Terms of Service

By using our website, you are agreeing to be bound by the following Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, you should not use this website. “Fastcase”, “https://www.fastcase.com/”, “we”, “our”, “us”, “Service”, and “website” all refer to Fastcase, Inc. The terms “you” and “your” refers to the user of our website.

1. Web Site Use
   1. Description. Fastcase is an online legal research system.
   2. No Professional or Legal Advice. The legal information contained on Fastcase is not legal advice and is not guaranteed to be correct, complete, or up-to-date. Any opinions and advice found on Fastcase are those of the author and not necessarily those of Fastcase. Any information supplied by any employee or agent of Fastcase, whether by telephone, e-mail, letter or other form of communication, is intended solely as general guidance on the use of the Service and does not constitute professional or legal advice.
   3. Eligibility Requirements. To register as a user, you must be at least 18 years of age, agree to the Terms of Service and the Privacy Policy, and complete the registration procedure. By registering as a user, you represent and warrant that you meet the eligibility requirements and that the information you include as part of the registration process is complete and accurate. If you are registering on behalf of any entity, you represent and warrant that you are authorized to bind that entity to the Terms of Service. Fastcase may accept or reject your registration in its sole discretion.
   4. Usernames and Passwords. Your username and password is your identity for purposes of interacting with Fastcase and other users through the website. Each username and password is intended for a single user only. You shall keep your username and password confidential and may not share your username or password or otherwise give access to anyone else. You shall immediately notify Fastcase in writing if you learn of or suspect: (i) any loss or theft of your username or password, or (ii) any unauthorized use of your username or password or of the Service. In the event of such loss, theft, or unauthorized use, Fastcase may impose on you, at Fastcase’s sole discretion, additional security obligations. See Section F for Security Breaches.
   5. IP Authenticated User. Your access and use of our website is governed by your contract with Fastcase, which is incorporated herein
   6. Security Breaches. If any unauthorized person obtains access to the Service because of any act or omission by you, you shall use your best efforts to ascertain the source and manner of acquisition and shall fully and promptly notify Fastcase at info@fastcase.com. You shall cooperate and assist in any investigation relating to any such unauthorized access
   7. Prohibited Uses.
      1. You are required to comply with all applicable laws in connection with your use of the Service, and such further limitations as may be set forth herein and in any written or on-screen notice from Fastcase. Without limiting the foregoing, you agree not to:
         1. use any device, software or routine to interfere or attempt to interfere, or which has the effect of interfering with the proper working of the Fastcase Service or website;
         2. reproduce, redistribute or retransmit any information in the Service without the written permission of Fastcase;
         3. use or permit anyone to use the information provided through this service for any unlawful or unauthorized purpose, or in any other manner not permitted in the Terms of Service;
         4. decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble, rent, lease, loan, sublicense, create derivative works from Fastcase, which includes the information and software made available therein;
         5. copy, modify, reproduce, republish, distribute, transmit or use for commercial or public purposes Fastcase, except to the extent required in order for you to use Fastcase in the manner expressly intended by Fastcase; and/or
         6. use any incomplete, false or inaccurate biographical information or other information for purposes of registering as a user or registering for any promotions offered through the website
      2. You further agree not to violate or attempt to violate the security of the Service, including, without limitation: 
         1. accessing data not intended for you or logging into a server or account that you are not authorized to access;
         2. attempting to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of a system or network or to breach security or authentication measures without proper authorization;
         3. attempting to interfere with service to any user, host or network, including, without limitation, by way of submitting a virus to, or overloading, “flooding”, “spamming”, “mailbombing” or “crashing”, the website;
         4. sending unsolicited e-mail, including promotions and/or advertising of products or services; or
