Contributors Agreement

by admin on August 16, 2010

This Contributors Agreement (the “Agreement”) is entered into between Artisyn Graphics International a Caifornia corporation with its principal place of business at PO Box 1754 Los Angeles, CA 90012, U.S.A. (“Artisyn Graphics”, “we”, “us” or “our”) and yourself (“Contributor”, “you” or “your”), effective on the date that you respond with your email agreement complying to all the terms set forth in this agreement and the Editorial Guidelines for Artisyng Graphics and 3rd Parties after reading this Agreement (the “Effective Date”).

This Agreement sets forth the terms that apply to any assignment, project, or task (collectively, “Assignments”) made available to you through the Artisyn Graphics employee.

THIS AGREEMENT ALSO CONTAINS A PROVISION FOR BINDING ARBITRATION OF ALL DISPUTES.

In consideration of the mutual promises contained herein, you and we hereby agree as follows:

1. Nature of Services; Assignments. Your resume and your sample article must be reviewed and approved by Artisyn Graphics before you are eligible for any additional Assignments. We may, but are under no obligation to, make available to you or commission you for individual Assignments from time to time following your acceptance into the Artisyn Graphics program. Each Assignment is governed by (i) the terms of this Agreement and (ii) any other terms and conditions set forth by a Artisyn Graphics Editor as it pertains to your particular Assignment (“Additional Terms”). The Additional Terms, which may include deadline, compensation, delivery, promotional commitments, and scope of duty requirements, may vary from Assignment to Assignment depending on the article topic. These Additional Terms will readily conveyed to you, and we will notify you in advance of any material changes to the Additional Terms where applicable.

2. Delivery; Contributions. For any Assignment made available by Artisyn Graphics and accepted by you, you will either independently create or assist in the creation of an original work of authorship or other work product. Your original work of authorship or contribution to other work product is referred to as your “Contribution”. All Contributions must meet the quality standards set by Artisyn Graphics and any applicable style guide, as determined by Artisyn Graphics. You will perform the Assignment in a professional manner in accordance with the level of care customarily observed by skilled professionals rendering similar services. You must deliver each Contribution to us in accordance with the procedures specified by us. We will notify you if we have accepted or rejected each Contribution. If rejected, we may, in our sole discretion, provide you with an opportunity to modify the Contribution and resubmit it for approval. If we believe you have made a good faith effort to satisfy an Assignment, but we choose not to accept the Contribution for any reason, we may elect to terminate the Assignment and pay you a “kill fee” (a $2.25 payment for the Assignment for the completed Contribution). Artisyn Graphics will not pay you more than three kill fees during the term of this Agreement or your participation in the Artisyn Graphics program. Except for the “kill fee,” we have no obligation to pay you unless and until we notify you in writing that we have approved a Contribution. If we reject a Contribution, all of your original rights (if any) in the Contribution created by you will, as between Artisyn Graphics and you, be held by you.

3. Payment. Following acceptance of a Contribution by us, we will pay you the amount set out in the Additional Terms directly through your PayPal account pursuant to the information you provide to us. We reserve the right to require you to submit an invoice to us before payment will be issued. If you reside in a territory where VAT applies, our payment to you may include VAT if appropriate and/or your payment may be subject to a VAT invoice. We shall be entitled to deduct from the fees (and any other sums) due to you, any sums that you may owe to us at any time.

4. Your Grant of Rights. Each of your Contributions will be original and solely created by you as a “work-made-for-hire” specially ordered or commissioned by us, with Artisyn Graphics being deemed the sole author of the Contribution and the owner of all rights whether now known or hereafter devised (including all copyrights and all extensions and renewals of copyrights) in and to the Contribution, with the right to make all uses of the Contribution throughout the world and all changes in each Contribution. Without further obligation to you, we may use, reproduce, edit, change, add to, take from, translate, reformat, or reprocess the Contribution in any manner.

If for any reason a Contribution is not deemed to be a work-made-for-hire under applicable law, you hereby irrevocably assign to us all rights whether now known or hereafter devised (including all copyrights and all extensions and renewals of copyrights) in and to each Contribution throughout the world, including any and all of your rights to authorize or control the exploitation of each Contribution by any media and means now known or hereafter devised.

You waive all “moral rights of authors” that may exist or any similar rights. We are not obligated to, provide attribution to you in connection with any Contribution or to display, use or otherwise exploit any Contribution.

