Terms And Conditions

Welcome to Merseyside Productions Inc. | Food Photography Blog!

1. BINDING AGREEMENT. These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) act as a binding agreement (“Agreement) between you and Merseyside Productions, Inc. dba as Food Photography Blog (“FPB”, “us”, “we”, “our”). By accessing the website located at https://foodphotographyblog.com (the “Site”) or purchasing products provided through the Site, you acknowledge notice of these Terms and your agreement with the language herein.

By agreeing to these Terms, you expressly agree to mandatory arbitration to resolve any legal claims against us and waive your right to pursue a jury trial or participate in a class action lawsuit filed against us. Learn more below in paragraph 6.

2. PRIVACY POLICY. Privacy is an ever growing issue in the online world. Given this, we’ve published a privacy policy revealing our privacy practices. A complete statement of our current privacy policy can be found by clicking the “privacy” link at the bottom of the page. The privacy policy is expressly incorporated into this Agreement by this reference.

3. AGE. The Site is intended only for users aged 18 or older. Individuals under the age of 18 are strictly prohibited from using the Site.

4. PRODUCTS. We offer certain products through the Site. After you place an order, we will send you a notice indicating receipt of the order. All orders are subject to acceptance by us, and we will confirm such acceptance to you by processing your payment. We reserve the right to cancel your order at any time before we have accepted it and we may rescind our acceptance and cancel your order where there has been an obvious error in price or where the product is no longer available.

5. REFUNDS and RETURNS. We do not offer a return on any digital products. Third party products may appear on the Site, and you should contact those parties directly regarding any refunds.

6. ARBITRATION AGREEMENT. By agreeing to these Terms and Conditions, you agree to resolve any claim that you may have against FPB on an individual basis in arbitration, as outlined in this Arbitration Agreement section. This will preclude you from bringing any class, collective, or representative action against FPB, and also prevent you from participating in or recovering relief under any current or future class, collective, consolidated, or representative action brought against FPB by someone else.

A. Agreement to Binding Arbitration Between You and FPB. You and FPB agree that any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to (i) these terms and conditions or the existence, breach, termination, enforcement, interpretation or validity thereof, or (ii) your access to or use of the Site or Products at any time will be settled by binding arbitration between you and FPB, and not in a court of law.

   You acknowledge and agree that you and FPB are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class action or representative proceeding. Unless both you and FPB otherwise agree in writing, any arbitration will be conducted only on an individual basis and not in a class, collective, consolidated, or representative proceeding. However, you and FPB each retain the right to bring an individual action in small claims court and the right to seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation or violation of a party’s copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, patents or other intellectual property rights.

B. Right To Opt-Out. We are providing you with the right to opt-out of this Arbitration Agreement by notifying us in writing withing 30 days of opening an account on this Site. To opt-out, send an email message to cp[at]foodphotographyblog.com using the phrase “opt-out of arbitration agreement” in the subject matter of the message, and your name in the body of the message.

 C. Rules and Governing Law. The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) in accordance with the AAA’s Consumer Arbitration Rules and the Supplementary Procedures for Consumer Related Disputes (the “AAA Rules”) then in effect, except as modified by this Arbitration Agreement. The AAA Rules are available at www.adr.org/arb_med or by calling the AAA at 1-800-778-7879.

   The parties agree that the arbitrator (“Arbitrator”), and not any federal, state, or local court or agency, shall have exclusive authority to resolve any disputes relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability or formation of this Arbitration Agreement, including any claim that all or any part of this Arbitration Agreement is void or voidable. The Arbitrator shall also be responsible for determining all threshold arbitration issues, including issues relating to whether this Agreement is unconscionable or illusory and any defense to arbitration.

   Notwithstanding any choice of law or other provision in this Agreement, the parties agree and acknowledge that this Arbitration Agreement evidences a transaction involving interstate commerce and that the Federal Arbitration Act, 9 U.S.C. § 1 et seq. (“FAA”), will govern its interpretation and enforcement and proceedings pursuant to it. It is the intent of the parties that the FAA and AAA Rules shall preempt all state laws to the fullest extent permitted by law. If the FAA and AAA Rules are found to not apply to any issue that arises under this Arbitration Agreement or the enforcement thereof, then that issue shall be resolved under the laws of the state of California and the parties expressly agree the venue of any action shall be in superior or federal court in Los Angeles County, California, as appropriate for the particular claims asserted.

