Terms of Service
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the websites, mobile applications, newsletters, print editions, and other services (collectively, the "Services") operated by The Meridian Times, Inc. ("The Meridian Times," "we," or "us"). By accessing or using the Services, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, please discontinue use of the Services.
1. Eligibility
The Services are available to individuals who are at least 18 years of age and capable of forming a binding contract under applicable law. By using the Services, you represent that you meet these eligibility requirements. If you are using the Services on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization to these Terms.
2. Accounts and Subscriptions
Certain features of the Services require you to create an account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. You agree to notify us immediately at subscriptions@meridiantimes.example if you become aware of any unauthorized use of your account.
Subscription plans are offered on the terms presented at the time of purchase, including any applicable free-trial period. After the trial period ends, your subscription will convert to a paid plan at the rate then in effect unless you cancel before the trial concludes. Subscription fees are charged to your payment method in advance. Refunds are issued in accordance with our refund policy, available upon request.
3. License to Use the Services
Subject to your compliance with these Terms and payment of any applicable subscription fees, The Meridian Times grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Services for your personal, non-commercial purposes. This license does not include the right to: (a) copy, reproduce, or redistribute content beyond what is expressly permitted by law or by separate written agreement; (b) resell, sublicense, or exploit any portion of the Services; or (c) modify, reverse-engineer, or create derivative works based on the Services.
4. Content and Intellectual Property
All content published in the Services — including articles, photographs, graphics, video, data, and editorial selections — is the intellectual property of The Meridian Times, Inc. or its licensors and is protected by copyright and other applicable law. Reproduction of more than insubstantial portions for any purpose other than personal reading requires a written licensing agreement. To inquire about licensing, contact legal@meridiantimes.example.
5. Acceptable Use
You agree to use the Services only for lawful purposes and in a manner consistent with these Terms. Without limiting the foregoing, you agree not to:
- Use the Services to transmit spam, malware, or unsolicited commercial communications.
- Circumvent or attempt to circumvent any technical measures that limit access to subscriber-only content.
- Share account credentials with persons who are not authorized subscribers under your plan.
- Collect or harvest personal data about other users without their consent.
- Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Services or underlying infrastructure.
Automated access to the Services, including programmatic scraping and bulk downloading, is governed by our acceptable-use policies. For crawl-access agreements and licensing of content for training or aggregation purposes, contact legal@meridiantimes.example.
6. User-Submitted Content
If you submit comments, letters, or other content to the Services, you grant The Meridian Times a worldwide, royalty-free license to publish, edit, translate, and distribute that content in connection with the Services. You represent that you own or have the right to grant this license, and that your submission does not infringe the rights of any third party. We reserve the right to remove any submission at our discretion.
7. Privacy
Your use of the Services is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Services, you consent to the data practices described in the Privacy Policy.
8. Third-Party Links and Services
The Services may contain links to third-party websites or services that are not owned or controlled by The Meridian Times. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those third parties. We encourage you to review the terms and privacy policies of any third-party sites you visit.
9. Disclaimer of Warranties
THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE MERIDIAN TIMES DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF HARMFUL COMPONENTS.
10. Limitation of Liability
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE MERIDIAN TIMES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICES, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU PAID US IN THE TWELVE MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.
11. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be communicated to subscribers by email or by a prominent notice on the Services at least 30 days before they take effect. Your continued use of the Services after the effective date of revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of those changes.
12. Governing Law
These Terms are governed by the laws of the District of Columbia, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising under these Terms shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Washington, D.C., and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.