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Terms of Use

Last updated:

April 25, 2024

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF USE (THE “AGREEMENT”) CAREFULLY BEFORE ACCESSING OR USING THE WEBSITE LOCATED AT HTTPS://FATHOMVERSE.GAME/ AND ITS SUB-DOMAINS (THE “WEBSITE”) OR THE FATHOMVERSE MOBILE APPLICATION MADE AVAILABLE AS A DOWNLOAD TO YOUR DEVICE (THE “APP”, AND TOGETHER WITH THE WEBSITE AND ANY RELATED SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES ASSOCIATED WITH THE FATHOMVERSE GAME, ARE COLLECTIVELY REFERRED TO HEREIN AS “FATHOMVERSE”).

THIS AGREEMENT CONSTITUTES A LEGALLY BINDING CONTRACT BETWEEN A USER OF FATHOMVERSE (“YOU” OR “YOUR”), AND THE OPERATOR OF FATHOMVERSE, MONTEREY BAY AQUARIUM RESEARCH INSTITUTE (“MBARI,” “WE,” “US,” OR “OUR”).  THIS AGREEMENT GOVERNS YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF FATHOMVERSE.  


BY ACCESSING, USING, AND/OR DOWNLOADING FATHOMVERSE, YOU (AND YOUR PARENT OR GUARDIAN, IF NEEDED): (1) REPRESENT YOU HAVE READ AND UNDERSTAND THIS AGREEMENT AND OUR PRIVACY POLICY HTTPS://FATHOMVERSE.GAME/PRIVACY, AND (2) ACCEPT AND AGREE TO THIS AGREEMENT AND OUR PRIVACY POLICY.   PLEASE DO NOT USE FATHOMVERSE IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO THIS AGREEMENT OR THE PRIVACY POLICY.


Changes to Agreement

We may change, modify, add, or remove portions of this Agreement (each, an “Update”) at any time and such Updates will be effective immediately. We will make reasonable efforts to provide advance notice about material changes to this Agreement, although you understand that we may make Updates without prior notice.  If we make Updates to this Agreement, we will change the "Last Updated" date above.  Your continued use of FathomVerse will confirm your acceptance of the updated Agreement.  We encourage you to frequently review the Agreement to ensure you understand the latest terms and conditions associated with use of FathomVerse.  If you do not agree to the updated Agreement, you must discontinue using FathomVerse.


Privacy Policy

Please refer to our Privacy Policy (the “Privacy Policy") https://fathomverse.game/privacy for information regarding how we collect, use, and disclose information about you in connection with your use of FathomVerse.  The terms and conditions of our Privacy Policy are incorporated into this Agreement.   


Eligibility

Companies, Organizations & Other Legal Entities. If you are entering into this Agreement on behalf of a company, organization, or other legal entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind such an entity and its affiliates, in which case the terms “you” or “your” shall also refer to such an entity and its affiliates. You further agree that you assume all responsibility and liability in connection with your use of FathomVerse on behalf of such a company, organization, or other legal entity.  

Children.  FathomVerse is available only for individuals aged 13 years or older. If you are age 13 or older but under the age of 18, or the legal age of majority where you reside if that jurisdiction has an older age of majority, then you agree to review this Agreement with your parent or guardian to make sure that both you and your parent or guardian understand and agree to this Agreement. You agree to have your parent or guardian review and accept this Agreement on your behalf. If you are a parent or guardian agreeing to this Agreement for the benefit of a child, then you agree to and accept full responsibility for that child’s use of FathomVerse. 


Access and Use Rights

Subject to your compliance with this Agreement and all applicable laws, MBARI grants you a limited, nonexclusive, non-transferable, and revocable right to access and use FathomVerse and its  Website, App, social media pages, together with any related services, APIs and applications, for permitted purposes in accordance with the terms and conditions of this Agreement.  

