The Institutes Website Terms & Conditions of Use Agreement ("Terms of Use")

The Institutes, its subsidiaries, and its affiliated or controlled organizations (collectively, “The Institutes”) are committed to meeting the evolving professional development needs of the risk management and insurance community by preparing individuals to fulfill their professional and ethical responsibilities by offering customer-focused and innovative educational, research, networking, and career resource solutions. The Institutes maintain this website (“Website”) as an important resource for the public, its students and the risk management and insurance community. These Terms of Use apply to all Websites maintained by The Institutes.

 

Agreement

By accessing this Website, you agree to the terms and conditions set forth in these Terms of Use.  If you do not agree with the terms and conditions set forth below, you are hereby instructed not to access or use information provided by the Website, to submit information to the Website, use our services or to engage in any transactions through the Website. The Institutes reserves the right to change these Terms of Use from time to time. The current Terms of Use will always be posted on the Website, and you may view them at any time through the link at the bottom of any public page of the Website.

 

Description of Service

The Website consists of several sections, some of which may have restricted access.  Respect the security of this Website. Do not attempt to gain access to areas private to The Institutes Knowledge Group, its students, certificate holders, designees or customers.

 

Intellectual Property

The entire contents and design of the Website, including all trademarks, service marks, logos, trade names, documents, study guides and other education materials, exam questions and materials, databases, graphic representations, and other information, are the property of The Institutes, or are used by The Institutes with permission, and are protected under U.S. and international copyright and trademark laws, whether or not a notice of copyright, trademark, or other proprietary rights appears on the screen displaying the information. Except as otherwise provided herein, users of the Website may save and use information contained on the Website only for personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. No other use, including, without limitation, reproduction, retransmission, or editing, of Website information may be made without the prior written permission of The Institutes, which may be requested by contacting The Institutes at CustomerSuccess@TheInstitutes.org.

Anyone who believes that material posted on The Institutes Website infringes on his or her (or their organization’s) copyrighted work should refer to the Procedures for Requesting Removal of Infringing Material.

The following professional designations and program names are registered trademarks of The Institutes Designations, LLC: AAI®, AFSB®, AIDA®, Associate in Insurance Data Analytics®, AINS®, AMIM®, ANFI®, APA®, CPCU®, CPPA®, Certified Professional Public Adjuster®, PRC®, SPPA®, Senior Professional Public Adjuster®, and WCCP®

Limitation of Liability

In no event shall The Institutes or its officers, directors, members, staff, or agents be liable for any damages of any kind, including, without limitation, any special, incidental, indirect, or consequential damages, whether or not advised of the possibility of such damages, and on any theory of liability whatsoever, arising out of, or in connection with, the use or performance of the Website or any content appearing on the Website.

 

Disclaimer

The Institutes Knowledge Group is providing information and services on this Website as a benefit and service in furtherance of The Institutes non-profit and tax-exempt status. The Institutes make no warranty, guaranty, or representation regarding the accuracy, content, completeness, reliability, operability, or legality of information contained within the Website, including, without limitation, the warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular use, and non-infringement of proprietary rights. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented within the Website are for general information only.  Unless specifically stated otherwise, The Institutes do not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service, or organization presented or mentioned on the Website, and information from the Website should not be referenced in any way to imply such endorsement or approval. Moreover, The Institutes make no warranty that the Website, or the server that makes it available, is free from viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. The Institutes expressly disclaims any and all liability or responsibility for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or other damages arising out of any individual’s use of, reference to, reliance on, or inability to use the Website or the information presented on the Website.  In any jurisdiction that does not permit such a disclaimer of liability, The Institutes liability shall be limited to the greatest extent allowed by applicable law.

 

Links to Third-Party Sites

Links or pointers connecting the Website with other Internet sites are provided as a courtesy only and do not imply, directly or indirectly, the endorsement, sponsorship, or approval by The Institutes of the linked site, the organization or individual operating the linked site, or any product, service, individual, or organization referenced in the linked site. In general, any website that has an address (or URL) that does not contain “theinstitutes.org” is a linked site. The content of any linked site does not necessarily reflect the opinions, standards, or policies of The Institutes. Linked sites are not under the control of The Institutes, and The Institutes are not responsible for the content of any linked site, any links contained within a linked site, any changes or updates to such sites, or the compliance with applicable laws of such linked sites.

 

Choice of Law and Forum

This Agreement is entered into and performed in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States of America, and is governed by the laws of Pennsylvania, exclusive of its choice of law or conflict of laws provisions. In any claim or action directly or indirectly arising under this Agreement or related to the Website, each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive personal jurisdiction of the state courts located in Chester County, Pennsylvania, or the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, whichever has jurisdiction, and each party waives any jurisdictional, venue, or inconvenient forum objections to such court.

 

Complete Agreement

If any provision or provisions of this Agreement are held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction not to be enforceable, then such provisions shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that this Agreement shall otherwise remain in full force and effect. These Terms of Use supersede any other statements included elsewhere on the Website that are inconsistent or conflict with these Terms of Use.

 

Discussions & Public Forums

  1. Respect other visitors to this Website. Feel free to express yourself, but do not do anything to injure or harm others. Users are expected to exercise both common sense and courtesy in the messages they transmit from this Website. Defamatory, obscene, and other offensive communications are not acceptable forms of communication over this Website and could lead to liability for those engaging in such improper communication. 
  2. Do not use The Institutes Website to conduct activities that may be illegal. The Institutes Website may not be used to encourage anything to do with illegal drugs, gambling, pornography, prostitution, child pornography, robbery, spreading computer viruses, cracking into private computer forums, software infringement, trafficking in credit card codes, or other crimes. 
  3. Do not use The Institutes Website to defame or disparage The Institutes, its affiliates or subsidiaries or any other persons. 
  4. Do not use The Institutes Website to communicate with competitors about prices or terms of service or otherwise communicate in a way that may provide the basis for an inference that users agreed to take any action relating to prices, services, production, allocation of markets or any other matter having a market effect. Be sensitive to other matters that may raise particular antitrust concern such as codes of ethics, fees, billing practices, and product standardization.
  5. Do not upload or distribute files subject to trademark, copyright, or other proprietary rights except with the express consent of the owner of the rights. Anyone who believes that material posted on The Institutes Website infringes on his or her (or their organization’s) copyrighted work should refer to the Procedures for Requesting Removal of Infringing Material
  6. This Website may not be used in a manner that violates The Institutes' bylaws or any of its other policies, procedures, rules or regulations.

 

Amendments

The Institutes reserve the right to modify or change these Terms of Use as it determines from time-to-time in the best interests of The Institutes. Use of the Website constitutes the user’s continuing agreement to be bound by these Terms of Use, as they are amended from time to time.