Welcome to DesignersCouch, a social organization that networks and uplifts professional and aspiring freelance designer.

When using content by DesignersCouch and members of the community, you are required not to edit the content and to always give due credit. DesignersCouch may change the Terms and Conditions from time to time and at any time, and without actual notice to you. All such changes to these Terms and Conditions will appear on DesignersCouch.org. By using this site after we post any changes, you agree to those changes.

Please read the following Terms and Conditions carefully.

By using our site, you are agreeing to comply with and be bound by the following Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, you should not use this site. The term “Designers'Couch” or “DesignersCouch.org” or “us” or “we” or “our” refers to DesignersCouch.org, the owner of the Web site. The term “you” refers to the member or viewer of our Web Site.

1. Acceptance of Agreement.

You agree to the terms and conditions outlined in this Terms of Use Agreement ("Agreement") with respect to our site (the "Site"). This Agreement constitutes the entire and only agreement between us and you, and supersedes all prior or contemporaneous agreements, representations, warranties and understandings with respect to the Site, the content, products or services provided by or through the Site, and the subject matter of this Agreement. This Agreement may be amended at any time by us from time to time without specific notice to you. The latest Agreement will be posted on the Site, and you should review this Agreement prior to using the Site. You accept the terms of agreement when you become a member of DesignersCouch.

2. Service Marks.

"DesignersCouch.com" and "DesignersCouch" are our service marks or registered service marks or trademarks. Other product and company names mentioned on the Site may be trademarks of their respective owners.

3. Copyright.

The content and services offered on the Site are protected under applicable copyrights, trademarks and other proprietary (including but not limited to intellectual property) rights. The copying, redistribution, use or publication by you of any such matters or any part of the Site, except as allowed by Section 4 below, is strictly prohibited. You do not acquire ownership rights to any content, document or other materials viewed through the Site. The posting of information or materials on the Site does not constitute a waiver of any right in such information and materials. Some of the content on the site is the copyrighted work of third parties.

4. Description of Service

DesignersCouch provides Members with the following online services that include but are not limited to:

• MEMBER-GENERATED CONTENT. Uploaded content developed and owned by creative professionals across the design industry.
• JOB BOARD. A directory of jobs in the creative professional community available to members only. All jobs will be approved by the site moderators.
• ARTICLES. A directory of moderator-generated design articles for creative professionals.
• NEWS. A directory of moderator-generated news articles for creative professionals.
• COLLABORATIONS. Members of the site can collaborate to get jobs done.
• FIND A DESIGNER. An opportunity for persons who need design talent can browse our member directory and Expert members to see the best of what DesignersCouch has to offer.
• VOLUNTEER. DesignersCouch allows members of the organization to volunteer their services towards the improvement of the site.
• EVENTS. Design events are regularly posted on the site to encourage our members to learn from successful designers, be informed on current activities and trends, and even give them a chance to get their skills out there.

5. Content

You are solely responsible for any data, text, software, music sound, images, photographs, graphics, video, messages, files or other materials ("Content") which is transmitted, posted, or distributed by you through the Service, including but not limited to the contents of your e-mail communications, information, photos or images posted by you or posted to your Profile Page and information, photos, images, sound files or other Content posted by you in a forum or other page. By posting Content you warrant and represent that you own all right, title and interest to that Content and any likenesses contained in that Content. DesignersCouch does not own or control the Content posted by Members via the Service and does not guarantee the accuracy, integrity or quality of such Content. You may be exposed to Content posted by other Member that may be offensive, indecent or objectionable. Under no circumstances will DesignersCouch be liable in any way for any Content posted by any Member or third party, including, but not limited to, liability for any errors or omissions in any Content or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any Content posted, e-mailed or otherwise transmitted via the Service.

6. Eligibility and Services void where prohibited.

Members of DesignersCouch must be thirteen years old or older. Use of the service is prohibited by persons younger than this. By using this Site, you represent and warrant that you have the right, authority, and capacity to enter into this Agreement and to abide by all the Terms and Conditions of this Agreement. This Site is not intended for use by children under thirteen (13) years of age, and DesignersCouch does not knowingly collect personal information from children under this age. Some of the available information may concern certain topics that may not be appropriate for children.