The image and video assets (“Images”) and associated annotation data, if any,  for such Images (the “Annotations”) in FathomVerse originate from a variety of sources and are made available to you in FathomVerse on the same basis as they are made available to users of MBARI’s online open source database of Images and Annotations called FathomNet.  Accordingly, the Images and Annotations in FathomVerse are subject to Creative Commons open source licenses (the “Licenses”) as set forth in more detail in the FathomNet Terms of Use https://fathomnet.org/fathomnet/#/license.  


Your Responsibilities

Users are expected to act as responsible and respectful participants of the FathomVerse community and to comply with all MBARI policies and all applicable laws when using FathomVerse.  You will ensure that your use of FathomVerse does not violate any applicable law.  You are solely responsible for taking appropriate action to secure, protect, and back up your devices in a manner that will provide appropriate security and protection.  


Modification to FathomVerse

MBARI may, at any time and for any reason, change, update, or discontinue FathomVerse, or any part thereof, with or without notice. MBARI will not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of FathomVerse.  We will give you reasonable advance notice about any major changes, although you understand that we may stop, suspend, or change FathomVerse at any time without prior notice.  You may cease using FathomVerse at any time.


Technology Guidelines

The rights granted to you under this Agreement are subject to the following guidelines concerning FathomVerse:

  • You will not copy, reproduce, distribute, transmit, republish, post, publicly perform or publicly display FathomVerse, or any information or content made available on or through the Website, App, or MBARI’s social media pages, without MBARI’s prior written consent; provided, you may use Images and Annotations in accordance with the Licenses set forth in more detail in the FathomNet Terms of Use;

  • You will not modify, translate, adapt, merge, make derivative works of, disassemble, decompile, frame, reverse compile, or reverse engineer any part of the Website or App; 

  • You will not access or use the Website or App to build a similar or competitive service or application;  

  • You will not remove or destroy any copyright notices or other proprietary markings contained on or in any portion of the Website or App; 

  • You will not use any scraping, data mining, robots, or similar data gathering or extraction methods on the Website or App, and you will not collect or harvest any personally identifiable information;   

  • You will not create or compile, directly or indirectly, any collection, compilation, database, or directory from the Website or App;

  • You will not disrupt the operation of the Website or App in any manner or impose an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure, for example by using methods such as denial of service attacks, flooding, and spamming; 

  • You will not transmit any "junk mail", "chain letter", "spam", or any other similar solicitation;

  • You will not attempt to interfere with, compromise the system integrity or security, or decipher any transmissions to or from the servers running the Website or App;

  • You will not probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of our system or network, or attempt to breach security or authentication measures;

  • You will not upload invalid data, viruses, worms, keyloggers, spyware, Trojan horses, time bombs, malicious or harmful code, or other software agents through the Website or App;

  • You will not use the Website or App other than for their intended purposes; and  

  • You will not access or use the Website or App in an unlawful way or for an unlawful or illegitimate purpose. 


You are solely responsible for complying with all laws, rules, and regulations applicable to you when you use FathomVerse and its Website, App, social media pages, APIs, and other applications.  You agree to comply with the above conduct and usage requirements (“Technology Guidelines”), and agree not to assist or permit any person to engage in any conduct that does not comply with the Technology Guidelines.  Any use of FathomVerse in violation of these Technology Guidelines is prohibited and may result in our suspension or termination of your right to use FathomVerse, and may possibly expose you to legal action and damages.     


MBARI Content 

Except for Images, Annotations (owned by contributors of Images), and Third Party Content (as defined below), all information and materials contained on or within FathomVerse, including, but not limited to, text, graphics, HTML, look and feel, images, illustrations, designs, photographs, audio, video, white papers, press releases, names, product names or descriptions, icons, typefaces, software (both source and object code), format, queries, algorithms, and written and other materials and information (collectively, "MBARI Content"), as well as their selection and arrangement, and all intellectual property and other rights relating to MBARI Content, as between you and MBARI, are solely and exclusively owned by MBARI.  You will not delete or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary rights notices from MBARI Content.


Images

Images are the copyrighted work of their owners who are contributing them to FathomVerse for use in the App and submission to FathomNet and its applications.  Contributors of Images expressly retain all right, title, and interest in and to those Images, including, without limitation, all intellectual property rights therein and thereto.


