Welcome to the American Barbecue Association, Inc.’s website. – AmericanBBQ.org. In order to use our Site, you must agree to our Terms of Use –The Terms of Use are our “rules of the road” – they are important and contain many legal disclosures that you should read carefully – including terms of sale that apply when you buy something through the Site and other terms that specify permissible uses of the Site. Why all the rules? Bottom line: because we value your trust and loyalty and need a consistent set of rules to fairly, consistently and respectfully ensure that the Site is only used properly. If you have any questions about these Terms of Use email us at [email protected]
These Terms of Use were last updated on February 2, 2012.
The American Barbecue Association, Inc. (AmericanBBQ™) operates this website, www.AmericanBBQ.org, the mobile and touch versions and any individual sites or merchant-specific, city-specific, or other area-specific sites we have now or in the future. The website and links contained within or otherwise available through external hyperlinks within our Site (“Microsites”) will be collectively referred to as the side in these Terms of Use. By using our Site and AmericanBBQ™ services through the Site, you (you or, End User) agree to these Terms of Use, our Privacy Statement, and any additional terms applicable to certain programs in which you may elect to participate or with respect to any Microsite, as any of the same may exist from time to time (collectively, the Terms of Use or Agreement). IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT, IMMEDIATELY STOP ACCESSING THE SITE AND DO NOT USE ANY AMERICAN BARBECUE ASSOCIATION INC. SERVICE OFFERED THROUGH THE SITE.
The Site provides an interactive online service operated by AmericanBBQ, consisting primarily of promotion and marketing services on behalf of certain merchants (“Merchants”) making vouchers for Merchant goods and services (“vouchers”) available to its users. Vouchers may be purchased by AmericanBBQ account holders and exchanged for goods and services from the issuing Merchants or other parties identified in the terms of the offer and subject to the Terms of Sale set forth below. As a condition of your use of this Site, you agree that:
You acknowledge that there may be interruptions in service or events that are beyond our control. While we use reasonable efforts to keep the Site accessible, the Site may be unavailable from time to time for any reason including, without limitation, routine maintenance. You understand and acknowledge that due to circumstances both within and outside of our control Site access may be interrupted, suspended or terminated. AmericanBBQ retains the right at our sole discretion to deny service, or access to the Site to anyone or an account, at any time and for any reason.
The content and information on this Site as well as the infrastructure used to provide both, is proprietary to us or our Merchants and other partners. You agree not to modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works from, transfer, or sell or re-sell any information, software, products or services obtained from or through the Site.
Because we do not control the security of the Internet or other networks you use to access the Site or communicate with us, we can’t be, and are not responsible for, the security of information that you choose to communicate with AmericanBBQ and the Site while it is being transmitted. In addition, AmericanBBQ is not responsible for any data lost during transmission.
Our Site is private property. All interactions on this Site must be lawful and must comply with these Terms of Use. To the extent your conduct (as judged by us in our sole discretion), restricts or inhibits any other user from using or enjoying any part of this Site, we may limit your privileges on the Site and seek other remedies. PLEASE DO NOT ENGAGE IN ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIVITIES, they are prohibited on the Site and constitute express violations of this Agreement:
If you create an account on our Site, you may only create and hold one account that you are solely responsible for managing. Your account is non-transferrable and may not be sold, combined or otherwise shared with any other person. If you violate any of these limitations we may terminate your account and, without limitation, you may forfeit any pending, current or future promotional account credits and any unredeemed vouchers in your account. If we terminate your account, you may not re-enroll or join under a new account unless we formally invite you. If you commit fraud or falsify information in connection with your use of the Site or in connection with your AmericanBBQ account, your account will be terminated immediately and we reserve the right to hold you liable for any and all damages that we suffer, to pursue legal action through relevant local and national law enforcement authorities and to notify your Internet Service Provider of any fraudulent activity we associate with you or your use of the Site.
All sales through our shopping cart system are returnable if unused up to 30 days past the date of purchase.
