Terms and Conditions of Use of RateTheCourts.com
(Effective January 1, 2007)
Welcome to RateTheCourts.com. RateTheCourts.com is an Internet site of Government Forums, Inc.
PLEASE READ CAREFULLY THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS BEFORE USING, REGISTERING IN, OR VIEWING RATETHECOURTS.COM.
These Terms and Conditions of Use govern your use of this website, its content and all other Government Forums, Inc. affiliated sites and content. YOUR AFFIRMATIVE ACT OF USING RATETHECOURTS.COM SIGNIFIES THAT YOU AGREE TO THE FOLLOWING TERMS OF USE, YOU CONSENT TO THE INFORMATION PRACTICES DISCLOSED IN THE PRIVACY POLICY, AND YOU CONSENT TO RECEIVE REQUIRED NOTICES, IF ANY, AND TO TRANSACT WITH US ELECTRONICALLY. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT USE RATETHECOURTS.COM.
Government Forums, Inc. has the right to change, modify, add, or delete portions of these terms and conditions of use at any time, at its sole discretion. Updated versions of these terms and conditions of use will appear on this Website and are effective immediately. You are responsible for regularly reviewing the Terms and Conditions of Use. Continued use of the Website after any such changes constitutes your consent to such changes.
The views, opinions, analyses, conclusions, and recommendations of non-Government Forums, Inc. third-party content providers to this website are solely and exclusively those of such users, and do not necessarily express those of Government Forums, Inc. Polls, surveys and voting on this website are not scientific and reflect the opinions of only those who have chosen to participate. They do not represent the opinions of Government Forums, Inc. or the users as a whole. Notwithstanding anything contained herein, all surveys, posts, replies, comments, blogs, polls and voting results are to be considered mere opinions, and are not to be viewed as statements of fact or legal advice.
You acknowledge that with respect to any content posted to a Government Forums, Inc. site by third parties, Government Forums, Inc. acts solely as a provider of “interactive computer service” within the meaning of Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (“CDA”), and is therefore protected from claims arising out of such content by the immunities granted by this Act. You agree that we are not liable for content that is provided by others.
You further acknowledge that Government Forums, Inc. does not pre-screen, monitor or moderate the content posted by users, and has no duty to do so. However, Government Forums, Inc. and its agents have the right in their sole discretion to remove any content for any reason whatsoever, including but not limited to, the failure to comply with these terms and conditions or Government Forums, Inc.’s Rules and Guidelines, or because it is otherwise considered harmful, objectionable, or inaccurate. Government Forums, Inc. and its agents may suspend or ban users posting such content at any time without notice, but Government Forums, Inc. shall not have the duty, obligation or responsibility to do so nor shall any suspension, removal, ban or edit of any user or user content create such a duty, obligation or responsibility. Nor shall any suspension, removal, ban or edit of any user or user content be considered: 1) an acknowledgement or admission that the content fails to comply with these terms and conditions or Government Forums, Inc.’s Rules and Guidelines, 2) an acknowledgement or admission that the content is harmful, objectionable, or inaccurate, or 3) a waiver of any term or condition, or rule or guideline, of Government Forums, Inc. or any of its websites. Government Forums, Inc. is not responsible for any failure or delay in suspending removing, banning or editing any content.
The use of any Government Forums, Inc. material on RateTheCourts.com on any other Website or computer environment is prohibited. All materials contained in RateTheCourts.com are the copyrighted property of Government Forums, Inc., or its subsidiaries or affiliated companies and/or third-party licensors. All trademarks, service marks, trade names, and trade dress are proprietary to Government Forums, Inc., or its affiliates or licensees. No material from RateTheCourts.com or any other Internet site owned, operated, licensed, or controlled by Government Forums, Inc. may be copied, reproduced, republished, uploaded, posted, transmitted, or distributed in any way.
We do not accept or consider creative ideas, suggestions, or materials other than those that we have specifically requested. We hope you will understand that it is the intent of this policy to avoid the possibility of future misunderstandings when projects developed by our professional staff might seem to others to be similar to their own creative work. Please do not send us any original creative materials, suggestions, or materials (unless specifically requested by us).
We do not claim ownership of any content that you may post on RateTheCourts.com or any affiliated Website. However, by posting content on a message board forum, or in a blog, survey, poll or otherwise, you acknowledge and agree that you thereby grant to Government Forums, Inc. a perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable, and unrestricted worldwide right and license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, and distribute the posted content or incorporate the posted content into any form, medium, or technology now known or later developed for any purpose, including, without limitation, advertising and promotion, and that you thereby waive all "moral rights" with respect to the posted content.