Annotations

Images frequently include Annotations which belong either to the contributor of the Image or to MBARI, in each case who are contributing the Annotations to FathomVerse for use in the App and submission to FathomNet and its applications.  Contributors of Images or MBARI, as the case may be, retain all right, title, and interest in and to the Annotations, including, without limitation, all intellectual property rights therein and thereto.


Any annotation data shared by you while playing the FathomVerse game (i) will be transmitted to, and incorporated into, the FathomNet online database, (ii) is contributed by you subject to the terms and conditions of the FathomNet Data Use Policy https://fathomnet.org/fathomnet/#/about#datause, and (iii) will be made available to other users of FathomNet and its applications (such as FathomVerse) in accordance with the FathomNet Terms of Use https://fathomnet.org/fathomnet/#/license and terms applicable to Annotations thereunder.  For clarity, all Annotations contributed by users of FathomVerse shall be deemed MBARI Content.


Third Party Content

FathomVerse may contain other proprietary information and materials licensed or provided to MBARI by third parties in connection with MBARI’s provision of FathomVerse (collectively, “Third Party Content”).  Third Party Content is the copyrighted work of its owner, who expressly retains all right, title, and interest in and to the Third Party Content, including and without limitation, all intellectual property rights therein and thereto.


Social Media 

When we make available certain social media features through tiktok, instagram, discord, youtube, or other social media sites, you may take such actions as are enabled by those features.  Please be aware that activities on our social media sites, or facilitated by or through our social media sites, are subject to the terms and conditions of the applicable social media site(s).  Any information or content provided to social media sites may be processed and used by the applicable social media sites in accordance with their policies and any agreements with MBARI.


Links to Other Sites

FathomVerse may contain links to other websites.  The fact that we link to a website is not an endorsement, authorization, or representation of our affiliation with that third party.  We do not exercise control over third party websites.  These other websites may place their own cookies or other files on your computer, collect data, or solicit personal information from you. Other sites follow different rules regarding the use or disclosure of the personal information you submit to them.  We encourage you to read the privacy policies and terms of use for the other websites you visit.


Ownership

MBARI and/or its licensors own all right, title, and interest, including all related intellectual property rights, in and to FathomVerse and MBARI Content.  Images, certain Annotations and Third Party Content are owned by the applicable contributors or licensors, as the case may be.  This Agreement is not a sale and does not convey to you any rights of ownership in or related to FathomVerse, MBARI Content, Images, Annotations, or Third Party Content.  MBARI reserves all rights not expressly granted in this Agreement. 


All trademarks, service marks, logos, slogans, and taglines displayed on or through FathomVerse are the property of MBARI and its licensors or their respective owners, and nothing contained herein should be construed as granting any license or right to use any trademarks, service marks, logos, slogans, or taglines displayed on or through FathomVerse without the express written permission of MBARI, or such third-party that may own the trademark, service mark, logo, slogan, or tagline.


Your Feedback

We welcome feedback, comments, and suggestions for improvements to FathomVerse (“Feedback”).  We may ask for your Feedback in connection with your use of FathomVerse, and you can always submit Feedback by emailing us at fathomverse@mbari.org


You grant us a nonexclusive, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free, fully paid up right and license to use any Feedback provided by you to us with respect to FathomVerse, and we can use, disclose, reproduce, license, and otherwise distribute and exploit Feedback in any manner without obligation or restriction of any kind on account of intellectual property rights or otherwise.  MBARI will treat any Feedback you provide to us as non-confidential and non-proprietary.  


Consent to Electronic Notice

If you provide your email address to MBARI through FathomVerse, or by e-mailing MBARI directly, you agree that MBARI may communicate with you electronically regarding administrative, security, and other issues relating to your use of FathomVerse. You agree that any notices, agreements, disclosures, or other communications that MBARI sends to you electronically will satisfy any legal communication requirements, including that such communications be in writing.  The foregoing does not affect your statutory rights. 