5. Status; No Employment Relationship. You are an independent contractor and are not authorized to make representations or commitments to third parties on behalf of us or our affiliates. This Agreement does not create an employment or agency relationship. Nothing in this Agreement shall render you an employee, worker, agent, or partner of Artisyn Graphics and you shall not hold yourself out as such.

6. Term. This Agreement begins on the Effective Date and will continue until terminated by either party with 5 days’ prior written notice to the other party. If this Agreement is terminated by either party while an Assignment is pending, such termination will not be effective until the Assignment is completed. Section 4 (“Your Grant of Rights”), Section 7 (“Confidentiality”), Section 8 (“Representations and Warranties”), Section 10 (“Limitation of Liability”), Section 11 (“Choice of Law; Arbitration”), Section 14 (“Severability”) and any other term that should reasonably be construed as surviving the termination of this Agreement, will survive termination.

7. Confidentiality. During the term of this Agreement, you may have access to our proprietary information (“Confidential Information”). During this Agreement and for two (2) years after termination, you will not disclose or use our Confidential Information for any purpose other than as necessary to perform an Assignment. In performing your services under this Agreement, you will not use improperly or disclose any confidential or proprietary information or trade secrets of any former or current employers, clients, or other third persons.

8. Representations and Warranties. You represent and warrant that:

1. you are at 18 years of age or older, are either: (i) a legal resident of your respective country and (ii) that you have the right and obtained all authorizations and consents necessary to execute and enter into this Agreement and perform your obligations;

2. you will comply with all applicable laws;

3. your Contribution (i) is original, (ii) does not and will not defame or disparage any person or entity or infringe upon or violate the intellectual property rights, rights of privacy, or any other rights of any person or entity; and (iii) is not the subject of any litigation or other claim or proceeding, or, to your knowledge, any threat thereof;

4. have not and will not convey or impair any rights in and to the Contribution;

5. if you learn of any claims alleging that any Contribution infringes any third party’s rights or is unlawful, you will immediately notify us;

6. all of the information you have provided and will provide to us in connection with this Agreement is and will at all times be true and correct and not contain any material omissions; and

7. you will comply with any policies and procedures posted by us on the Website or otherwise provided to you in writing from time to time.

9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES FOR CONSEQUENTIAL (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOST OPPORTUNITIES OR PROFITS), SPECIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY IN RESPECT OF ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE SUFFERED BY YOU AND ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THIS AGREEMENT, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) OR FOR BREACH OF STATUTORY DUTY OR IN ANY OTHER WAY, SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAYABLE BY US TO YOU UNDER THIS AGREEMENT. NOTHING IN THIS AGREEMENT SHALL LIMIT OUR LIABILITY FOR DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY RESULTING FROM OUR NEGLIGENCE OR FOR FRAUD.

10. CHOICE OF LAW; ARBITRATION

FOR ALL CONTRIBUTORS EXCEPT UK RESIDENTS:

THIS AGREEMENT WILL BE INTERPRETED ACCORDING TO THE LAWS OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA, EXCLUDING THOSE LAWS THAT WOULD GIVE EFFECT TO THE LAWS OF A DIFFERENT JURISDICTION. ANY DISPUTE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING THE DETERMINATION OF THE SCOPE OR APPLICABILITY OF THIS AGREEMENT TO ARBITRATE, SHALL BE DETERMINED BY ARBITRATION IN SANTA MONICA, CALIFORNIA, IN A PROCEEDING ADMINISTERED BY JAMS PURSUANT TO ITS STREAMLINED RULES AND PROCEDURES. JUDGMENT ON THE AWARD MAY BE ENTERED IN ANY COURT HAVING JURISDICTION.

FOR CONTRIBUTORS WHO ARE UK RESIDENTS:

THE VALIDITY, CONSTRUCTION AND PERFORMANCE OF THIS AGREEMENT (AND ANY CLAIM, DISPUTE OR MATTER ARISING UNDER OR IN CONNECTION WITH IT OR ITS ENFORCEABILITY) AND ANY NON-CONTRACTUAL OBLIGATIONS ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH IT SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAW OF ENGLAND AND WALES.

