Any individual given access (“User”) to Cascale’s Software and/or Database (collectively the “Platform”) must abide by the following Rules of Conduct and Terms of Use (the “Rules”).
Please read the Rules carefully before you start to use the Platform. By using the Platform or by clicking to accept or agree to the Rules when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by these Rules. If you do not want to agree to these Rules, you must not access or use the Platform.
The Platform is offered and available to users who are 18 years of age or older. By using the Platform, you represent and warrant that you are of legal age to form a binding contract with Cascale and meet all of the foregoing eligibility requirements. If you do not meet all of these requirements, you must not access or use the Platform.
Cascale generally does not pre-screen, monitor or edit the content posted by Users of the Platform. However, Cascale and its representatives or agents have the right, at their sole discretion, to remove any content that, in Cascale’s sole judgment, does not comply with the Rules or is otherwise harmful, objectionable or inaccurate. Cascale is not responsible for any failure or delay in removing such content. Moreover, if any User violates the Rules, to be determined by Cascale at its sole discretion, Cascale will terminate their account and right to use the Platform. The Rules are:
1. Purpose of Access. User will have access to the Platform for the sole purpose of anonymously rating its customers.
2. Restrictions on Use.
2.1. User may not input, upload, post, transmit or otherwise distribute via the Platform any content or data that is obscene, defamatory, libelous, slanderous, violative of any person’s rights of privacy, publicity or personality, or that otherwise causes or results in any tort, injury, damage or harm to any person.
2.2. User will use the Platform only for lawful purposes, and may not violate any local, state, national or international law or regulation, including but not limited to those related to obscenity, privacy, information security, antitrust and export control.
2.3. User will not use the messaging functionality to send unsolicited, unauthorized commercial or illegal advertising or other material.
2.4. User will not modify, sell, market, transfer, assign, convey, grant, rent, lease, license, sublicense, publish, distribute, disclose, display, or otherwise make available for third parties, or use or exploit the Platform or information available on the Platform, in whole or in part, without Cascale’s prior written consent, which it may withhold in its sole discretion. User will not disclose the information on the Platform to any third party without the prior written consent of Cascale, which it may withhold in its sole discretion, and if so disclosed, User may disclose only the information in its entirety without modification in a manner that is accurate, fair and not misleading.
3. Use of Information Accessed on Platform.
3.1. User will use information accessed in the Platform solely and exclusively to rate their customers as related to purchasing practices.
3.2. User will treat all information in the Platform as confidential and will not disclose it to unauthorized parties.
3.3. User will, individually and independently assess the information gathered in the Platform and will decide, in his/her sole discretion, how he/she will use the data, including what action, if any, he/she will take with respect to the information. User shall manage, maintain and take action regarding any relationships with its customers as he/she deems fit, in his/her sole discretion.
4. Security.
4.1. User will not disclose to others his/her user IDs or personal passwords that give access to the Platform.
4.2. User will not enable or permit unauthorized third-party access to the Platform.
4.3. User will not knowingly introduce viruses or other harmful programs or files and will exercise reasonable care to avoid doing so.
4.4. User will not, directly or indirectly, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise attempt to discover the source code or underlying ideas or algorithms of the Platform.
5. Sharing on the Platform.
5.1. User shall use his/her best efforts to ensure that content posted in the sharing module of the Platform is accurate and current as of the stated date of the content. User agrees that, where making any redactions or other changes in documents prior to posting on the platform, it has also taken reasonable efforts to ensure redaction of information does not materially distort or misrepresent findings from an audit or corrective action plan.
5.2. User acknowledges that access to any content through the shared section of the Platform is granted on condition that the Cascale subscriber and other users providing the content shall have no liability for unintended inaccuracies, errors or omissions.
5.3. Sharing content on the Platform is voluntary, i.e., User has the sole discretion whether to share content, such as its audit or corrective action information, on the Platform. User is encouraged to share audit and remediation information with others only via the platform.
5.4. User acknowledges that all Cascale members and other users must access all shared information on the Platform equally. Where joint audit or remedial activity is actively underway, members may only share their audit or CAPs for this purpose with the member participating in this joint activity.
5.5. Prior to transmitting or posting content on the sharing module of the Platform, User has ensured he/she has redacted any information that is considered company confidential, potentially harmful to workers, or subject to legal restrictions such as antitrust-competition laws.
5.6. As with all areas and content on the Platform, User agrees that his/her use of information in the sharing module of the Platform is in accordance with the Rules and is solely focused on the oversight of factory code of conduct efforts as related to workplace standards. User agrees that he/she will, in his/her sole discretion, decide how he/she will use the information posted in the sharing module of the Platform, including any action, if any, he/she will take with respect to any findings and the member’s relationship with its manufacturing partners.