General Disclaimers 

FATHOMVERSE, MBARI CONTENT, IMAGES, ANNOTATIONS, AND THIRD PARTY CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS-IS” AND WITHOUT ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, OR STATUTORY. WE SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.  WE DO NOT GUARANTEE CONTINUOUS, UNINTERRUPTED, OR SECURE ACCESS TO ANY PART OF FATHOMVERSE, AND OPERATION OF FATHOMVERSE (INCLUDING ANY NETWORKS AND SERVERS USED TO PROVIDE ANY OF FATHOMVERSE) OPERATED BY US OR ON OUR BEHALF MAY BE INTERFERED WITH BY NUMEROUS FACTORS OUTSIDE OF OUR CONTROL.  


MBARI MAKES NO REPRESENTATIONS, WARRANTIES, OR GUARANTEES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY, TIMELINESS, RELIABILITY, COMPLETENESS, OR USEFULNESS OF ANY OF THE MBARI CONTENT, IMAGES, ANNOTATIONS, OR THIRD PARTY CONTENT, NOR DOES MBARI REPRESENT, WARRANT, OR GUARANTEE THAT FATHOMVERSE IS FREE OF VIRUSES, BUGS, DEFECTS, ERRORS, OR OTHER HARMFUL CODE, OR PROGRAMS INTENDED TO INTERCEPT OR ACQUIRE DATA. 


Please note, the ability to exclude warranties varies in different jurisdictions. To the extent that a jurisdiction places limits on the ability for a party to exclude warranties, these exclusions exist to the extent permitted by law. Because of this jurisdictional variance, some of the above exclusions may not apply to you.


Limitation of Liability 

IN NO EVENT SHALL MBARI OR ITS AFFILIATES, OR THEIR OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS, LICENSORS OR SUPPLIERS, BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER (INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOSS OF GOODWILL, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF PROGRAMS OR OTHER DATA ON YOUR COMPUTER OR DEVICE OR OTHERWISE, OR SIMILAR DAMAGES) RESULTING FROM OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION (I) YOUR USE OR INABILITY TO USE FATHOMVERSE, OR ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES IN MBARI CONTENT, IMAGES, ANNOTATIONS, OR THIRD PARTY CONTENT INCLUDED ON OR OTHERWISE MADE AVAILABLE TO YOU THROUGH FATHOMVERSE, (II) ANY PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE, OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER, RESULTING FROM FATHOMVERSE, (III) ANY INFRINGEMENT BY FATHOMVERSE, OR THE MBARI CONTENT, IMAGES, ANNOTATIONS, OR THIRD PARTY CONTENT THEREIN, OF THE INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS OR OTHER RIGHTS OF THIRD PARTIES, (IV) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE, WHICH MAY BE TRANSMITTED TO OR THROUGH FATHOMVERSE, OR (V) ANY SECURITY INCIDENT AFFECTING FATHOMVERSE, WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES ARE BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT MBARI IS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. THE FOREGOING LIMITATION OF LIABILITY SHALL APPLY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW IN THE APPLICABLE JURISDICTION.


YOU AGREE THAT WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD-PARTY FOR ANY USE, INABILITY TO USE, MODIFICATION, SUSPENSION, OR WITHDRAWAL OF FATHOMVERSE, OR ANY FEATURES, PARTS, OR CONTENT OF FATHOMVERSE. 


General Release

You are solely responsible for all claims, injuries (including death), illnesses, damages, liabilities, and costs (“Liabilities”) suffered by you or any third party as a result of your use of FathomVerse.  To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you hereby release the MBARI Parties (as defined below) from any and all responsibility and liability for the foregoing.


