Welcome to history.org. Please read on to learn the rules and restrictions that govern your access to and use of this website (the “site”), products, and services (the “Services”). If you have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding these terms or the Services, please contact us at:
Email: [email protected]
Address: history.org, c/o The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187
These history.org Terms of Use (the “Terms”) are a binding contract between you and The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation (“Company,” “we,” and “us”). To use the Services in any way, you must acknowledge and agree to all of these Terms by clicking the “Agree” button below. These Terms will remain in effect while you use the Services. These Terms include the provisions in this document as well as those in the Privacy Policy and any other Company policies. Your use of or participation in certain Services may also be subject to additional policies, rules and/or conditions (“Additional Terms”), which are incorporated herein by reference, and you understand and agree that by using or participating in any such Services, you agree to also comply with these Additional Terms by clicking the “Agree” button below.
Please read these Terms carefully. These Terms include information about changes to these Terms, automatic renewals, limitations of liability, a class action waiver [and resolution of disputes by arbitration instead of in court]. PLEASE NOTE THAT YOUR USE OF AND ACCESS TO OUR SERVICES ARE SUBJECT TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS; IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL OF THE FOLLOWING, YOU MAY NOT USE OR ACCESS THE SERVICES IN ANY MANNER.
[ARBITRATION NOTICE AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER: EXCEPT FOR CERTAIN TYPES OF DISPUTES DESCRIBED IN THE ARBITRATION AGREEMENT SECTION BELOW, YOU AGREE THAT DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND US WILL BE RESOLVED BY BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND YOU WAIVE YOUR RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION LAWSUIT OR CLASS-WIDE ARBITRATION.]
We are constantly trying to improve our Services, so these Terms may need to change along with our Services. We reserve the right to change the Terms at any time, but if we do, we will place a notice on our site, send you an email, and/or notify you by some other means.
If you don’t agree with the new Terms, you are free to reject them; unfortunately, that means you will no longer be able to use the Services. You agreed by clicking the “Agree” button below that if you use the Services in any way after a change to the Terms is effective, you are agreeing to all of the changes.
Except for changes by us as described here, no other amendment or modification of these Terms will be effective unless in writing and signed by both you and us.
We take the privacy of its users very seriously. For the current Privacy Policy, please click here.
You may be required to sign up for an account, select a password and user name (“User ID”), and provide us with certain information or data, such as your contact information, to access certain site features. You promise to provide us with accurate, complete, and updated registration information about yourself. You may not select as your User ID a name that you do not have the right to use, or another person’s name with the intent to impersonate that person. You may not transfer your account to anyone else without our prior written permission.
Additionally, you may be able to access certain parts or features of the Services by using your account credentials from other services (each, a “Third Party Account”), such as those offered by Google. By using the Services through a Third Party Account, you authorize us to access certain information from such account for use by the Services.
You represent and warrant that you are an individual of legal age to form a binding contract. If you’re agreeing to these Terms on behalf of an organization or entity, you represent and warrant that you are authorized to agree to these Terms on that organization’s or entity’s behalf and bind them to these Terms (in which case, the references to “you” and “your” in these Terms, except for in this sentence, refer to that organization or entity).
You will only use the Services for your own internal, personal, non-commercial use, and not on behalf of or for the benefit of any third party, and only in a manner that complies with all applicable laws. If your use of the Services is prohibited by applicable laws, then you aren’t authorized to use the Services. We can’t and won’t be responsible for your using the Services in a way that breaks the law.
You will not share your User ID, account or password with anyone, and you must protect the security of your User ID, account, password and any other access tools or credentials. You’re responsible for any activity associated with your User ID and account.
As part of the Services, you may receive communications through the Services. Additionally, you will be able manage your communication preferences from within your account once you sign up. We may use information we obtain under the Privacy Policy to contact you and to provide the Services you request from us. We will never share this information with a third party, except as expressly provided in our Privacy Policy.
You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages (actual and consequential), losses and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) arising from or in any way related to your breach of the foregoing or any of the Terms.
You represent, warrant, and agree that you will not contribute any Content (defined below) or otherwise use the Services or interact with the Services in a manner that:
A violation of any of the foregoing is grounds for termination of your right to use or access the Services.
The materials displayed or performed or available on or through the Services, including, but not limited to, text, graphics, data, articles, photos, images, illustrations, and so forth (all of the foregoing, the “Content”) are protected by copyright and/or other intellectual property laws. You promise to abide by all copyright notices, trademark rules, information, and restrictions contained in any Content you access through the Services, and you won’t use, copy, reproduce, modify, translate, publish, broadcast, transmit, distribute, perform, upload, display, license, sell, commercialize or otherwise exploit for any purpose any Content not owned by you, (i) except for non-commercial educational purposes (ii) without the prior consent of the owner of that Content or (iii) in a way that violates someone else’s (including our) rights.
