Terms of Service

Updated December 23, 2019

PLEASE CAREFULLY READ THESE TERMS OF USE BEFORE AGREEING TO JOIN OUR SITE. THESE TERMS OF USE CONTAIN IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS, LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS, AND THE RESOLUTION OF ANY POSSIBLE DISPUTES ARISING FROM THE USE OF OUR SERVICES.

Introduction

ADOPTION.COM, LLC (“ADOPTION.COM”) PROVIDES INFORMATION, MARKETING, AND ONLINE SERVICES ONLY. ADOPTION.COM DOES NOT MATCH BIRTH PARENTS WITH ADOPTIVE PARENTS AND IS NOT, NOR DOES IT SEEK TO BE, AN ADOPTION FACILITATOR, A LICENSED ADOPTION AGENCY OR A LAW FIRM. THE INFORMATION PROVIDED BY ADOPTION.COM IS NOT LEGAL OR MEDICAL ADVICE. ADOPTION.COM IS NOT AN ADOPTION, LAWYER, OR MEDICAL REFERRAL SERVICE. THE LEGAL, ADOPTION, OR MEDICAL SERVICE LISTINGS THAT MAY BE FOUND ON OUR SITE ARE PAID ADVERTISEMENTS AND DO NOT IN ANY WAY CONSTITUTE A REFERRAL OR ENDORSEMENT BY ADOPTION.COM OR ANY APPROVED OR AUTHORIZED REFERRAL SERVICE. ADOPTION.COM ATTEMPTS TO KEEP INFORMATION CURRENT; HOWEVER, WE DO NOT PROMISE, GUARANTEE, OR EVEN SUGGEST THAT THE INFORMATION IS CORRECT, COMPLETE, OR UP-TO-DATE, AND INTERNET SUBSCRIBERS AND ONLINE READERS SHOULD NOT ACT BASED UPON THIS INFORMATION WITHOUT FIRST SEEKING PROFESSIONAL COUNSEL FROM AN ATTORNEY, ADOPTION AGENCY, MEDICAL SERVICE PROVIDER, OR OTHER COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL WHO IS AUTHORIZED TO PROVIDE SUCH ADVICE AND COUNSEL IN YOUR LOCATION.

By using our website, mobile site or app (the “Site”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and to use the Site in accordance with these Terms of Service, our Privacy Notice, and any additional terms and conditions that are referenced herein or that otherwise may apply to specific sections of the Site, or to products and services that we make available to you through the Site (all of which are deemed part of these Terms of Service). Accessing the Site, in any manner, whether automated or otherwise, constitutes use of the Site and your agreement to be bound by these Terms of Service.

We reserve the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove any portion of these Terms of Service, in whole or in part, at any time. Changes will be effective when posted. Your continued use of the Sites and/or the Services after any changes are posted will be considered acceptance of those changes. It is your responsibility to review the Terms of Service, and if at any time you find these terms unacceptable, you must immediately leave the Sites and cease all use of the Services and the Sites.

We also reserve the right to deny access to the Site or any features of the Site to anyone who violates these Terms of Service or who, in our sole judgment, interferes with the ability of others to enjoy our website or infringes the rights of others.

Rights and Restrictions Relating to Site Content

Your Limited Right to Use Site Materials. This Site and all the materials available on the Site are the property of us and/or our affiliates or licensors, and are protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. The Site is provided solely for your personal noncommercial use. You may not use the Site or the materials available on the Site in a manner that constitutes an infringement of our rights or that has not been authorized by us. More specifically, unless explicitly authorized in these Terms of Service or by the owner of the materials, you may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, translate, sell, create derivative works, exploit, or distribute in any manner or medium (including by email or other electronic means) any material from the Site. For information about requesting permission to reproduce or distribute materials from the Site, please contact us.

