Terms of Use

As we began to think about the terms of use for Zipcode Village, we looked at the policies of other well-established community sites. All roads led to the granddaddy of online community, the WELL, which utilizes the following philosophy:

You Own Your Own Words (or YOYOW)

So, here goes our version of YOYOW.

This document is an agreement between Zipcode Village and its members. It concerns the legal framework in which you participate on Zipcode Village, what your rights and responsibilities are and what you can expect from the site.

Zipcode Village's Rights and Responsibilities

Zipcode Village is not the publisher or author of any works posted by its members. It is a passive service for storage and dissemination of the works that members may choose to post and distribute via Zipcode Village. Our management does not screen works before they are posted, and no prior approval is required for posting. Zipcode Village disclaims all copyright and ownership in such works and all responsibility for them.

Although it cannot make an absolute guarantee of system security, Zipcode Village takes reasonable steps to maintain security. If you have reason to believe system security has been breached, contact us.

If Zipcode Village technical staff finds that files or processes belonging to a member pose a threat to the proper technical operation of the system or to the security of other members, Zipcode Village reserves the right to delete those files or to stop those processes. If Zipcode Village technical staff suspects an account is being used by someone who is not authorized by the account holder, Zipcode Village may temporarily disable that account in order to preserve system security. In all such cases, we will contact the member as soon as feasible.

Zipcode Village reserves the right to refuse service to anyone and to cancel an account at any time.

Zipcode Village is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind. Zipcode Village will not be liable for incidental or consequential damages at all or for other damages beyond the normal base membership fee for one calendar quarter.

Your Rights and Responsibilities as a Zipcode Village Member and Poster

You are legally and ethically responsible for any works—writings, files, pictures, or any other work—that you post or transmit using any of Zipcode Village's services. In posting works on Zipcode Village, you are responsible for honoring the rights of others, including intellectual-property rights (copyright, patent, and trademark), the right to privacy, and the right not to be libeled or slandered. For example, if you wish to post a copyrighted work on Zipcode Village, you are responsible for obtaining the copyright holder's permission first.

Under US law, you retain copyright on all works you create and post to Zipcode Village, unless you choose specifically to renounce it. In posting a work on a service offered by Zipcode Village, you authorize other members who have access to that service to make personal and customary use of the work, including creating links to or reposting among various areas of Zipcode Village to which the author has access, but not otherwise to reproduce or disseminate it unless you give permission for such dissemination. You also give permission to Zipcode Village to copy your works as part of the normal backup process, and to conference hosts to archive topics containing your works. You have the right to remove any of your works from Zipcode Village at any time.

Illegal activity under the laws of California and the United States using your Zipcode Village account is a violation of this agreement. Since the law as to jurisdiction of online systems is unsettled, we urge you to consider the possible effect of laws outside Zipcode Village's locality or your own residence. Zipcode Village is open to members worldwide and Zipcode Village cannot guarantee that you won't run into legal trouble from other jurisdictions over your works.

If you have a complaint about the behavior or posts of another member, it is your responsibility to attempt to resolve the conflict, typically by contacting that person directly. Normally, Zipcode Village will not take a role in mediating conflicts between you and other members. Zipcode Village does not take responsibility for your behavior or that of other members of the system. However, a Zipcode Village member has the right to expect not be bothered by others against his or her will.

Your access to the works that members have posted on Zipcode Village is for your personal use only. If you want to redistribute works you find on Zipcode Village, it is your responsibility to obtain permission from the poster (and any other person with rights in the material).

You take responsibility for all authorized use of your Zipcode Village account, and for all contributions to any service offered by Zipcode Village that you post from your account.

You agree to help protect your account and the security of other members by guarding your password. If you have reason to believe your password has been compromised or there has been any unauthorized use of your account, contact Zipcode Village as soon as possible.

You agree not to use the system for illegal activity or for violating the privacy or security of other members.

Zipcode Village reserves the right to change the terms of this agreement. Zipcode Village may assign and delegate its rights and obligations to any successor to all or part of its business or assets.

This agreement supersedes all other agreements or understandings regarding this subject matter, and is governed by the internal laws of the United States and California.