBITRATION.  SECTION 14 ALSO CONTAINS A CLASS ACTION AND JURY TRIAL WAIVER.  PLEASE READ SECTION 14 (ARBITRATION AGREEMENT) CAREFULLY.
IF YOU ARE AN INDIVIDUAL USER: UNLESS YOU OPT OUT OF THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT (AS DEFINED IN SECTION 14) WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS IN ACCORDANCE WITH SECTION 14.2(j) (30-DAY RIGHT TO OPT OUT): (1) YOU WILL ONLY BE PERMITTED TO PURSUE DISPUTES OR CLAIMS AND SEEK RELIEF AGAINST US ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION OR PROCEEDING, AND YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OR CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION; AND (2) YOU ARE WAIVING YOUR RIGHT TO PURSUE DISPUTES OR CLAIMS AND SEEK RELIEF IN A COURT OF LAW AND TO HAVE A JURY TRIAL.
THE AGREEMENT IS SUBJECT TO CHANGE BY COMPANY IN ITS SOLE DISCRETION AT ANY TIME AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 15.4 (AGREEMENT UPDATES).
  1. USE OF THE SERVICE.  The Service and the information and content available on the Service are protected by applicable intellectual property (including copyright) laws.  Unless subject to a separate license agreement between you and Company, your right to access and use the Service, in whole or in part, is subject to this Agreement.
    1.  Licenses.  Subject to your compliance with this Agreement, Company grants you a limited non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to access and use the Service and any APIs the Company makes available to you (if any) solely for your own personal or internal business purposes. 
    2. Supplemental Terms.  Your use of, and participation in, certain features and functionality of the Service may be subject to additional terms (“Supplemental Terms”).  Such Supplemental Terms will either be set forth in the applicable supplemental Service or will be presented to you for your acceptance when you sign up to use the supplemental Service.  If these Terms of Use are inconsistent with the Supplemental Terms, then the Supplemental Terms control with respect to such supplemental Service. 
    3. Updates.  You understand that the Service is evolving.  You acknowledge and agree that Company may update the Service with or without notifying you.  You may need to update third-party software from time to time in order to continue to use the Service.  Any future release, update or other addition to the Service shall be subject to this Agreement.
    4. API Limitations.  Company may limit: (i) the number of network calls that you may make via the API; (ii) the maximum file size; and (iii) anything else about the API that the Company deems appropriate in its sole discretion.  Company may impose or modify these limitations without notice. In addition, the Company may utilize technical measures to prevent over-usage and stop usage of the API after any usage limitations are exceeded or suspend your access to the API with or without notice to you in the event you exceed such limitations.
  2. REGISTRATION.
    1. Registering Your Account.  In order to access certain features of the Service, you may be required to register an account on the Service (“Account”) either by creating an account directly on our Service, or by linking your pre-existing Google account (“Google Account”) to the Services.  If you link your Google Account to the Services, you represent that you are permitted to disclose your Google Account login information to the Company and/or grant the Company access to your Google Account without breach by you of any of the terms and conditions that govern your use of the Google Account and without obligating the Company to pay any fees or making the Company subject to any usage limitations.  If you would like to revoke the Company’s access to your Google Account, you may do so in the settings of your Google Account.  YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOOGLE, INC. AND ITS AFFILIATES ASSOCIATED WITH YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT, IS GOVERNED SOLELY BY YOUR AGREEMENTS WITH GOOGLE, INC. AND ITS AFFILIATES, AND THE COMPANY DISCLAIMS ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION THAT MAY BE PROVIDED IN VIOLATION OF THE PRIVACY SETTINGS THAT YOU HAVE SET IN YOUR GOOGLE ACCOUNT.
    2. Registration Data.  In registering an account on the Service, you shall (i) provide true, accurate, current, and complete information about yourself as prompted by the registration form (the “Registration Data”), and (ii) maintain and promptly update the Registration Data to keep it true, accurate, current, and complete.
    3. Your Account.  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, you acknowledge and agree that you have no ownership or other property interest in your Account, and you further acknowledge and agree that all rights in and to your Account are and will forever be owned by and inure to the benefit of Company.  Furthermore, you are responsible for all activities that occur under your Account.  You shall monitor your Account to restrict use by minors, and you will accept full responsibility for any unauthorized use of the Service by minors.  You may not share your Account or password with anyone, and you agree to notify Company immediately of any unauthorized use of your password or any other breach of security.  If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, incomplete or not current, or Company has reasonable grounds to suspect that any information you provide is untrue, inaccurate, incomplete or not current, Company has the right to suspend or terminate your Account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Service (or any portion thereof).  You agree not to create an Account using a false identity or information, or on behalf of someone other than yourself.  You shall not have more than one Account at any given time.  Company reserves the right to remove or reclaim any usernames at any time and for any reason, including but not limited to, claims by a third party that a username violates the third party’s rights.  You agree not to create an Account or use the Service if you have been previously removed by Company, or if you have been previously banned from any of the Service.
  3. RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONTENT.
    1. Types of Content. You acknowledge that any information, data, text, software, graphics, video, messages, tags and/or other materials accessible through the Service (collectively, “Content”), is the sole responsibility of the party from whom such Content originated. This means that you, and not Company, are entirely responsible for all Content that you upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise input or make available (“Make Available”) through the Service (“Your Content”), and that other users of the Service, and not Company, are similarly responsible for all Content that they Make Available through the Service (“User Content”).
    2. Storage.  Unless expressly agreed to by Company in writing elsewhere, Company has no obligation to store any of Your Content.  Company has no responsibility or liability for the deletion or accuracy of any Content, including Your Content; the failure to store, transmit, or receive transmission of Content; or the security, privacy, storage, or transmission of other communications originating with or involving use of the Service.  Certain features and functionality of the Service may enable you to specify the level at which the Service restricts access to Your Content.  In such cases, you are solely responsible for applying the appropriate level of access to Your Content.  If you do not choose a level of access, the system may default to its most permissive setting.  You agree that Company retains the right to create reasonable limits on Company’s use and storage of Content, including Your Content, such as limits on file size, storage space, processing capacity, and similar limits described on the Service and as otherwise determined by Company in its sole discretion.
    3. Connected Accounts. In order to access certain features and functions of the Service, you may need to link certain third-party platforms that we support, to your Account (each, a “Connected Account”). You are solely responsible for the proper setup and integration of your Connected Accounts, and the Company will not be responsible for any failure in setting up or integrating any Connected Account. By integrating any Connected Account, (i) you represent and warrant that you are entitled to disclose any log-in information provided by you to the Company in connect therewith (if applicable) and/or to grant the Company access to your Connected Account, (ii) you represent and warrant that you are in good standing with respect to such Connected Account, and (iii) the Company may receive access to any Content made available in connection with such Connected Account, so that it may be used in accordance with these Terms. You further acknowledge and agree that each Connected Account, including access to and use thereof and uptimes related thereto, is solely determined by the applicable provider of the relevant Connected Account. The Company will have no liability for any unavailability of any Connected Account or any third-party provider’s decision to discontinue, suspend or terminate any Connected Account.