If, through participation in certain activities, you send any material (e.g., postings to chat, boards, or contests) or, despite our request, you send us unsolicited creative suggestions, ideas, notes, drawings, concepts, or other information (collectively, the "Submissions"), the Submissions shall be deemed, and shall remain, our property. None of the Submissions shall be subject to any obligation of confidentiality on our part and we shall not be liable for any use or disclosure of any Submissions. Without limitation of the foregoing, we shall exclusively own all now-known or hereafter existing rights to the Submissions of every kind and nature throughout the universe and shall be entitled to unrestricted use of the Submissions for any purpose whatsoever, commercial or otherwise, without compensation to the provider of the Submissions or any other person or entity.
If you participate in any way whatsoever within RateTheCourts.com, including, but not limited to, participation in any forum, blog, poll or survey, you agree to follow all of our terms and conditions set forth herein, and all of our Rules and Guidelines.
You acknowledge that anything you submit to RateTheCourts.com or Government Forums, Inc. by way of any forum or blog is routed through our servers and the Internet and that, therefore, you have no expectation of privacy with regard to any such submission. You acknowledge that the forums, blogs and features on RateTheCourts.com are forums for public and not private communications. Please keep in mind that whenever you give out personal information online, for example, via message boards, blogs or private messaging, that information can be collected and used by people you don't know, and may result in unsolicited messages. We cannot guarantee the security of any information you disclose online; you make such disclosures at your own risk. We specifically disclaim responsibility for such third parties' usage of any information posted to the forums.
Users or visitors shall remain solely responsible for the content of their messages in the forums or blogs. We are not responsible for the content or opinions posted or sent by users in any forum or blog. You take responsibility for your postings and use the information provided in the forums or blogs at your own risk. We reserve the right to remove or edit content from any forum or blog at any time and for any reason although we have no duty to do so.
When participating in a forum, never assume that people are who they say they are, know what they say they know, or are affiliated with whom they say they are affiliated with in any message board, blog or other user-generated content area. Information obtained in a forum may not be reliable, and it is not a good idea to take any action, including to trade or make any investment decisions, based solely or largely on information you cannot confirm. We cannot be responsible for the content or accuracy of any information, and shall not be responsible for any trading, investment, or any other decisions made based on such information.
When you are on RateTheCourts.com, you could be directed to other sites that are beyond our control. There are links to other sites from RateTheCourts.com pages that take you outside of our service. For example, if you click on a link to a court, legal resource, popular blog, advertisement or search result, the click may take you off the RateTheCourts.com site. This includes links from advertisers, sponsors, and content partners that may use our logo(s) as part of a co-branding relationship, if any. You acknowledge that when you click on a link that leaves a RateTheCourts.com site, the site you will land on is not controlled by us and different terms of use and privacy policy may apply. By clicking on links to other sites, you acknowledge that Government Forums, Inc. is not responsible for those sites. We reserve the right to disable links from third-party sites to any Government Forums, Inc. site, although we are under no obligation to do so.
We make no representations concerning the content of sites listed in any of our directories. Consequently, we cannot be held responsible for the accuracy, relevancy, copyright compliance, legality, or decency of material contained in sites listed in our search results or otherwise linked to a Government Forum, Inc. site.
THE MATERIALS IN THE GOVERNMENT FORUMS, INC. SITES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMISSIBLE PURSUANT TO APPLICABLE LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE FUNCTIONS CONTAINED IN THE MATERIALS ON ANY GOVERNMENT FORUMS, INC. SITE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED OR ERROR-FREE, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, OR THAT ANY GOVERNMENT FORUMS, INC. SITE OR THE SERVERS THAT MAKE SUCH MATERIALS AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS. WE DO NOT WARRANT OR MAKE ANY REPRESENTATIONS REGARDING THE USE OR THE RESULTS OF THE USE OF THE MATERIALS ON ANY GOVERNMENT FORUMS, INC. SITE IN TERMS OF THEIR CORRECTNESS, ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE. YOU ASSUME THE ENTIRE COST OF ALL NECESSARY SERVICING, REPAIR, OR CORRECTION. APPLICABLE LAW MAY NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO THE ABOVE EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.