ANY DISPUTE SHALL BE REFERRED TO AND FINALLY RESOLVED BY ARBITRATION UNDER THE RULES OF THE LONDON COURT OF INTERNATIONAL ARBITRATION (“LCIA”) AS IN FORCE FROM TIME TO TIME, WHICH RULES ARE DEEMED TO BE INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE INTO THIS SECTION. FOR THE PURPOSE OF ANY SUCH ARBITRATION THE NUMBER OF ARBITRATORS SHALL BE THREE, OF WHOM EACH PARTY SHALL NOMINATE ONE AND THE THIRD SHALL BE APPOINTED BY THE LCIA AND BE CHAIRMAN.

11. Taxes and Guild Payments. You are responsible for calculating and paying all taxes owed on all compensation received by you from us. If we are required, pursuant to any applicable present or future law, rule or regulation of any competent governmental or other administrative body, to make any deduction or withholding in respect of tax or otherwise from any amount or amounts payable to you pursuant to this Agreement, we shall: (i) be entitled to pay the amount or amounts in question after the deduction of the amount of such withholding or deduction; (ii) promptly pay to the relevant authority within the period permitted by law the amount of such withholding or deduction; and (iii) provide you with written evidence (including certification where appropriate) that we have made the payment to the relevant authority. If we do not make such withholding or deduction, you shall pay any and all taxes and other charges payable on account of such sums and you indemnify and agree to keep us fully indemnified from and against any liabilities or expense in connection with such withholding or deduction. If any governmental entity determines that we are responsible for paying taxes on your behalf, any further compensation will be net of taxes and you will promptly refund to us the amount(s) which we were required to pay on your behalf. No worker’s compensation or other insurance will be obtained by us on your behalf. No payroll deductions for employment taxes or insurance of any kind will be paid by us. We are not a signatory to any agreement that would require any payments to WGA, DGA, SAG, or any other union or guild in connection with this Agreement.

12. Interpretation; Construction. In interpreting this Agreement, the words “including” and “includes” are meant to be illustrative and not limiting. This Agreement will not be interpreted in favor of one party or the other based on any presumptions regarding the drafting of the document. The section titles used in this Agreement are for convenience of reference only and have no legal or contractual effect. You may not assign or otherwise transfer any of your rights or obligations under this Agreement. This Agreement is binding upon and inures to the benefit of the parties and their respective permitted successors and assigns. All notices under this Agreement must be in writing and will be considered delivered if sent via confirmed e-mail to an address provided by the recipient party to the sending party, or by overnight delivery service, or hand delivery to a provided address. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be unenforceable: (a) the enforceability of the remaining provisions of this Agreement will not be affected; and (b) the unenforceable provisions will be replaced with valid provisions the effect of which comes as close as possible to that of the unenforceable provisions.

13. Severability. If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable such invalidity or unenforceability shall not affect the other provisions of this Agreement which shall remain in full force and effect. If any provision of this Agreement is so found to be invalid or unenforceable but would be valid or enforceable if some part of the provision were deleted, the provision in question shall apply with such deletion(s) as may be necessary to make it valid. The parties agree, in the circumstances referred to in this Section 12, to attempt to substitute for any invalid or unenforceable provision a valid or enforceable provision which achieves to the greatest extent possible the same effect as would have been achieved by the invalid or unenforceable provision.

14. No Assignment. You must personally perform the Assignment and you are not entitled to assign the benefit or burden of this Agreement or ask any third party to perform a part of or assist in the performance of the Assignment under any circumstances whatsoever without the express written consent of Artisyn Graphics.

15. Data Protection. You consent to us and our duly authorized agents and employees holding and processing both electronically and manually the data (including personal sensitive data and information contained in email, email attachments and other forms of electronic communication) that we collect, store or process that relates to you, for the purposes of the administration and management of our contractors and business and for compliance with applicable procedures, laws and regulations.

To ensure regulatory compliance and for the protection of our workers, contractors, clients/customers and business, we reserve the right to monitor, intercept, review and access any communication facilities provided by us that you may use during the Assignment. We will use this right of access reasonably but it is important that you are aware that communications and activities on the equipment of ours cannot be presumed to be private.

16. Entire Agreement; No Waiver. This Agreement, including the Terms of Use, Code of Ethics, Privacy and Information Security Policy, and the Applicable Terms (if any), constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to this subject matter and supersedes all prior understandings and agreements relating thereto. This Agreement applies to all Contributions submitted to us by you. Any material modifications to this Agreement must be agreed to in writing by both parties. A party does not waive any right under this Agreement by failing to insist on compliance with any of the terms of this Agreement or by failing to exercise any right hereunder.

{ Comments on this entry are closed }