  4. OWNERSHIP.
    1. The Service.  Except with respect to Your Content, you agree that Company and its suppliers or licensors own all rights, title and interest in the Service. You shall not remove, alter or obscure any copyright, trademark, service mark or other proprietary rights notices incorporated in or accompanying any the Service.
    2. Your Content.  Company does not claim ownership of Your Content.  However, when you Make Available any Content on or to the Service, you represent that you own and/or have sufficient rights to Your Content to grant the license set forth in Section 4.3 (License to Your Content).
    3. License to Your Content.  Subject to any applicable Account settings that you select, you grant Company a non-exclusive, transferable, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, fully-paid, royalty-free, sublicensable (through multiple tiers of sublicensees) right (including any moral rights) and license to use, copy, reproduce, modify, adapt, prepare derivative works from, translate, distribute, publicly perform, publicly display and derive revenue or other remuneration from Your Content (in whole or in part) for the purposes of operating and providing the Service to you.  Please remember that, subject to your Account settings or permissions you grant to other users, other users may be able to search for, see, use, modify and/or reproduce any of Your Content that you submit to any area of the Service that is accessible by other users.
    4. User Inputs and Outputs. The Company Properties utilize software and technology including artificial intelligence to process user inputs to the Company Properties, such as text prompts describing images and videos or other content (the “Input,” which is part of Your Content hereunder), and generate and return outputs based on such Inputs (the “Output”). The Company does not claim ownership of any of your Inputs or Outputs. In addition to the license granted in Section 4.3, you acknowledge that Inputs (as well as the remainder of Your Content) and Outputs may be used by the Company to train, develop, enhance, evolve and improve its (and its affiliates’) models, algorithms and related technology (including, as applicable, artificial intelligence), products and services (including for labeling, classification, content moderation and model training purposes), as well as for marketing and promotional purposes. As such, you hereby grant to the Company a non-exclusive, irrevocable, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free, fully paid, transferable, sublicensable right and license to use any Inputs and Outputs Made Available by you or otherwise generated in connection with your use of the Service at any point, in connection with the purposes described above or otherwise as set forth in the remainder of this Agreement.
    5. Assistant. The Company provides an artificial intelligence-powered assistant (“Assistant”) that responds to user requests with automated replies, leveraging certain third party services or applications to power the Services’ Assistant function, which are integrated into the Assistant function, including without limitation as made available by OpenAI LLC and its affiliates (each provider of such third-party service or application, a “Third Party Provider”).  YOU, AND NOT THE COMPANY, SHALL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR USE OF THESE FUNCTIONS, INCLUDING ANY USE OF THE RESULTS OF ANY SEARCH AND DECISIONS MADE OR ACTIONS TAKEN BASED ON ANY SEARCH YOU MAKE USING THE SEARCH FUNCTION. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT ANY CONDUCT YOU ENGAGE IN AS A RESULT OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE CHATBOT OR ANY OTHER AI-ENABLED FEATURE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICES OR THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. BECAUSE CHATBOTS UTILIZE ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE TO COMMUNICATE WITH YOU, OUR CHATBOT(S) MAY PROVIDE INFORMATION THAT IS AN INACCURATE RESPONSE TO YOUR REQUESTS IN ITS INTERACTIONS WITH YOU.  YOU AGREE THAT THE COMPANY WILL NOT BE HELD LIABLE TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FOR THE ASSISTANT (OR ANY OTHER AI-ENABLED FEATURE MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICES OR THIRD PARTY PROVIDERS) PROVIDING INACCURATE INFORMATION TO YOU.
    6. Username.  Notwithstanding anything contained herein to the contrary, by submitting Your Content to any forums, comments, or any other area on the Service, you hereby expressly permit Company to identify you by your username (which may be a pseudonym) as the contributor of Your Content in any publication in any form, media or technology now known or later developed in connection with Your Content.
    7. Feedback.  You agree that submission of any ideas, suggestions, documents, and/or proposals to Company through its suggestion, feedback, forum, or similar pages (“Feedback”) is at your own risk and that Company has no obligations (including without limitation obligations of confidentiality) with respect to such Feedback.  You represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to submit the Feedback.  You hereby grant to Company a fully paid, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, non-exclusive, and fully sublicensable right and license to use, reproduce, perform, display, distribute, adapt, modify, re-format, create derivative works of, and otherwise commercially or non-commercially exploit in any manner, any and all Feedback, and to sublicense the foregoing rights, in connection with the operation and maintenance of the Service and/or Company’s business.
  5. USER CONDUCT AND CERTAIN RESTRICTIONS.  As a condition of use, you agree not to use the Service for any purpose that is prohibited by this Agreement or by applicable law.  You shall not (and shall not permit any third party) to: (i) license, sell, rent, lease, transfer, assign, reproduce, distribute, host or otherwise commercially exploit the Service or any portion of the Service; (ii) frame or utilize framing techniques to enclose any trademark or logo located on the Service or any other portion of the Service (including images, text, page layout or form); (iii) use any metatags or other “hidden text” using Company’s name or trademarks; (iv) modify, translate, adapt, merge, make derivative works of, disassemble, decompile, reverse compile or reverse engineer any part of the Service except to the extent the foregoing restrictions are expressly prohibited by applicable law; (v) use any manual or automated software, devices or other processes (including but not limited to spiders, robots, scrapers, crawlers, avatars, data mining tools, or the like) to “scrape” or download data from any web pages contained in the Service (except that we grant the operators of public search engines revocable permission to use spiders to copy materials from the Service 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); (vi) remove or destroy any copyright notices or other proprietary markings contained on or in the Service; (vii) impersonate any person or entity, including any employee or representative of Company; (viii) interfere with or attempts to interfere with the proper functioning of the Service or use the Service in any way not expressly permitted by this Agreement, including but not limited to violating or attempting to violate any security features of the Service, introducing viruses, worms, or similar harmful code into the Service, or interfering or attempting to interfere with use of the Services by any other user, host, or network, including by means of overloading, “flooding,” “spamming,” “mail bombing,” or “crashing” the Service; (ix) take any action or Make Available any Content, or knowingly create any Output, on or through the Service that: (A) is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, libelous, deceptive, fraudulent, invasive of another’s privacy, tortious, obscene, offensive, or profane; (B) constitutes unauthorized or unsolicited advertising, junk or bulk email; (C) involves commercial activities and/or sales, such as contests, sweepstakes, barter, advertising, or pyramid schemes without Company’s prior written consent; (D) harms minors in any way, including without limitation, any portrayal or depiction of minors in an inappropriate, lewd or otherwise objectionable manner; (E) infringes the rights of any person or entity, including without limitation, any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, privacy, publicity or other proprietary or contractual rights; (F) intentionally or unintentionally violates any applicable local, state, national or international law or regulation, or any order of a court; or (G) advocates, encourages or assets any third party in doing any of the foregoing activities in this Section; (x) Make Available any Content (including Your Content) that constitutes “personal data,” “personally identifiable information,” “personal information,” “protected health information,” or similar term as defined under applicable laws, unless You and Us enter into a separate written agreement governing the processing of such Content; or (xi) use or access the Service or any Outputs to develop, modify, fine tune or improve any products or services that compete with our Services, including to develop, fine tune or train any artificial intelligence or machine learning algorithms or models of any kind.  Furthermore, Your Content in your profile may not contain nudity, violence, sexually explicit, or offensive subject matter as determined by Company in its sole discretion.  You may not post or Make Available a photograph of another person without that person’s permission.  The rights granted to you in this Agreement are subject to your compliance with the restrictions set forth in this section.  Any unauthorized use of the Service terminates the licenses granted by Company pursuant to this Agreement.
