Terms of use

(Last Updated Date: December 15, 2023)

OwnItVoiceIt.com is operated by RAI Services Company, a subsidiary of Reynolds American, Inc. The Site is operated for the purpose of engaging tobacco and vapor rights advocacy among adult tobacco and vapor consumers, retailers, and tobacco and vapor rights advocates, including to provide information and resources to such consumers, retailers and advocates who are interested in legislative, regulatory, or other issues related to tobacco and/or vapor products and to provide a platform for discussion to those who choose to participate.

The following Terms of Use (“Terms”) set forth the terms upon which the operators of the website (“we”, “our” and “us”) offer you (“you”) access to this website (“Site”).  These Terms also include our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference.  By accessing or using this Site, you represent that you have read and agree to be bound by these Terms (as may be amended from time to time) without limitation, qualification or change.  Access to and use of this Site are subject to the following terms and conditions and all applicable laws.

Restrictions on access and use

 

Age Restriction. You must be at least 21 years of age to access this Site. We restrict our Site and contact list to individuals who have certified that:

  1. they are 21 years of age or older,
  2. they want to participate in the Site, and
  3. they understand that providing false information may constitute a violation of law.

 

Purpose of This Site
This Site is operated for the purpose of providing information and resources to people who are interested in legislative issues surrounding tobacco and vapor products, including resources to help connect them with other adult tobacco and/or vapor products users and advocates, and elected officials. The Site is not operated for advertising or marketing purposes. Nothing on this Site should be regarded as an offer to sell, or a solicitation of an offer to buy, any product of Reynolds American Inc.’s operating companies. Such products are sold only in compliance with the laws of the particular jurisdictions in which they are sold.

 

Geographic Restrictions. The Site is controlled and operated from the United States, and is not intended to subject us to the laws or jurisdiction of any state, country or territory other than that of the United States. We do not represent or warrant that the Site is appropriate or available for use in any particular jurisdiction other than the United States, and access to them from jurisdictions where their content is illegal is prohibited. You agree that you will not access this Site from any territory where the content or use of the Site is illegal. You are solely responsible for complying with all applicable local laws, rules and regulations. We may limit the Site’s availability, in whole or in part, to any person, geographic area or jurisdiction we choose, at any time and in our sole discretion.

 

Your Stuff

When you use the Site, you provide us with things like your contact information, comments, electronic submissions, and so on (“Your Stuff”). You retain ownership of Your Stuff. However, you agree that we can use Your Stuff in order to further the purposes of this Site. For example, we use Your Stuff to provide or improve the Site and related services (e.g., displaying comments you submit or using your contact information to send you notifications and alerts that you sign up for), for business and administrative purposes (e.g., to respond to a request by you or to resolve a technical problem), and for outreach regarding legislative, regulatory or other related issues.

 

Your Name, Likeness, and Biographical Data. You grant us the right to use your name, image, likeness, biographical data, and statements made in connection with the submitted materials and other related information in connection with outreach regarding legislative, regulatory or other related issues, without obligation or compensation to you.

 

Your Submissions. Our Site may let you share Your Stuff with us as well as others, so please think carefully about what you share (for example, if you provide comments to one of our blogs). You shall grant, and hereby grant, to us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual license, with the right to sublicense, reproduce, distribute, transmit, provide access to, make available, create derivative works of, publicly display and publicly perform any materials and other information (including, without limitation, ideas contained therein for new or improved communications and services) that you submit to or through this Site (“Submission”) by all means and in any media or any mode of distribution now known or hereafter developed. You agree that we shall have no obligations concerning the Submission, contractual or otherwise (including but not limited to an obligation to keep the Submission confidential), and shall not be liable for any use or disclosure of any Submission. You further agree that we shall be entitled to unrestricted use of the Submission for any purpose whatsoever, commercial or otherwise, without compensation to you.

 

Your Feedback. We welcome feedback, suggestions, comments, ideas and reviews about the Site (“Feedback”). You agree, however, that by submitting Feedback to us, we may use such information on an unrestricted basis, without any obligation, notice or compensation to you.

You agree that you shall have no recourse against us for any alleged or actual infringement or misappropriation of any proprietary or other right in Your Stuff.

