Online terms and conditions of use
Effective Date: June 1, 2018
Guardian Online Terms and Conditions of Use
Introduction
These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) apply to your use of any of The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America’s (“Guardian”) online interfaces (e.g., websites, applications, or online services) and any Guardian U.S. affiliate or subsidiary online interface that links to them, (collectively, the “Sites”), including any content, functionality, and services offered on or through the Sites, regardless of how you access the Sites.
The term “Guardian” includes its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, predecessors, successors, and assigns.
When used in these Terms, “we” and “our” mean Guardian and “you” and “your” refer to any individual, company, or legal entity that accesses or otherwise uses the Sites. Words importing the singular number include the plural and vice versa.
We reserve the right to modify or amend these Terms from time to time with or without prior notice. Your accessing and continued use of our Sites following the posting of changes to these Terms will mean you accept those changes. You should review these Terms from time to time to be aware of any changes that are made. These Terms constitute a binding agreement between you and Guardian.
These Terms do not apply to any dispute over: (a) the meaning or interpretation of your Guardian policy, including any dispute pertaining to any claim for benefits; or (b) the formation of your Guardian policy, irrespective of whether you used the Sites to purchase the Policy. In any such dispute, the terms of your policy shall govern.
If you do not agree to these Terms, please do not use the Sites.
Accepting the Terms
In order for you to use the Sites, you must first accept these Terms. You can accept these Terms by:
On a Site, or any part of a Site, that requires registration, signing in or checking a box near a statement that indicates your agreement with or acceptance of the Terms; or
Using any of the Sites that link to these Terms, in which case you understand and agree that these Terms will apply to your use of those Sites (or any parts of them), in which case, if you do not agree, you should immediately discontinue your use of the Sites.
You may wish to print or save a copy of the Terms for your records.
Privacy
Please review our Privacy Statement and other privacy notices, which explain how we may collect, use, and share information from or about you. The Privacy Statement is incorporated into and made a part of these Terms.
Additional Terms
Portions of the Sites, as well as certain products and services offered by Guardian through the Sites, may be governed by other or additional terms and conditions. For example, certain products and services offered by Guardian may be subject to specific governmental regulations, and therefore will have separate terms and conditions that apply to them. You agree to review all applicable terms and conditions relevant to the Guardian products and services that you access and use. To the extent that these Terms conflict with any additional terms and conditions, the additional terms and conditions shall govern and control.
Further, you may have established an account, contract or policy with Guardian which is governed by an account, contract or policy agreement. To the extent that these Terms conflict with your account, contract or policy agreement, the account, contract or policy agreement shall govern.
Registration and Security
You may need to create an account or provide authentication information such as a policy number to have access to parts of the Sites. In consideration of your use of the Sites, you agree to: (a) provide true, accurate, current and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Sites’ registration and/or authentication process and (b) maintain and promptly update your information to keep it true, accurate, current and complete. If Guardian suspects that such information is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, Guardian has the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all use of the Sites. Unauthorized use of or access to portions of the Sites requiring authorization such as an account username and password is prohibited.
You must protect the security and confidentiality of any established username, password and security information you use to access the Sites. Anyone able to provide your username and password will be able to access your account and you will be held responsible for any and all activities that occur under your account. You agree to immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your security credentials, your account, or any other breach of security of which you become aware.
You are responsible for taking precautions and providing security measures best suited for your situation and intended use of the Sites. You further agree to implement industry-standard protections to protect the security and confidentiality of all information received from Guardian, including but not limited to non-public personal information and other sensitive information and use such information in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. You will not attempt to reidentify any information received in summary, aggregate or a deidentified manner.
Intellectual Property Rights and Ownership
All of the information and content displayed on the Sites including, without limitation, text, graphics, photographs, images, moving images, sound, and illustrations ("Content"), is owned by Guardian, its licensors, agents, and/or Content providers. All Content on the Sites, without limitation, is protected worldwide by trade dress, copyright, moral rights, trademark and other applicable intellectual property laws.
Except as may be otherwise indicated on the Sites, Content is provided for informational purposes and you are authorized to view, play, print and download documents, audio and video found on our Sites for your personal or internal business purposes only. You may not use, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, distribute, or modify the Content for any commercial purpose without Guardian’s prior express written consent.
