Terms and Conditions

Last Updated: May 24, 2021

The National Journal Group LLC (“National Journal”) owns and operates digital products including the website nationaljournal.com; newsletters and other content we deliver via email; and social media pages (collectively, the “Sites”).

Your use of the Sites and associated products and services, regardless of media, is subject to the terms, conditions, and disclaimers set forth below; to our Online Privacy Policy; and to all applicable laws and regulations. In addition, National Journal reserves the right to terminate access to the Sites for any reason, and to take any other actions that National Journal, in its sole discretion, believes to be in the interest of the company and some or all of its users and customers. National Journal reserves the right to modify these disclaimers, terms, and conditions of access, without advance notice.

This is a binding contract between National Journal and you. By accessing the Sites, you hereby accept this agreement. As a material condition of such use, you warrant that you are over the age of thirteen and that you have provided accurate and complete information in any communication with National Journal.

Please note that our Sites are under constant development. This Agreement may therefore be modified and updated on an ongoing basis. Please check back to this page regularly.

Access

Access to the Sites is provided free of charge (although some content may be only be available to paying subscribers or members) and does not create a professional services relationship or any other relationship with National Journal. The Sites are provided solely for your personal, non-commercial use.

You may not develop or derive for commercial sale any data in machine-readable or other form that incorporates or uses any substantial part of the Sites nor transfer to or store any data residing or exchanged over the Sites in any electronic network for use by more than one user unless you obtain prior written permission from National Journal. Specifically, unless explicitly authorized in these Terms & Conditions or by the owner of the materials, you may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit, translate, sell, create derivative works, exploit, or distribute in any manner or medium any material from the Sites. For more information about requesting permission to reproduce or distribute materials from the Sites, contact service@nationaljournal.com.

Account Credentials and Security

Use of some of our services, including registration for an account and/or membership for NationalJournal.com, requires the creation of an online account log-in and password (the “Credentials”). You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your Credentials, and you are solely responsible for all activities that occur during use of your account. You agree to immediately change your password and notify us at privacy@nationaljournal.com if you suspect or become aware of any unauthorized use of your Credentials or any other breach of security related to the Services. We reserve the right to require you to alter your Credentials if we believe that they are no longer secure. You agree that we will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to adequately safeguard your Credentials.

Intellectual Property

National Journal and the Sites, and all other text and images contained on the Sites and in National Journal’s products are protected by United States trademark and copyright law and other applicable law and are the property of National Journal, except as otherwise identified. All copyrights and trademarks not the property of National Journal that are used or referred to in the Sites and National Journal’s products are the property of their respective owners. Nothing contained in the Sites or other products shall be construed as granting any license or other rights to any copyright, trademark, patent or other property of National Journal or any third party, whether by implication, laches, estoppel or explicit grant. Because the content is proprietary, any unauthorized use of materials on the Sites or other products may violate the law. If you are a copyright owner and believe infringing material is present on any of the Sites, please refer to the procedures outlined below in the section titled “DMCA Copyright Infringement Claim Policy.”

National Journal’s products, including third party and licensed materials on the Sites, may not be modified, reproduced, republished, retransmitted, or displayed except for personal use. Any use for a commercial or public purpose requires specific written permission from National Journal.

User Submission Policy

Some of the Sites may allow users to upload, submit, and/or post images, text, video, profile information, comments, letters to the editor, e-mails, or other data and information (“User Submissions”). By uploading, creating, or submitting User Submissions to or on the Sites, or to National Journal through any other means:

• You affirm, represent and warrant that you own the right to utilize, to license and to sublicense the User Submissions;
• You grant to National Journal, and anyone authorized by National Journal, a non-exclusive, worldwide, paid-up, royalty-free, irrevocable, perpetual license, including right of sublicense, to use, copy, assign, display, distribute, perform, reproduce in whole or in part, and modify the User Submissions in any medium or any manner, in whole or part (whether now known or hereafter developed), without any restrictions to you, for the sole intended purpose of the Sites and/or services provided;
• You grant to each user of the Sites a non-exclusive license to access the User Submissions through the Sites and to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform such User Submissions as permitted through the functionality of the Sites and under this Agreement;
• You acknowledge and agree that User Submissions may be permanently maintained on National Journal’s servers; and
• You acknowledge that National Journal is not responsible for, and cannot prevent, the publication or use of your User Submissions by any third parties who copied your User Submissions during the time in which it was displayed on the Sites.