5.7. User will not delete, amend or otherwise corrupt the data of other users without their explicit permission.
5.8. User will use the message functionality in sharing module of the Platform to notify the owner of any document should he/she identify any information that is shared that could be considered confidential, potentially harmful to workers, or subject to legal restrictions. Owner shall take immediate action to consult with legal counsel regarding the removal of such information from the platform and immediately remove such information where necessary.
6. Intellectual Property.
6.1. The Platform and its entire contents, features, and functionality (including but not limited to all information, software, text, displays, images, video, and audio, and the design, selection, and arrangement thereof) are owned by Cascale, its licensors, or other providers of such material and are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws. User acknowledges and agrees that the Platform and the survey contains intellectual property of Cascale and that the Platform and the intellectual property therein are proprietary, trademarked, patented, patent-pending, and/or copyrighted, and are licensed subject to the license and usage restrictions set forth in these Rules. Cascale and its licensors own and shall retain all right, title, and interest in the Platform and the survey, including intellectual property rights and any new versions and revisions thereof.
6.2. The Cascale name, the Cascale Square Design Logo, Better Buying, Better Buying Partnership Index, Better Buying Purchasing Practices Index, and all other related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks of Cascale. User must not use such marks without the prior written permission of Cascale. All other names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans on the Platform are the trademarks of their respective owners.
6.3. Each party shall retain exclusive ownership of all intellectual property rights (i) owned or controlled by it prior to the Effective Date or (ii) created, conceived, developed, reduced to practice, or acquired (other than from the other party) by such party and/or its Representatives since the Effective Date without incorporating or relying on the intellectual property rights or confidential information of the other party.
6.4. If User sends, transmits, or otherwise provides any communications or materials to Cascale, suggesting or recommending changes to the Platform or the survey, including without limitation, new features or functionality relating thereto, or any comments, questions, suggestions, or the like (collectively, the “Feedback”), Cascale is free to use such Feedback irrespective of any other obligation or limitation between the parties governing such feedback. User hereby assigns to Cascale all right, title, and interest in, and Cascale is free to use, without any attribution or compensation to any party, any ideas, know-how, concepts, techniques, or other intellectual property rights contained in the Feedback, for any purpose whatsoever, although Cascale is not required to use any Feedback.
6.5. User acknowledges and agrees that Cascale may download, aggregate, analyze, use, copy, reproduce, distribute, display, transmit, translate, publish, and prepare derivative works of information provided by User through the Platform, including without limitation User’s confidential information and any intellectual property rights therein, as follows:
(a) to provide, support and improve Cascale’s products and services, including without limitation (a) operating ratings, surveys, and other evaluation systems, (b) providing ratings, reports, and analyses to subscribers and other parties regarding purchasing practices, (c) contacting and inviting any supplier to participate in the surveys, ratings and other evaluation programs and systems operated or managed by Cascale regarding a subscriber’s purchasing practices; and (d) sharing any rating, score, analysis or report regarding a subscriber or any of its affiliates that contains, reflects or is derived from or incorporates any information or data submitted by User or any other supplier with such subscriber or any other supplier, provided that any data or information disclosed to the subscriber any other supplier (other than User) shall be aggregated, anonymized, or otherwise presented in a manner such that it is no longer identifiable as relating to any individual supplier;
(b) to collect and analyze data about subscribers and their affiliates from suppliers and industry participants, with the right to share findings publicly or with suppliers, including any rating, score, analysis or report that contains, reflects or is derived from or incorporates any confidential information in carrying out any of the permitted uses set forth in this Section 6.5., to support improvements in industry practices, and otherwise to research and publish industry data and trends, and generate industry insights, and to otherwise carry out industry association activities, including without limitation the following types of activities: advocacy and policy; verification program management; training; accreditation; standards and assessment development, management, and communication; communication guidelines around sustainability reporting; benchmarking; education; research and publication; facilitation and collaboration amongst companies and stakeholders; conferences and meetings; stakeholder engagement; impact and industry analysis; thought leadership; membership management and support including best practice sharing and advisory services; membership and industry engagement; and impact assessment for publication targeted to members of Cascale and the public at large; provided, however, that any such public disclosure shall be aggregated, anonymized, or otherwise presented in a manner such that it is no longer identifiable as relating to any individual supplier or subscriber;
(c) to disclose a subscriber’s name, relationship with Cascale, and non-identifiable aspects of its purchasing strategies in Cascale’s publications or on its website, provided that such disclosures do not include specific ratings or scores that directly identify a subscriber;
(d) as otherwise mutually agreed upon between the parties.
