Terms of Service for Web Contributors

Introduction

The purpose of this policy is to define the guidelines, responsibilities and limitations of external Web authors and/or contributors to LMU.edu and affiliated university Web pages, content, designs, digital assets and/or intellectual properties.

Terms of Service

The Terms of Service below represent the terms and conditions by which external authors use and publish content to the university Web presence and its affiliates. By accessing and/or using any part of LMU.edu and/or its Web affiliates, external Web authors agree to become bound by the terms and conditions set forth in this policy. Web authors who do not agree to these terms and conditions may not access LMU.edu Web sites or use any of its services.

General Definitions and Understandings

1. "External authors" are defined as any and all contributors of online content intended for publication on a university affiliated Web presence. The content may take various forms including, but not limited to text, images, audio, video, art, digital asset documents, etc. The publishing mechanism may be provided by the university or an external service provider.
2. "Web presence" is defined as Web pages, Web sites, online postings, blogs, microblogs, social media, Web 2.0 tools, discussion boards, wikis and/or any other presentation of content through Internet-based platforms and/or communication mediums.
3. "Content" is defined as digital assets, electronic documents, audio, video, text, images, art and/or any other form of digitally consumed materials made available in or on a Web presence.
4. The university maintains a comprehensive and complex Web presence that includes the integration of external Web tools and social media, the delineation of which may not be self-evident. Additionally, the content and design of a particular Web page may include integrated sections from unofficial authors and independent sources that do not represent the university.

Requirements

1. External authors and all content published on any university-affiliated Web presence are subject to all existing laws and university policies.
2. External authors are required to review, understand, agree to and abide by university Web policies prior to submission and/or publication (marcomm.lmu.edu). The act of submitting digital content to a university affiliated Web presence signifies the external Web author's agreement to said policies and guidelines.
3. External authors are entirely responsible for the content of, and any harm resulting from all content submitted and/or published. By making content available, external authors represent and warrant that: a. the downloading, copying and use of the content will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark or trade secret rights of any third party; b. if the external author's employer has rights to intellectual property the author create, the author has either (i) received permission from the employer to post or make available the content, including but not limited to any software, or (ii) secured from the employer a waiver as to all rights in or to the content; c. the external author has fully complied with any third-party licenses related to the content and have done all things necessary to successfully pass through to end users any required terms; d. the content does not contain or install any viruses, worms, malware, Trojan horses or other harmful or destructive content; e. the content is not spam, is not machine- or randomly-generated, and does not contain unethical or unwanted commercial content designed to drive traffic to third party sites or boost the search engine rankings of third party sties, or to further unlawful acts (such as phishing) or mislead recipients as to the source of the material (such as spoofing); f. the content is not pornographic, libelous or defamatory, does not contain threats or incite violence towards individuals or entities, and does not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party;
4. External authors understand that all files submitted are neither private nor confidential. External authors grant the university and its agents an unlimited, world-wide, royalty-free and non-exclusive license to reproduce, modify, revise, adapt and otherwise repurpose.
5. External authors may not utilize any official university logos or marks.
6. External authors may not submit, post or otherwise publish any content that shall include nor link to material that, upon viewing, could create an intimidating, hostile or offensive learning or working environment.
7. External authors may not publish content to promote personal business or provide personal financial gain unless otherwise agreed to in advance in writing by an authorized university employee and/or agent.
8. External authors must comply with Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act, ensuring websites and web content are accessible to everyone. The university requires adherence to W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines.
9. External authors understand and agree that their content is subject to and not limited to the following actions at the sole discretion of the university: publication, removal, deletion, modification, revision, investigation. The university, in its sole discretion may also grant, suspend and/or revoke an author's submission and publication rights at any time for any reason.
10. External authors understand that the university reserves the exclusive right, at its sole discretion, to modify and/or replace any part of this policy at any time. It is the responsibility of the external author to check this and other university policies periodically for changes. Continued use and access of LMU.edu and affiliated Webs constitutes acceptance of any and all changes.
11. External authors agree to indemnify and hold harmless the university, its contractors, agents, licensors, employees, officers and trustees from and against any and all claims and expenses, including attorneys' fees arising out of the authors' use and/or violation of this policy.