Unless otherwise indicated, we own all right, title and interest in and to the Site, including materials submitted by others. Specifically, we hold all right, title and interest to: (1) source code, including but not limited to, all text, graphics, animation, audio components, and digital components associated with the Site; (2) all interfaces, navigational devices, menus, menu structures or arrangements, icons, help and other operational instructions, and all other components of any source or object computer code that comprises the Site; (3) all literal and non-literal expressions of ideas that operate, cause, create, direct, manipulate, access, or otherwise affect the Site; (4) all copyrights, patents, trade secrets and other intellectual or industrial property rights in the Site or any component or characteristics thereof; and (5) the complete list of designated search terms or “keywords” used in providing services.

Our Right to Use Materials You Submit or Post. When you submit or post any material via the Site, you grant us, and anyone authorized by us, a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, unrestricted, worldwide license to use, copy, modify, transmit, sell, exploit, create derivative works from, distribute, and/or publicly perform or display such material, in whole or in part, in any manner or medium (whether now known or hereafter developed), for any purpose that we choose. The foregoing grant includes the right to exploit any proprietary rights in such posting or submission, including, but not limited to, rights under copyright, trademark or patent laws that exist in any relevant jurisdiction. Also, in connection with the exercise of these rights, you grant us, and anyone authorized by us, the right to identify you as the author of any of your postings or submissions by name, email address or screen name, as we deem appropriate.

You understand that the technical processing and transmission of the Site, including content submitted by you, may involve transmissions over various networks, and may involve changes to the content to conform and adapt it to technical requirements of connecting networks or devices. You will not receive any compensation of any kind for the use of any materials submitted by you.

Limitations on Linking and Framing. You are free to establish a hypertext link to our Site so long as the link does not state or imply any sponsorship of your website or service by us or by our Site. However, you may not, without our prior written permission, frame or inline link any of the content of our Site, or incorporate into another website or other service any of our material, content or intellectual property.

Access to Certain Features of Our Site

To access certain features of our Site, we may ask you to provide certain demographic information including your gender, year of birth, zip code and country. In addition, if you elect to sign-up for a particular feature of the Site, such as discussion forums, blogs, photo- and video-sharing pages or social networking features, you may also be asked to register with us on the form provided and such registration may require you to provide information such as your name and email address. You agree to provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Site’s registration form. If we have reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, or incomplete, we have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Site (or any portion thereof). Our use of any information you provide to us as part of the registration process is governed by the terms of our Privacy Notice.

Privacy

We respect the privacy of the users of our Site. Please review our Privacy Notice. These Terms include and fully incorporate our Privacy notice.

European Union General Data Protection Compliance

If you are a resident of the European Union (E.U.) you have additional rights and protections according to the E.U.’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), which went into effect May, 2018. Within the GDPR (Article 9) special protections are made for the processing of “..personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, or trade union membership, and the processing of genetic data, biometric data for the purpose of uniquely identifying a natural person, data concerning health or data concerning a natural person’s sex life or sexual orientation shall be prohibited.”

Pursuant to the GDPR, as a user of our site you have the right to view, change, or request deletion of your data through written or verbal means. The request will be honored with undue delay. You have the right to have your data sent to another company in machine readable format. You have the right to object to the collection of your personal data and opt out of our services, however, the majority of our services will not function without your personal information due to the nature of Adoption. Your consent to all of our services must be freely given, specific, informed, and unambiguous. Your explicit consent is given through accepting the terms and conditions of service as outlined in this document and use of our services. We can then collect and process your data accordingly for our Reunion Registry, Parent Profiles, and other like services.

In the event of a security data breach we will notify our E.U. users within 72 hours of discovery of the breach.

Responsibility for Your Username and Password

To use certain features of our Site, you will need a username and password to create an account. We reserve the right to reject or terminate the use of any username that we deem offensive or inappropriate. In addition, we also reserve the right to terminate the use of any username or account, or to deny access to the Site or any features of the Site, to anyone who violates these Terms of Service or who, in our sole judgment, interferes with the ability of others to enjoy our website or infringes the rights of others. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and account, and are responsible for all activities (whether by you or by others) that occur under your password or account. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and to ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. We cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to protect your password or account information.