We reserve the right at all times to discontinue or modify any part of this Agreement as we deem necessary or desirable. If we make changes that materially affect your use of the Site or our services we will notify you by sending you an e-mail to the e-mail address that is registered with your account and/or by posting notice of the change on the Site. Any changes to these Terms of Use will be effective upon the earlier of our dispatch of an e-mail notice to you or our posting of notice of the changes on our Site, provided that, these changes will not apply to vouchers purchased prior to the effective date of such changes. These changes will be effective immediately for new users of our Site and for all vouchers purchased after the effective date of the change. We suggest that you revisit our Terms of Use from time to time to ensure that you stay informed of any such notifications of changes to the Site. Your use of the Site after we update these Terms of Use will constitute acceptance of the modified Terms of Use.
We also reserve the right to change or discontinue any aspect or feature of our services or the Site including, but not limited to requirements for access or use.
Everything located on or in this Site is the exclusive property of AmericanBBQ or is being used with permission. ANY COPYING, DISTRIBUTING, TRANSMITTING, POSTING, LINKING, DEEP LINKING, OR OTHERWISE MODIFYING OF THIS SITE OR ANY OF THE MICROSITES WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN PERMISSION OF AmericanBBQ IS PROHIBITED. Any violation of this requirement may result in a copyright, trademark or other intellectual property right infringement that may subject you to civil and/or criminal penalties.
This Site and any Microsite contains copyrighted material, trademarks and other proprietary information, including, but not limited to, text, software, photos, video, graphics, music and sound, and the entire contents of the Site are protected by copyright as a collective work under the United States copyright laws. AmericanBBQ owns a copyright in the selection, coordination, arrangement and enhancement of such content, as well as in the content original to it. You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit any of the content, in whole or in part. You may download, print, and/or save copyrighted material for your personal use only. Except as otherwise expressly stated under copyright law, no copying, redistribution, retransmission, publication or commercial exploitation of downloaded material without the express permission of AmericanBBQ or the copyright owner is permitted. If copying, redistribution or publication of copyrighted material is permitted, you will make independent attribution and/or agree to make no changes in or deletion of any author attribution, trademark legend or copyright notice. You acknowledge that you do not acquire any ownership rights by downloading copyrighted material.
AmericanBBQ, AmmericanBBQ.org and the grilling American eagle logo are trademarks of the American Barbecue Association, Inc. It, together with other trademarks that are located within or on the Site otherwise owned or operated in conjunction with AmericanBBQ shall not be deemed to be in the public domain but rather the exclusive property of AmericanBBQ, unless such mark or site is under license from the trademark owner thereof, in which case such license is for the exclusive benefit and use of AmericanBBQ unless otherwise stated.
You will not upload, post or otherwise make available on this Site any material protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right without the express permission of the owner of the copyright, trademark or other proprietary right. AmericanBBQ does not have any express burden or responsibility to provide you with indications, markings or anything else that may aid you in determining whether the material in question is copyrighted or trademarked. You will be solely liable for any damage resulting from any infringement of copyrights, trademarks, proprietary rights or any other harm resulting from such a submission. By submitting material to any public area of this Site, you warrant that the owner of such material has expressly granted AmericanBBQ the royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate and distribute such material (in whole or in part) worldwide and/or to incorporate it in other works in any form, media or technology now known or hereafter developed for the full term of any copyright that may exist in such material. You also permit any other end user to access, view, store or reproduce the material for that End User’s personal use. You also grant AmericanBBQ the right to edit, copy, publish and distribute any material that you make available on this Site.
AmericanBBQ reserves the right to terminate its agreement with you or any other End User who infringes third-party copyrights.
If you believe that any material has been posted via the Site by an End User in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, you shall provide AmericanBBQ with the following information: (a) an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyrighted work; (b) an identification of the copyrighted work and the location on the Site of the allegedly infringing work; (c) a written statement that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the owner, its agent, or the law; (d) your name and contact information, including telephone number and e-mail address; and (e) a statement by you that the above information in your notice is accurate and, under penalty of perjury, that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf.