The Sites, the Content and all related rights shall remain the exclusive property of Guardian, its licensors, agents and/or Content providers, unless otherwise expressly agreed. You acknowledge that you do not acquire any proprietary rights by copying or downloading any Content that is copyrighted or protected by any other intellectual property right. You agree that you will not remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices from material found on the Sites.
GUARDIAN® and the GUARDIAN G® Logo are registered service marks of Guardian, and all other trademarks and service marks (“Marks”) on the Sites are proprietary trademarks and/or service marks of Guardian, its licensors, agents and/or Content providers unless otherwise indicated. No right, title or interest in any such marks is granted you in these Terms, and you are not authorized to reproduce or otherwise use any such Marks absent prior express written approval from Guardian, its licensors, agents and/or Content providers, as applicable, in each instance.
Intellectual Property Claims
Guardian, itself the owner of valuable intellectual property, respects the intellectual property rights of others. Third party materials that we do not own or control may be transmitted, stored, accessed or otherwise made available using the Sites. Guardian has adopted a policy that provides for the removal of any content or the suspension of any user that is found to have repeatedly infringed on the copyright of a third party. If you believe that any material available via the Sites violates your copyright rights, you should notify us using the notice procedure for claimed infringement under the DMCA (17 USC Section 512). Please promptly notify Guardian at: privacy_office@glic.com or 212-919-2089. Please make sure that you specifically identify the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed by providing specific URL(s) and a precise description of where the copyrighted material is located on the page(s).
We may give notice to our users of any infringement notice by means of a general notice on any of our Sites, electronic mail to a user's e-mail address in our records, or by written communication sent to a user's last known physical address in our records. If you receive such an infringement notice, you may provide counter-notification in writing. Please be advised that if you submit a counter-notification, that notice along with your identifying information included in the notice will be provided to the party that submitted the original claim of infringement.
If you believe that content on the Sites violates other non-copyright intellectual property rights, including your trademark or publicity rights, please promptly notify Guardian by submitting the following information to the street or email address set forth below: the basis for your rights (including any trademark or other relevant registrations); a succinct description of the alleged violation and the nature of the rights violated; and the location (including URL or internet address) of the content that you believe to be infringing on the Sites.
By Mail: The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America
10 Hudson Yards
New York, NY 10001
By Email: privacy_office@glic.com
Restrictions on Use of the Sites
You agree that you will not post material on the Sites, or otherwise use the Sites or Content in any manner, that could: (i) humiliate, threaten, defame, harass, or injure other people or their property rights, including, but not limited to, intellectual property rights; (ii) violate the privacy or publicity rights of other individuals or entities; (iii) be considered criminal conduct or give rise to civil liability; or (iv) otherwise violate any law or regulation or these Terms. You further agree to implement industry-standard protections to protect the security and confidentiality of all information received from Guardian, including but not limited to non-public personal information and other sensitive information and use such information in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. You will not attempt to reidentify any information received in summary, aggregate or a deidentified manner.
You further understand and agree that posting unsolicited advertisements on the Sites is expressly prohibited by these Terms.
You agree that you will not use any robot, spider, scraper or other automated means to access the Sites for any purpose without our express written permission. Additionally, you agree that you will not: (i) take any action that imposes, or may impose in our sole discretion an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure; (ii) interfere or attempt to interfere with the proper working of the site or any activities conducted on the Sites; or (iii) bypass any measures we may use to prevent or restrict access to the Sites.
Any unauthorized use of our Sites or computer systems is a violation of these Terms. In addition to any remedies that we may have at law or in equity, if we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have violated or are likely to violate the foregoing prohibitions, we may take any action we deem necessary to prevent or cure the violation, including without limitation, the immediate termination of your access to the Sites.
Unsolicited Submissions
Guardian does not accept or consider creative ideas, suggestions, or materials other than those it has specifically requested. This policy is designed to avoid misunderstandings if projects developed by Guardian’s professional staff seem to others to be similar to their own creative work. Accordingly, Guardian requests that you not submit any creative ideas, suggestions, or materials except where specifically requested or solicited.
