User Terms of Use

1. Agreement

By creating an account, signing in, or otherwise using a LocalFocus.news community site (“Service”), you agree to these User Terms of Use (“Terms”) with LocalFocus.news (“LocalFocus”, “we”, “us”, “platform”). If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

Each community site is operated by an independent site operator (the community administrator or organization that runs that site). LocalFocus provides the platform; the site operator is responsible for that community’s content, moderation, and local policies, except where these Terms say otherwise.

2. Accounts and eligibility

• You must provide accurate registration information and keep it current.
• You are responsible for safeguarding your password and for activity under your account.
• You must be old enough to form a binding contract in your jurisdiction (and at least 13 years old). If you are under 18, you may use the Service only with parent or guardian consent where required.
• We or the site operator may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or applicable law.

3. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Post unlawful, defamatory, harassing, fraudulent, or infringing content.
• Impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service, other accounts, or related systems.
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service (including scraping, overload, or malware).
• Use the Service to send spam or unsolicited commercial messages.
• Violate any applicable law or the reasonable published rules of the community site you use.

4. User-generated content

You retain ownership of content you submit (articles, comments, letters, events, classifieds, photos, and similar). You grant LocalFocus and the relevant site operator a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, display, distribute, and otherwise use that content as needed to operate and promote the community site and the platform.

You represent that you have all rights needed to submit the content and that it does not infringe others’ rights. You are solely responsible for your content. LocalFocus does not pre-screen all content and does not endorse user submissions.

LocalFocus and/or the site operator may remove, refuse, or restrict content or features at their discretion, including to comply with law, protect users, or enforce these Terms.

5. Copyright complaints (DMCA-style cooperation)

If you believe content on a LocalFocus community site infringes your copyright, send a notice to [email protected] with: (a) your contact information; (b) a description of the work and the allegedly infringing material (including URL); (c) a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is unauthorized; (d) a statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate and that you are the owner or authorized to act; and (e) your physical or electronic signature. We may forward notices to the site operator and remove or disable access to material as we deem appropriate. Counter-notices may be submitted through the same channel.

6. Payments, wallets, and purchases

Some features (for example paid article reads, wallet deposits, classifieds, or site options) involve payment processing through third parties such as Stripe. Fees, refunds, and chargebacks are subject to those processors’ terms and any on-site pricing disclosures.

Wallet balances and credits are not bank deposits, are not insured by the FDIC or similar schemes, and may be limited to use on the Service. LocalFocus does not guarantee uninterrupted payment availability. You are responsible for taxes applicable to your transactions where required by law.

7. Platform role; no journalism warranty

LocalFocus provides software and hosting for community news sites. We do not control day-to-day editorial decisions of independent site operators. Content on a community site is that operator’s and its users’ responsibility. Nothing on the Service is legal, medical, financial, or professional advice.

8. Disclaimer of warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, LOCALFOCUS DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, ERROR-FREE, OR THAT CONTENT WILL BE ACCURATE OR AVAILABLE AT ANY PARTICULAR TIME.

9. Limitation of liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, LOCALFOCUS AND ITS OWNERS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR FOR LOST PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), OR ANY OTHER THEORY, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE SERVICE OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID TO LOCALFOCUS FOR THE SERVICE IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS BEFORE THE CLAIM OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (US$100). SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS; IN THOSE CASES, OUR LIABILITY IS LIMITED TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED.

10. Indemnity

You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless LocalFocus and the site operator of any community you use, and their respective officers, employees, and agents, from and against claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to: your content; your use of the Service; your violation of these Terms or law; or your infringement of another person’s rights.

11. Termination

You may stop using the Service at any time. We or the site operator may suspend or terminate access immediately for any reason, including violation of these Terms. Provisions that by their nature should survive (including ownership, disclaimer, limitation of liability, indemnity, and dispute terms) will survive.

12. Changes

We may update these Terms. The version identifier and “last updated” date will change when we do. Continued use after the effective date of updated Terms, or acceptance when prompted in the product, constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

13. Governing law; disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Nebraska, USA, without regard to conflict-of-law rules (placeholder — LocalFocus may designate another U.S. state).

Except for claims that may be brought in small-claims court, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Consumer Arbitration Rules. You and LocalFocus waive any right to a jury trial and to participate in a class, collective, or representative action. Either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in a court of competent jurisdiction to protect intellectual property or confidential information. If the class-action waiver is found unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim must proceed in court and not in arbitration.

14. Privacy

Personal information is handled as described in our Privacy policy.

15. Contact

Questions about these Terms: [email protected] (set a monitored inbox before relying on these Terms in production).

These Terms are a protective template for LocalFocus.news and are not a substitute for advice from a licensed attorney. Have counsel review them before production use.