D. Process. A party who desires to initiate arbitration must provide the other party with a written Demand for Arbitration as specified in the AAA Rules. (The AAA provides a form Demand for Arbitration – Consumer Arbitration Rules at www.adr.org or by calling the AAA at 1-800-778-7879). We hereby consent to receive such notifications via the following email address – cp[at]foodphotographyblog.com. The Arbitrator will be either (1) a retired judge or (2) an attorney specially licensed to practice law in the state of California and will be selected by the parties from the AAA’s roster of consumer dispute arbitrators. If the parties are unable to agree upon an Arbitrator within seven (7) days of delivery of the Demand for Arbitration, then the AAA will appoint the Arbitrator in accordance with the AAA Rules.

E. Location and Procedure. Unless you and FPB otherwise agree, the arbitration will be conducted in Redondo Beach, California. If your claim does not exceed $10,000, then the arbitration will be conducted solely on the basis of documents you and FPB submit to the Arbitrator, unless you request a hearing or the Arbitrator determines that a hearing is necessary. If your claim does not exceed $20,000, then the arbitration will be conducted on the basis of documents you and FPB submit to the Arbitrator and each parties presence by phone or in person, unless you request a hearing or the Arbitrator determines that a hearing is necessary. If your claim exceeds $20,000, your right to a hearing will be determined by the AAA Rules. Subject to the AAA Rules, the Arbitrator will have the discretion to direct a reasonable exchange of information by the parties, consistent with the expedited nature of the arbitration.

F. The Arbitrator’s Decision. The Arbitrator will render an award within the time frame specified in the AAA Rules. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having competent jurisdiction to do so. The Arbitrator may award declaratory or injunctive relief only for the claimant and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by the claimant’s individual claim. An Arbitrator’s decision shall be final and binding on all parties. An Arbitrator’s decision and judgment thereon shall have no precedential or collateral estoppel effect. The parties shall bear their own attorneys fees associated with the arbitration proceeding.

G.Fees. Your responsibility to pay any AAA filing, administrative, witness, and arbitrator fees will be solely as outlined in the AAA Rules.

H. Changes. If FPB changes this Arbitration Agreement after the date you first agreed to this Agreement (or to any subsequent changes), you may reject any such change by providing FPB written notice of such rejection within 30 days of the date such change became effective. This written notice must be provided to cp[at]foodphotographyblog.com. To be effective, the notice must include your full name and clearly indicate your intent to reject changes to this Arbitration Agreement. By rejecting changes, you agree that you will arbitrate any dispute between you and FPB in accordance with the provisions of this Arbitration Agreement as of the date you first agreed to this Agreement (or to any subsequent changes to the Terms).

I. Severability and Survival. If any portion of this Arbitration Agreement is found to be unenforceable or unlawful for any reason, (1) the unenforceable or unlawful provision shall be severed from these terms and conditions; (2) severance of the unenforceable or unlawful provision shall have no impact whatsoever on the remainder of the Arbitration Agreement or the parties’ ability to compel arbitration of any remaining claims on an individual basis pursuant to the Arbitration Agreement; and (3) to the extent that any claims must therefore proceed on a class, collective, consolidated, or representative basis, such claims must be litigated in a civil court of competent jurisdiction and not in arbitration, and the parties agree that litigation of those claims shall be stayed pending the outcome of any individual claims in arbitration.

J. Should a court of competent jurisdiction or arbitrator rule this arbitration clause invalid, the parties agree this Agreement shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the United States and the State of California, without reference to rules regarding conflicts of law. The parties further agree the choice of forum and venue for litigating any disputes shall be either the superior or federal courts in Los Angeles County, California, as appropriate for the claims asserted.

7. USER CONTENT. You grant us a license to use the materials you post to the Site. By posting, downloading, displaying, performing, transmitting, or otherwise distributing information or other content (“User Content”), you are granting us, our affiliates, officers, directors, employees, consultants, agents, and representatives a license to use the User Content in connection with the operation of our business, including without limitation, a right to copy, distribute, transmit, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce, edit, translate, and reformat the User Content. You will not be compensated for any User Content. You agree we may publish or otherwise disclose your name in connection with your User Content. In posting User Content on the Site, you warrant and represent that you own the rights to the User Content or are otherwise authorized to post, distribute, display, perform, transmit, or otherwise distribute it.

8. COMPLIANCE WITH INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY LAWS. When accessing or using the Site, you agree to respect the intellectual property rights of ourselves and others. Your use of the Site is at all times governed by and subject to laws regarding copyright, trademarks, and other intellectual property laws. You agree not to upload, download, display, copy, perform, transmit, or otherwise distribute any information or content (collectively, “Content”) in violation of our or any third party’s copyrights, trademarks, or other intellectual property or proprietary rights. You agree to abide by laws regarding copyright ownership and use of intellectual property, and you shall be solely responsible for any violations of any relevant laws and for any infringements of third party rights caused by any Content you provide or transmit. The burden of proving that any Content does not violate any laws or third party rights rests solely with you.