Contact information for AmericanBBQ’s DMCA Agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement is:
AmericanBBQ, Inc. Attn: 1212 Winding Chase Boulevard, Winter Springs, FL 32708 USA or [email protected]
YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT USE OF THIS SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. NEITHER AMERICANBBQ, ITS SUBSIDIARIES AFFILIATES NOR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, MERCHANTS, THIRD-PARTY CONTENT PROVIDERS OR LICENSORS, OR ANY OF THEIR OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS, WARRANT THAT USE OF THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR FREE; NOR DO THEY MAKE ANY WARRANTY AS TO (I) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM USE OF THIS SITE, OR (II) THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY OR CONTENT OF ANY INFORMATION, SERVICE OR VOUCHERS PROVIDED THROUGH THIS SITE. THE SITE IS MADE ACCESSIBLE ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. AMERICANBBQ HEREBY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES AND CONDITIONS, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THOSE OF TITLE NONINFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY, AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
IN NO EVENT SHALL AMERICANBBQ, ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES NOR ANY OF THEIR RESPECTIVE EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, MERCHANTS, PARTNERS, THIRD-PARTY CONTENT PROVIDERS OR LICENSORS, OR ANY OF THEIR OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES OR AGENTS, BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SITE, THE CONTENT, STATEMENTS (AS DEFINED BELOW) AND OTHER INFORMATION CONTAINED THEREIN ORTHESE TERMS OF USE. IN NO EVENT WILL AMERICANBBQ’S LIABILITY IN CONNECTION WITH A VOUCHER EXCEED THE AMOUNTS PAID FOR SUCH VOUCHER. TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNTS PAID BY YOU DURING THE SIX MONTHS PRECEDING THE BRINGING OF ANY CLAIM, OR FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS, WHICHEVER IS LESS.
We will make every reasonable effort to resolve any disagreements that you have with AmericanBBQ. If those efforts fail, by using this Site you agree that any claim, dispute, or controversy you may have against AmericanBBQ arising out of, relating to, or connected in any way with this Agreement this Site or the purchase or sale of any voucher(s), shall be resolved exclusively by final and binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) and conducted before a single arbitrator pursuant to the applicable Rules and Procedures established by AAA (“Rules and Procedures”). You agree further that: (a) the arbitration shall be held at a location determined by AAA pursuant to the Rules and Procedures (provided that such location is reasonably convenient for you), or at such other location as may be mutually agreed upon by you and AmericanBBQ; (b) the arbitrator shall apply Illinois law consistent with the Federal Arbitration Act and applicable statutes of limitations, and shall honor claims of privilege recognized at law; (c) there shall be no authority for any claims to be arbitrated on a class or representative basis; arbitration can decide only your and/or AmericanBBQ’s individual claims; and the arbitrator may not consolidate or join the claims of other persons or parties who may be similarly situated; (d) in the event that you are able to demonstrate that the costs of arbitration will be prohibitive as compared to the costs of litigation, AmericanBBQ will pay as much of your filing and hearing fees in connection with the arbitration as the arbitrator deems necessary to prevent the arbitration from being cost-prohibitive; and (e) with the exception of subpart (c) above, if any part of this arbitration provision is deemed to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, or otherwise conflicts with the Rules and Procedures established by AAA, then the balance of this arbitration provision shall remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with its terms as if the invalid, unenforceable, illegal or conflicting provision were not contained herein. If, however, subpart (c) is found to be invalid, unenforceable or illegal, then the entirety of this Arbitration Provision shall be null and void, and neither you nor AmericanBBQ shall be entitled to arbitrate their dispute.