  6. INVESTIGATIONS, MONITORING, & NO OBLIGATION TO PRE-SCREEN CONTENT.  Company may, but is not obligated to, investigate, monitor, pre-screen, remove, refuse, or review the Service and/or Content, including Your Content and Outputs and User Content, at any time.  You hereby provide your irrevocable consent to such monitoring.  You acknowledge and agree that you have no expectation of privacy concerning the transmission of Your Content, including without limitation chat, text, or voice communications. 
    Without limiting the foregoing, Company reserves the right to: (a) remove or refuse to post any of Your Content or Output for any or no reason in our sole discretion; (b) take any action with respect to any of Your Content or Output that we deem necessary or appropriate in our sole discretion, including if we believe that such Content or Output violates this Agreement, infringes any intellectual property right or other right of any person or entity, threatens the personal safety of users of the Service or the public, or could create liability for Company; (c) disclose your identity or other information about you to any third party who claims that material posted by you violates their rights, including their intellectual property rights or their right to privacy; (d) take appropriate legal action, including without limitation, referral to and cooperation with law enforcement and/or other applicable legal authorities, for any illegal or unauthorized use of the Service or if Company otherwise believes that criminal activity has occurred; and/or (e) terminate or suspend your access to all or part of the Service for any or no reason, including without limitation, any violation of this Agreement.  Upon determination of any possible violations by you of any provision of this Agreement, Company, may, at its sole discretion immediately terminate your license to use the Service, or change, alter or remove Your Content or Output, in whole or in part, without prior notice to you.
    If Company believes that criminal activity has occurred, Company reserves the right to, except to the extent prohibited by applicable law, disclose any information or materials on or in the Service, including Your Content (including any Output), in Company’s possession in connection with your use of the Service, to (i) comply with applicable laws, legal process or governmental request, (ii) enforce this Agreement, (iii) respond to any claims that Your Content (including any Output) violates the rights of third parties, (iv) respond to your requests for customer service, or (v) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of Company, its users or the public, and all enforcement or other government officials, as Company in its sole discretion believes to be necessary or appropriate.
  7. INTERACTIONS WITH OTHER USERS.
    1. User Responsibility.  You are solely responsible for your interactions with other users of the Service and any other parties with whom you interact through the Service; provided, however, that Company reserves the right, but has no obligation, to intercede in any disputes between you and any other users.  You agree that Company will not be responsible for any liability incurred as the result of your interactions with other users.
    2. Content Provided by Other Users.  The Service may contain User Content provided by other users.  Company is not responsible for and does not control User Content.  Company does not approve or endorse, or make any representations or warranties with respect to, User Content.  You use all User Content and interact with other users at your own risk.
  8. THIRD-PARTY WEBSITES, APPLICATIONS AND ADS.  The Service may contain links to third-party websites (“Third-Party Websites”), applications (“Third-Party Applications”) and advertisements for third parties (“Third-Party Ads”) (collectively, the “Third-Party Services”).  When you click on a link to a Third-Party Service, we will not warn you that you have left the Service and you become subject to the terms and conditions (including privacy policies) of another website or destination.  Such Third-Party Services are not under the control of Company.  Company is not responsible for any Third-Party Services.  Company provides these Third-Party Services only as a convenience and does not review, approve, monitor, endorse, warrant, or make any representations with respect to Third-Party Services, or any product or service provided in connection therewith.  You use all links in Third-Party Services at your own risk.  When you leave our Service, this Agreement and our policies no longer govern.  You should review applicable terms and policies, including privacy and data gathering practices, of any Third-Party Services, and make whatever investigation you feel necessary or appropriate before proceeding with any transaction with any third party. 
  9. FEES AND PURCHASE TERMS.
    1. Third-Party Service Provider.  The Company uses Stripe, Inc. and its affiliates as its third-party service provider for payment services (e.g., card acceptance, merchant settlement, and related services) (“Third-Party Service Provider”).  If you make a purchase on the Service, you will be required to provide your payment details and any additional information required to complete your order directly to our Third-Party Service Provider.  You agree to be bound by Stripe’s Privacy Policy (currently accessible at https://stripe.com/us/privacy) and its Terms of Service (currently accessible at https://stripe.com/ssa) and hereby consent and authorize the Company and Stripe to share any information and payment instructions you provide with one or more Third-Party Service Provider(s) to the minimum extent required to complete your transactions.  Please note that online payment transactions may be subject to validation checks by our Third-Party Service Provider and your card issuer, and we are not responsible if your card issuer declines to authorize payment for any reason.  For your protection, our Third-Party Service Provider uses various fraud prevention protocols and industry standard verification systems to reduce fraud and you authorize it to verify and authenticate your payment information.  Your card issuer may charge you an online handling fee or processing fee.  We are not responsible for this.  In some jurisdictions, our Third-Party Service Provider may use third parties under strict confidentiality and data protection requirements for the purposes of payment processing services.
    2. Payment.  You shall pay all fees or charges (“Fees”) to your Account in accordance with the fees, charges and billing terms in effect at the time a Fee is due and payable.  By providing Company and/or our Third-Party Service Provider with your payment information, you agree that Company and/or our Third-Party Service Provider is authorized to immediately invoice your Account for all Fees due and payable to Company hereunder and that no additional notice or consent is required.  You shall immediately notify Company of any change in your payment information to maintain its completeness and accuracy.  Company reserves the right at any time to change its prices and billing methods in its sole discretion.  You agree to have sufficient funds or credit available upon placement of any order to ensure that the purchase price is collectible by us.  Your failure to provide accurate payment information to Company and/or our Third-Party Service Provider or our inability to collect payment constitutes your material breach of this Agreement.  Except as set forth in this Agreement, all Fees for the Service are non-refundable.
