11. Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement
This Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement shall apply if you (i) reside in the United States; or (ii) do not reside in the United States but bring any claim against Company in the United States.
Overview of Dispute Resolution Process. Company is committed to participating in a consumer-friendly dispute resolution process. To that end, these Terms provide for a two-part process for individuals to whom this section applies: (1) an informal negotiation directly with Company’s customer service team, and (2) a binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) using its specially designed Consumer Arbitration Rules (as modified by this Section). Specifically, the process provides:
- Claims can be filed with AAA online (www.adr.org);
- Arbitrators must be neutral and no party may unilaterally select an arbitrator;
- Arbitrators must disclose any bias, interest in the result of the arbitration, or relationship with any party;
- Parties retain the right to seek relief in small claims court for certain claims, at their option;
- The initial filing fee for the consumer is capped at $200;
- The consumer gets to elect the hearing location and can elect to participate live, by phone, video conference, or, for claims under $25,000, by the submission of documents;
- The arbitrator can grant any remedy that the parties could have received in court to resolve the party’s individual claim.
Pre-Arbitration Dispute Resolution and Notification. Prior to initiating an arbitration, you and Company each agree to notify the other party of the dispute and attempt to negotiate an informal resolution to it first. We will contact you at the email address you have provided to us; you can contact Company’s customer service team by emailing us at the contact addresses provided on the Site. If after a good faith effort to negotiate one of us feels the dispute has not and cannot be resolved informally, the party intending to pursue arbitration agrees to notify the other party via email prior to initiating the arbitration. In order to initiate arbitration, a claim must be filed with the AAA and the written Demand for Arbitration (available at www.adr.org) provided to the other party, as specified in the AAA Rules.
AGREEMENT TO ARBITRATE. YOU AND COMPANY MUTUALLY AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE, CLAIM OR CONTROVERSY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE BREACH, TERMINATION, ENFORCEMENT OR INTERPRETATION THEREOF, OR TO THE USE OF THE SITE, ANY COMPANY SERVICE OR THE COLLECTIVE CONTENT (COLLECTIVELY, “DISPUTES”) WILL BE SETTLED BY BINDING ARBITRATION (THE “ARBITRATION AGREEMENT”). IF THERE IS A DISPUTE ABOUT WHETHER THIS ARBITRATION AGREEMENT CAN BE ENFORCED OR APPLIES TO OUR DISPUTE, YOU AND COMPANY AGREE THAT THE ARBITRATOR WILL DECIDE THAT ISSUE.
Exceptions to Arbitration Agreement. You and Company each agree that the following claims are exceptions to the Arbitration Agreement and will be brought in a judicial proceeding in a court of competent jurisdiction: (i) Any claim related to actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation or violation of a party’s copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, patents, or other intellectual property rights; (ii) Any claim seeking emergency injunctive relief based on exigent circumstances (e.g., imminent danger or commission of a crime, hacking, cyber-attack).
Arbitration Rules and Governing Law. This Arbitration Agreement evidences a transaction in interstate commerce and thus the Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this provision. The arbitration will be administered by AAA in accordance with the Consumer Arbitration Rules (the “AAA Rules“) then in effect, except as modified here. The AAA Rules are available at www.adr.org or by calling the AAA at 1–800–778–7879.
Modification to AAA Rules – Arbitration Hearing/Location. You agree that any required arbitration hearing may be conducted: (a) in Santa Clara County, California; (b) in any other location to which you and Company both agree; (c) via phone or video conference; or (d) for any claim or counterclaim under $25,000, by solely the submission of documents to the arbitrator.
Arbitrator’s Decision. The arbitrator’s decision will include the essential findings and conclusions upon which the arbitrator based the award. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court with proper jurisdiction. The arbitrator may award declaratory or injunctive relief only on an individual basis and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by the claimant’s individual claim.
JURY TRIAL WAIVER. YOU AND COMPANY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT WE ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY AS TO ALL ARBITRABLE DISPUTES.
NO CLASS ACTIONS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDINGS. YOU AND COMPANY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT WE ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS USER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT, CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION, PRIVATE ATTORNEY-GENERAL ACTION, OR ANY OTHER REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING AS TO ALL DISPUTES. FURTHER, UNLESS YOU AND COMPANY BOTH OTHERWISE AGREE IN WRITING, THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE MORE THAN ONE PARTY’S CLAIMS AND MAY NOT OTHERWISE PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF ANY CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. IF THIS PARAGRAPH IS HELD UNENFORCEABLE WITH RESPECT TO ANY DISPUTE, THEN THE ENTIRETY OF THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT WILL BE DEEMED VOID WITH RESPECT TO SUCH DISPUTE.
Severability. Except as provided in the immediately preceding paragraph, in the event that any portion of this Arbitration Agreement is deemed illegal or unenforceable, such provision shall be severed and the remainder of the Arbitration Agreement shall be given full force and effect.
Changes. Notwithstanding the provisions regarding modification of these Terms in Section 1, if Company changes this Section (“Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement”) after the date you last accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms), you may reject any such change by sending us written notice (including by email) within thirty (30) days of the date such change became effective. By rejecting any change, you are agreeing that you will arbitrate any Dispute between you and Company in accordance with the provisions of the “Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement” section as of the date you last accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms).
Survival. Except as otherwise provided in this section, this section will survive any termination of these Terms and will continue to apply even if you stop using the Site or terminate your Company account.