For any User Submissions you post that you do not own, you guarantee to us that you have the legal right to post such User Submissions and that it will not violate any law or the rights of any person or entity. IN OTHER WORDS, AND AMONG OTHER THINGS, YOU WILL NOT POST USER SUBMISSIONS ON THE SITES YOU DO NOT OWN WITHOUT PERMISSION OF THE OWNER OF THE USER SUBMISSIONS, INCLUDING WRITTEN, PHOTOGRAPHIC, MUSIC AND VIDEO USER SUBMISSIONS.

Acceptable Use Policy

You are solely responsible for any and all acts and omissions that occur during or relating to your use of the Sites, and you agree not to engage in unacceptable use of the Sites, which includes, without limitation, use of the Sites to:

• Harm or threaten to harm users or members of the general public in any way, or “stalk” or otherwise harass any other person or entity;
• Post or transmit any User Submission that is unlawful, false or misleading, grossly offensive, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortuous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, pornographic, libelous, invasive of another’s privacy, hateful, or racially, ethnically, or otherwise objectionable;
• Disseminate or transmit “spam,” unsolicited messages, chain letters, any advertisements, solicitations, pyramid schemes, investment opportunities or other unsolicited commercial communication;
• Purchase, sell, or offer to purchase or sell any equity or security or market instrument; provide information designed to manipulate any equity or security or market; or disseminate or transmit any material, non-public information about companies without authorization to do so;
• Collect, use, or store any personally identifiable information about other users, or otherwise violate the personal privacy rights of others;
• Impersonate any person or entity (including a Site agent, user, or moderator), or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
• Post any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, or any other form of solicitation except in areas that are expressly designated by the Sites for such purpose;
• Disseminate or transmit any User Submission that infringes or violates any party’s copyright, trademark, trade secret, patent or other proprietary right; or use or distribute third-party information (whether or not protected as a trade secret) in violation of a duty of confidentiality, fiduciary duty, or similar duty;
• Violate any law (whether local, state, national, or international), whether or not intentionally;
• Forge headers or otherwise intentionally disguise the origin of any content or communication; interfere with or disrupt the Sites, or servers or networks connected to the Sites; or disobey any requirements, procedures, policies, or regulations of networks connected to the Sites;
• Make any User Submission related to partisan political campaigning or fundraising.
• Express or imply that any statements you make are endorsed by us;
• Modify, adapt, sub-license, translate, sell, reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble any portion of the Sites;
• Obtain, copy, monitor, index or data mine through the use of a robot, spider, any automated device, or any manual process, the Sites or the contents (except as expressly permitted by National Journal);
• Remove any copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights notices contained in the Sites;
• ”Frame” or “mirror” any part of the Sites; or
• Engage in any other activity deemed by National Journal to be in conflict with the spirit or intent of this agreement or that might violate the rights of others or give rise to liability.

You understand that by using the Sites, you may be exposed to content that may offend you or challenge your beliefs. Your remedy is to avoid such content by discontinuing your access.

Content and Non-Endorsement

Opinions and other statements expressed by users and third parties are theirs alone, not opinions of National Journal. Content created by third parties is the sole responsibility of the third parties and its accuracy and completeness are not endorsed or guaranteed. The Sites and third parties may provide links to web pages, web sites, and various resources or locations on the web. National Journal has no control over the information you access via such links, does not endorse that information, and shall not be responsible for it or for the consequences of your use of that information.

Use of Associated Press Materials

Some of the material available on the Sites is provided by the Associated Press. By using the Sites you agree and acknowledge that (1) you will not publish, broadcast, or rewrite for broadcast or publication, or redistribute directly or indirectly in any medium any Associated Press text, photo, graphic, audio, and/or video material, and (2) no Associated Press materials nor any portion thereof may be stored in a computer except for personal and non-commercial use. The Associated Press will not be held liable for any delays, inaccuracies, errors or omissions in its materials or in the transmission or delivery of all or any part of its materials, or for any damages arising from any of the foregoing. In addition to those set forth in this paragraph, the Associated Press may impose other terms and conditions on the use of its materials.

Acceptable Use and Subscription Policies for Vignette

Vignette is a service offered by National Journal to those who subscribe to and who license access to it.

• Vignette Branding and Publicity
  • If your organization has purchased Vignette access, National Journal may refer to your organization's use of Vignette in publicity, press releases, advertising, marketing, as a reference, or in other promotional materials.
  • If your organization has purchased Vignette access, National Journal may feature your organization's name and/or logo in a list of Vignette's clients, and may feature its work for you in a case study and/or proposal.
  • Before making any modification or alteration to Vignette content we provide, we request that you first remove any National Journal or Vignette logos and branding.
    
