Terms of Service and Legal Information

Agreement to the Terms of Use

Welcome to christianscience.com, owned and operated byThe First Church of Christ, Scientist (the "Web Site" or "Site"). By using this Web Site, you accept and agree to abide by the rules, guidelines, policies, terms and conditions of this Site, as stated below and in the Privacy Policy. This Web Site's Privacy Policy is hereby incorporated into these Terms by reference. The First Church of Christ, Scientist reserves the right to change the Terms of Service and Privacy Policy of this Site at any time.

Copyright

The material on this Web Site, such as text, photographs, images, graphics, logos, button icons, audio, video, and software as well as the compilation of such material, is the property of The First Church of Christ, Scientist and its affiliates or its content suppliers and is protected by U.S. copyright law, trade dress, patent, and trademark laws, international conventions, and all other relevant intellectual property and proprietary rights, and applicable laws. The First Church of Christ, Scientist grants you the right to view and download this copyrighted material for personal, noncommercial, home use only, provided you keep all copyright and other proprietary notices intact. Unless you're allowed through the Licensing Information, you agree not to modify, edit, adapt, create derivative works from, publicly perform or display, transmit, publish, sell, republish, redistribute, strip mine, or reproduce in quantity, or otherwise make unauthorized use of any material contained on this Web Site without the express written permission of The First Church of Christ, Scientist.

If you'd like to have permission or just want further information about republishing Site content, please contact us at info@christianscience.com. Generally on this Site, models in photographs are used for illustrative purposes only and do not necessarily endorse this Site.

Notice and Procedure for Making Claims of Copyright Infringement

If you believe this Web Site is infringing your copyright, The Christian Science Publishing Society will take appropriate actions under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Title 17, United States Code, Section 512 -(2) ("DMCA"). Pursuant to DMCA, written notification of claimed copyright infringement may or should be submitted to the following Designated Agent for this Site:

Service provider(s): The First Church of Christ, Scientist
Name of agent designated to receive notification of claimed infringement: Kevin Ness.
Full address of designated agent to which notification should be sent:
210 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, MA 02115.
Telephone number of designated agent: (617) 450-3600.
Email address of designated agent: nessk@csps.com.

To be effective, the Notification must include the following:

A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
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.
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 the service provider to locate the material.
Information reasonably sufficient to permit the service provider 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.
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.
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 owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

Trademarks

The design of the CROSS & CROWN seal and other trademarks, logos and images used on this Site’s goods and services are property of The First Church of Christ, Scientist or its affiliates and may not be used in any manner without obtaining written permission. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

RealPlayer is a registered trademark of RealNetworks, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.
Quicktime, iPod, and iTunes are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries.
Google™ is a trademark of Google, Inc.

Postings and Other Submissions of Content

If you submit statements, questions or comments to the Site, including but not limited to the online forums, you grant The First Church of Christ, Scientist and its affiliates a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, right to use, reproduce, edit, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, and display such statements, questions or comments, in whole or in part, on www.christianscience.com, with or without name attribution. You also warrant that the submission does not violate the rights of any third party.

You agree that you won't post any of the following on the Site:

Material which defames, defrauds, abuses, accuses, or threatens others, or which contains vulgar, sexually-oriented, obscene, or indecent language or images.
Statements that are bigoted, hateful, or racially offensive.
Material that advocates illegal activity or discusses illegal activities with the intent to commit them.
Unauthorized copyrighted material.
Advertising or any form of commercial solicitation.

Statements or postings that violate these terms will be deleted upon discovery.

Forums

You are welcome to post, transmit or submit messages and other materials (which include uploading files, inputting data or any other materials or engaging in any form of communication in connection with this Site) (collectively "Messages") to bulletin boards, chat rooms or other public areas within, or in connection with, this Site (collectively "Forums"). However, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, accepts no responsibility whatsoever in connection with or arising from such messages. Children under the age of 13 are not authorized to post messages or participate in forums on this Site without written parental consent.

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, does not endorse and has no control over the content of Messages submitted by others to Forums. Messages submitted to Forums are not necessarily reviewed by The First Church of Christ, Scientist, prior to posting and do not necessarily reflect the opinions or policies of The First Church of Christ, Scientist. The First Church of Christ, Scientist, makes no warranties, express or implied, as to the content of the Messages in the Forums or the accuracy and reliability of any Messages and other materials in the Forums. Nonetheless, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, reserves the right to prevent you from submitting Materials to Forums and to edit, restrict or remove such Messages for any reason at any time.

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, assumes no responsibility for actively monitoring Forums for inappropriate Messages. If at any time The First Church of Christ, Scientist, chooses, in its sole discretion, to monitor the Forums, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, nonetheless assumes no responsibility for the content of the Messages, no obligation to modify or remove any inappropriate Messages, and no responsibility for the conduct of the user submitting any Message. In submitting Messages to Forums, you agree to strictly limit yourself to discussions about the subject matter for which the Forums are intended. You agree that The First Church of Christ, Scientist, accepts no liability whatsoever if it determines to prevent your Messages from being submitted or if it edits, restricts or removes your Messages. You also agree to permit any other user of this Site to access, view, store or reproduce the material for that other user's personal use and not to restrict or inhibit the use of the Site by any other person.

