Terms of use

Terms of Use       

Effective Date: March15, 2025

Welcome to TheDenaProject.com! This website is a non-commercial, community-driven project dedicated to preserving the history of Altadena through shared photographs and stories.

These Terms of Use are entered into by and between You ("Users" or "User") and Allison Roth ("Website Administrator" or "us" or "we"). The following terms and conditions, together with any documents they expressly incorporate by reference (collectively, "Terms of Use" or "Terms"), govern your access to and use of TheDenaProject.com, including any content, functionality, and services offered on or through TheDenaProject.com (the "Website").

1. Acceptance of Terms

By using the Website or by clicking to accept or agree to the Terms of Use when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Website.

2. Purpose of the Website

The Website is intended as a digital photo journal for the community of Altadena to share and preserve images, stories, and history. It is a non-commercial, passion-driven project and is not intended for profit or commercial use.

3. User Submissions

3.1 Submission Guidelines
Users are invited to submit photographs, stories, and other content ("Submissions") that contribute to the preservation of Altadena’s history. By submitting content, you confirm that:

  • You either own or have permission to share the Submissions.

  • If the Submission is not your original work (e.g., family photos taken by others), you confirm that you have obtained the necessary rights to share it.

  • The Submissions do not infringe on any third party’s intellectual property, privacy, or other rights.

  • The Submissions are appropriate, respectful, and relevant to the Website’s purpose.

  • You agree to indemnify the Website Administrator against any claims, damages, or liabilities arising from your Submissions.

  • The Website Administrator reserves the right to remove any Submission that is suspected of infringing on third-party rights, violating these Terms, or creating legal or reputational risks.

3.2 License to Display Submissions
Any Submissions you post to the site will be considered non-confidential and non-proprietary. By providing any Submission, you grant Website Administrator and its affiliates and service providers a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, reproduce, and distribute your Submissions on the Website and related non-commercial materials (e.g., newsletters or promotional materials for the Website). This license is revocable by written request to TheDenaProject@gmail.com

3.3. Content Standards
Users must ensure that all Submissions and activities on the Website adhere to the following standards:

These content standards apply to any and all User Submissions. Submissions must in their entirety comply with all applicable federal, state, local and international laws and regulations. Without limiting the foregoing, Submissions must not:

  • Contain any material that is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, offensive, harassing, violent, hateful, or otherwise objectionable.

  • Infringe any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other intellectual property or other rights of any other person.

  • Violate the legal rights (including the rights of publicity and privacy) of others or contain any material that could give rise to any civil or criminal liability under applicable laws or regulations or that otherwise may be in conflict with these Terms of Use.

  • Submissions must not promote sexually explicit or pornographic material, or violence.

  • Submissions must align with the purpose of the Website and contribute positively to the preservation of Altadena’s history.

The Website Administrator reserves the right to remove or restrict access to any content that violates or may violate the Website’s content standards, at its sole discretion.

4. Protection of Submissions

4.1 No Unauthorized Use
Visitors and third parties may view content on the Website but are prohibited from reproducing, downloading, copying, displaying, distributing, or otherwise using Submissions without explicit written consent from the owner of the Submission or the Website Administrator.

4.2 Watermarking and Display Controls
To deter unauthorized use, the Website may watermark images or disable right-click functionality. However, the Website cannot guarantee complete protection from misuse.

4.3 Content Removal & Enforcement Mechanism
The Website Administrator reserves the right to remove or restrict access to any Submission at any time if:

  • There is a reasonable belief that the contributor does not have the necessary rights to submit the content.

  • A third-party rights claim is made against the Submission.

  • The content violates the Website’s policies or presents a legal or reputational risk.

  • The contributor fails to provide satisfactory proof of ownership or authorization upon request.

5. User Comments & Interactions

5.1 User Conduct
Users may comment or interact on the Website, provided their interactions:

  • Are respectful and do not contain hate speech, harassment, defamation, or personal attacks.

  • Do not include spam, advertisements, or solicitations.

  • Do not include false, misleading, or unlawful content.

  • Do not infringe on the intellectual property or privacy rights of others.

5.2 Moderation & Removal Rights
The Website Administrator reserves the right to monitor, edit, or remove any user-generated content (including comments) at their discretion, particularly if it:

  • Violates these Terms of Use.

  • Is deemed offensive, defamatory, or inappropriate.

  • Creates a legal risk for the Website or other users.

  • Contains false or misleading information.

5.3 Liability Disclaimer

  • The Website Administrator is not responsible for the content of user comments and does not endorse opinions shared by users.