However, if you do send us any unsolicited suggestions, (i) you agree not to assert any ownership right of any kind in against Guardian (including, but not limited to copyright, trademark, unfair competition, moral rights, or implied contract), (ii) you hereby grant Guardian a nonexclusive, perpetual, worldwide license to use the unsolicited submission in every media and for every purpose now known or hereinafter discovered, and (iii) you waive the right to receive any financial or other consideration in connection with such unsolicited submission including, but not limited to, credit. You agree to release Guardian (and our officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures and employees) from any claims, demands, or damages (actual and consequential) arising out of, or in any way connected with, your unsolicited submissions, including, without limitation, all claims for theft of ideas or copyright infringement.
Links
Running or displaying the Sites or any Content displayed on the Sites in frames or through similar means on another site without our prior written permission is prohibited.
From time to time, the Sites may contain links to third-party websites that are not owned, operated or controlled by Guardian. All such links are provided solely as a convenience to you. We are not responsible for any content, materials or other information located on or accessible from any other websites. Nor do we endorse, guarantee, or make any representations or warranties regarding any other websites, or any content, materials or other information located or accessible from those websites. If you decide to access any other websites linked to or from the Sites, you do so entirely at your own risk.
Availability of Products and Services; United States Only
Certain products and services offered by Guardian through the Sites may not be available in all areas of the United States (“U.S”), and you may not be eligible for all products and services. Guardian reserves the exclusive right to determine availability and eligibility for our products and services.
The Sites are directed to and are intended to be made available only to persons in the United States and are not intended for distribution to, or use by, any person in any other country or any jurisdiction where such distribution or use would be contrary to law or regulation or that would subject Guardian to any registration requirement within such jurisdiction or country. Persons who access the Sites do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with applicable local laws and regulations. Software and other materials from Sites may be subject to export controls imposed by the United States and may not be downloaded or otherwise exported to any country or anyone prohibited by law. Guardian prohibits your downloading or exporting of software or other material from the Sites in violation of U.S. export laws and any applicable international or foreign laws, including the laws of your resident country. By downloading software or other material from the Sites, you represent and warrant that you are able to do so in full compliance with the laws of the United States and all applicable international and foreign laws, including the laws of your resident country.
Limitations of Liability
FOR PURPOSES OF THIS LIMITATION OF LIABILITY PROVISION, “GUARDIAN” REFERS TO THE GUARDIAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY OF AMERICA, INCLUDING ITS PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, PREDECESSORS, SUCCESSORS, AND ASSIGNS, AND EACH OF THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS.
YOU WAIVE THE RIGHT TO ASSERT A CLAIM AGAINST GUARDIAN MORE THAN TWELVE (12) MONTHS AFTER THE FIRST EVENT OR FACT THAT GIVES RISE TO THE CLAIM.
EXCEPT AS EXPRESSLY PROVIDED IN THESE TERMS, IN NO EVENT SHALL GUARDIAN BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY DAMAGES ARISING OR RESULTING FROM ANY INTERRUPTION IN OR DISRUPTION TO THE SITES OR CONTENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL GUARDIAN BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST DATA, LOST PROFITS, OR LOST BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES), REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES WERE FORESEEABLE, AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER GUARDIAN WAS ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
IN NO EVENT SHALL GUARDIAN’S AGGREGATE LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS EXCEED THE GREATER OF: (1) $2,500; OR (2) THREE (3) TIMES THE AGGREGATE AMOUNT PAID OR PAYABLE BY YOU TO GUARDIAN PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT THAT GAVE RISE TO THE CLAIM. NOTWITHSTANDING THE FOREGOING, THE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY IN THIS PARAGRAPH SHALL NOT APPLY TO INJURIES: (1) TO THE BODY OR PERSON; OR (2) CAUSED BY GUARDIAN’S WILLFUL, MALICIOUS, RECKLESS, OR GROSSLY NEGLIGENT ACTS OR OMISSIONS.
THESE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SHALL SURVIVE THE TERMINATION OF THESE TERMS. BECAUSE THE LAW REGARDING LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY VARIES BY STATE, THESE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
NOTICE TO NEW JERSEY CONSUMERS: THESE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY APPLY IN NEW JERSEY.