Online Commerce

Certain sections of this Site may allow you to purchase different types of products or services online that are provided by third parties. We are not responsible for the quality, accuracy, timeliness, reliability or any other aspect of these products and services. If you make a purchase from a merchant on our Site, or on a third-party website that you have accessed via a link on our Site, the information obtained during your visit to that online store or site, and the information that you give as part of the transaction, such as your credit card number and contact information, may be collected by both that site and us. A merchant may have privacy and data collection practices that are different from ours. We have no responsibility or liability for these independent policies. In addition, when you purchase products or services on or through the Site, you may be subject to additional terms and conditions that specifically apply to your purchase or use of such products or services. For more information regarding a merchant, its online store, its privacy policies, and/or any additional terms and conditions that may apply, visit that merchant’s website and click on its information links or contact the merchant directly. You release us and our affiliates from any damages that you incur, and agree not to assert any claims against us or any of our affiliates, arising from your purchase or use of any products or services made available by third parties through the Site.

You agree to be financially responsible for all purchases made by you or someone acting on your behalf through the Site. You agree to use the Site, and to purchase services or products through the Site, for legitimate, non-commercial purposes only. You also agree not to make any purchases for speculative, false or fraudulent purposes or for the purpose of anticipating demand for a particular product or service. You agree to only purchase goods or services for yourself or for another person for whom you are legally permitted to do so. When making a purchase for a third party that requires you to submit the third party’s personal information to us or a merchant, you represent that you have obtained the express consent of such third party to provide such third party’s personal information.

Responsibility for User-Provided Content

This Site may include a variety of features, such as discussion forums, blogs, photo- and video-sharing pages, email services and social networking features that allow feedback to us and allow users to interact with each other on the Site and post content and materials for display on the Site. This Site also may include other features, such as personalized home pages and email services, that allow users to communicate with third parties. By accessing and using any such features, you represent and agree: (i) that you have read and agree to abide by our Community Rules; (ii) that you are the owner of any material you post or submit, or are making your posting or submission with the express consent of the owner of the material; (iii) that you are making your posting or submission with the express consent of anyone pictured in any material you post or submit, (iv) that you are 13 years of age or older; (v) that the materials will not violate the rights of, or cause injury to, any person or entity; and (vi) that you will indemnify and hold harmless us, our affiliates, and each of our and their respective directors, officers, managers, employees, shareholders, agents, representatives and licensors, from and against any liability of any nature arising out of related to any content or materials displayed on or submitted via the Site by you or by others using your username and password. You also grant us a license to use the materials you post or submit via such features, as described above under the heading “Rights and Restrictions Relating to Site Content.”

Responsibility for what is posted on discussion forums, blogs, photo- and video- sharing pages, and other areas on the Site through which users can supply information or material, or sent via any email services that are made available via the Site, lies with each user. Users alone are responsible for the material they post or send. Adoption.com does not verify the truthfulness of any information submitted by users, and it is not responsible for the speech, content, messages, information or files that users or others may transmit, post or otherwise provide on or through the Site.

You understand that we have no obligation to monitor any discussion forums, blogs, photo- or video-sharing pages, or other areas of the Site through which users can supply information or material. However, we reserve the right at all times, in our sole discretion, to screen content submitted by users and to edit, move, delete, and/or refuse to accept any content that in our judgment violates these Terms of Service or is otherwise unacceptable or inappropriate, whether for legal or any other reasons.

You acknowledge and agree that we may preserve content and materials submitted by you, and may also disclose such content and materials if required to do so by law or if, in our business judgment, such preservation or disclosure is reasonably necessary to: (a) comply with legal process; (b) enforce these Terms of Service; (c) respond to claims that any content or materials submitted by you violate the rights of third parties; or (d) protect the rights, property, or personal safety of our Site, us, our affiliates, our officers, directors, employees, representatives, our licensors, other users, and/or the public.

