The purpose of the Casualty Actuarial Society (CAS)Roundtable Blog (the “Blog”) is to provide an engaging forum in which CAS leadership not only shares timely information but also has a mechanism to listen to members and informally solicit their feedback. All users of the Blog (“Users”) are encouraged to participate in the online discussion process through the comment features of the Blog. These Terms of Use are intended to help Blog Users understand and differentiate between suitable and inappropriate use of the Blog, as well as to share best practices.
The Terms of Use are an agreement between the CAS and User. By accessing, browsing, or using this service, User agrees to be bound by these terms. CAS may at any time revise these Terms of Use by updating this posting; User’s continued use of the service following the posting of notice of a change will confirm User’s acceptance of the change.
Rules and Restrictions on Submissions
- Users should exercise common sense and courtesy in submitting comments or materials for posting on the Blog (“Submissions”). Inappropriate Submissions would include, for example, comments or materials that:
- make false or defamatory statements about others;
- are obscene, vulgar, abusive, hateful or threatening;
- harass or discriminate on the basis of race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexual preference or other factors;
- are invasive of the privacy rights of others (e.g., by including addresses, phone numbers or other personal information about third persons without their consent).
- Submissions may not include content or materials that violate the copyrights, trademark rights or other intellectual property rights of third parties.
- Submissions may not contain unauthorized disclosures of proprietary or confidential information.
- Users may not use the Blog in a manner or for a purpose that could violate federal or state antitrust laws. For example, the Blog may not be used to communicate with competitors about prices, discounts, market shares, sales territories, or other terms or conditions of trade.
- Users may not use the Blog to promote or provide instructional information about illegal activities or for any purpose that may be illegal.
- Due to the CAS’s status as a tax-exempt organization and legal limitations on its activities, User Submissions may not contain comments or materials supporting or opposing any candidates for political office or otherwise engage in political activity or activity inconsistent with the CAS’s purposes.
- Users may not use or attempt to use the Blog for commercial purposes. Submissions may not include advertisements for goods or services, solicitations, “spam”, chain letters, surveys, pyramid schemes or the like.
- Submissions may not include false or misleading representations of affiliation with any other person or entity. A User may not employ false identifiers to impersonate any person or entity or to misrepresent or disguise the true origin of any content.
- The CAS believes that anonymous postings are neither necessary for purposes of this forum, nor consistent with the professional level of dialogue expected. Therefore, the User’s name (which must be provided) will be posted with the Submission.
CAS’s Right to Monitor and Administer the Blog
CAS reserves the right to monitor and administer the Blog and, in its sole discretion, to refuse to post any Submissions received or to remove Submissions that have been posted to the Blog. The CAS also reserves the right to disallow the use of any particular screen name or e-mail address, or to terminate any User’s posting privileges at any time.
Website Security
Users must respect the security of the Blog and may not attempt to gain access to areas private to the CAS or its members. A User may not upload, post or transmit any material containing software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt or limit the functionality of the CAS’s website, computer software or hardware, or telecommunications equipment. A User may not attempt to decompile, reverse engineer, modify or hack the website or underlying software to defeat or overcome any encryption or digital rights management technology implemented by the CAS, or to harm, disable, overburden, misuse or interfere with any other party’s use of the Blog or the CAS website, servers, networks or systems.
Ownership of the Blog and Blog Contents
All postings originated by the CAS and published on the Blog are protected by copyright and owned by the CAS. Except as permitted under U.S. Copyright laws, the Blog and its contents may not be copied, reproduced, republished or sold, posted, transmitted, distributed, modified, or used for the creation of derivative works without CAS’s prior written consent. The CAS grants User a non-exclusive, non-transferable, limited license to access, display and/or download the Web pages within this site, solely on User’s computer and for User’s personal, non-commercial use, and provided that User agrees not to modify the content displayed on this site and to keep intact all copyright, trademark and other proprietary notices contained therein.