    3. Subscriptions.  If you purchase access to certain features and functionality of the Services on a time-limited basis (a “Subscription”), the Fee for such Subscription (“Service Subscription Fee”) will be billed at the start of the Subscription (“Subscription Service Commencement Date”) and at regular intervals in accordance with your elections at the time of purchase.  Company reserves the right to change the timing of our billing.  Company reserves the right to change the Subscription pricing at any time in accordance with Section 15.4 (Agreement Updates).  If changes to the Subscription price occur that impact your Subscription, Company will use commercially reasonable efforts to notify you, such as by sending an email to the email address associated with your Account.  If you do not agree with such changes, you may cancel your Subscription as set forth in Section 8.3(a). 
      1. Automatic Renewal.  If you elect to purchase a Subscription, your Subscription will continue and automatically renew at Company’s then-current price for such Subscription until terminated in accordance with this Agreement.  The frequency at which your Subscription renews (i.e., weekly, monthly, annually, etc.) will be designated at the time at you sign up for the Subscription if you have an Individual Account, and may be modified by you via your Account settings.  By subscribing, you authorize Company to charge the payment method designated in your Account now, and again at the beginning of any subsequent Subscription period.  Upon renewal of your Subscription, if Company does not receive payment, (i) you shall pay all amounts due on your Account upon demand and/or (ii) you agree that Company may either terminate or suspend your Subscription and continue to attempt to charge your designated payment method until payment is received (upon receipt of payment, your Account will be activated and for purposes of automatic renewal, your new Subscription commitment period will begin as of the day payment was received). If you cancel your Subscription, you may use your Subscription until the end of your then-current Subscription term; your Subscription will not be renewed after your then-current term expires.  However, you will not be eligible for a prorated refund of any portion of the Service Subscription Fee paid for the then-current Subscription period.
      2. Cancelling Subscriptions. If you purchased your Subscription as an individual user (not as a business or enterprise subscription), you may cancel your Subscription by logging into and going to the Account settings page and selecting the change/cancel membership option. If you want to change or terminate your Enterprise Subscription, you must contact the Company at [email protected].
      3. Upgrades and Downgrades.  If you choose to upgrade your Subscription in the middle of a Subscription period, such upgrade will take effect immediately and any incremental fees associated with such upgrade will be charged in accordance with this Agreement.  In any future Renewal Term, the fees will reflect any such upgrades.  If you choose to downgrade a Subscription, the downgrade will take effect as of the first day of the next Renewal Term.  Downgrading a Subscription may cause loss of content, features, or capacity of the Services as available, and Company does not accept any liability for such loss. 
    4. Taxes.  The Fees do not include any Sales Tax (defined below) that may be due in connection with the Service provided under this Agreement.  If Company determines it has a legal obligation to collect Sales Tax from you in connection with this Agreement, Company shall collect such Sales Tax in addition to the Fees. If any services, or payments for any services, under this Agreement are subject to any Sales Tax in any jurisdiction and you have not remitted the applicable Sales Tax to Company, you shall be responsible for the payment of such Sales Tax and any related penalties or interest to the relevant tax authority, and you shall indemnify Company for any liability or expense Company may incur in connection with such Sales Taxes.  Upon Company’s request, you will provide it with official receipts issued by the appropriate taxing authority, or other such evidence that you have paid all applicable taxes.  For purposes of this section, “Sales Tax” means any sales or use tax and any other tax measured by sales proceeds that is the functional equivalent of a sales tax where the applicable taxing jurisdiction does not otherwise impose a sales or use tax.
  10. INDEMNIFICATION.  You shall indemnify and hold Company, its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, employees, agents, partners, suppliers, and licensors (each, a “Company Party” and collectively, the “Company Parties”) harmless from any losses, costs, liabilities and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) relating to or arising out of any and all of the following: (i) Your Content and/or Outputs; (ii) your misuse of the Service; (iii) your violation of this Agreement; (iv) your violation of any rights of another party, including any user; or (v) your violation of any applicable laws, rules or regulations.  Company reserves the right, at its own cost, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you, in which event you will fully cooperate with Company in asserting any available defenses.  This provision does not require you to indemnify any of the Company Parties for any unconscionable commercial practice by such party or for such party’s fraud, deception, false promise, misrepresentation or concealment, or suppression or omission of any material fact in connection with the Service provided hereunder.  You agree that the provisions in this section will survive any termination of your Account, this Agreement and/or your access to the Service. 
  11. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES.
    1. As Is.  YOU EXPRESSLY UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK, AND THE SERVICE (INCLUDING ANY OUTPUT THEREFROM) IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITH ALL FAULTS.  THE COMPANY PARTIES EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS, AND CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT ARISING FROM USE OF THE SERVICE (INCLUDING ANY OUTPUT THEREFROM).  
      1. THE COMPANY PARTIES MAKE NO WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION OR CONDITION THAT: (1) THE SERVICE (INCLUDING ANY OUTPUT THEREFROM) WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS (SUCH AS THE QUALITY, EFFECTIVENESS, REPUTATION AND OTHER CHARACTERISTICS OF SERVICE); (2) YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE (INCLUDING ANY OUTPUT THEREFROM) WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE OR ERROR-FREE; OR (3) THE ADVICE, RESULTS, OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED FROM USE OF THE SERVICE (INCLUDING ANY OUTPUT THEREFROM) WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE.
      2. ANY CONTENT DOWNLOADED FROM OR OTHERWISE ACCESSED THROUGH THE SERVICE (INCLUDING ANY OUTPUT THEREFROM)  IS ACCESSED AT YOUR OWN RISK, AND YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM AND/OR ANY DEVICE YOU USE TO ACCESS THE SERVICE, OR ANY OTHER LOSS THAT RESULTS FROM ACCESSING SUCH CONTENT.
      3. FROM TIME TO TIME, COMPANY MAY OFFER NEW “BETA” FEATURES OR TOOLS WITH WHICH ITS USERS MAY EXPERIMENT.  SUCH FEATURES OR TOOLS ARE OFFERED SOLELY FOR EXPERIMENTAL PURPOSES AND WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, AND MAY BE MODIFIED OR DISCONTINUED AT COMPANY’S SOLE DISCRETION.  THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION APPLY WITH FULL FORCE TO SUCH FEATURES OR TOOLS.
    2. No Liability for Conduct of Third Parties.  YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL OF YOUR COMMUNICATIONS AND INTERACTIONS WITH THIRD PARTIES ON THE SERVICE.  YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE COMPANY PARTIES ARE NOT LIABLE, AND YOU AGREE NOT TO SEEK TO HOLD THE COMPANY PARTIES LIABLE, FOR THE CONDUCT OF THIRD PARTIES, INCLUDING OPERATORS OF EXTERNAL SITES, AND THAT THE RISK OF INJURY FROM SUCH THIRD PARTIES RESTS ENTIRELY WITH YOU.  YOU UNDERSTAND THAT COMPANY DOES NOT MAKE ANY ATTEMPT TO VERIFY THE STATEMENTS OF USERS.  COMPANY MAKES NO WARRANTY THAT THE GOODS OR SERVICE PROVIDED BY THIRD PARTIES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR BE AVAILABLE ON AN UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR-FREE BASIS.  