Limitation on Use of Company Directories

The information contained in any company directory that may be provided on the Site is provided for business lookup purposes and is not to be used for marketing or telemarketing applications. This information may not be copied or redistributed and is provided “AS IS” without warranty of any kind. In no event will we or our suppliers be liable in any way with regard to such information.

Modifications to, or Discontinuation of, the Site

We reserve the right at any time and from time to time to modify or discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Site, or any portion thereof, with or without notice. You agree that we will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuance of the Site or any portion thereof.

Disclaimers

Throughout our Site, we have provided links and pointers to Internet sites maintained by third parties. Our linking to such third-party sites does not imply an endorsement or sponsorship of such sites, or the information, products or services offered on or through the sites. In addition, neither we nor our parent or subsidiary companies nor any of our respective affiliates operate or control in any respect any information, products or services that third parties may provide on or through the Site or on websites linked to by us on the Site.

THE INFORMATION, PRODUCTS AND SERVICES OFFERED ON OR THROUGH THE SITE AND ANY THIRD-PARTY SITES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE OR ANY OF ITS FUNCTIONS WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT ANY PART OF THIS SITE, INCLUDING BULLETIN BOARDS, OR THE SERVERS THAT MAKE IT AVAILABLE, ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS.

WE DO NOT WARRANT OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE SITE OR MATERIALS ON THIS SITE OR ON THIRD-PARTY SITES IN TERMS OF THEIR CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, TIMELINESS, RELIABILITY OR OTHERWISE.

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION ARE A MATERIAL INDUCEMENT AND CONSIDERATION TO US TO GRANT THE LICENSE CONTAINED IN THIS TERMS OF SERVICE AND TO PROVIDE YOU WITH ACCESS TO THE SITE AND SERVICES.

You must provide and are solely responsible for all hardware and/or software necessary to access the Site. You assume the entire cost of and responsibility for any damage to, and all necessary maintenance, repair or correction of, that hardware and/or software.

You acknowledge that by using the Site, you may incur charges from your wireless carrier, internet service provider or other method of internet or data access, and that payment of any such charges will be your sole responsibility. You agree that your use of the Site will be in accordance with all requirements of your wireless carrier, internet service provider and other method of internet or data access. We do not control network access. Your use of these networks may not be secure and may expose your personal information sent over such networks.

The Site is provided for informational purposes only, and is not intended for trading or investing purposes, or for commercial use. The Site should not be used in any high risk activities where damage or injury to persons, property, environment, finances or business may result if an error occurs. You expressly assume all risk for such use.

Your interactions with companies, organizations and/or individuals found on or through our Site, including any purchases, transactions, or other dealings, and any terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and such companies, organizations and/or individuals. You agree that we will not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such dealings. You also agree that, if there is a dispute between users of this Site, or between a user and any third party, we are under no obligation to become involved, and you agree to release us and our affiliates from any claims, demands and damages of every kind or nature, known or unknown, suspected and unsuspected, disclosed and undisclosed, arising out of or in any way related to such dispute and/or our Site.

Governing Law, Venue and Severability

The laws of the State of Texas shall govern this agreement and no others. The sole and exclusive venue for any dispute between you and us arising from this agreement shall be Tarrant County, Fort Worth, Texas. The invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of this agreement shall not affect the validity or enforceability of any other provision.

Arbitration

ANY CONTROVERSY OR CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT OR USE OF THE SITE SHALL BE SETTLED BY ARBITRATION ADMINISTERED BY THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION UNDER ITS COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION RULES. THE NUMBER OF ARBITRATORS SHALL BE ONE. THE PLACE OF ARBITRATION SHALL BE TARRANT COUNTY, FORT WORTH, TEXAS. TEXAS LAW SHALL APPLY. THE PREVAILING PARTY IN ANY SUCH ARBITRATION SHALL BE ENTITLED TO RECOVER THEIR REASONABLE ATTORNEYS’ FEES AND RELATED COSTS AND EXPENSES. JUDGMENT ON THE AWARD RENDERED BY THE ARBITRATOR MAY BE ENTERED IN ANY COURT HAVING JURISDICTION THEREOF.