RSS Feeds

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, offers free headlines from the forums for personal, non-commercial use via Really Simple Syndication ("RSS") (RSS 2.0). RSS is an XML-based format for easily sharing news headlines and summaries for use in your favorite news readers and Web logs (blogs). The feeds include links back to the Site for the full article, and they update automatically. To use RSS, you will need a special RSS news reader or aggregator that will allow you to collect and display the RSS content. The First Church of Christ, Scientist, does not provide the required news reader or aggregator. There are many different news readers available, many for free. Most news readers are applications that you download and install. Others are web-based services you sign up for that work inside your browser. We suggest running Mozilla Firefox as your browser for optimum viewing and performance of the site. There are several plugins that allow Firefox to act as an RSS Reader.

These Terms of Use and christianscience.com's Privacy Policy govern your use of RSS. Any uses of RSS not granted herein are strictly prohibited. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, the incorporation of advertising or the placement of advertising associated with or targeted at the content of the RSS. You may not edit or modify the RSS feeds in any manner whatsoever. RSS feeds may be used only with platforms with a functional link which takes the viewer directly to the full article on the Site. You may not insert any intermediate page, splash page or any other content between the RSS link and the applicable article on the Site. The First Church of Christ, Scientist, retains all ownership and other rights in the RSS content and in any and all logos and trademarks used in connection with RSS feeds. If you provide attribution using a graphic, you must use the appropriate christianscience.com name/logo incorporated into the RSS content or feed.

The First Church of Christ, Scientist, reserves the right to cease offering any or all of the RSS feeds at any time or to require you to cease distributing any or all of the feeds at any time for any reason. The First Church of Christ, Scientist, assumes no liability for your activities in connection with the RSS feeds or for your use of the feeds in connection with your Web Site.

Podcasts

Christianscience.com's podcasting service ("Podcasting Service") consists of free lectures and news and information audio files ("Podcast Content") that may be downloaded to your computer and then transferred to your MP3 player. These Terms of Use and christianscience.com's Privacy Policy govern your use of the Podcasting Service. Any uses of the Podcasting Service not granted herein are strictly prohibited. Prohibited uses include, but are not limited to, the incorporation of advertising or the placement of advertising associated with or targeted at the Podcast Content, redistribution of the Podcast Content and the use of the Podcast Content in a manner which suggests or implies that christianscience.com endorses any products, services or causes of a third party. You may not edit or modify the Podcast Content or links in any manner whatsoever.

You may only use the Podcasting Service with platforms which provide a functional link that, when accessed, takes the user directly to the podcast feed on the Site via the internet. The Podcast Content may be used only in a manner which allows linking or redirection to or delivery of the applicable page on the Site. You may not insert any intermediate page, splash page or any other content between the podcast link and the applicable page on the Site. christianscience.com retains all ownership and other rights in the Podcast Content and in any and all logos and trademarks used in connection with the Podcasting Service. If applicable, you must provide attribution to the appropriate page on the Site in connection with your use of the Podcasting Service, and, if you use a graphic in the attribution, you must use the appropriate christianscience.com name/logo incorporated into the Podcast Content.

christianscience.com reserves the right to cease offering any or all of the Podcasting Service or Podcast Content at any time or to require you to cease any and all use of the Podcasting Service or Podcast Content at any time for any reason. christianscience.com, assumes no liability for your activities in connection with the Podcasting Service or for your use of the Podcast Content in connection with your website, computer or MP3 player.

Termination; Terms of Use Violations

You may terminate your account or access rights to this Web Site at any time, without notice. TFCCS may in its sole discretion and at any time discontinue providing access to the Web Site, or any part thereof, with or without notice. You agree that any termination of your access to the Web Site may be effected without prior notice, and you agree that TFCCS will not be liable to you or any third party for any such termination. Any suspected fraudulent, abusive or illegal activity may be referred to appropriate law enforcement authorities. These remedies are in addition to any other remedies TFCCS may have at law or in equity. The provisions of this Site's Terms of Service shall survive termination.

Third-party Web Sites; Advertisers

This Web Site may include links or references to other Web Sites or services solely as a convenience to Users (“Reference Sites”). TFCCS does not endorse any such Reference Sites or the Information, materials, products, or services contained on or accessible through Reference Sites. In addition, your correspondence or business dealings with, or participation in promotions of, advertisers found on or through this Web Site are solely between you and such advertiser. ACCESS AND USE OF REFERENCE SITES, INCLUDING THE INFORMATION, MATERIALS, PRODUCTS, AND SERVICES ON OR AVAILABLE THROUGH REFERENCE SITES IS SOLELY AT YOUR OWN RISK.