7. Collaborations.

DesignersCouch will not in any way be responsible for collaboration among members. Members can, at their discretion, agree to collaborate free of cost or at a fee of their choosing. The sole purpose of this service is to bring talent together, and members are expected to conduct themselves in a professional manner and always uphold their agreement to collaborate with other members. SHOULD ONE PARTY NOT UPHOLD THEIR SIDE OF THE AGREEMENT, WHETHER IT IS TO SUBMIT WORK IN A TIMELY MANNER, TO HAND OVER DESIGNS OR TO PAY ANY MONIES DUE, DESIGNERS’COUCH IS HELD EXCLUSIVE OF ANY SUCH AGREEMENT, AND UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES CAN WE BE RESPONSIBLE FOR A FAILED COLLABORATION BETWEEN YOU AND ANOTHER SITE MEMBER.

8. Limited License; Permitted Uses.

You are granted a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license (a) to access and use the Site strictly in accordance with this Agreement; (b) to use the Site solely for internal, personal, non-commercial purposes; and (c) to print out discrete information from the Site solely for internal, personal, non-commercial purposes and provided that you maintain all copyright and other policies contained therein. No print out or electronic version of any part of the Site or its contents may be used by you in any litigation or arbitration matter whatsoever under any circumstances.

DesignersCouch does not claim any permanent ownership of Content you submit or make available for inclusion on the Service. However, as long as you choose to host your work on our service, we possess a limited right and license to the work. This limited license enables DesignersCouch to stream and present your work across the DesignersCouch Network and partner sites that present your work professionally - linking back to your portfolio. We require a limited license for your content in order to present it in the designated places across DesignersCouch.

9. MODIFICATIONS TO SERVICE

DesignersCouch reserves the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Service (or any part thereof) with or without notice. You agree that DesignersCouch shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuance of the Service.

10. Restrictions and Prohibitions on Use.

Your license for access and use of the Site and any information, materials or documents (collectively defined as “Content and Materials”) therein are subject to the following restrictions and prohibitions on use: You may not (a) copy, print (except for the express limited purpose permitted by Section 4 above), republish, display, distribute, transmit, sell, rent, lease, loan or otherwise make available in any form or by any means all or any portion of the Site or any Content and Materials retrieved therefrom; (b) use the Site or any materials obtained from the Site to develop, of as a component of, any information, storage and retrieval system, database, information base, or similar resource (in any media now existing or hereafter developed), that is offered for commercial distribution of any kind, including through sale, license, lease, rental, subscription, or any other commercial distribution mechanism; (c) create compilations or derivative works of any Content and Materials from the Site; (d) use any Content and Materials from the Site in any manner that may infringe any copyright, intellectual property right, proprietary right, or property right of us or any third parties; (e) remove, change or obscure any copyright notice or other proprietary notice or terms of use contained in the Site; (f) make any portion of the Site available through any timesharing system, service bureau, the Internet or any other technology now existing or developed in the future; (g) remove, decompile, disassemble or reverse engineer any Site software or use any network monitoring or discovery software to determine the Site architecture; (h) use any automatic or manual process to harvest information from the Site; (i) use the Site for the purpose of gathering information for or transmitting (1) unsolicited commercial email; (2) email that makes use of headers, invalid or nonexistent domain names, or other means of deceptive addressing; and (3) unsolicited telephone calls or facsimile transmissions; (j) use the Site in a manner that violates any state or federal law regulating email, facsimile transmissions or telephone solicitations; and (k) export or re-export the Site or any portion thereof, or any software available on or through the Site, in violation of the export control laws or regulations of the United States.

11. Linking to the Site.

You may provide links to the Site, provided (a) that you do not remove or obscure, by framing or otherwise, advertisements, the copyright notice, or other notices on the Site, (b) your site does not engage in illegal or pornographic activities, and (c) you discontinue providing links to the Site immediately upon request by us.

12. Advertisers.

The Site may contain advertising and sponsorships. Advertisers and sponsors are responsible for ensuring that material submitted for inclusion on the Site is accurate and complies with applicable laws. We are not responsible for the illegality or any error, inaccuracy or problem in the advertiser’s or sponsor’s materials.

13. Registration.

Certain sections of, or offerings from, the Site may require you to register. If registration is requested, you agree to provide us with accurate, complete registration information. Your registration must be done using your real name and accurate information. Each registration is for your personal use only and not on behalf of any other person or entity. We do not permit (a) any other person using the registered sections under your name; or (b) access through a single name being made available to multiple users on a network. You are responsible for preventing such unauthorized use.

