This is a human-readable summary of the Terms of Use.

Disclaimer: This summary is not a part of the Terms of Use and is not a legal document. It is simply a handy reference for understanding the full terms. Think of it as the user-friendly interface to the legal language of our Terms of Use.

You are free to:

• Read and Print our articles and other media for personal use.
• Share our articles and other media.
• Contribute To the website.

Under the following conditions:

• Responsibility – You take responsibility for content you post (since we only host your content).
• Civility – You support a civil environment and do not harass other users.
• Lawful Behavior – You do not violate copyright or other laws.
• No Harm – You do not harm our technology infrastructure.
• Terms of Use and Policies – You adhere to the below Terms of Use and to the applicable community policies when you visit our site or participate in our communities.

With the understanding that:

• You License Your Contributions – you generally must license your original contributions to Vic’s Lab, LLC, under a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license (books published and distributed by the company have separate agreements). For example, this allows Vic’s Lab, LLC, to feature your contributions on the VicsLab.com website and in marketing campaigns.
• No Professional Advice – the content of articles and other media is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice.

Our Terms of Use

We welcome you (“you” or the “user”) as a reader, author, or contributor on VicsLab.com, and we encourage you to join our community. Before you participate, however, we ask that you please read and agree to the following Terms of Use (“Terms of Use”). By using our website, you agree to our Terms of Use.

Overview

These Terms of Use tell you about our services at VicsLab.com, our relationship to you as a user, and the rights and responsibilities that guide us both. We want you to know that we host content contributed and made possible by users like you. Generally we do not contribute, monitor, or delete content (with the rare exception of policies like these Terms of Use or legal compliance for DMCA notices). This means that editorial control is in the hands of you and your fellow users who create and manage the content. We merely host this content.

The community—the network of users who post content—contributes to and helps govern our site. The community undertakes the function of creating and enforcing policies for our site.

You are welcome to join, but you should follow our policies. Because content may be accessible to other users and/or the public, we generally require that you give a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to Vic’s Lab, LLC, to host, promote and use all content you contribute. Books published and distributed by the company are under separate agreements. You retain the copyright to all original material you contribute.

Please be aware that you are legally responsible for all of your contributions under the laws of the United States of America and other applicable laws (which may include the laws where you live or where you view or edit content). This means it is important that you use caution when posting content. In light of this responsibility, we have some rules about what you cannot post, most of which is either for your own protection or for the protection of other users like you. Please keep in mind that the content we host is for general informational purposes only, so if you need expert advice for a particular question (such as medical, legal, or financial issues), you should seek the help of a licensed or qualified professional. We also include other important notices and disclaimers, so please read these Terms of Use in their entirety.

1. Our Services

We act as a hosting service, maintaining the infrastructure and organizational framework that allows our users to contribute content themselves. Because of our role, there are a couple of things you should be aware of when considering our relationship to you and the other users:

1. We do not take an editorial role: Because content that we host is provided by users like you, we do not take an editorial role. This means that we generally do not monitor or edit the content of the website, and we do not take any responsibility for this content. Similarly, we do not endorse any opinions expressed via our services, and we do not represent or guarantee the truthfulness, accuracy, or reliability of any submitted community content. Instead, we simply provide access to the content that your fellow users have contributed.
2. You are responsible for your own actions: You are legally responsible for your edits and contributions on VicsLab.com, so for your own protection you should exercise caution and avoid contributing any content that may result in criminal or civil liability under any applicable laws. For clarity, applicable law includes at least the laws of the United States of America. Although we may not agree with such actions, we warn editors and contributors that authorities may seek to apply other country laws to you, including local laws where you live or where you view or provide content. Vic’s Lab, LLC, generally cannot offer any protection, guarantee, immunity or indemnification.

2. Privacy Policy

We ask that you review the terms of the Privacy Policy this site uses so that you are aware of how we collect and use your information. The Privacy Policy is governed by automatic.com and can be found here: http://automattic.com/privacy/.

Because our services may be used by people all over the world, personal information that we collect may be stored and processed in the United States of America or any other country. By using our services, you consent to any such transfer of information outside your country.

This policy covers personally identifiable information collected or stored by Vic’s Lab, LLC, on any servers in relation to the website. Consistent with its Data Retention Policy, Vic’s Lab, LLC, collects and retains the least amount of personally identifiable information needed to fulfill the website’s operational needs.