Disclaimer of Warranties

THIS SITE, ITS OPERATION, AND ALL OF THE INFORMATION, CONTENT, MATERIALS, OR PRODUCTS INCLUDED ON THIS SITE ARE PROVIDED BY THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST ON AN “AS IS” BASIS AND WITHOUT REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING FROM THE USE OF THIS WEB SITE, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, AND CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. BECAUSE SOME STATES/JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN DISCLAIMERS OR LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY, THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST IS NOT RESPONSIBLE IN ANY WAY FOR THE CONDUCT OF USERS OF THIS Site OR INFORMATION EXCHANGED OR POSTED ON THIS SITE, INCLUDING A CLAIM OF DEFAMATION. THE FIRST CHURCH OF CHRIST, SCIENTIST IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY LOST CONTENT OR DATA.

Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless The First Church of Christ, Scientist, its affiliated entities, companies, contractors, employees, agents and its third-party suppliers, licensors, and partners harmless from any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, including legal fees and expenses, arising out of your use or misuse of this Web Site, any breach or alleged breach by you of these Terms, any breach or alleged breach of the copyright, trademark, proprietary or other rights of third-parties by you, or any breach of the representations, warranties, and covenants made by you herein. TFCCS reserves the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify TFCCS, and you agree to cooperate with TFCCS's defense of these claims.

No Personal Liability

No director, officer, trustee, employee or agent of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, or its affiliates, shall be personally liable for the performance or failure to perform any provision of this Terms of Service.

Applicable Law

All disclaimers, policies, terms, and conditions, and disputes thereunder will be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to choice of law principles.

Privacy Policy

Christianscience.com respects and protects the privacy of users.

What information do we collect from our users and how do we collect it?

First: this Site does not collect personally identifiable information about individuals except when specifically and knowingly provided by such individuals, for instance, when registering for discussion forums, or through comments or e-mails you may send to this Site. We do not use "cookies" on this Site to collect or track personally identifiable information. When you register for a discussion forum, please read carefully to understand what personal information christianscience.com might collect and how it might be used.

The personal information that can be collected by christianscience.com when registering for a discussion forum includes:

Required:

E-mail address
Username/screen name

Optional:

Name
Age
City/Town/Region/State
Country

Our policy regarding this information is simple: We will not sell, trade, rent to or share with third parties any of your personal information without your permission. As an exception, to protect Site visitors and the general welfare, christianscience.com will release personal information about its users when the law requires us to do so. The personal information you submit when registering is available to be seen by members of the forum.

If you submit your e-mail address, we will use it to send you information about online events, Site updates, activities, and products of this Site and its affiliates. All such communications will provide you the opportunity to unsubscribe or "opt-out" from receiving such communications.

Christianscience.com and its affiliates may use, reproduce, distribute, and display in whole or in part, in any media, with or without name attribution, the statements, questions or comments you submit through forums and/or the "Contact Us" page.

We do collect anonymous, aggregated data for statistical purposes. We may use such information to help determine ways to improve our Site and may share this unattributable information with our affiliates.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding what is done with your information or would like such information deleted from our records, please e-mail us at info@christianscience.com.

What are cookies? How do you use them?

A cookie is a small piece of data that is sent to your browser from christianscience.com’s Web server and is stored on your computer’s hard drive. Christianscience.com uses cookies to keep and sometimes track information about you in order to deliver better and more personalized services. Cookies allow us to access your registration information, which is stored on our computers, to anonymously identify which areas of our Site you have visited. Once you log out of christianscience.com forums, the cookie will be deleted and another cookie will be used at your next session. Our Site sponsors, advertisers, or linked Sites may use cookies, too. Christianscience.com does not own or control these entities or Sites, and this statement of policy does not cover how these companies user their cookies.

Is the information you collect about me secure?

We take precautions to protect our visitors' information. When you submit sensitive information via the Web Site, your information is protected both online and offline from unauthorized access, improper use or disclosure, unauthorized modification, and unlawful destruction or accidental loss.

What about children using your Site — is their privacy protected?

Yes. In accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA), this Site does not knowingly collect personal information from children under the age of 13 without parental consent. If it is learned that such information has been collected without parental consent, that information will be deleted from the Site's database as quickly as practical or the child’s parent(s) will be contacted to obtain consent for the collection of the information.

We strongly encourage parents to get involved with their children's online usage and to be aware of activities in which they are participating.

What about my privacy on linked Sites?

This Web Site contains links to other Sites and to affiliated Sites which have their own privacy policies. This privacy policy applies solely to information collected by this Web Site.

By using this Web Site, you consent to the collection and usage of information as described in this policy. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and such changes will be updated and reflected within our privacy statement.

If you have any questions or concerns regarding our privacy policy, please email us at info@christianscience.com.

Credits

Effective date: January 25, 2008