14. Errors, Corrections and Changes.

We do not represent or warrant that the Site will be error-free, free of viruses or other harmful components, or that defects will be corrected. We do not represent or warrant that the information available on or through the Site will be correct, accurate, timely or otherwise reliable. We may make changes to the features, functionality or content of the Site at any time. We reserve the right in our sole discretion to edit or delete any documents, information or other content appearing on the Site.

15. Third Party Content.

Third party content may appear on the Site or may be accessible via links from the Site. We are not responsible for and assume no liability for any mistakes, misstatements of law, defamation, omissions, falsehood, obscenity, pornography or profanity in the statements, opinions, representations or any other form of content on the Site. You understand that the information and opinions in the third party content represent solely the thoughts of the author and is neither endorsed by nor does it necessarily reflect our belief.

16. Unlawful Activity.

We reserve the right to investigate complaints or reported violations of this Agreement and to take any action we deem appropriate, including but not limited to reporting any suspected unlawful activity to law enforcement officials, regulators, or other third parties and disclosing any information necessary or appropriate to such persons or entities relating to your profile, email addresses, usage history, posted materials, IP addresses and traffic information.

17. Indemnification.

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold us and our partners, agents, officers, directors, employees, subcontractors, successors, assigns, third party suppliers of information and documents, attorneys, advertisers, product and service providers, and affiliates (collectively, "Affiliated Parties") harmless from any liability, loss, claim and expense, including reasonable attorney's fees, related to your violation of this Agreement or use of the Site.

18. Nontransferable.

Your right to use the Site is not transferable or assignable. Any password or right given to you to obtain information or documents is not transferable or assignable.

19. Disclaimer.

THE INFORMATION, CONTENT AND DOCUMENTS FROM OR THROUGH THE SITE ARE PROVIDED "AS-IS," "AS AVAILABLE," WITH “ALL FAULTS”, AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE DISCLAIMED (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE DISCLAIMER OF ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE). THE INFORMATION AND SERVICES MAY CONTAIN BUGS, ERRORS, PROBLEMS OR OTHER LIMITATIONS. WE AND OUR AFFILIATED PARTIES HAVE NO LIABILITY WHATSOEVER FOR YOUR USE OF ANY INFORMATION OR SERVICE, EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 17(b). IN PARTICULAR, BUT NOT AS A LIMITATION THEREOF, WE AND OUR AFFILIATED PARTIES ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF BUSINESS, LOSS OF PROFITS, LITIGATION, OR THE LIKE), WHETHER BASED ON BREACH OF CONTRACT, BREACH OF WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THE NEGATION AND LIMITATION OF DAMAGES SET FORTH ABOVE ARE FUNDAMENTAL ELEMENTS OF THE BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN US AND YOU. THIS SITE AND THE PRODUCTS, SERVICES, DOCUMENTS AND INFORMATION PRESENTED WOULD NOT BE PROVIDED WITHOUT SUCH LIMITATIONS. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM US THROUGH THE SITE OR OTHERWISE SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY, REPRESENTATION OR GUARANTEE NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THIS AGREEMENT.

ALL RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES CAUSED BY VIRUSES CONTAINED WITHIN THE ELECTRONIC FILE CONTAINING A FORM OR DOCUMENT IS DISCLAIMED.

20. Limitation of Liability

(a) We and any Affiliated Party shall not be liable for any loss, injury, claim, liability, or damage of any kind resulting in any way from (a) any errors in or omissions from the Site or any services or products obtainable therefrom, (b) the unavailability or interruption of the Site or any features thereof, (c) your use of the Site, (d) the content contained on the Site, or (e) any delay or failure in performance beyond the control of a Covered Party.

(b) THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF US AND THE AFFILIATED PARTIES IN CONNECTION WITH ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SITE AND/OR THE PRODUCTS, INFORMATION, DOCUMENTS AND SERVICES PROVIDED HEREIN OR HEREBY SHALL NOT EXCEED $100 AND THAT AMOUNT SHALL BE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER REMEDIES WHICH YOU MAY HAVE AGAINST US AND ANY AFFILIATED PARTY.