 

Your Conduct

 

Code of Conduct.  You shall comply with all applicable laws, statutes, ordinances and regulations regarding your use of the Site and any related services. You agree not to misuse the Site or help anyone else to do so. For example, you must not do any of the following in connection with the Site:

  • Circumvent any restrictions on access to the Site.
  • Create deep links to any content on the Site.  (You may not link to any page on this Site except our home page).
  • Do anything illegal.
  • Share, post or otherwise make available inappropriate content (involving, for example, libelous, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, profane, indecent, offensive, hateful, pornographic, graphic violence, or otherwise objectionable material).
  • Engage in any activity that is harmful to you, the Site, Users, or others (e.g., transmitting viruses or worms, stalking, harassment, threatening others, communicating hate speech, or advocating violence against others).
  • Engage in activity that is false or misleading (e.g., impersonating someone else).
  • Infringe upon the rights of others (e.g., unauthorized sharing of content that is protected by copyright, trademark or other proprietary right).
  • Engage in activity that violates the privacy of others.
  • Send solicitations or spam (e.g., unwanted bulk email or postings, charity requests, petitions for signatures, chain letters, letters relating to pyramid schemes or similar documents, or other types of solicitations).
  • Help others break these rules.
  • Violate or fail to keep any of these Terms.

 

How we handle code of conduct violations.  We are not responsible for monitoring, screening, policing or editing the information or materials posted on, submitted to or accessed or transmitted through this Site.  However, we reserve the right to delete, block and/or remove any information or materials that we, in our sole discretion, deem to be unlawful, inappropriate or otherwise unacceptable to us or any other party. If notified of any such information or materials on this Site, we will determine in our sole discretion whether to remove such content from this Site or re-post such content to this Site.
You understand and agree that if we, in our sole discretion, believe that you have violated any of the above rules we may:

  • Remove, block or refuse to publish your content for any reason.
  • Disable, suspend, or terminate your account or otherwise prohibit you from accessing or using the Site.

 

Content On The Site

  1. Third-Party Content.  We have no control over the information provided by other Users and do not (and cannot) monitor information shared on or via the Site.  You should use caution and common sense when interacting with other Users.  We encourage you not to share, post or otherwise disclose personally identifying or other sensitive information to other Users on this Site.
  2. Third Party Links.  At certain places on this Site, Users may be able to access other Internet addresses via links. You acknowledge and agree that we are not responsible for the accuracy, copyright compliance, legality, decency, or any other aspect of such websites. The inclusion of such a link or reference to any specific commercial product, process or service by trademark name, trademark, service mark, manufacturer or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, association, recommendation or favoring by us.  You acknowledge and agree that any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed in such websites are those of the respective author(s) or distributor(s) and not of us. It is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any information, opinion, advice or other content available through third party websites. Please seek the advice of professionals, as appropriate, regarding the evaluation of any specific information, opinion, advice or other content.

WARNING:  ANY MATERIAL DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THIS SITE IS DONE AT YOUR SOLE RISK AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM ANY SUCH MATERIAL.

 

Our Privacy Policy

You can learn about our privacy practices by reading our Privacy Policy. By accessing or using the Site, you agree that your information and content will be handled in accordance with our privacy policy (as we may amend it from time to time).

 

Intellectual Property Issues

 

Copyright and Trademark Notice
This Site and its contents are, or may be protected by copyright, trademark, patent and other laws of the United States and may be protected by the same or similar laws of other countries. The marks appearing on this Site are our trademarks or the marks of our affiliates and subsidiaries. All other trademarks, service marks, trade names, service names and logos appearing on this Site or accessed via this Site are the property of their respective owners who are neither sponsors nor affiliated with us, or this Site.  Except as specifically permitted by these Terms, any copying, reproduction, display, or retransmission of the contents or any portion of the contents of this Site is strictly prohibited.

 

Site Availability and Changes

 

Changes to the Site.

  1. The Site or content on the Site may be unavailable from time to time, may be offered for a limited time, or may vary depending on your region or device. We are not liable for any disruption or loss you may suffer as a result.
  2. We may change, suspend or discontinue any aspect of our online services at any time, including the availability of any feature, database, or content available at this Site. We may also impose limits on certain features and services or restrict your access to parts or all of this Site without notice or liability.

 

Choice of Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of North Carolina as such laws are applied to agreements entered into and to be performed entirely within North Carolina between North Carolina residents. All disputes concerning this Site and/or arising from these Terms must be resolved in accordance with the “Resolving Disputes” section below.

 

Disclaimer of Warranties and Liabilities

 

No Warranty.  We and our suppliers provide this Site and any related products or services “as is” and without any warranty or condition, express, implied or statutory. Use of this Site is at your sole risk. We do not guarantee continuous, uninterrupted, error-free or secure access to this Site or our services, and operation of this Site may be interfered with by numerous factors outside of our control. WE AND OUR SUPPLIERS SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF TITLE, MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

 

Disclaimer.  We disclaim any liability for any damages, losses, injuries, or expenses caused by, arising or resulting from, or in connection with any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus, communication line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to, alteration of, or use of digital records, whether for breach of contract, tortious behavior, negligence, or under any other cause of action. You specifically acknowledge that we are not liable for the foregoing or for any defamatory, offensive or illegal conduct of other Users or third parties and that the risk of injury from the foregoing rests entirely with you.