  12. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY.
    1. Disclaimer of Certain Damages.  YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY PARTIES BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE OR DATA, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR DAMAGES OR COSTS DUE TO LOSS OF PRODUCTION OR USE, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, OR PROCUREMENT OF SUBSTITUTE GOODS OR SERVICES, IN EACH CASE WHETHER OR NOT ANY COMPANY PARTY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT, THE SERVICE, OR ANY COMMUNICATIONS, INTERACTIONS OR MEETINGS WITH OTHER USERS OF THE SERVICE OR THIRD PARTIES, ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY, INCLUDING TO THE EXTENT RESULTING FROM: (i) THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE; (ii) ANY GOODS, DATA, INFORMATION OR SERVICE PURCHASED OR OBTAINED; OR MESSAGES RECEIVED FOR TRANSACTIONS ENTERED INTO THROUGH THE SERVICE; (iii) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA; (iv) STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICE; OR (v) ANY OTHER MATTER RELATED TO THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, COPYRIGHT, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT LIABILITY OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY.  THE FOREGOING LIMITATION OF LIABILITY DOES NOT APPLY TO LIABILITY OF A COMPANY PARTY FOR (A) DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY A COMPANY PARTY’S NEGLIGENCE; OR FOR (A) ANY INJURY CAUSED BY A COMPANY PARTY’S FRAUD OR FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION.  
    2. Cap on Liability.  TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE COMPANY PARTIES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR MORE THAN THE GREATER OF (i) THE TOTAL AMOUNT PAID TO COMPANY BY YOU DURING THE THREE-MONTH PERIOD PRIOR TO THE ACT, OMISSION OR OCCURRENCE GIVING RISE TO SUCH LIABILITY; (ii) $100; OR (iii) IF APPLICABLE, THE STATUTORY REMEDY OR PENALTY IMPOSED BY THE STATUTE UNDER WHICH SUCH CLAIM ARISES.  THE FOREGOING CAP ON LIABILITY DOES NOT APPLY TO LIABILITY OF A COMPANY PARTY FOR (A) DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY CAUSED BY A COMPANY PARTY’S NEGLIGENCE; OR (B) ANY INJURY CAUSED BY A COMPANY PARTY’S FRAUD OR FRAUDULENT MISREPRESENTATION.
    3. User Content. COMPANY ASSUMES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE TIMELINESS, DELETION, MIS-DELIVERY OR FAILURE TO STORE ANY CONTENT (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, YOUR CONTENT AND USER CONTENT), USER COMMUNICATIONS OR PERSONALIZATION SETTINGS.
    4. Exclusion of Damages.  CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES.  IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MIGHT HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.
    5. Basis of the Bargain.  THE LIMITATIONS OF DAMAGES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF THE BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN COMPANY AND YOU.
  13. TERM AND TERMINATION.
    1. Term.  The term of this Agreement commences on the date when you accept this Agreement (as described in the preamble above), and continues in full force and effect while you use the Service, unless terminated earlier in accordance with this Agreement.
    2. Termination of Service by Company.  If you have materially breached any provision of this Agreement, or if Company is required to do so by law (e.g., where the provision of the Service is, or becomes, unlawful), Company has the right to, immediately and without notice, suspend or terminate any Service provided to you. Company reserves the right to terminate this Agreement or your access to the Service at any time without cause upon notice to you. In the event we exercise this termination right, we will refund you for any pre-paid portion of your unused Subscription. You agree that all terminations for cause are made in Company’s sole discretion and that Company shall not be liable to you or any third party for any termination of your Account.
    3. Termination by You.  You have thirty (30) days from the Subscription Service Commencement Date, or any Renewal Commencement Date, for any Service hereunder, to cancel such Service, in which case, Company will refund your Service Subscription Fee if already paid pursuant to Section 8.2 (Payment) or 8.3 (Subscriptions), for the applicable Service.  Except as set forth above, the Service Subscription Fee for any Service is non-refundable. If you want to terminate this Agreement, you may do so by (i) notifying Company at any time and (ii) closing your Account for the Service.  Your notice should be sent, in writing, to Company’s address set forth below.  ANY SUCH TERMINATION WILL BE EFFECTIVE AT THE END OF THE THEN-CURRENT TERM OF ANY AND ALL OF THE SUBSCRIPTIONS AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 8.3(a) (AUTOMATIC RENEWAL), WHICH WILL CONTINUE AT THE END OF EACH SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE PROCEDURE SET FORTH IN SECTION 8.3(a) (AUTOMATIC RENEWAL). 
    4. Effect of Termination.  Upon termination of the Service or the applicable feature or functionality thereof, your right to use the Service or the applicable feature or functionality thereof will automatically terminate, and we may delete Your Content associated therewith from our live databases.  If we terminate your Account for cause, we may also bar your further use or access to the Service.  Company will not have any liability whatsoever to you for any suspension or termination, including for deletion of Your Content.  All provisions of this Agreement which by their nature should survive, will survive termination of Service, including without limitation, ownership provisions, licenses granted to the Company, warranty disclaimers, and limitations of liability. 
    5. No Subsequent Registration.  If this Agreement is terminated for cause by Company or if your Account or ability to access the Service is discontinued by Company due to your violation of any portion of this Agreement or for conduct otherwise deemed inappropriate, then you agree that you shall not attempt to re-register with or access the Service through use of a different member name or otherwise.
  14. INTERNATIONAL USERS.  The Service may be accessed from countries around the world and may contain references to services and Content that are not available in your country.  These references do not imply that Company intends to announce such service or Content in your country.  The Service is controlled and offered by Company from its facilities in the United States of America.  Company makes no representations that the Service is appropriate or available for use in other locations.  Those who access or use the Service from other countries do so at their own volition and are responsible for compliance with local law.
  15. ARBITRATION AGREEMENT. Please read this section (the “Arbitration Agreement”) carefully.  It is part of your contract with Company and affects your rights.  It contains procedures for MANDATORY BINDING ARBITRATION AND A CLASS ACTION WAIVER. 