3. Content We Host

1. You may find some material objectionable or erroneous: Because we provide a wide array of content that is produced or gathered by fellow users, you may encounter material that you find offensive, erroneous, misleading, mislabeled, or otherwise objectionable. We therefore ask that you use common sense and proper judgment when using our services.
2. Our content is for general informational purposes only: Although we may host information that pertains to professional topics, this content is presented for general informational purposes only. It should not be taken as professional advice. Please seek independent professional counseling from someone who is licensed or qualified in the applicable area in lieu of acting on any information, opinion, or advice contained on our website.

4. Refraining from Certain Activities

VicsLab.com exists because of the community of users like you who write content. We welcome your participation in this community and encourage you to be civil and polite in your interactions with others in the community, to act in good faith, and to make contributions aimed at furthering the mission of the website.

Certain activities, whether legal or illegal, may be harmful to other users and violate our rules, and some activities may also subject you to liability. Therefore, for your own protection and for that of other users, you may not engage in such activities on our sites. These activities include:

Harassing and Abusing Others

• Engaging in harassment, threats, stalking, spamming, or vandalism; and
• Transmitting chain mail, junk mail, or spam to other users.

Violating the Privacy of Others

• Infringing the privacy rights of others under the laws of the United States of America or other applicable laws (which may include the laws where you live or where you view or edit content);
• Soliciting personally identifiable information for purposes of harassment, exploitation, violation of privacy, or any promotional or commercial purpose not explicitly approved by Vic’s Lab, LLC; and
• Soliciting personally identifiable information from anyone under the age of 18 for an illegal purpose or violating any applicable law regarding the health or well-being of minors.

Engaging in False Statements, Impersonation, or Fraud

• Intentionally or knowingly posting content that constitutes libel or defamation;
• With the intent to deceive, posting content that is false or inaccurate;
• Attempting to impersonate another user or individual, misrepresenting your affiliation with any individual or entity, or using the username of another user with the intent to deceive; and
• Engaging in fraud.

Committing Infringement

• Infringing copyrights, trademarks, patents, or other proprietary rights under applicable law.

Misusing Our Services for Other Illegal Purposes

• Posting child pornography or any other content that violates applicable law concerning child pornography;
• Posting or trafficking in obscene material that is unlawful under applicable law; and
• Using the services in a manner that is inconsistent with applicable law.

Engaging in Disruptive and Illegal Misuse of Facilities

• Posting or distributing content that contains any viruses, malware, worms, Trojan horses, malicious code, or other device that could harm our technical infrastructure or system or that of our users;
• Engaging in automated uses of the site that are abusive or disruptive of the services and have not been approved by Vic’s Lab, LLC;
• Disrupting the services by placing an undue burden on the website or the networks or servers connected with the website;
• Disrupting the services by inundating the website with communications or other traffic that suggests no serious intent to use the website for its stated purpose;
• Knowingly accessing, tampering with, or using any of our nonpublic areas in our computer systems without authorization; and
• Probing, scanning, or testing the vulnerability of any of our technical systems or networks unless all the following conditions are met:

• such actions do not unduly abuse or disrupt our technical systems or networks;
• such actions are not for personal gain (except for credit for your work);
• you report any vulnerabilities to VicsLab.com (or fix it yourself); and
• you do not undertake such actions with malicious or destructive intent.

We reserve the right to exercise our enforcement discretion with respect to the above terms.

5. Password Security

You are responsible for safeguarding your own password and should never disclose it to any third party.

6. Trademarks

Although some content may be reused on the website if stated, it is important that, at VicsLab.com, we protect trademark rights so that we can protect our users from fraudulent impersonators. Because of this, we ask that you respect trademarks. Any use of trade names, trademarks, service marks, logos, or domain names must be in compliance with these Terms of Use and in compliance with United States trademark law.

7. Licensing of Content

You agree to give Vic’s Lab, LLC, a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual license to host, promote and use all content you contribute in any medium now known or later developed. Books published and distributed by the company have separate agreements.

No revocation of license: You agree that you will not unilaterally revoke or seek invalidation of any license that you have granted under these Terms of Use for content to VicsLab.com, even if you terminate use of our services.