    
• Account Access and Sharing of Content for Organizations That Purchased Vignette Services
  • You may not share your Vignette account password or other Vignette account credentials with anyone else outside your organization, and you may not allow someone outside your organization to use your Vignette account on your behalf or on behalf of your organization.
  • If your organization has purchased Vignette access, Vignette content that we have provided you access to may be shown to other employees, contractors, trade group members, professional association members, or volunteers affiliated with your organization.
    • If your organization has purchased Vignette access, electronic or hard copies of Vignette content may not be sent or shown to any individuals besides those who work for, volunteer for, are professional association members of, or are on contract with your organization.
    • Likewise, if your organization has purchased Vignette access, electronic or hard copies of Vignette content may not be sent or shown to any entities besides those that are in the same corporate family as your organization, are trade group members of your organization, or are on contract to assist your organization.
    • In no instance should your organization make Vignette content available to the general public.
      
      
• On-Demand Vignette Profile Requests
  • Vignette retains editorial discretion over whether to profile individuals in response to on-demand profile requests. Fulfillment of on-demand profile requests submitted is subject to our editorial discretion.
    • We reserve the right to decline or delay fulfillment of requests not in keeping with our public policy editorial focus, or which we deem were submitted for reasons related to opposition research or were submitted for personal reasons unrelated to the requesting organization's work.
    • Vignette will retain ultimate editorial control over its content as well as decisions about which on-demand requests Vignette chooses to fulfill and about the timeframes or prioritization order for fulfilling such requests.
      
      
• Other Vignette Subscription Terms
  
  • Access to Vignette content requires a subscription. Subscribers enrolled in the automatic subscription renewal program can opt out or cancel their subscription at any time by contacting their National Journal account representative or by writing us at service@nationaljournal.com.
  • Upon cancellation, you will still have access to Vignette for the remainder of the term for which you have already licensed access, but you will be you will be opted out of the Vignette automatic subscription renewal program going forward.
  • For a subscriber taking advantage of a free trial offer of Vignette, the customer will be charged upon the conclusion of their free trial in order to for them to continue having access to Vignette for the subsequent subscription term.

Employment Opportunities

National Journal may post employment opportunities on the Sites and/or invite users to submit resumes to it. If you choose to submit your name, contact information, resume and/or other personal information to National Journal in response to employment listings, you are authorizing National Journal and its service providers to utilize this information for all lawful and legitimate hiring and employment purposes. National Journal also reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to forward the information you submit to its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, vendors and service providers for legitimate business purposes. Nothing in this Agreement or contained in the Sites shall constitute a promise by National Journal to interview, hire or employ any individual who submits information to it, nor shall anything in this Agreement or contained in the Sites constitute a promise that National Journal will review any or all of the information submitted to it by users.

DMCA Copyright Infringement Claim Policy

National Journal respects the intellectual property of others, and requires that our users do the same. You may not upload, embed, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available any material that infringes any copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights of any person or entity. National Journal has the right to prohibit infringers from using our Sites.

If you believe your work has been copied and posted on or through the Sites in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please send National Journal’s Copyright Agent a notification of claimed infringement with all of the following information:

(a) identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works;

(b) identification of the claimed infringing material and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material on the Sites (providing the URL(s) of the claimed infringing material satisfies this requirement);

(c) information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an email address;

(d) a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;

(e) a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notification is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on the copyright owner’s behalf; and

(f) your physical or electronic signature.

National Journal’s Copyright Agent for notification of claimed infringement can be reached as follows: Copyright Agent, National Journal Group LLC, 600 New Hampshire Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20037, (202) 266-7000, DMCA@nationaljournal.com.

Upon receipt of a Notification of Copyright Infringement from a copyright owner that contains the required information described in (a) through (f) above, National Journal will notify the user, if known, of the alleged infringement and remove or disable access to the material that is alleged to be infringing if hosted on the Sites. No personal user information is shared with the copyright owner unless required by law.

If National Journal receives more than one Notice of Copyright Infringement concerning a user, the user may be deemed a “repeat copyright infringer.” National Journal reserves the right to terminate the accounts of “repeat copyright infringers.”

Procedure to File a DMCA Counter-Claim

If you have received a notice of copyright infringement and you believe that a copyright holder has accused you in error, you may file a DMCA Counter-Claim with National Journal’s designated agent.

To be effective, a Counter-Claim must be a written communication provided to National Journal’s designated agent and must include the following information:

(a) A physical or electronic signature of the user;

(b) Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled and the location at which the material appeared before it was removed or access to it was disabled;

(c) A statement under penalty of perjury that the user has a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification of the material to be removed or disabled; and

(d) The user’s name, address and telephone number, and a statement that the subscriber consents to the jurisdiction of Federal District Court for the judicial district in which the address is located, or if the user’s address is outside of the United States, for any judicial district in which the service provider may be found, and that the user will accept service of process from the person who provided notification or an agent of such person.