    1. For Users That Are Not Individuals. In the event you do not have an individual account, the following applies to you: The parties agree to resolve all disputes arising under or in connection with the Agreement through binding arbitration.  A party who intends to seek arbitration must first send a written notice of the dispute to the other party.  The parties will use good faith efforts to resolve the dispute directly, but if the parties do not reach an agreement to do so within 30 days after the notice is received, either party may commence an arbitration proceeding.  The arbitration will be conducted in accordance with the applicable rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”).  The arbitration will be conducted in English in King County, Washington.  If the parties do not agree on an arbitrator, the arbitrator will be selected in accordance with the applicable rules of the AAA for the appointment of an arbitrator.  The selection of an arbitrator under the rules of the AAA will be final and binding on the parties.  The arbitrator must be independent of the parties.  The arbitrator’s decision will be final and binding on both parties, and the arbitrator must issue a reasoned written decision sufficient to explain the essential findings and conclusions on which the decision and award, if any, are based.  The costs and expenses of the arbitration will be shared equally by both parties; however, if the arbitrator finds that either the substance of the claim or the relief sought in arbitration is frivolous or brought for an improper purpose (as measured by the standards set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b)), then the payment of all fees will be governed by the AAA Rules.  Notwithstanding the foregoing, this Section 11.4 will not prohibit either party from: (i) bringing an individual action in small claims court; (ii) seeking injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction; (iii) pursuing an enforcement action through the applicable federal, state, or local agency if that action is available; or (iv) filing suit in a court of law to address an intellectual property infringement or misappropriation claim.
    2. If you have an individual account, the following applies to you:   
      1. Applicability of Arbitration Agreement.  Subject to the terms of this Arbitration Agreement, you and Company agree that any dispute, claim, disagreements arising out of or relating in any way to your access to or use of the Service, any communications you receive, any products sold or distributed through the Service or this Agreement and prior versions of this Agreement, including claims and disputes that arose between you and us before the effective date of this Agreement (each, a “Dispute”) will be resolved by binding arbitration, rather than in court, except that: (i) you and Company may assert claims or seek relief in small claims court if such claims qualify and remain in small claims court; and (ii) you or Company may seek equitable relief in court for infringement or other misuse of intellectual property rights (such as trademarks, trade dress, domain names, trade secrets, copyrights, and patents).  For purposes of this Arbitration Agreement, “Dispute” will also include disputes that arose or involve facts occurring before the existence of this or any prior versions of this Agreement as well as claims that may arise after the termination of this Agreement.
      2. Informal Dispute Resolution.  There might be instances when a Dispute arises between you and Company.  If that occurs, Company is committed to working with you to reach a reasonable resolution.  You and Company agree that good faith informal efforts to resolve Disputes can result in a prompt, low‐cost and mutually beneficial outcome (“Informal Dispute Resolution”).  You and Company therefore agree that before either party commences arbitration against the other (or initiates an action in small claims court if a party so elects), we will personally meet and confer telephonically or via videoconference, in a good faith effort to resolve informally any Dispute covered by this Arbitration Agreement (“Informal Dispute Resolution Conference”).  If you are represented by counsel, your counsel may participate in the conference, but you will also participate in the conference.

        The party initiating a Dispute must give notice to the other party in writing of its intent to initiate an Informal Dispute Resolution Conference (“Notice”), which shall occur within forty-five (45) days after the other party receives such Notice, unless an extension is mutually agreed upon by the parties.  Notice to Company that you intend to initiate an Informal Dispute Resolution Conference should be sent by email to [email protected] or regular mail to our offices located at Suite 127, 188 E Blaine St, Seattle, WA 98102.  The Notice must include: (1) your name, telephone number, mailing address, e‐mail address associated with your Account (if you have one); (2) the name, telephone number, mailing address and e‐mail address of your counsel, if any; and (3) a description of your Dispute.

        The Informal Dispute Resolution Conference shall be individualized such that a separate conference must be held each time either party initiates a Dispute, even if the same law firm or group of law firms represents multiple users in similar cases, unless all parties agree; multiple individuals initiating a Dispute cannot participate in the same Informal Dispute Resolution Conference unless all parties agree. In the time between a party receiving the Notice and the Informal Dispute Resolution Conference, nothing in this Arbitration Agreement shall prohibit the parties from engaging in informal communications to resolve the initiating party’s Dispute. Engaging in the Informal Dispute Resolution Conference is a condition precedent and requirement that must be fulfilled before commencing arbitration. The statute of limitations and any filing fee deadlines shall be tolled while the parties engage in the Informal Dispute Resolution Conference process required by this section.
      3. Waiver of Jury Trial.  YOU AND COMPANY HEREBY WAIVE ANY CONSTITUTIONAL AND STATUTORY RIGHTS TO SUE IN COURT AND HAVE A TRIAL IN FRONT OF A JUDGE OR A JURY.  You and Company are instead electing that all Disputes shall be resolved by arbitration under this Arbitration Agreement, except as specified in Section 14.2(a) (Applicability of Arbitration Agreement).  There is no judge or jury in arbitration, and court review of an arbitration award is subject to very limited review.
      4. Waiver of Class and Other Non-Individualized Relief.  YOU AND COMPANY AGREE THAT, EXCEPT AS SPECIFIED IN SECTION 14.2(i) (BATCH ARBITRATION), EACH OF US MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT ON A CLASS, REPRESENTATIVE, OR COLLECTIVE BASIS, AND THE PARTIES HEREBY WAIVE ALL RIGHTS TO HAVE ANY DISPUTE BE BROUGHT, HEARD, ADMINISTERED, RESOLVED, OR ARBITRATED ON A CLASS, COLLECTIVE, REPRESENTATIVE, OR MASS ACTION BASIS.  ONLY INDIVIDUAL RELIEF IS AVAILABLE, AND DISPUTES OF MORE THAN ONE CUSTOMER OR USER CANNOT BE ARBITRATED OR CONSOLIDATED WITH THOSE OF ANY OTHER CUSTOMER OR USER.  Subject to this Arbitration Agreement, the arbitrator may award declaratory or injunctive relief only in favor of the individual party seeking relief and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by the party’s individual claim.  Nothing in this paragraph is intended to, nor shall it, affect the terms and conditions under Section 14.2(i)  (Batch Arbitration).  Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in this Arbitration Agreement, if a court decides by means of a final decision, not subject to any further appeal or recourse, that the limitations of this section are invalid or unenforceable as to a particular claim or request for relief (such as a request for public injunctive relief), you and Company agree that that particular claim or request for relief (and only that particular claim or request for relief) shall be severed from the arbitration and may be litigated in the state or federal courts located in the State of Washington.  All other Disputes shall be arbitrated or litigated in small claims court.  This section does not prevent you or Company from participating in a class-wide settlement of claims.
      5. Rules and Forum.  This Agreement evidences a transaction involving interstate commerce; and notwithstanding any other provision herein with respect to the applicable substantive law, the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq., will govern the interpretation and enforcement of this Arbitration Agreement and any arbitration proceedings.  If the Informal Dispute Resolution process described above does not resolve satisfactorily within sixty (60) days after receipt of your Notice, you and Company agree that either party shall have the right to finally resolve the Dispute through binding arbitration.  The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”), in accordance with the Consumer Arbitration Rules (the “AAA Rules”) then in effect, except as modified by this section of this Arbitration Agreement.  The AAA Rules are currently available at https://www.adr.org/sites/default/files/Consumer%20Rules.pdf.