AmericanBBQ in some instances allows you and other End Users to use the Site to express opinions and communicate through forums, bulletin boards, discussion groups, chat rooms or other communication facilities that may be offered on or through the Site from time to time (collectively “Communities”). AmericanBBQ shall have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor the content within the Communities at any time, for any reason, including to determine compliance with this Agreement and any operating rules established by AmericanBBQ, as well as to satisfy any applicable law, regulation or authorized government request. Without limiting the foregoing, AmericanBBQ shall have the right, but not the obligation, to remove any material from the Communities that AmericanBBQ, in its sole discretion, finds to be in violation of this Agreement or otherwise objectionable. Any opinions, advice, ratings, discussions, comments, and/or other messages or postings of any kind made by you or any other End User to the Communities (collectively, “Statements”), are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of AmericanBBQ.
The Site contains links to websites maintained by other parties. These links are provided solely as a convenience to you and not because we endorse or have an opinion about the contents on such websites. We expressly disclaim any representations regarding the content or accuracy of materials on such websites or the privacy practices of those websites. If you decide to access websites maintained by other parties, you do so at your own risk.
You understand and agree that all Statements are public and not private. Any other person (whether or not a user of AmericanBBQ’s services) may read your Statements without your knowledge. Please do not include any Personal Information (as defined in our Privacy Statement) in your Statements. AmericanBBQ does not control or endorse any Statement found in any part of the Communities, and we specifically disclaim any liability concerning the Statements and the Communities and any actions resulting from your participation in any part of the Communities, including any objectionable content. Any and all Statements you post to our Site are not confidential.
By posting Statements or other information on or through the Communities, you grant AmericanBBQ a royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive license to use, reproduce, modify, publish, edit, translate, distribute, perform, and display the Statements alone or as part of other works in any form, media, or technology whether now known or hereafter developed without territorial or time limitations, and to sublicense such rights through multiple tiers of sublicensees. Your license of any Statements or information submitted above extends to use for promotions, advertising, market research or any other lawful purpose, without limitation.
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless AmericanBBQ, its subsidiaries, affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents from and against all claims and expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising out of or related to any products or services purchased by you in connection with the Site or any use of the Site in violation of these Terms.
You are solely responsible for your interactions with Merchants and other users of the Site. To the extent permitted under applicable laws, you hereby release AmericanBBQ from any and all claims or liability related to any product or service of a Merchant, any action or inaction by Merchant, including Merchant’s failure to comply with applicable law and/or failure to abide by the terms of a AmericanBBQ, and any conduct or speech, whether online or offline, of any other user.
AmericanBBQ may terminate these Terms of Use at any time. Without limiting the foregoing, AmericanBBQ shall have the right to immediately terminate or suspend any of your passwords or accounts in the eventAmericanBBQ considers, in its sole discretion, any of your conduct to be unacceptable, or in the event you breach this Agreement. Notwithstanding the above, these Terms of Use will survive termination of this Agreement.
Any disputes arising out of or related to these Terms of Use and/or any Use by you of AmericanBBQ’s Site or services shall be governed by the internal laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its choice of law rules and without regard to conflicts of laws principles except that the Arbitration provision at Paragraph 13 shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act. Venue for any dispute will only be in a court of competent jurisdiction located in Seminole County, Florida, USA.
No waiver by either you or AmericanBBQ of any breach or default or failure to exercise any right allowed under this Agreement is a waiver of any preceding or subsequent breach or default or a waiver or forfeiture of any similar or future rights under our Agreement. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall be of no legal force or effect. If any provision of our Agreement is held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, such invalidity shall not affect the enforceability of any other provisions contained in this Agreement, and the remaining portions of our Agreement shall continue in full force and effect.
The American Barbecue Association, Inc is located at 1212 Winding Chase Boulevard, Winter Springs, Florida 32708 USA.
If you are a California resident, you may report complaints to the Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the California Department of Consumer Affairs by contacting them in writing at 400 R Street, Sacramento, CA 95814, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.
The provisions of these Terms of Use apply equally to and are for the benefit of AmericanBBQ, its subsidiaries, affiliates, Merchants and its third-party content providers and licensors, and each shall have the right to assert and enforce such provisions directly or on its own behalf.