Upon receipt of a DMCA Counter-Claim, National Journal will provide the complaining party with a copy of the DMCA Counter-Claim. When National Journal receives a Counter-Claim that meets the requirements of the DMCA, National Journal will process the Counter-Claim in accordance with the requirements of the DMCA.

Limitation of Liability

National Journal has worked to ensure the accuracy of the information it provides through its products and services, including through the Sites. This information frequently relies on data obtained from many sources, however, and National Journal cannot guarantee the accuracy of the information provided or any analysis based thereon.

YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT THE USE OF NATIONAL JOURNAL’S PRODUCTS AND SERVICES, INCLUDING THE SITES, IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. SUCH PRODUCTS AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS AND NATIONAL JOURNAL MAKES NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, AND DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. NATIONAL JOURNAL DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTY THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE OR ERROR FREE. NO ADVICE, OPINION OR OTHER INFORMATION OBTAINED THROUGH THE SITES OR FROM NATIONAL JOURNAL, ORALLY OR IN ANY MEDIA, SHALL CREATE ANY WARRANTY FROM NATIONAL JOURNAL NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THIS AGREEMENT.

EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE STATED, NATIONAL JOURNAL MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION REGARDING OF CONFIDENTIALITY OF ANY COMMUNICATION OR INFORMATION TRANSMITTED ON THIS SITES OR ANY WEBSITE LINKED TO THE SITES. YOU AGREE THAT NEITHER NATIONAL JOURNAL, NOR ANY OTHER PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES RELATED TO THE SITES, ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CONFIDENTIALITY OF ANY INFORMATION, (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION CREDIT CARD INFORMATION, PERSONALLY IDENTIFIABLE INFORMATION, INCLUDING EMAIL ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, ETC.), AND NEITHER NATIONAL JOURNAL NOR ANY OTHER PROVIDERS OF PRODUCTS OR SERVICES RELATED TO THE SITES ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGES THAT MAY ARISE FROM DISCLOSURE OF SUCH INFORMATION.

NATIONAL JOURNAL AND ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, CONSULTANTS, AGENTS AND OTHER REPRESENTATIVES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS OR COSTS OR ATTORNEY’S FEES, UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO BREACH OF CONTRACT, BREACH OF WARRANTY, NEGLIGENCE, OR STRICT LIABILITY, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER NATIONAL JOURNAL WAS INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

IN STATES THAT DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN CATEGORIES OF DAMAGES, NATIONAL JOURNAL’S LIABILITY, AND THAT OF ITS SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES OR PARENTS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, REPRESENTATIVES, BUSINESS PARTNERS, INFORMATION PROVIDERS AND LICENSORS AND THEIR RESPECTIVE HEIRS AND ASSIGNS IS LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT ALLOWED BY SUCH STATES’ LAWS.

National Journal assumes no responsibility or liability arising from the content of the Sites nor for any error, defamation, libel, slander, omission, falsehood, obscenity, pornography, profanity, danger or inaccuracy contained in any information within the Sites or accessed through the Sites. National Journal also does not warrant that the functions or informational materials contained in or accessed or downloaded through our Sites are free of computer viruses or other harmful components. In addition, although we make a good faith effort to update the content of our Sites periodically, we do not have a duty to update information contained in our Sites, and we will not be liable for any failure to update such information. You agree to comply with all applicable laws and local rules regarding the transmission of technical data, acceptable contents and online conduct.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend and hold National Journal, its affiliates, licensors, suppliers, advertisers and sponsors, and its and their directors, officers, employees, consultants, agents and other representatives, harmless from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) and other expenses that arise directly or indirectly out of or from (a) your breach of this agreement, including any violation of the Terms & Conditions; (b) any allegation that any User Submissions infringe or otherwise violate the copyright, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property or other rights of any third party; and/or (c) your activities in connection with the Sites.

Special Agreement on Fee-Shifting and Choice of Law

If you attempt to bring any legal action against National Journal based in any way on its products or services, including the Sites, you agree that, in the event you do not prevail or National Journal does prevail, you will reimburse National Journal for any costs and fees associated with their defense of the action.

The use of the Sites and any claim or dispute relating to the Sites shall be governed by the laws of the District of Columbia, without regard to its conflicts of law principles. Exclusive venue for any claim shall be in the state and federal courts located in the District of Columbia.

Severability

If any provision or portion of these Terms & Conditions is held in whole or in part to be unenforceable for any reason, the remainder of that provision and of the entire agreement will be severable and will remain in effect, to the fullest degree consistent with the intent of this document.