        A party who wishes to initiate arbitration must provide the other party with a request for arbitration (the “Request”).  The Request must include: (1) the name, telephone number, mailing address, e‐mail address of the party seeking arbitration and the account username (if applicable) as well as the email address associated with any applicable Account; (2) a statement of the legal claims being asserted and the factual bases of those claims; (3) a description of the remedy sought and an accurate, good‐faith calculation of the amount in controversy in United States dollars; (4) a statement certifying completion of the Informal Dispute Resolution process as described above; and (5) evidence that the requesting party has paid any necessary filing fees in connection with such arbitration. 

        If the party requesting arbitration is represented by counsel, the Request shall also include counsel’s name, telephone number, mailing address, and email address.  Such counsel must also sign the Request.  By signing the Request, counsel certifies to the best of counsel’s knowledge, information, and belief, formed after an inquiry reasonable under the circumstances, that: (1) the Request is not being presented for any improper purpose, such as to harass, cause unnecessary delay, or needlessly increase the cost of dispute resolution; (2) the claims, defenses and other legal contentions are warranted by existing law or by a nonfrivolous argument for extending, modifying, or reversing existing law or for establishing new law; and (3) the factual and damages contentions have evidentiary support or, if specifically so identified, will likely have evidentiary support after a reasonable opportunity for further investigation or discovery. 

        Unless you and Company otherwise agree, or the Batch Arbitration process discussed in Section 14.2(i)  (Batch Arbitration) is triggered, the arbitration will be conducted in the county where you reside.  Subject to the AAA Rules, the arbitrator may direct a limited and reasonable exchange of information between the parties, consistent with the expedited nature of the arbitration.  If the AAA is not available to arbitrate, the parties will select an alternative arbitral forum.  Your responsibility to pay any AAA fees and costs will be solely set forth in the applicable AAA Rules.

        You and Company agree that all materials and documents exchanged during the arbitration proceedings shall be kept confidential and shall not be shared with anyone except the parties’ attorneys, accountants, or business advisors, and shall be subject to the condition that they agree to keep all materials and documents exchanged during the arbitration proceedings confidential.
      6. Arbitrator.  The arbitrator will be either a retired judge or an attorney licensed to practice law in the state of Washington and will be selected by the parties from the AAA’s roster of consumer dispute arbitrators.  If the parties are unable to agree upon an arbitrator within thirty-five (35) days of delivery of the Request, then the AAA will appoint the arbitrator in accordance with the AAA Rules, provided that if the Batch Arbitration process under Section 14.2(i) (Batch Arbitration) is triggered, the AAA will appoint the arbitrator for each batch.
      7. Authority of Arbitrator.  The arbitrator shall have exclusive authority to resolve any Dispute, including, without limitation, disputes arising out of or related to the interpretation or application of the Arbitration Agreement, including the enforceability, revocability, scope, or validity of the Arbitration Agreement or any portion of the Arbitration Agreement, except for the following: (1) all Disputes arising out of or relating to Section 14.2(d) (Waiver of Class and Other Non-Individualized Relief), including any claim that all or part of Section 14.2(d) (Waiver of Class and Other Non-Individualized Relief) is unenforceable, illegal, void or voidable, or that such Section 14.2(d) (Waiver of Class and Other Non-Individualized Relief) has been breached, shall be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction and not by an arbitrator; (2) except as expressly contemplated in Section 14.2(i) (Batch Arbitration), all Disputes about the payment of arbitration fees shall be decided only by a court of competent jurisdiction and not by an arbitrator; (3) all Disputes about whether either party has satisfied any condition precedent to arbitration shall be decided only by a court of competent jurisdiction and not by an arbitrator; and (4) all Disputes about which version of the Arbitration Agreement applies shall be decided only by a court of competent jurisdiction and not by an arbitrator.  The arbitration proceeding will not be consolidated with any other matters or joined with any other cases or parties, except as expressly provided in Section 14.2(i) (Batch Arbitration).  The arbitrator shall have the authority to grant motions dispositive of all or part of any Dispute.  The arbitrator shall issue a written award and statement of decision describing the essential findings and conclusions on which the award is based, including the calculation of any damages awarded.  The award of the arbitrator is final and binding upon you and us.  Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.
      8. Attorneys’ Fees and Costs.  The parties shall bear their own attorneys’ fees and costs in arbitration unless the arbitrator finds that either the substance of the Dispute or the relief sought in the Request was frivolous or was brought for an improper purpose (as measured by the standards set forth in Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11(b)).  If you or Company need to invoke the authority of a court of competent jurisdiction to compel arbitration, then the party that obtains an order compelling arbitration in such action shall have the right to collect from the other party its reasonable costs, necessary disbursements, and reasonable attorneys’ fees incurred in securing an order compelling arbitration.  The prevailing party in any court action relating to whether either party has satisfied any condition precedent to arbitration, including the Informal Dispute Resolution process, is entitled to recover their reasonable costs, necessary disbursements, and reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs.
      9. Batch Arbitration.  To increase the efficiency of administration and resolution of arbitrations, you and Company agree that in the event that there are one-hundred (100) or more individual Requests of a substantially similar nature filed against Company by or with the assistance of the same law firm, group of law firms, or organizations, within a thirty (30) day period (or as soon as possible thereafter), the AAA shall (1) administer the arbitration demands in batches of 100 Requests per batch (plus, to the extent there are less than 100 Requests left over after the batching described above, a final batch consisting of the remaining Requests); (2) appoint one arbitrator for each batch; and (3) provide for the resolution of each batch as a single consolidated arbitration with one set of filing and administrative fees due per side per batch, one procedural calendar, one hearing (if any) in a place to be determined by the arbitrator, and one final award (“Batch Arbitration”).

        All parties agree that Requests are of a “substantially similar nature” if they arise out of or relate to the same event or factual scenario and raise the same or similar legal issues and seek the same or similar relief.  To the extent the parties disagree on the application of the Batch Arbitration process, the disagreeing party shall advise the AAA, and the AAA shall appoint a sole standing arbitrator to determine the applicability of the Batch Arbitration process (“Administrative Arbitrator”).  In an effort to expedite resolution of any such dispute by the Administrative Arbitrator, the parties agree the Administrative Arbitrator may set forth such procedures as are necessary to resolve any disputes promptly.  The Administrative Arbitrator’s fees shall be paid by Company.

        You and Company agree to cooperate in good faith with the AAA to implement the Batch Arbitration process including the payment of single filing and administrative fees for batches of Requests, as well as any steps to minimize the time and costs of arbitration, which may include: (1) the appointment of a discovery special master to assist the arbitrator in the resolution of discovery disputes; and (2) the adoption of an expedited calendar of the arbitration proceedings.

        This Batch Arbitration provision shall in no way be interpreted as authorizing a class, collective and/or mass arbitration or action of any kind, or arbitration involving joint or consolidated claims under any circumstances, except as expressly set forth in this provision.