Limitation of Liability

UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE, WILL WE OR OUR SUBSIDIARIES, PARENT COMPANIES OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, THIS SITE, INCLUDING ITS MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES, OR THIRD-PARTY MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES MADE AVAILABLE THROUGH THIS SITE, EVEN IF WE ARE ADVISED BEFOREHAND OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. YOU SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF ANY USER. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THE SITE, OR ANY MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, OR SERVICES ON THE SITE, OR WITH ANY OF THE SITE’S TERMS AND CONDITIONS, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE SITE. (BECAUSE SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF DAMAGES, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. IN SUCH STATES, OUR LIABILITY AND THE LIABILITY OF OUR SUBSIDIARIES, PARENT COMPANIES AND AFFILIATES, IS LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY SUCH STATE LAW.)

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless us, our affiliates, and each of our and their respective directors, officers, managers, employees, shareholders, agents, representatives and licensors, from and against any and all losses, expenses, damages and costs, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, that arise out of your use of the Site, violation of these Terms of Service by you or any other person using your account, or your violation of any rights of another. We reserve the right to take over the exclusive defense of any claim for which we are entitled to indemnification under this section. In such event, you agree to provide us with such cooperation as is reasonably requested by us.

Suspension and Termination of Access

You agree that, in our sole discretion, we may suspend or terminate your password, account (or any part thereof) or use of the Site, or any part of the Site, and remove and discard any materials that you submit to the Site, at any time, for any reason, without notice. You agree that we will not be liable to you or any third-party for any suspension or termination of your password, account (or any part thereof) or use of the Site, or any removal of any materials that you have submitted to the Site. In the event that we suspend or terminate your access to and/or use of the Site, you will continue to be bound by the Terms of Service that were in effect as of the date of your suspension or termination.

Notice of Copyright Infringement

If you are a copyright owner who believes your copyrighted material has been reproduced, posted or distributed via the Site in a manner that constitutes copyright infringement, please inform us by sending written notice by U.S. Mail to Adoption.com, LLC, Attn: Copyright Infringement Team, 6300 John Ryan Drive, Fort Worth, Texas, 76132-4122. Please include the following information in your written notice: (1) a detailed description of the copyrighted work that is allegedly infringed upon; (2) a description of the location of the allegedly infringing material on the Site; (3) your contact information, including your address, telephone number, and, if available, email address; (4) a statement by you indicating that you have a good-faith belief that the allegedly infringing use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; (5) a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, affirming that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf; and (6) a signature of the copyright owner or someone authorized on the owner’s behalf to assert infringement of copyright and to submit the statement. Please note that the contact information provided in this paragraph is for suspected copyright infringement only. Contact information for other matters is provided elsewhere in these Terms of Service or on the Site.

Restrictions

The Site is intended for use only by residents of the United States over the age of 13. It may not comply with legal requirements of foreign countries. Other countries may have laws and regulatory requirements that differ from those in the U.S. By using this Site, you agree to the transfer and processing of any personal information you provide to the U.S. as set forth in the Privacy Notice under the laws of the United States and the State of Texas, rather than under the law of your home country.

Other

This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between us and you with respect to the subject matter contained in this agreement and supersedes all previous and contemporaneous agreements, proposals and communications, written or oral. You also may be subject to additional terms and conditions that may apply when you use the products or services of a third party that are provided through the Site. In the event of any conflict between any such third-party terms and conditions and these Terms of Service, these Terms of Service will govern.

This agreement is personal to you and you may not assign it to anyone. If any provision of this agreement is found to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision will be deemed severable from this agreement and will not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions. These Terms of Service are not intended to benefit any third party, and do not create any third party beneficiaries. Accordingly, these Terms of Service may only be invoked or enforced by you or us. You agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action that you may have arising out of or related to use of the Site or these Terms of Service must be filed by you within one year after such claim or cause of action arose or be forever barred.