Public domain content: Content that is in the public domain is welcome! It is important however that you confirm the public domain status of the content under the law of the United States of America as well as the laws of any other countries. When you contribute content that is in the public domain, you warrant that the material is actually in the public domain, and you agree to label it appropriately.

Creative Commons content: Content that is licensed under a Creative Commons license also is welcome! By posting this content, you warrant that it is licensed under a Creative Commons license and agree to attribute the work according to the specifications of the author and/or license.

8. DMCA Compliance

Vic’s Lab, LLC, wants to ensure that the content that we host can be displayed without fear of liability and that it is not infringing the proprietary rights of others. In fairness to our users, as well as to other creators and copyright holders, our policy is to respond to notices of alleged infringement that comply with the formalities of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). Pursuant to the DMCA, we will terminate, in appropriate circumstances, users and account holders of our system and network who are repeat infringers.

However, we also recognize that not every takedown notice is valid or in good faith. In such cases, we strongly encourage users to file counter-notifications when they appropriately believe a DMCA takedown demand is invalid or improper. For more information on what to do if you think a DMCA notice has been improperly filed, you may wish to consult the Chilling Effects website.

If you are the owner of content that is being improperly used without your permission, you may request that the content be removed under the DMCA. To make such a request, please message the admin @Vic or use our contact form.

9. Third-party Websites and Resources

You are solely responsible for your use of any third-party websites or resources. Although VicsLab.com contains links to third-party websites and resources, we do not endorse and are not responsible or liable for their availability, accuracy, or the related content, products, or services (including, without limitation, any viruses or other disabling features), nor do we have any obligation to monitor such third-party content.

10. Management of Website

The community has the primary role in creating and enforcing policies. At VicsLab.com, we rarely intervene in community decisions about policy and its enforcement. In an unusual case, the need may arise, or the community may ask us, to address an especially problematic user because of significant disturbance or dangerous behavior. In such cases, we reserve the right, but do not have the obligation to:

• Investigate your use of the service (a) to determine whether a violation of these Terms of Use or other applicable law or policy has occurred, or (b) to comply with any applicable law, legal process, or appropriate governmental request;
• Detect, prevent, or otherwise address fraud, security, or technical issues or respond to user support requests;
• Refuse, disable, or restrict access to the contribution of any user who violates these Terms of Use;
• Ban a user from editing or contributing or block a user’s account or access for actions violating these Terms of Use, including repeat copyright infringement;
• Take legal action against users who violate these Terms of Use (including reports to law enforcement authorities); and
• Manage the website in a manner designed to facilitate its proper functioning and protect the rights, property, and safety of ourselves and our users, licensors, partners, and the public.

In the interests of our users, in the extreme circumstance that any individual has had his or her account or access blocked under this provision, he or she is prohibited from creating or using another account on or seeking access to the site unless we provide explicit permission.

The blocking of an account or access or the banning of a user under this provision shall be in accordance with Section 12 of these Terms of Use.

11. Resolutions and Policies

Vic’s Lab, LLC, releases policies from time to time. Some of these policies may be mandatory, and, when they are, you agree to abide by them as applicable.

12. Termination

Though we hope you will stay and continue to contribute to VicsLab.com, you can stop using our services any time. In certain (hopefully unlikely) circumstances it may be necessary for either ourselves or the VicsLab.com community or its members (as described in Section 10) to terminate part or all of our services, terminate these Terms of Use, block your account or access, or ban you as a user. If your account or access is blocked or otherwise terminated for any reason, your public contributions will remain publicly available (subject to applicable policies), and, unless we notify you otherwise, you may still access our public pages for the sole purpose of reading publicly available content. In such circumstances, however, you may not be able to access your account or settings. We reserve the right to suspend or end the services at any time, with or without cause, and with or without notice. Even after your use and participation are banned, blocked or otherwise suspended, these Terms of Use will remain in effect with respect to relevant provisions, including Sections 1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9-15, and 17.