YOU HEREBY WAIVE THE PROVISIONS OF ANY STATE OR LOCAL LAW LIMITING OR PROHIBITING A GENERAL RELEASE. IF YOU ARE A CALIFORNIA RESIDENT, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND HEREBY EXPRESSLY WAIVE CALIFORNIA CIVIL CODE SECTION 1542, WHICH STATES: “A GENERAL RELEASE DOES NOT EXTEND TO CLAIMS WHICH THE CREDITOR OR RELEASING PARTY DOES NOT KNOW OR SUSPECT TO EXIST IN HIS OR HER FAVOR AT THE TIME OF EXECUTING THE RELEASE, AND THAT, IF KNOWN BY HIM OR HER, WOULD HAVE MATERIALLY AFFECTED HIS OR HER SETTLEMENT WITH THE DEBTOR OR RELEASED PARTY.”  You hereby expressly waive and relinquish all rights and benefits under that section and any law of any jurisdiction of similar effect with respect to the release of any unknown or unsuspected claims you may have against the MBARI Parties pertaining to the subject matter of this section. 


Indemnification By You

Without limiting the generality or effecting other provisions of this Agreement, as a condition of accessing or using FathomVerse, you agree, at your expense, to indemnify and hold harmless MBARI and its affiliates, licensors and suppliers, and our and their officers, directors, employees, and agents (“MBARI Parties”), from and against any and all losses, costs, damages, liabilities and expenses (including without limitation attorneys' fees) in relation to or arising from (i) your use or inability to use FathomVerse, (ii) your annotation data, if applicable, (iii) your failure to comply with any applicable laws and regulations (including any privacy laws), (iv) your violation of any third party right, including without limitation any copyright, property, or privacy right, or (v) your breach of any obligations set forth in this Agreement.  You shall not settle any such claim without the written consent of the applicable indemnified party.


For any third-party claim covered under this indemnification provision, we will notify you upon becoming aware of the claim, and you will also defend such claim at your expense if instructed by us to do so. If we or our partners or licensors are obligated to respond to a third-party subpoena or other compulsory legal order or process, you will also reimburse us for reasonable attorneys’ fees, as well as employees’ and contractors’ time and materials spent responding to the third-party subpoena or other compulsory legal order or process at the applicable then-current hourly rates.


Term; Violations of Agreement 

This Agreement will remain in full force and effect while you use FathomVerse. We reserve the right (but have no obligation) to investigate and/or take appropriate action against you in our sole discretion if you violate this Agreement or otherwise create liability for us or any other person. Such actions could include suspending or terminating your right to use FathomVerse, with or without notice. If your rights with respect to FathomVerse are suspended or terminated, you agree to make no further use of FathomVerse as directed by MBARI for the duration of the suspension or indefinitely following termination. 


ARBITRATION CLAUSE & CLASS ACTION WAIVER – APPLICABLE TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW


Any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to this Agreement or the breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation, or validity thereof, including the determination of the scope or applicability of this agreement to arbitrate, shall be determined by arbitration in San Francisco, California, United States of America, before one arbitrator.  The language to be used in the arbitral proceedings will be English.  If the dispute, claim, or controversy exceeds $250,000, the arbitration shall be administered by JAMS pursuant to its Comprehensive Arbitration Rules and Procedures (the “Rules”), and if not, the arbitration shall be administered by JAMS pursuant to the Rules and in accordance with the Expedited Procedures or similar process set forth in the Rules.  Judgment on the award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.  This clause shall not preclude parties from seeking provisional remedies in aid of arbitration from a court of appropriate jurisdiction.


In any arbitration arising out of or related to this Agreement, the arbitrator shall award to the prevailing party, if any, the costs and attorneys’ fees reasonably incurred by the prevailing party in connection with the arbitration.  If the arbitrator determines a party to be the prevailing party under circumstances where the prevailing party won on some but not all of the claims and counterclaims, the arbitrator may award the prevailing party an appropriate percentage of the costs and attorneys’ fees reasonably incurred by the prevailing party in connection with the arbitration.


YOU AND MBARI AGREE THAT EACH OF US MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY, AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING.  Further, if the parties’ dispute is resolved through arbitration, the arbitrator may not consolidate another person’s claims with your claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding.


YOU AND MBARI EACH HEREBY WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY FOR DISPUTES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT, AND THIS WAIVER APPLIES REGARDLESS OF THE TYPE OF DISPUTE, WHETHER PROCEEDING UNDER CLAIMS OF CONTRACT OR TORT (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION NEGLIGENCE) OR ANY OTHER THEORY.