We explicitly disclaim any responsibility for the accuracy, content, or availability of information found on sites that link to or from any Government Forums, Inc. We cannot ensure that you will be satisfied with any products or services that you purchase from a third-party site that links to or from any Government Forums, Inc. site or third-party content on our sites. We do not endorse any of the merchandise, nor have we taken any steps to confirm the accuracy or reliability of, any of the information contained in such third-party sites or content. We do not make any representations or warranties as to the security of any information (including, without limitation, credit card and other personal information) you might be requested to give any third party, and you hereby irrevocably waive any claim against us with respect to such sites and third-party content. We strongly encourage you to make whatever investigation you feel necessary or appropriate before proceeding with any online or offline transaction with any of these third parties.
You are entirely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your member name(s), password(s), and your account, as well as all activities that occur under your account. You hereby indemnify, defend, and hold us and our affiliates and our officers, directors, owners, agents, information providers, licensors, and licensees (collectively, the "Indemnified Parties") harmless from and against any and all liabilities and costs (including reasonable attorneys' fees) incurred by the Indemnified Parties in connection with any claim arising out of any breach by you of these terms of use or claims arising from your account. You shall use your best efforts to cooperate with us in the defense of any claim. We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE, SHALL GOVERNMENT FORUMS, INC. BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES THAT RESULT FROM THE USE OF, OR THE INABILITY TO USE, ANY GOVERNMENT FORUMS, INC. SITE OR MATERIALS OR FUNCTIONS ON ANY SUCH SITE. THIS LIMITATION APPLIES WHETHER THE ALLEGED LIABILITY IS BASED ON CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR ANY OTHER BASIS, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. APPLICABLE LAW MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY OR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, SO THE ABOVE LIMITATION OR EXCLUSION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. BECAUSE SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, GOVERNMENT FORUMS, INC.’S LIABILITY IN SUCH JURISDICTIONS SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW. IF YOU ARE DISSATISFIED WITH ANY PORTION OF A GOVERNMENT FORUMS, INC. SITE, OR WITH ANY OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS, YOUR SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO DISCONTINUE USING THE SITE. THIS SOLE AND EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS SEPARTE AND INDEPENDENT OF ANY OTHER PROVISION THAT LIMITS GOVERNMENT FORUMS, INC.’S LIABILITY OR YOUR REMEDIES.
Government Forums, Inc. is a Nevada Corporation. We make no representation that materials on any Government Forums, Inc. site are appropriate or available for use in any particular location. Those who choose to access a Government Forums, Inc. site do so on their own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws, if and to the extent local laws are applicable.
It is not Government Forums, Inc.’s intention that its services or facilities be used in contravention of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 (the “CDA”) or any other applicable law. As required by the Communications Decency Act of 1996, Government Forums, Inc. hereby notifies you that parental control protections (such as computer hardware, software, or filtering services) are commercially available that may assist you in limiting access to content that may be harmful to minors. Among the many companies that provide Internet blocking and screening software are CyberPatrol, NetNanny, SurfWatch, and GuardOne. Government Forums, Inc. does not sponsor or endorse any of these companies or their services.
These terms of use are effective until terminated by either you or us. You may terminate these terms at any time by discontinuing use of all Government Forums sites and destroying all materials obtained from any and all such sites and all related documentation and all copies and installations thereof, whether made under these terms of use or otherwise. In the event that you terminate these terms of use, you agree to notify us of such termination by sending notice of such termination by certified
We may immediately terminate these terms of use with respect to you (including your access to any and all Government Forums, Inc. sites) without cause and without notice to you in our sole discretion. Upon termination by either party, you agree to and must cease using and/or viewing all Government Forums, Inc. sites and destroy all materials obtained from such sites and all copies thereof, whether made under these terms of use or otherwise.
We have adopted and implemented a policy that provides for the termination, in appropriate circumstances, of users who are repeat infringers of copyright.
These terms of use shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of
Pursuant to Title 17, United States Code, Section 512(c)(2), notifications of claimed copyright infringement must be sent to Service Provider's Designated Agent.
Notification must be sent to the following designated agent: Roy Bray
Full Address of Designated Agent to Which Notification Should be Sent: Government Forums, Inc., 1736 E. Charleston Boulevard #720, Las Vegas, Nevada 89104-7900.