         5. forging any TCP/IP packet header or any part of the header information in any e-mail or posting. Violations of system or network security may result in civil or criminal liability. Fastcase will investigate occurrences that may involve such violations and may involve, and cooperate with, law enforcement authorities in prosecuting users who are involved in such violations
   8. Links to Fastcase. You may provide links to Fastcase from locations outside Fastcase provided (a) you link only to the home page https://www.fastcase.com, (b) you do not remove or obscure, by framing or otherwise, advertisements, the copyright notice or other notices in Fastcase, (c) you give provider notice of such link by sending an email message to info@fastcase.com and (d) you discontinue providing links to Fastcase if notified by Fastcase.
   9. Links to Third-Party Services. This Service may contain links to other Services (“Linked Services”). The Linked Services are not under the control of Fastcase and Fastcase is not responsible for the contents of the Linked Services, including, without limitation, links contained on Linked Services, or any changes or updates to Linked Services. Fastcase is providing Linked Services to you only as a convenience, and the inclusion of such Linked Services is not an endorsement by Fastcase in favor of any company offering Internet services, products or services on the Linked Services
2. Accounts and Billing
   1. Account Types
      1. Retail Subscription Users: You are billed on a monthly or annual basis starting on the day you first create your account (“billing period”). Pricing options are outlined on our pricing page.
      2. Enterprise Subscription Users: The terms of your contract with Fastcase governs your account and billing and is incorporated herein.
      3. Trial Users: Trials are free and intended for evaluation purposes of Fastcase only. You can discontinue use of your trial at any time
   2. Auto-renewal: You may auto-renew your subscription on a monthly or annual basis. To opt-out of auto-renewal email us at cancel@fastcase.com.
   3. Payment Failures: If a credit card, check, or any other form of payment is rejected or declined, we reserve the right to immediately disable your access to Fastcase.
   4. Cancellation: Subscription users may cancel at any time by providing written notice to cancel@fastcase.com. No refunds will be given for any cancellations after the billing period has passed.
3. Ownership; Rights to Use
   1. Copyright. You acknowledge that, other than original government works and other public domain materials, this Service contains information, graphics and other material (collectively, “Content”) that are protected by copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets or other proprietary rights, and that these rights are valid and protected in all forms, media and technologies existing now or hereinafter developed. Fastcase owns a copyright in the selection, coordination, arrangement and enhancement of such Content. You may not modify, publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit, any of the Content, in whole or in part. You may not upload, post, reproduce or distribute Content protected by copyright, or other proprietary right, without obtaining permission of Fastcase.
   2. Trade and Service Marks. All rights in the product names, company names, trade names, logos, product packaging and designs of all Fastcase or third-party products or services, whether or not appearing in large print or with the trademark symbol, belong exclusively to Fastcase or their respective owners, and are protected from reproduction, imitation, dilution or confusing or misleading uses under national and international trademark and copyright laws. The use or misuse of these trademarks or any materials, except as permitted herein, is expressly prohibited and nothing stated or implied on this Service confers on you any license or right under any patent or trademark of Fastcase or any third party.
   3. Notice of Copyright Infringement. If you believe that your work has been copied and is accessible on this Service in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide Fastcase’s Copyright Agent with the following information:
      1. identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed;
      2. identification of the allegedly infringing material on the Service that is requested to be removed;
      3. your name, address and daytime telephone number, and an e-mail address if available, so that Fastcase may contact you if necessary;
      4. a statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the copyrighted work is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
      5. a statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that the signatory is authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive copyright right that is allegedly infringed; and
      6. an electronic or physical signature of the copyright owner or someone authorized on the owner’s behalf to assert infringement of copyright and to submit the statement.