Subject to these Terms, we grant each user of the Services a worldwide, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable and non-transferable license to use (i.e., to download and display locally) Content solely for purposes of using the Services. Use, reproduction, modification, distribution or storage of any Content for any purpose other than using the Services is expressly prohibited without prior written permission from us. You understand that we own the Services. You won’t modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, reproduce (except as expressly provided in this Section), create derivative works based on, or otherwise exploit any of the Services. The Services may allow you to copy or download certain Content, but please remember that even where these functionalities exist, all the restrictions in this section still apply.
In accordance with the DMCA, we’ve adopted the following policy toward copyright infringement. We reserve the right to (1) block access to or remove material that we believe in good faith to be copyrighted material that has been illegally copied and distributed by any of our advertisers, affiliates, content providers, members or users and (2) remove and discontinue service to repeat offenders.
If a counter-notice is received by the Designated Agent, Company may, in its discretion, send a copy of the counter-notice to the original complaining party informing that person that Company may replace the removed material or cease disabling it in 10 business days. Unless the copyright owner files an action seeking a court order against the content provider accused of committing infringement, the removed material may be replaced or access to it restored in 10 to 14 business days or more after receipt of the counter-notice, at Company's discretion.
If such notice is provided by email, please address it to: [email protected]; if such notice is by mail, please address it to: Designated Copyright Agent, Office of the General Counsel, The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, 134 N Henry Street, Williamsburg, VA, 23185.
The Services may contain links or connections to third-party websites or services that are not owned or controlled by us. When you access third-party websites or use third-party services, you accept that there are risks in doing so, and that we are not responsible for such risks.
We have no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, accuracy, privacy policies, or practices of or opinions expressed in any third-party websites or by any third party that you interact with through the Services. In addition, we will not and cannot monitor, verify, censor or edit the content of any third-party site or service. We encourage you to be aware when you leave the Services and to read the terms and conditions and privacy policy of each third-party website or service that you visit or utilize. By using the Services, you release and hold us harmless from any and all liability arising from your use of any third-party website or service.
Your interactions with organizations and/or individuals found on or through the Services, including delivery of goods or services, and any other terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings, are solely between you and such organizations and/or individuals. You should make whatever investigation you feel necessary or appropriate before proceeding with any online or offline transaction with any of these third parties. You agree that we shall not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as the result of any such dealings.
If there is a dispute between participants on this site or Services, or between users and any third party, you agree that we are under no obligation to become involved. In the event that you have a dispute with one or more other users, you release us, our parents, directors, officers, employees, agents, and successors from claims, demands, and damages of every kind or nature, known or unknown, suspected or unsuspected, disclosed or undisclosed, arising out of or in any way related to such disputes and/or our Services. You shall and hereby do waive California Civil Code Section 1542 or any similar law of any jurisdiction, which says in substance: “A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party.”
We’re always trying to improve our Services, so they may change over time. We may suspend or discontinue any part of the Services, or we may introduce new features or impose limits on certain features or restrict access to parts or all of the Services. We will make reasonable efforts to give you notice when we make a material change to the Services that would adversely affect you. We reserve the right to remove any Content from the Services at any time, for any reason (including, but not limited to, if someone alleges you contributed that Content in violation of these Terms), in our sole discretion, and without notice.
You’re free to do that at any time by contacting us at [email protected]; please refer to our Privacy Policy, as well as the licenses above, to understand how we treat information you provide to us after you have stopped using our Services.
We are also free to terminate (or suspend access to) your use of the Services or your account for any reason in our discretion, including your breach of these Terms. We have the sole right to decide whether you are in violation of any of the restrictions set forth in these Terms.
Account termination will result in destruction of any Content associated with your account, so keep that in mind before you decide to terminate your account.
Provisions that, by their nature, should survive termination of these Terms shall survive termination. By way of example, all of the following will survive termination: any obligation you have to pay us or indemnify us, any limitations on our liability, any terms regarding ownership or intellectual property rights, and terms regarding disputes between us, [including without limitation the arbitration agreement]. Additionally, depending on applicable law, we may be required to retain certain of your information for a period of time.