      10. 30-Day Right to Opt Out. You have the right to opt out of the provisions of this Arbitration Agreement by sending written notice of your decision to opt out to: [email protected], within thirty (30) days after first becoming subject to this Arbitration Agreement.  Your notice must include your name and address, the email address associated with your Account (if you have one), and an unequivocal statement that you want to opt out of this Arbitration Agreement.  If you opt out of this Arbitration Agreement, all other parts of this Agreement will continue to apply to you.  Opting out of this Arbitration Agreement has no effect on any other arbitration agreements that you may currently have, or may enter in the future, with us.
      11. Invalidity, Expiration.  Except as provided in Section 14.2(d) (Waiver of Class or Other Non-Individualized Relief), if any part or parts of this Arbitration Agreement are found under the law to be invalid or unenforceable, then such specific part or parts shall be of no force and effect and shall be severed and the remainder of the Arbitration Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.  You further agree that any Dispute that you have with Company as detailed in this Arbitration Agreement must be initiated via arbitration within the applicable statute of limitation for that claim or controversy, or it will be forever time barred.  Likewise, you agree that all applicable statutes of limitation will apply to such arbitration in the same manner as those statutes of limitation would apply in the applicable court of competent jurisdiction.
      12. Modification.  Notwithstanding any provision in this Agreement to the contrary, we agree that if Company makes any future material change to this Arbitration Agreement, we will notify you.  Unless you reject the change within thirty (30) days of such change become effective by writing to Company at Synthesize Bio, Inc., Suite 127, 188 E Blaine St, Seattle, WA, 98102, your continued use of the Service, including the acceptance of products and services offered on the Service following the posting of changes to this Arbitration Agreement constitutes your acceptance of any such changes.  Changes to this Arbitration Agreement do not provide you with a new opportunity to opt out of the Arbitration Agreement if you have previously agreed to a version of this Agreement and did not validly opt out of arbitration.  If you reject any change or update to this Arbitration Agreement, and you were bound by an existing agreement to arbitrate Disputes arising out of or relating in any way to your access to or use of the Service, any communications you receive, any products sold or distributed through the Service or this Agreement, the provisions of this Arbitration Agreement as of the date you first accepted this Agreement (or accepted any subsequent changes to this Agreement) remain in full force and effect.  Company will continue to honor any valid opt outs of the Arbitration Agreement that you made to a prior version of this Agreement.
  16. GENERAL PROVISIONS.
    1. Electronic Communications. The communications between you and Company may take place via electronic means, whether you visit the Service, chat online with the Company via a third party messenger service (e.g. Intercom), or send Company emails, or whether Company posts notices on the Service or communicates with you via email. For contractual purposes, you (i) consent to receive communications from Company in an electronic form; and (ii) agree that all terms and conditions, agreements, notices, disclosures, and other communications that Company electronically provides to you satisfy any legal requirement that such communications would satisfy if it were to be in writing. The foregoing does not affect your statutory rights, including but not limited to the Electronic Signatures in Global and National Commerce Act at 15 U.S.C. §7001 et seq. (“E-Sign”).
    2. Assignment.  The Agreement, and your rights and obligations hereunder, may not be assigned, subcontracted, delegated or otherwise transferred by you without Company’s prior written consent.  Company may, without your consent, freely assign and transfer this Agreement, including any of its rights, obligations, or licenses granted under this Agreement.  Any attempted assignment, subcontract, delegation, or transfer in violation of the foregoing will be null and void.
    3. Force Majeure.  Company shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform resulting from causes outside its reasonable control, including, but not limited to, acts of God, war, terrorism, riots, embargos, acts of civil or military authorities, fire, floods, accidents, pandemics, strikes or shortages of transportation facilities, fuel, energy, labor or materials. 
    4. Agreement Updates.  When changes are made, Company will make a new copy of this Terms of Use and/or Supplemental Terms, as applicable, available on the Service, and we will also update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this Agreement.  If we make any material changes and you have registered an Account with us, we will also send an email with an updated copy of this Agreement to you at the email address associated with your Account.  Company may require you to provide consent to the updated Agreement in a specified manner before further use of the Service is permitted.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ANY CHANGE(S) AFTER RECEIVING A NOTICE OF SUCH CHANGE(S), YOU SHALL STOP USING THE SERVICE. 
    5. Exclusive Venue.  To the extent the parties are permitted under this Agreement to initiate litigation in a court, both you and Company agree that all claims and disputes arising out of or relating to this Agreement will be litigated exclusively in the state or federal courts located in King County, Washington.
    6. Governing Law.  THIS AGREEMENT AND ANY ACTION RELATED THERETO WILL BE GOVERNED AND INTERPRETED BY AND UNDER THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON, CONSISTENT WITH THE FEDERAL ARBITRATION ACT, WITHOUT GIVING EFFECT TO ANY PRINCIPLES THAT PROVIDE FOR THE APPLICATION OF THE LAW OF ANOTHER JURISDICTION.  THE UNITED NATIONS CONVENTION ON CONTRACTS FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SALE OF GOODS DOES NOT APPLY TO THE AGREEMENT.  
    7. Choice of Language.  It is the express wish of the parties that this Agreement and all related documents have been drawn up in English.  
    8. Notice.  Where Company requires that you provide an email address, you are responsible for providing Company with a valid and current email address.  In the event that the email address you provide to Company is not valid, or for any reason is not capable of delivering to you any notices required by this Agreement, Company’s dispatch of the email containing such notice will nonetheless constitute effective notice.  You may give notice to Company at the following address: [email protected].  Such notice shall be deemed given when received by Company by letter delivered by nationally recognized overnight delivery service or first class postage prepaid mail at the above address.
    9. Waiver.  Any waiver or failure to enforce any provision of this Agreement on one occasion will not be deemed a waiver of any other provision or of such provision on any other occasion.
    10. Severability.  If any portion of this Agreement is held invalid or unenforceable, that portion must be construed in a manner to reflect, as nearly as possible, the original intention of the parties, and the remaining portions must remain in full force and effect.
    11. Export Control.  You may not use, export, import, or transfer the Service except as authorized by U.S. law, the laws of the jurisdiction in which you obtained the Service, and any other applicable laws.  In particular, but without limitation, the Service may not be exported or re-exported (i) into any United States embargoed countries, or (ii) to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Denied Person’s List or Entity List. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that (A) 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 (B) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.  You also will not use the Service for any purpose prohibited by U.S. law, including the development, design, manufacture or production of missiles, nuclear, chemical or biological weapons.  You acknowledge and agree that products, services or technology provided by Company are subject to the export control laws and regulations of the United States.  You shall comply with these laws and regulations and shall not, without prior U.S. government authorization, export, re-export, or transfer Company products, services or technology, either directly or indirectly, to any country in violation of such laws and regulations.
    12. Entire Agreement.  The Agreement is the final, complete and exclusive agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and merges all prior discussions between the parties with respect to such subject matter.