13. Disputes and Jurisdiction

We hope that no serious disagreements arise involving you, but, in the event there is a dispute over a legal issue, we encourage you to seek resolution by contacting @Vic on VicsLab.com. If you seek to file a legal claim against us, you agree to file and resolve it exclusively in a state or federal court located in Virginia. You also agree that the laws of Virginia and, to the extent applicable, the laws of the United States of America will govern these Terms of Use, as well as any legal claim that might arise between you and us (without reference to conflict of laws principles). You agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of, and agree that venue is proper in, the courts located in Virginia, in any legal action or proceeding relating to us or these Terms of Use.

To ensure that disputes are dealt with soon after they arise, you agree that regardless of any statute or law to the contrary, any claim or cause of action you might have arising out of or related to use of our services or these Terms of Use must be filed within the applicable statute of limitations or, if earlier, one (1) year after the pertinent facts underlying such claim or cause of action could have been discovered with reasonable diligence (or be forever barred).

14. Disclaimers

At Vic’s Lab, LLC, we do our best to provide educational and informational content to a very wide audience, but your use of our services is at your sole risk. We provide these services on an “as is” and “as available” basis, and we expressly disclaim all express or implied warranties of all kinds, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We make no warranty that our services will meet your requirements, be safe, secure, uninterrupted, timely, accurate, or error-free, or that your information will be secure.

We are not responsible for the content, data, or actions of third parties, and you release us, including any directors, officers, employees, and agents, from any claims and damages, known and unknown, arising out of or in any way connected with any claim you have against any such third parties. No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained by you from us or through or from our services creates any warranty not expressly stated in these Terms of Use.

Any material downloaded or otherwise obtained through your use of our services is done at your own discretion and risk, and you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results from the download of any such material. You agree that we have no responsibility or liability for the deletion of, or the failure to store or to transmit, any content or communication maintained by the service. We retain the right to create limits on use and storage at our sole discretion at any time with or without notice.

Some states or jurisdictions do not allow the types of disclaimers in this section, so they may not apply to you either in part or in full depending on the law.

15. Limitation on Liability

Vic’s Lab, LLC, will not be liable to you or to any other party for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential or exemplary damages, including but not limited to, damages for loss of profits, goodwill, use, data, or other intangible losses, regardless of whether we were advised of the possibility of such damage. In no event shall our liability exceed one thousand U.S. dollars (USD 1000.00) in aggregate. In the case that applicable law may not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability or incidental or consequential damages, the above limitation or exclusion may not apply to you, although our liability will be limited to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

16. Modifications to these Terms of Use

Because it may be necessary to modify these Terms of Use from time to time, we will provide notice of such modifications. However, we ask that you please periodically review the most up-to-date version of these Terms of Use. Your continued use of our services after the new Terms of Use become official following the notice and constitutes an acceptance of these Terms of Use on your part. For the protection of Vic’s Lab, LLC, and other users like yourself, if you do not agree with our Terms of Use, you cannot use our services.

17. Other Terms

These Terms of Use do not create an employment, agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between you and us, Vic’s Lab, LLC. If you have not signed a separate agreement with us, these Terms of Use are the entire agreement between you and us. If there is any conflict between these Terms of Use and a signed written agreement between you and us, the signed agreement will control.

You agree that we may provide you with notices, including those regarding changes to the Terms of Use, by email, regular mail, or postings on the website.

If in any circumstance, we do not apply or enforce any provision of these Terms of Use, it is not a waiver of that provision.

You understand that, unless otherwise agreed to in writing by us, you have no expectation of compensation for any activity, contribution, or idea that you provide to us, the community, or the website.

Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary in these Terms of Use, we (Vic’s Lab, LLC) and you agree not to modify the applicable terms and requirements of any license that is employed on VicsLab.com.

These Terms of Use were written in English (U.S.). While we hope that translations of these Terms of Use are accurate, in the event of any differences in meaning between the original English version and a translation, the original English version takes precedence.

If any provision or part of a provision of these Terms of Use is found unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision or part of the provision is deemed severable from these Terms of Use and will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible, and all other provisions of these Terms of Use will remain in full force and effect.

Our summary and Terms of Use are modified from the Terms of Use from Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., which can be found at http://wikimediafoundation.org/wiki/Terms_of_Use. Content within that Terms of Use are used with permission under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License.

Amazon.com Disclaimer

Vic’s Lab, LLC, is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com.

Thank You!

We appreciate your taking the time to read these Terms of Use, and we are very happy to have you contributing to and using our services.