21. Use of Information.

We reserve the right, and you authorize us, to the use and assignment of all information regarding Site uses by you and all information provided by you in any manner consistent with our Privacy Policy. All remarks, suggestions, ideas, graphics, or other information communicated by you to us (collectively, a "Submission") will forever be our property. We will not be required to treat any Submission as confidential, and will not be liable for any ideas (including without limitation, product, service or advertising ideas) and will not incur any liability as a result of any similarities that may appear in our future products, services or operations. Without limitation, we will have exclusive ownership of all present and future existing rights to the Submission of every kind and nature everywhere. We will be entitled to use the Submission for any commercial or other purpose whatsoever, without compensation to you or any other person sending the Submission. You acknowledge that you are responsible for whatever material you submit, and you, not us, have full responsibility for the message, including its legality, reliability, appropriateness, originality, and copyright.

22. Third-Party Services.

We may allow access to or advertise certain third-party product or service providers ("Merchants") from which you may purchase certain goods or services. You understand that we do not operate or control the products or services offered by Merchants. Merchants are responsible for all aspects of order processing, fulfillment, billing and customer service. We are not a party to the transactions entered into between you and Merchants. YOU AGREE THAT USE OF OR PURCHASE FROM SUCH MERCHANTS IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK AND IS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND BY US, EXPRESSED, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF TITLE, FITNESS FOR PURPOSE, MERCHANTABILITY OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES ARE WE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING FROM THE TRANSACTIONS BETWEEN YOU AND MERCHANTS OR FOR ANY INFORMATION APPEARING ON MERCHANT SITES OR ANY OTHER SITE LINKED TO OUR SITE.

23. Third-Party Merchant Policies.

All rules, policies (including privacy policies) and operating procedures of Merchants will apply to you while on any Merchant sites. We are not responsible for information provided by you to Merchants. We and the Merchants are independent contractors and neither party has authority to make any representations or commitments on behalf of the other.

24. Privacy Policy.

Our Privacy Policy, as it may change from time to time, is a part of this Agreement. You must review this Privacy Policy by clicking on this link.

25. Securities Laws.

The Site may include statements concerning our operations, prospects, strategies, financial condition, future economic performance and demand for our products or services, as well as our intentions, plans and objectives (particularly with respect to product and service offerings), that are forward-looking statements. These statements are based upon a number of assumptions and estimates which are subject to significant uncertainties, many of which are beyond our control. When used on our Site, words like "anticipates," "expects," "believes," "estimates," "seeks," "plans," "intends," "will" and similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements designed to fall within securities law safe harbors for forward-looking statements. The Site and the information contained herein does not constitute an offer or a solicitation of an offer for sale of any securities. None of the information contained herein is intended to be, and shall not be deemed to be, incorporated into any of our securities-related filings or documents.

26. Links to other Web Sites.

The Site contains links to other Web sites. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy or opinions express in such Web sites, and such Web sites are not investigated, monitored or checked for accuracy or completeness by us. Inclusion of any linked Web site on our Site does not imply approval or endorsement of the linked Web site by us. If you decide to leave our Site and access these third-party sites, you do so at your own risk.

27. Information and Press Releases.

The Site contains information and press releases about us. We disclaim any duty or obligation to update this information or any press releases. Information about companies other than ours contained in the press release or otherwise, should not be relied upon as being provided or endorsed by us.

28. Legal Compliance.

You agree to comply with all applicable domestic and international laws, statutes, ordinances and regulations regarding your use of the Site and the Content and Materials provided therein.

29. MISCELLANEOUS

Any inquiries concerning these terms and conditions of use should be directed to us via email. If any part of these Terms and Conditions is held invalid or unenforceable, that portion shall be construed in a manner consistent with applicable law to reflect, as nearly as possible, the original intentions of the parties, and the remaining portions shall remain in full force and effect. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions shall be deemed to create any rights for any third party beneficiary. The section titles in these Terms and Conditions are for convenience only, and have no legal or contractual effect. You shall not transfer, assign, sublicense nor pledge in any manner whatsoever, any of your rights or obligations under these Terms and Conditions. DesignersCouch may transfer, assign sublicense or pledge in any manner whatsoever, any of its rights and obligations under these Terms and Conditions to a subsidiary, affiliate, or successor thereof or to any third party whatsoever, without notifying you or receiving your consent. If you have any questions about this policy or our site in general, please contact us.

30. DISPUTES

Any disputes arising under or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts of the State of Texas.