Terms and Conditions

Terms of Use

By accessing or using the Our Services, you agree to be legally bound by this Agreement and comply with it. DO NOT ACCESS OR USE THE Our SERVICES IF YOU DO NOT AGREE WITH THE TERMS OF THIS AGREEMENT. Please be aware that, with a few exceptions, all disagreements regarding this agreement between you and us are subject to binding arbitration on an individual basis rather than jury trials in courts, including CLASS ACTION lawsuits, and you can only pursue specific remedies. Section 23, Dispute Resolution (Arbitration Clause and Class Action Waiver), provides additional information.
We provide a summary of the terms and conditions that govern your use of our U.S. website, mobile app, digital subscription product, other digital service, or print Our subscription (each a "Our Service") in the Highlights section. For a comprehensive explanation of the applicable terms and conditions, please review the full Terms of Use listed below. In the Highlights section, any reference to the Terms of Use, including its sections, is intended to refer to the full Terms of Use below.

Application and Acceptance of the Terms of Use

  • Every time you access or use the Our Services, you agree to be bound by the Terms of Use, our Privacy Notice, and any additional guidelines, terms, procedures, or rules that may apply to a particular feature of the Our Services that are owned or operated by SFGate, a publication of Hearst Communications, Inc. or its affiliates (collectively referred to as "we," "us," "our," or "Hearst").
  • You acknowledge that we will use your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Notice when you access and use the Our Services.
  • Additional terms apply if you purchase a digital or print subscription product (referred to below as a "Subscription Product"), such as those pertaining to your subscription's automatic renewal and/or continuous service ("Continuous Service Program").

    • Your Obligations

  • It is your responsibility to ensure that any information you provide about your use of the Our Services is accurate.
  • Any user content you provide to us is entirely your responsibility.
  • Your access to or use of the Our Services and Content (as that term is defined in the full Terms of Use) is subject to the rules outlined in the section of the Terms of Use below titled "Your Conduct and Responsible Use of the Our Services." You are accountable for your actions in connection with the Our Services.

    • Intellectual and other proprietary rights

  • You are only permitted to access and use the Our Services and Content for your own personal, non-commercial use.
  • Except where applicable with regard to your User Content, Hearst owns all rights, title, and interest in and to the copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade names, patents, and other intellectual and proprietary rights worldwide associated with the Our Services and Content.
  • No part of the Our Services (including any software code) or Content may be used to start a business, resell, redistribute, recirculate, or be used for any other commercial purpose. You may also not create derivative works or materials.
  • We reserve the right to suspend a user's access to the Our Services if we discover that they have repeatedly violated any third party's proprietary rights. We may, but are not obligated to, examine any User Content, conduct an investigation, or take the necessary action against you at our sole discretion.

    • Release, Indemnity, Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

  • You agree to indemnify and hold Hearst (and its affiliates and their officers, directors, employees, contractors, and agents harmless) from any claim or demand made by a third party due to or arising out of (a) your use of the Our Services or Content, (b) your User Content, or (c) your violation of the Terms of Use. This includes costs and reasonable attorneys' fees. or (d) your breaking any rules or laws that are in place.
  • The Our Services are provided "as is," and Hearst makes no guarantees about them.
  • The Limitation of Liability section of the Terms of Use below outlines our limited liability.

    • Third Parties

  • Links to third-party websites, apps, or services, including social media platforms, are not under the control of Hearst.
  • We may permit the embedding of third-party affiliate links on some of our Our Services as part of our affiliate marketing efforts. As a result, if you click on or make a purchase through third-party affiliate links, we may receive a commission.

    • Termination

  • Hearst reserves the right, at any time and for any reason, to remove or discard any User Content (as that term is defined in the Terms of Use below) or information stored, sent, or received via the Our Services, as well as your password, account, access to or use of the Our Services.

    • Changes to the Terms of Use

  • We may post an updated version of the Terms of Use on the Our Services to reflect future changes.
  • If you continue to use the Our Services, you will be considered to have accepted any changes for life.

    • Governing Law and Severability

  • The Terms of Use shall be construed in accordance with and governed by the laws of the State of New York, United States of America, without giving effect to any law that would require the application of the laws of any other jurisdiction. Severability and Governing Law.
  • The entire agreement between you and us regarding the use of the Our Services is contained in the Terms of Use, which also include the Privacy Notice.
  • The other provisions of the Terms of Use will not be affected if any of them are found to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, and the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed modified to the greatest extent permitted by law.

    • Copyright Policy

  • If you think someone has violated your copyright, you can let us know by following the steps in the section of the Terms of Service that corresponds to your suspicions.