7. Limitation of Liability.
7.1. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 7.4., TO THE GREATEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CASCALE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, ENHANCED, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, PUNITIVE, OR SPECIAL DAMAGES IN CONNECTION WITH OR ARISING OUT OF THESE RULES, HOWEVER THEY ARISE, WHETHER IN BREACH OF CONTRACT, BREACH OF WARRANTY OR IN TORT, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, EVEN IF CASCALE HAS PREVIOUSLY BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
7.2. EXCEPT AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 7.4., TO THE GREATEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW, CASCALE’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THESE RULES, WHETHER ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) OR OTHERWISE, SHALL NOT EXCEED $100.00.
7.3. LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES WILL BE LIMITED AND EXCLUDED UNDER THIS PROVISION EVEN IF ANY EXCLUSIVE REMEDY PROVIDED FOR FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.
7.4. THE FOREGOING EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SHALL NOT APPLY TO CLAIMS BASED ON FRAUD, GROSS NEGLIGENCE, OR MORE CULPABLE ACT OR OMISSION (INCLUDING RECKLESSNESS OR WILLFUL MISCONDUCT).
7.5. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, USER ASSUMES ALL RISK AND LIABILITY FOR THE RESULTS OBTAINED BY THE USE OF THE INFORMATION IN THE PRACTICE OF ANY PROCESS, WHETHER IN TERMS OF OPERATING COSTS, GENERAL EFFECTIVENESS, SUCCESS, OR FAILURE, AND REGARDLESS OF ANY ORAL OR WRITTEN STATEMENTS MADE BY CASCALE, BY WAY OF TECHNICAL ADVICE OR OTHERWISE, RELATED TO THE USE OF THE INFORMATION.
8. Miscellaneous.
8.1. These Rules and all matters arising out of or relating to this agreement, whether sounding in contract, tort, or statute, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of California, United States of America, without giving effect to the conflict of laws provisions thereof to the extent such principles or rules would require or permit the application of the laws of any jurisdiction other than those of the State of California. Any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these Rules, or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity thereof, shall be determined by the relevant competent courts and tribunals located in the State of California.
8.2. These Rules contain the entire agreement governing the use and access to the Platform and supersedes any prior communications, representations, or agreements, whether oral or written, with respect to the subject matter of these Rules. Cascale reserves the right, from time to time, in its sole discretion, to modify these Rules. When modifications are made, Cascale will provide notice to User. Cascale may, but is not obligated to, require User to provide consent to the modified Rules. If User does not agree to any change(s) after receiving notice of such change(s), User may elect to cease accessing or using the Platform when the modifications would become effective. User’s continued use of the Platform shall constitute User’s acceptance of such modifications to the Rules.
8.3. A waiver of any provision of these Rules, or a delay by either party in the enforcement of any right hereunder, will neither be construed as a continuing waiver, nor create an expectation of non-enforcement, of that or any other provision or right.
8.4. If one or more of the provisions of these Rules shall be found, by a court or arbitration forum with proper jurisdiction and authority, to be illegal, invalid, or unenforceable, it shall not affect the legality, validity or enforceability of any of the remaining provisions of these Rules.
8.5. User represents and warrants that the execution, delivery, and performance of these Rules, as well as the consummation of the transactions contemplated herein, have been duly authorized by User, and that these Rules have been or will be duly executed and delivered by User, constituting legal, valid, and binding obligations enforceable against User in accordance with their terms, except as may be limited by applicable bankruptcy, insolvency or similar laws affecting creditors’ rights generally or the availability of equitable remedies. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE RULES, CASCALE MAKES NO EXPRESS OR IMPLIED REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY TO USER REGARDING THE NATURE, USEFULNESS OR FUNCTIONALITY OF THE SERVICES AND INFORMATION, AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL IMPLIED WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE RULES, USER ACKNOWLEDGES THAT THE SERVICES AND INFORMATION ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AVAILABLE” WITHOUT GURANTEES AS TO THEIR PERFORMANCE, ACCURACY, OR SUITABILITY FOR USER’S NEEDS.
8.6. Except as expressly set forth in these Rules, the exercise by a party of any of its remedies under these Rules will not be deemed an election of remedies and will be without prejudice to its other remedies under these Rules or available at law or in equity or otherwise.
8.7. These Rules are for the sole benefit of the parties, and nothing herein is intended to or shall confer upon any other person or entity any legal or equitable right, benefit, or remedy of any nature whatsoever under or by reason of these Rules.
8.8. The Rules have been prepared in English, and English shall control its interpretation. In addition, all notices required or permitted to be given hereunder, and all written, electronic, oral or other communications between the parties regarding the Rules, shall be in English.