Telephone Number of Designated Agent: 702-575-2569
Facsimile Number of Designated Agent: 702-974-3080
E-Mail Address of Designated Agent: designatedagentATcourthouseforum.com
To be effective, the notification must be a written communication that includes the following:
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A physical or electronic signature of person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
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Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed, or, if multiple copyrighted works at a single online site are covered by a single notification, a representative list of such works at that site;
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Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity and that is to be removed or access to which is to be disabled, and information reasonably sufficient to permit us to locate the material;
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Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact the complaining party, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which the complaining party may be contacted;
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A statement that the complaining party has a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
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A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the complaining party is authorized to act on behalf of the onwer of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
We may give notice of a claim of copyright infringement to our users by means of a general notice on any Government Forums, Inc. site, electronic mail to a user's e-mail address in our records, or by written communication sent by first-class mail to a user's address in our records.
NOTICE: A modified version of FCKEditor Version 2.0 RC3 is used as the text editor for this sites message boards and weblogs. FCKEditor is governed by the Lesser General Public License. As such, a copy of the modified source code may be obtained for free by sending a written request along with $15 to cover duplication and handling fees to Government Forums, Inc., 1736 E. Charleston Boulevard #720,
This agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of
This agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersedes and replaces all prior or contemporaneous understandings or agreements, written or oral, regarding such subject matter. Any waiver of any provision of this agreement will be effective only if in writing and signed by Government Forums, Inc.
No benefit or right accruing to Government Forums, Inc. under this agreement (or any amendment or addendum) shall be deemed to be waived unless the waiver is reduced to writing, expressly refers to this agreement, and is signed by a duly authorized representative of Government Forums, Inc. A waiver in any one or more instance shall not constitute a continuing waiver unless specifically so stated in the written waiver.
Rules and Guidelines of RateTheCourts.com (Effective January 1, 2007) As a provider of interactive computer services, we are provided immunity by the United States Congress in Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act of 1996 from being held responsible for material published to our site by users of our services. As a user of this site, you will be held solely responsible for the content of any message that you post. If you post libelous, defamatory, slanderous, or otherwise untruthful remarks about a person or company, you could be putting yourself in legal jeopardy.
By using or viewing RateTheCourts.com, including, but not limited to, the surveys, comments and forums, you agree that you will not do any of the following:
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Post, distribute, or otherwise make available or transmit any data, text, message, or computer file that we deem to be: (a) defamatory, abusive, harassing, insulting or threatening (this includes lawyer bashing); (b) stalking; (c) bigoted, hateful, or racially offensive; (d) vulgar, obscene, or sexually explicit (language or images); or that (e) encourages or advocates illegal activity or the discussion of illegal activities with the intent to commit them.
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Post, distribute, or otherwise transmit any communication without disclosing your identity and with intent to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any person who receives the communication.
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Post, distribute or otherwise make available or transmit any data, text, message, computer file, or other material that infringes and/or violates any right of a third party or any domestic or international law, rule, or regulation, including, but not limited to: (a) copyright, patent, trademark, or other proprietary rights; (b) right of privacy (specifically, you must not distribute another person's personal information of any kind without their express permission) or publicity; (c) any confidentiality obligation.
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Advertise or sell any products, services or otherwise (whether or not for profit) or solicity others or use any forum for commercial purposes of any kind (except through advertising spots sold by RateTheCourts.com, if any).
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Post, distribute or otherwise make available or transmit any software or other computer files that contain a virus, worm or other harmful component;
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Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person or entity;
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Engage in antisocial, disruptive, or destructive acts, including "flaming," "spamming," "flooding," "trolling," "griefing," "phishing," and "pharming."
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Delete any legal notices, disclaimers, or proprietary notices such as copyright or trademark symbols, or modify any logos that you do not own or have express permission to modify.
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Post, distribute, or otherwise make available or transmit material or make statements that do not generally pertain to the designated topic or theme of any forum.
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Post, distribute, or otherwise make available or transmit greeting cards.
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Post, distribute, or otherwise make available data, text, images, messages, or computer files using an automated program.
We reserve the right to remove any material, and if we deem appropriate in our sole discretion, to turn over to law enforcement officials, any material, including message, e-mail, or posting, that is in violation of these Rules and Guidelines or our Terms and Conditions of Use. We also reserve the right to remove messages, e-mails, or postings that do not pertain to the designated topic or theme of the forum, or for any other reason in our sole discretion.
We also reserve the right to comply with any order or otherwise cooperate with all law enforcement officials regarding the identification of any user alleged to be using RateTheCourts.com in violation of the law.