Warranty Disclaimer. We and our licensors, suppliers, partners, parent, subsidiaries or affiliated entities, and each of their respective officers, directors, members, employees, consultants, contract employees, representatives and agents, and each of their respective successors and assigns (Company and all such parties together, the “Company Parties”) make no representations or warranties concerning the Services, including without limitation regarding any Content contained in or accessed through the Services, and the Company Parties will not be responsible or liable for the accuracy, copyright compliance, legality, or decency of material contained in or accessed through the Services or any claims, actions, suits procedures, costs, expenses, damages or liabilities arising out of use of, or in any way related to your participation in, the Services. The Company Parties make no representations or warranties regarding suggestions or recommendations of services or products offered or purchased through or in connection with the Services. THE SERVICES AND CONTENT ARE PROVIDED BY COMPANY (AND ITS LICENSORS AND SUPPLIERS) ON AN “AS-IS” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, OR THAT USE OF THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON HOW LONG AN IMPLIED WARRANTY LASTS, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Limitation of Liability. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY APPLICABLE LAW, UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES AND UNDER NO LEGAL THEORY (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, TORT, CONTRACT, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE) SHALL ANY OF THE COMPANY PARTIES BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY OTHER PERSON FOR (A) ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOST PROFITS, BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, LOSS OF DATA, LOSS OF GOODWILL, WORK STOPPAGE, ACCURACY OF RESULTS, OR COMPUTER FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION, (B) ANY SUBSTITUTE GOODS, SERVICES OR TECHNOLOGY, (C) ANY AMOUNT, IN THE AGGREGATE, IN EXCESS OF THE GREATER OF (I) ONE-HUNDRED ($100) DOLLARS OR (II) THE AMOUNTS PAID AND/OR PAYABLE BY YOU TO COMPANY IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICES IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTH PERIOD PRECEDING THIS APPLICABLE CLAIM OR (D) ANY MATTER BEYOND OUR REASONABLE CONTROL. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL OR CERTAIN OTHER DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION AND EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
Indemnity. To the fullest extent allowed by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold the Company Parties harmless from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages (actual and consequential), losses and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) arising from or in any way related to any claims relating to (a) your use of the Services (including any actions taken by a third party using your account), and (b) your violation of these Terms. In the event of such a claim, suit, or action (“Claim”), we will attempt to provide notice of the Claim to the contact information we have for your account (provided that failure to deliver such notice shall not eliminate or reduce your indemnification obligations hereunder).
Assignment. You may not assign, delegate or transfer these Terms or your rights or obligations hereunder, or your Services account, in any way (by operation of law or otherwise) without Company’s prior written consent. We may transfer, assign, or delegate these Terms and our rights and obligations without consent.
Choice of Law. These Terms are governed by and will be construed under the Federal Arbitration Act, applicable federal law, and the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to the conflicts of laws provisions thereof.
[Arbitration Agreement. Please read the following ARBITRATION AGREEMENT carefully because it requires you to arbitrate certain disputes and claims with Company and limits the manner in which you can seek relief from Company. Both you and Company acknowledge and agree that for the purposes of any dispute arising out of or relating to the subject matter of these Terms, Company officers, directors, employees and independent contractors (“Personnel”) are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms, and that upon your acceptance of these Terms, Personnel will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you as the third-party beneficiary hereof.
Miscellaneous. You will be responsible for paying, withholding, filing, and reporting all taxes, duties, and other governmental assessments associated with your activity in connection with the Services, provided that the Company may, in its sole discretion, do any of the foregoing on your behalf or for itself as it sees fit. The failure of either you or us to exercise, in any way, any right herein shall not be deemed a waiver of any further rights hereunder. If any provision of these Terms are found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated, to the minimum extent necessary, so that these Terms shall otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable. You and Company agree that these Terms are the complete and exclusive statement of the mutual understanding between you and Company, and that these Terms supersede and cancel all previous written and oral agreements, communications and other understandings relating to the subject matter of these Terms. You hereby acknowledge and agree that you are not an employee, agent, partner, or joint venture of Company, and you do not have any authority of any kind to bind Company in any respect whatsoever.
Except as expressly set forth in the sections above regarding the Apple Application and the arbitration agreement, you and Company agree there are no third-party beneficiaries intended under these Terms.
May I print content from the sites for a school report?
Yes, but only for personal or academic work. Your citation should include the URL www.history.org and the citation information provided by the Contributing Partner, noted in the “Citation & Details” section on each individual item page. All other forms of publication are expressly prohibited. You may not alter downloaded images, which must include the following credit: Image/s Courtesy of [Contributing Partner Name], accessed from www.history.org. All rights reserved.
How do I obtain permission for other forms of publication of the content?
Permission to use Content for purposes other than as authorized in these Terms and Conditions of Use must obtain prior written approval from us. A usage fee may be charged depending on the nature of the proposed use. For works of art from our collection reproduced on the Site, contact [email protected]. For all other Content on the Site, contact the history.org team at [email protected].