Additional Terms for Apple Device Users

The following additional terms and conditions govern your use of the App should you choose to download it via the Apple App Store (if such downloads are available) or operate it on any device you own or control which runs any Apple mobile operating system, including, but not limited to, iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch devices (each, an “Apple Device”). You hereby acknowledge that this Agreement is between you and MBARI, and not Apple, Inc. (“Apple”), and that MBARI, and not Apple, is solely responsible for the App and content thereof that you downloaded via the Apple App Store and installed on your Apple Device.  

Scope of License. Without limiting the other terms and conditions of this Agreement, you may only use the App on your Apple Device as permitted by the Usage Rules set forth in the App Store Terms of Service.

Maintenance and Support: MBARI is solely responsible for providing any maintenance and support services with respect to the App, as specified in this Agreement, or as required under applicable law. MBARI and you acknowledge that Apple has no obligation whatsoever to furnish any maintenance and support services with respect to the App.

Warranty: The App is provided subject to the disclaimers and limitation of liability sections above. If any warranty is imposed by law in respect of the App and not effectively disclaimed by that section, then in the event of any failure of the App to conform to such warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund you the purchase price (if any) for the App; and to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Apple will have no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the App, and any other claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, or expenses attributable to any failure to conform to such warranty will be MBARI’s sole responsibility.

Product Claims: You acknowledge that MBARI, not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claim you or any third-party may have relating to the App or your possession and/or use of the App, including but not limited to (i) product liability claims, (ii) any claim that the App fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement, and (iii) claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation.

Intellectual Property Rights: You acknowledge that, in the event of any third-party claim that the App or your possession and/or use of the App infringes that third-party’s intellectual property rights, MBARI, not Apple, will be solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of any such intellectual property infringement claim.

Legal Compliance: You represent and warrant that (i) 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, (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties, and (iii) you will comply with all relevant U.N. and EU sanctions and embargoes.

Developer Name and Address: Any questions, comments, complaints, or claims relating to the App and/or your use of the App must be directed to: MBARI, 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, California 95039.

Third-Party Beneficiary: You acknowledge and agree that Apple, and Apple’s subsidiaries, are third-party beneficiaries of this Agreement and, upon your acceptance of the terms of this Agreement, Apple will have the right (and is deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce this Agreement against you as a third-party beneficiary thereof.


Force Majeure

You agree that MBARI is not responsible to you for anything that we may otherwise be responsible for, if it is the result of events beyond our control, including, but not limited to, acts of God, war, insurrection, riots, terrorism, crime, pandemics and epidemics, labor shortages (including lawful and unlawful strikes), embargoes, postal disruption, communication disruption, failure or shortage of infrastructure, shortage of materials, or any other event beyond our control.


Governing Law and Venue

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of the State of California, United States of America, without regard to its rules on conflicts or choice of law. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods shall not apply to this Agreement.


General Terms

This Agreement, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the sole agreement between you and MBARI for your use and the provision of FathomVerse, and the subject matter hereof. The section titles in this Agreement are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect.  Should any provision of this Agreement be held invalid or unenforceable, such provision will be modified to the extent necessary to render it enforceable without losing its intent or severed from this Agreement if no such modification is possible, and other provisions of this Agreement will remain in full force and effect. A waiver by either party of any term or condition of this Agreement or any breach thereof, in any one instance, will not waive such term or condition or any subsequent breach thereof. This Agreement and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not be transferred, delegated, or assigned by you, but may be assigned, delegated or transferred by MBARI without restriction. Any attempted assignment, subcontract, delegation or transfer by you in violation of the foregoing will be null and void. This Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of each of the parties and the parties’ respective successors and permitted assignees. 


Contact Information

If you have any questions about FathomVerse or this Agreement, please contact us at  fathomverse@mbari.org or 7700 Sandholdt Road, Moss Landing, California 95039​.



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