 

Limitation of Liability.  In no event shall we or our subsidiaries and affiliates, or their respective officers, directors, employees, agents, vendors, or suppliers be liable for lost profits or any special, indirect, punitive, incidental or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with this Site, the services available on this Site or these Terms (however arising, including, without limitation, negligence).

 

Indemnity

 

Indemnity.  You agree to indemnify and hold us and our parent, and our respective subsidiaries, affiliates, officers, directors, agents, and employees, harmless from any claim or demand –  including reasonable attorneys’ fees –  made by any third party due to or arising out of your breach of these Terms (or any documents these Terms  incorporate by reference) or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.

 

Resolving Disputes

 

Let’s Work Together to Resolve Any Issues. We value our relationship with you and we want to address your concerns informally.  Before beginning any other proceeding, you agree to try to resolve the dispute informally by emailing support@ownitvoiceit.com.  We may need information from you to investigate or address your concerns (such as screenshots of error screens, images showing the problem, or return of the product) and you agree to provide information necessary to investigate and address any issues that may arise.  If a dispute is not resolved within 45 days after you submit the necessary information, either you or we may bring a formal proceeding.

 

We Both Agree To Arbitrate. If we can’t resolve your concerns informally, both you and we agree to resolve any disputes concerning this Site and/or arising from these Terms through final and binding arbitration, except as set forth under Exceptions to Arbitration Agreement below.

 

Opt-out of Agreement to Arbitrate. You can decline to arbitrate your disputes by clicking here and submitting the opt-out form within 30 days of first accepting these Terms to the following address:

Customer Relations
P.O. Box 2959
Winston-Salem, NC 27102-2959

 

Arbitration Procedures and Fees. The arbitration will be held in Winston-Salem, NC or any other location we agree to.

 

Exceptions to Arbitration Agreement. Either party may bring a lawsuit only to stop abuse of the Site, intellectual property infringement (for example, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or patent rights), defamation or libel without first engaging in arbitration or the informal dispute-resolution process described above. However, neither the agreement to cooperate nor the agreement to arbitrate shall prevent us from: (1) removing, blocking or refusing to publish your content for any reason; or (2) disabling, suspending, or terminating your account or otherwise prohibiting you from accessing or using the Site.

 

No Class Actions. You may only resolve disputes (whether through arbitration, litigation or otherwise) with us on an individual basis.  You may not bring a claim as a named plaintiff or a class member in a class, consolidated, mass, or representative action. Class arbitrations, class actions, mass actions, private attorney general actions, and consolidation with other arbitrations are not allowed.

 

Judicial forum for disputes. In the event that the agreement to arbitrate is found not to apply to you or your claim, you agree that any judicial proceeding will be brought in the federal or state courts in Winston-Salem, NC. You consent to venue and personal jurisdiction there.

 

Special Notice To New Jersey Residents

We intend for these Terms, including the terms in the sections titled “Our Warranties and Disclaimers”, “Liability for our Services” and “Resolving Disputes,” as modified by this paragraph, to be as broad and inclusive as is permitted by the law of the State of New Jersey and that if any portion hereof is held invalid, that the balance shall, notwithstanding, continue in full force and effect. Notwithstanding any language in these Terms to the contrary, we agree that: (a) the limitation on liability will not apply to claims brought by New Jersey consumers for damages caused by our intentional, reckless or grossly negligent conduct and (b) the indemnification obligations will not apply to claims caused by our intentional, reckless or grossly negligent conduct. If one or more other provisions of these Terms are deemed to be illegal or unenforceable under New Jersey law, the remainder of these Terms shall be unaffected and shall continue to be fully valid, binding and enforceable to the fullest extent permitted by law.

 

Electronic Signature and Notices

 

Electronic Signature.  Your affirmative act of registering for an account on the Site constitutes your electronic signature to these Terms and your consent to enter into agreements with us electronically.

 

Electronic Notices.  You also agree that we may send you notices or other communications in electronic form (e.g., emails, banners, etc.). We may send you electronic notices or other communications to the email address(es) that you provide to us, or by posting any notices or other communications on this Site. The delivery of any notices or other communications from us is effective when sent by us, regardless of whether you read such notice or other communication when you receive it or whether you actually receive the delivery.

 

Miscellaneous

  • If any provision of these Terms is held to be unlawful, void, invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be deleted and the remaining provisions shall be enforced.
  • Our failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive our right to act with respect to subsequent or similar breaches.
  • These Terms sets forth the entire understanding and agreement between you and us with respect to the subject matter hereof.

 

Contact Us

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at support@ownitvoiceit.com.