The CAS does not claim ownership of or copyrights in User Submissions. User understands that Submissions are not confidential and CAS will be free (without compensation to User) to use or disseminate such Submissions on an unrestricted basis for any purpose. User agrees that Submissions may be published, displayed, copied, distributed, downloaded, or transmitted by the CAS or other Blog participants, and User grants CAS and all other users of the Blog an irrevocable, unrestricted, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, copy, reproduce, display, publish, distribute, transmit, adapt, modify or use for the creation of derivative works (including in digital form) such Submissions.
Disclaimers
The CAS makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy or sufficiency of the information posted on the blog, whether posted by the CAS or any third party. The CAS makes no warranty that the blog, or any computer, server, device, software, or other technology associated with the blog, is free of viruses, worms, or other elements or codes that manifest contaminating or destructive properties. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of warranties, so the above exclusions may not apply to you.
Postings, including but not limited to comments and replies to discussion topics, are not to be relied on as professional opinions or advice, and postings are not intended to constitute technical, financial or legal guidelines or to supplant individual judgment with respect to particular situations. Postings may not be construed in any way as investment or tax advice and are not intended to be used, and may not be used, by any person for the purpose of avoiding any penalties that may be imposed under the Internal Revenue Code.
The CAS does not endorse, approve, recommend, or certify any information, product, process, service or organization presented or mentioned on the Blog, and information from the Blog should not be referenced in any way to imply such approval or endorsement. This website may provide links or references to non-CAS websites and resources. CAS makes no representations, warranties, or other commitments whatsoever about any non-CAS websites or third-party resources that may be referenced in, accessible from, or linked to any CAS site. A link to a non CAS website does not mean that the CAS endorses the content or use of such website or its owner. User acknowledges and agrees that the CAS is not responsible for the availability of such external sites, and is not responsible or liable for any content, services, products, or other materials on or available from those sites.
The views expressed on the Blog are those of the individual participants. They do not and should not be construed as representing the views of the CAS. While the CAS reserves the right to monitor the Blog and remove Submissions or materials it believes are not in conformity with these Terms of Use or in the best interests of the CAS and its members, the CAS undertakes no obligation to do so.
Limitations of Liability
Neither the CAS nor its officers, directors, employees, agents, or representatives shall be responsible for any loss or damage of any kind arising from or in any way relating to (a) the use of or inability to use the blog (b) errors in or omissions from blog content, (c) any third party web sites or content therein directly or indirectly accessed through links in any blog content, (d) the unavailability of the blog, (e) any use of the blog or reliance by the user on any information or content contained therein; nor shall they be liable to users or any other person for any special, indirect, incidental, exemplary, or consequential damages arising from or in any way relating to the foregoing, even if they have been advised of the possibility of such damages occurring.
In no event may user bring any claim or cause of action against CAS more than one (1) year after such claim or cause of action arises.
Representations by Users; Indemnification
User is solely responsible for the contents of his/her submissions to the blog. User represents that he/she has all rights necessary to post the information, content or materials submitted to the blog without violating the copyrights or any other intellectual property rights of third parties, and that no submission by the user will violate the laws or the rights of third persons. User hereby indemnifies and agrees to hold harmless the CAS and its officers, directors, employees, agents and representatives from any and all claims asserted against them and any liability, loss, damage, costs or expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) incurred or suffered by them in connection with or arising out of user’s acts or omissions or the materials or information user submits to the blog.
Choice of Law and Venue
This Agreement will be interpreted and governed in all respects by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia without regard to its choice of laws rules. Any dispute arising under these Terms of Use or in connection with the User’s use of the Blog shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of either the state or federal courts in and for the Commonwealth of Virginia, and User and CAS hereby consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts over them.
Procedures for Requesting the Removal of Infringing Material
The owner of a copyrighted work (or the agent for the owner) who believes that material posted on the Blog infringes on the copyrighted work may request that the allegedly infringing material be removed from the Blog by notifying the CAS’s designated agent for such purposes:
Mike Boa
Casualty Actuarial Society
4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 250
Arlington, VA 22203
703-562-1724
mboa@casact.org
How to Contact the CAS
Questions regarding the Terms of Use or any other aspect of the Blog can be submitted in writing to: Casualty Actuarial Society, 4350 N. Fairfax Drive, Suite 250, Arlington, VA 22203, or by e-mail sent to mboa@casact.org.