9. INAPPROPRIATE CONTENT. You agree not to upload, download, display, perform, transmit, or otherwise distribute any Content to the Site that (a) is libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, abusive, or threatening; (b) advocates or encourages conduct that could constitute a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate any applicable local, state, national, or foreign law or regulation; or (c) advertises or otherwise solicits funds or is a solicitation for goods or services. We reserve the right to terminate your receipt, transmission, or other distribution of any such material using the Site, and, if applicable, to delete any such material from its servers. We intend to cooperate fully with any law enforcement officials or agencies in the investigation of any violation of these Terms or of any applicable laws.

10. NO WARRANTIES. WE ARE MAKING THE SITE AVAILABLE TO YOU “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. YOU ASSUME THE RISK OF ANY AND ALL DAMAGE OR LOSS FROM USE OF, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE SITE. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE SITE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR THAT THE OPERATION OF THE SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE.

11. OUR LIABILITY TO YOU IS LIMITED. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL WE BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, BODILY INJURY, AND LOSS OF EARNINGS) ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE SITE OR PRODUCTS AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SITE. THIS LIMITATION SHALL APPLY REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE DAMAGES ARISE OUT OF BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORT, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY OR FORM OF ACTION. THE PARTIES AGREE THE EXTENT OF ANY MONETARY AWARD SHALL BE LIMITED TO $500.

12. EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATIONS. SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF CERTAIN WARRANTIES OR THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. ACCORDINGLY, SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OF SECTIONS 10 AND 11 MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

13. AFFILIATED SITES. We work with a number of partners and affiliates whose websites may be linked to within the Site. Because we do not have control over the content and performance of these partner and affiliate sites, we make no promises or guarantees about the accuracy, content, or quality of the information provided by such sites, and we assume no responsibility for unintended, objectionable, inaccurate, misleading, or unlawful content that may reside on those sites. Similarly, from time to time in connection with your use of the Site, you may have access to content items (including, but not limited to, websites) that are owned by third parties. You acknowledge and agree that we make no guarantees about, and assume no responsibility for, the accuracy, currency, content, or quality of this third party content, and that, unless expressly provided otherwise, these Terms shall govern your use of any and all third party content.

14. PROHIBITED USES. We impose certain restrictions on your permissible use of the Site. You are prohibited from violating or attempting to violate any security features of the Site, including, without limitation, (a) accessing content or data not intended for you, or logging onto a server or account that you are not authorized to access; (b) attempting to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the Site, or any associated system or network, or to breach security or authentication measures without proper authorization; (c) interfering or attempting to interfere with service to any user, host, or network, including, without limitation, by means of submitting a virus to the Site, overloading, “flooding,” “spamming,” “mail bombing,” or “crashing;” (d) using the Site to send unsolicited e-mail, including, without limitation, promotions, or advertisements for products or services; (e) forging any TCP/IP packet header or any part of the header information in any e-mail or in any posting using the Site; or (f) attempting to modify, reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise reduce or attempt to reduce to a human-perceivable form any of the source code used by us in providing the Site. You are further prohibited from copying any content on the Site, whether manually or through automated means, without our express permission. Any violation of system or network security may subject you to civil and/or criminal liability.

15. INDEMNITY. You agree to indemnify us for certain of your acts and omissions. You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless us from any and all third party claims, losses, liability, damages, and/or costs (including reasonable attorney fees and costs) arising from your access to or use of the Site, your violation of these Terms, or your infringement, or infringement by any other user of your account, of any intellectual property or other right of any person or entity. We will notify you promptly of any such claim, loss, liability, or demand, and will provide you with reasonable assistance, at your expense, in defending any such claim, loss, liability, damage, or cost.

16. COPYRIGHT. All contents of Site are Copyright © 2017 Merseyside Productions, Inc. All rights reserved.

17. SEVERABILITY; WAIVER. If, for whatever reason, a court of competent jurisdiction finds any term or condition in these Terms to be unenforceable, all other terms and conditions will remain in full force and effect. No waiver of any breach of any provision of these Terms shall constitute a waiver of any prior, concurrent, or subsequent breach of the same or any other provisions hereof, and no waiver shall be effective unless made in writing and signed by an authorized representative of the waiving party.

19. NO LICENSE. Nothing contained on the Site should be understood as granting you a license to use any of the trademarks, service marks, or logos owned by us or by any third party.
20. AMENDMENTS. We reserve the right to amend these Terms and shall do so by posting a notice on the Site and forwarding an email message regarding the amendments to you should we have an email address for you. Said amendment shall be binding 30 days after being posted to the Site. You may reject the amendments by terminating your use of the Site.