Government Forums, Inc. does not pre-screen, monitor or moderate the content posted by users, and has no duty to do so. However, Government Forums, Inc. and its agents have the right in their sole discretion to remove any content for any reason whatsoever, including but not limited to, the failure to comply with these terms and conditions or Government Forums, Inc.’s Rules and Guidelines, or because it is otherwise considered harmful, objectionable, or inaccurate. Government Forums, Inc. and its agents may suspend or ban users posting such content at any time without notice, but Government Forums, Inc. shall not have the duty, obligation or responsibility to do so nor shall any suspension, removal, ban or edit of any user or user content create such a duty, obligation or responsibility. Nor shall any suspension, removal, ban or edit of any user or user content be considered: 1) an acknowledgement or admission that the content fails to comply with these terms and conditions or Government Forums, Inc.’s Rules and Guidelines, 2) an acknowledgement or admission that the content is harmful, objectionable, or inaccurate, or 3) a waiver of any term or condition, or rule or guideline, of Government Forums, Inc. or any of its websites. Government Forums, Inc. is not responsible for any failure or delay in suspending removing, banning or editing any content.
Information displayed on RateTheCourts.com and any of its associated websites is for general informational purposes only, and is not legal advice. Nothing contained on the sites should be used as a substitute for the advice of a competent attorney in good standing and licensed to practice in your jurisdiction. Postings and surveys made on these sites are opinions or suggestions of users of these websites and are not representations, opinions or suggestions of Government Forums, Inc. Government Forums, Inc. makes no endorsements or recommendations of any attorney, judge, law firm or organization. Government Forums, Inc. does NOT represent or warrant, and makes no claims, promises or guarantees about, the usefulness, completeness, adequacy or accuracy of any information, posts, surveys, topics, comments, blogs or responses contained in or linked to these websites, or the competency, qualifications or identity of any person providing information or making a post, survey, topic, comment, blog or response contained in or linked to these websites. Government Forums, Inc. assumes NO liability whatsoever, and expressly disclaims any and all responsibility, for the content of all posts, surveys, topics, comments, blogs or responses. Government Forums, Inc. does not monitor, pre-screen or moderate posts, surveys, topics, comments, blogs or responses.
Privacy Policy
Government Forums, Inc. ("GFI") is committed to safeguarding your privacy. All GFI-affiliated websites adhere to a rigid policy for ensuring the privacy of any personally identifiable information (name, mailing address, email address, occupation, etc.) that may be collected though our websites.
GFI gathers email addresses from users who (1) contact GFI for general information purposes by e-mail, (2) advertise on RateTheCourts.com or any other GFI-affiliated website, or (3) subscribe to our electronic mailing lists for newsletters and other publications. We may also collect other personal information, including mailing address and occupation, from users who choose to send such information by email.
GFI-affiliated websites will only collect personally identifiable information from you if you voluntarily supply it. GFI is the sole owner of and the only organization that uses the information collected on this website. We do not sell, share, or rent information under any circumstances. GFI will not disclose personally identifiable information without first receiving your permission or a subpoena or court order.
GFI collects non-personal information such as login or viewing information, from visitors to help us understand how our site is being used. However, unlike most websites, we do not collect IP addresses or "cookie" variables, and we do not place a "cookie," or small file, in the browser of a visitor's computer.
Children's Privacy Policy
This children's privacy statement explains the practices of GFI and its affiliates with respect to the online collection and use of personal information from children under the age of thirteen. GFI and its affiliates do not knowingly collect personally identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen. If GFI or its affiliates become aware that it has inadvertently received personally-identifiable information from a user under the age of thirteen, it will delete such information from its records. If GFI or its affiliates change their practices in the future, they will obtain prior, verifiable parental consent before collecting any personally identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen. Because GFI and its affiliates do not collect any personally identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen, GFI or its affiliates also do not knowingly distribute such information to third parties. GFI, its affiliates, partners and third-party service providers do NOT knowingly allow children under the age of thirteen to publicly post or otherwise distribute personally identifiable contact information. Because GFI and its affiliates do not collect any personally identifiable information from children under the age of thirteen, they do not condition the use of the service by a child under thirteen.
Anonymity Policy
Subject to our Terms and Conditions, and Rules and Guidelines, we allow visitors to RateTheCourts.com to post their surveys anonymously. Consistent with this policy, we do not require e-mail addresses or personal information in order to participate. We do not save IP addresses or ISP information of visitors, nor do we store tracking cookies, adware, or spyware on visitors' computers.
We reserve the right to modify this Anonymity Policy at any time. In the event that we do so, we will notify you of any such modification by prominently posting notice of such modification on the Web site covered by this Anonymity Policy.