THESE LIMITATIONS SHALL APPLY WHETHER THE ASSERTED LIABILITY OR DAMAGES ARE BASED IN CONTRACT (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, BREACH OF WARRANTY), TORT (INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE) OR ANY OTHER LEGAL OR EQUITABLE GROUNDS. YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE SITES IS TO STOP USING THE SITES.
IF THE FOREGOING DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY ARE HELD TO BE UNENFORCEABLE, YOU AGREE THAT GUARDIAN'S LIABILITY TO YOU, WHETHER IN TORT, CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE, FOR ALL CAUSES SHALL NOT EXCEED IN THE AGGREGATE $500.
Indemnity and Release
You agree to defend, indemnify and hold Guardian, each of our parent companies, subsidiaries and affiliates and the successors of each of the foregoing, and the officers, directors, agents, and employees of each of the foregoing, harmless from any and all liabilities, costs, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, related to or in connection with (i) your use of the Sites or Content; (ii) your violation of any term or condition of these Terms, including without limitation, your breach of any of the representations and warranties; (iii) your violation of any third party rights, including without limitation any right of privacy, publicity rights or intellectual property rights; (iv) your violation of any law, rule or regulation of the United States or any other country; (v) any claim or damages that arise as a result of any information or material that you provide to Guardian; or (vi) any other party’s access and use of the Sites with your unique username, password or other appropriate security code.
In the event that you have a dispute with another user or party related to the Sites or Content, you release Guardian (and our officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, and employees) from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) arising out of or in any way connected with such disputes.
Termination
We may suspend or terminate your account or your access to the Sites at any time without notice, for any reason or for no reason. You understand that any termination of your account may involve the permanent deletion of your data. Guardian will not have any liability whatsoever to you for any suspension or termination, including for deletion of your data. The provisions of these Terms regarding Restrictions on Use of the Sites, Intellectual Property Rights and Ownership, Unsolicited Submissions, Warranty Disclaimer, Limitation of Liability, Indemnity and Release, Severability and Interpretation, and Governing Law shall survive any termination.
Severability and Interpretation
If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be struck and the remaining provisions shall be enforced. You agree that these Terms and all incorporated agreements may be assigned by Guardian in our sole discretion. Headings are for reference purposes only and in no way define, limit, construe or describe the scope or extent of such section. Our failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive our right to act with respect to subsequent or similar breaches. A printed version of these Terms will be admissible in judicial and administrative proceedings based upon or relating to these Terms to the same extent as other business documents originally generated and maintained in printed form.
Governing Law
Any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or the use of the Sites and Content shall be governed by the laws of the United States and the State of New York, without regard to its choice of law provisions. You expressly agree to submit any disputes to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in New York, New York.
General Legal Terms
The Terms constitute the whole legal agreement between you and Guardian and govern your use of the Sites, and completely replace any prior agreements between you and Guardian in relation to the Sites. No modification or attempted modification of these Terms by you shall be binding on Guardian unless made in writing and physically signed by an authorized representative of Guardian.
WHETHER IN COURT OR IN ARBITRATION, YOU AND WE AGREE TO WAIVE THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY.
Upon termination of these Terms for any reason, Guardian and its third party service providers reserve the right to delete all your data, files, electronic messages, or other information that is stored on Guardian’s or its third party service providers’ servers or systems. Guardian shall have no responsibility whatsoever for the loss of any such data.
You agree that Guardian may provide you with notices, including those regarding changes to the Terms, by email, regular mail, or postings on the Sites.
You agree that if Guardian does not exercise or enforce any contractual or legal right or remedy to which it is entitled, this will not be taken to be a formal waiver of Guardian’s rights and that those rights or remedies will still be available to Guardian.
You acknowledge and agree that each member of the group of companies of which Guardian is the parent shall be third-party beneficiaries to the Terms and that these other companies shall be entitled to directly enforce, and rely upon, any provision of the Terms which confers a benefit on (or rights in favor of) them. Other than these entities, and the entities described in the Apple Disclaimer above, no other person or entity shall be third-party beneficiaries to the Terms.