  • Users are solely responsible for their own interactions and comments.

  • The Website Administrator is not liable for any damages arising from user-generated content.

6. Copyright & DMCA Policy

We take copyright infringement claims seriously. If you believe any materials accessible on or from the Website infringe your copyright, you may request removal of those materials by submitting written notification to our designated copyright agent:

Allison Roth
The Dena Project
TheDenaProject@gmail.com

Your DMCA Notice must include:

  1. Your physical or electronic signature.

  2. Identification of the copyrighted work.

  3. Identification of the infringing material and its location on the Website.

  4. Your contact information.

  5. A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the copyrighted material is not authorized.

  6. A statement under penalty of perjury that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

It is our policy to disable and/or terminate the accounts of users who are repeat infringers.

7. Prohibited Activities

Users are prohibited from:

  • Sending spam, unauthorized advertisements, or solicitations.

  • Introducing malicious software such as viruses or trojans.

  • Attempting to gain unauthorized access to the Website or its data.

  • Using the Website in any manner that could impair its functionality.

8. Intellectual Property Rights

8.1 Ownership of Submissions
Ownership of Submissions remains with the author of the work. Granting the Website a license to display Submissions does not transfer ownership.

8.2 Website Content
All other content on the Website, including text, layout, and design, is the property of TheDenaProject.com and may not be used without permission.

8.3 Copyright Infringement
If you believe that any Submissions violate your copyright, please see our Copyright Policy in provision 6 for instructions on sending us a notice of copyright infringement.

9. Reliance on Information Posted

The information presented on or through the Website is made available solely for general information purposes. We do not warrant the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of this information. Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk. We disclaim all liability and responsibility arising from any reliance placed on such materials by you or any other visitor to the Website, or by anyone who may be informed of any of its contents.

This Website may include content provided by third parties, including materials provided by other users, bloggers, and third-party licensors, syndicators, aggregators, and/or reporting services. All statements and/or opinions expressed in these materials, and all articles and responses to questions and other content, other than the content provided by the Website Administrator, are solely the opinions and the responsibility of the person or entity providing those materials. These materials do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Website Administrator. We are not responsible, or liable to you or any third party, for the content or accuracy of any materials provided by any third parties.

10. Mandatory Arbitration of Claims

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms of Use or your use of the Website shall be resolved exclusively through binding arbitration. Arbitration will be conducted in accordance with the Consumer Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association (AAA). You agree to provide written notice of any claim or dispute at least 30 days before initiating arbitration, allowing the parties an opportunity to resolve the matter informally. Notices of claims should be sent to:

TheDenaProject@gmail.com

10.1 Opting Out of Arbitration
You have the right to opt out of this arbitration agreement. To do so, you must send written notice of your decision to opt out, including your full name and contact information, to the above address within 30 days of your first use of the Website. Opting out of this arbitration agreement will not affect any other provisions of these Terms of Use.

10.2 Limitation on Time to File Claims
ANY CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM YOU MAY HAVE ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OF USE OR THE WEBSITE MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES; OTHERWISE, SUCH CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM IS PERMANENTLY BARRED.

 11. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Website is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, express or implied. While efforts are made to maintain accurate and secure content, Website Administrator does not guarantee the reliability, security, or availability of the Website.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE WEBSITE ADMINISTRATOR, ITS AFFILIATES OR THEIR LICENSORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS OR DIRECTORS BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE WEBSITE, ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO IT, ANY CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE OR SUCH OTHER WEBSITES OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR SUCH OTHER WEBSITES, INCLUDING ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PERSONAL INJURY, PAIN AND SUFFERING, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, LOSS OF REVENUE, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF GOODWILL, LOSS OF DATA, AND WHETHER CAUSED BY TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), BREACH OF CONTRACT OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF FORESEEABLE.

THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY LIABILITY WHICH CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW..

13. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold Website Administrator harmless from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including without limitation, reasonable attorney's fees and costs, arising out of or in any way connected with these Terms or your use of the Website. You will cooperate as required by us in the defense of any claim. We reserve the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, and you will not in any event settle any claim without our prior written consent.

14. Modification of Terms

These Terms of Use may be updated at any time to reflect changes to the Website or its policies. The latest version will always be available on the Website, and continued use of the Website constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

15. Contact Information

For questions, concerns, or requests regarding these Terms of Use or your Submissions, please contact:

TheDenaProject
TheDenaProject@gmail.com

Thank you for being part of this community and helping to preserve the history of Altadena!