      Fastcase’s Copyright Agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement on the Service is Dr. Philip J. Rosenthal, who may be reached as follows:

      Dr. Philip J. Rosenthal
      Fastcase, Inc. 

      729 15th Street, NW (Suite 500)
      Washington, DC 20005
      (202) 669-3530
      philip.rosenthal@vlex.com  

      Fastcase will remove any posted submission which infringes the copyright of any person under the laws of the United States upon receipt of such a statement (or, more specifically, any statement in conformance with 17 U.S.C. § 512(c)(3)). United States law provides significant penalties for submitting such a statement falsely.

4. Representations, Covenants and Warranties
   1. Representations. Fastcase shall not be responsible for any use that is inconsistent with the purpose of the Service. Without limiting the foregoing, Fastcase makes no representations, warranties or covenants regarding, and does not guarantee, the truthfulness, accuracy, relevancy, or reliability of any information or other material that is communicated through, or posted to, the Service. You acknowledge that any reliance on information or other material communicated through, or posted to, the Service will be at your own risk.
   2. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY. YOU AGREE THAT USE OF THE SERVICE IS ENTIRELY AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS,” “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO YOU OR ANY OTHER PERSON RELATING IN ANY WAY TO THE SERVICE, INCLUDING ANY PART THEREOF, OR ANY WEB SITE OR OTHER CONTENT OR SERVICE THAT MAY BE ACCESSIBLE DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY THROUGH THE SERVICE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE GENERALITY OF THE FOREGOING, FASTCASE DISCLAIMS TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW ANY AND ALL (i) WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, (ii) WARRANTIES AGAINST INFRINGEMENT OF ANY THIRD PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY OR PROPRIETARY RIGHTS, (iii) WARRANTIES RELATING TO DELAYS, INTERRUPTIONS, ERRORS OR OMISSIONS IN THE SERVICE, OR ANY PARTY THEREOF, (iv) WARRANTIES RELATING TO THE TRANSMISSION OR DELIVERY OF THE SERVICE, AND (v) WARRANTIES OTHERWISE RELATED TO PERFORMANCE, NONPERFORMANCE, OR OTHER ACTS OR OMISSIONS BY FASTCASE OR ANY THIRD PARTY.
   3. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. THIS DISCLAIMER OF LIABILITY APPLIES TO ANY DAMAGES OR INJURY CAUSED BY ANY FAILURE OF PERFORMANCE, ERROR, OMISSION, INTERRUPTION, DELETION, DEFECT, DELAY IN OPERATION OR TRANSMISSION, COMPUTER VIRUS, COMMUNICATION LINE FAILURE, THEFT OR DESTRUCTION OR UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO, ALTERATION OF, OR USE OF RECORD, WHETHER FOR BREACH OF CONTRACT, TORTIOUS BEHAVIOR, NEGLIGENCE, OR UNDER ANY OTHER CAUSE OF ACTION. YOU SPECIFICALLY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT FASTCASE IS NOT LIABLE FOR THE DEFAMATORY, OFFENSIVE OR ILLEGAL CONDUCT OF OTHER USERS OR THIRD PARTIES AND THAT THE RISK OF INJURY FROM THE FOREGOING RESTS ENTIRELY WITH YOU. NEITHER FASTCASE NOR ANY OF ITS PARTNERS, AGENTS, EXECUTIVES, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES OR AFFILIATES SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF USE OF THIS SERVICE OR INABILITY TO GAIN ACCESS TO OR USE THIS SERVICE OR OUT OF ANY BREACH OF ANY WARRANTY. YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION SHALL APPLY TO ALL CONTENT ON FASTCASE
5. Additional Terms: Other provisions that govern your use of Fastcase are set forth in online notices appearing in connection with certain information, products, software, services, or features of Fastcase (collectively the “Additional Terms”), all of which are incorporated by reference herein. Your use of any information, products, software, services, or features of Fastcase that are subject to Additional Terms constitutes your acceptance of the respective Additional Terms
6. Indemnification. Upon a request by Fastcase, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless each of Fastcase, its partners, agents, executives, directors, employees and affiliates from any claims and expenses, including reasonable attorney’s fees and court costs, arising out of or related to any violation by you, or any partner, agent, employee or affiliate of you, of the Terms of Service or your use of the Service.
7. Fair Credit Reporting Act. Fastcase is not a consumer reporting agency. Therefore, under the rules of The Fair Credit Reporting Act (15 U.S.C. § 1681), you may not use information from this website to determine an individual’s eligibility for (A) credit or insurance to be used primarily for personal, family, or household purposes or (B) employment purposes.
8. Service Restrictions, Alterations and Terminations. Fastcase shall not be responsible for any delays or interruptions of, or errors or omissions contained in, the Service. Fastcase reserves the right, but shall not be required, to correct any delays, interruptions, errors or omissions. Fastcase may discontinue or alter any aspect of this Service, including, but not limited to: (i) restricting the time of availability, (ii) restricting the availability and/or scope of the Service for certain users, (iii) restricting the amount of use permitted, and (iv) restricting or terminating any user’s right to use this service, at Fastcase’s sole discretion and without prior notice or liability. If this Service is being used for spam, harassment, abuse, or any other purpose other than the intended purpose, we reserve the right to terminate your account without refund and seek all available civil and criminal remedies.
9. Privacy Policy: You agree and consent to the terms of the Fastcase Online Privacy Policy, a copy of which you should review by clicking here.
10. Choice of Law: This Agreement shall be construed and controlled by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia. By using this Service, you agree that any dispute arising from or related to the terms of this agreement will be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia, without regard to its choice of law provisions. By using this service, you agree to personal jurisdiction by the state and federal courts sitting in the Commonwealth of Virginia.
11. Arbitration: Fastcase at its sole discretion may submit any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms of Service to binding arbitration conducted before one arbitrator who is knowledgeable in computer and cyberspace law. The site of any such arbitration will be in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The arbitration will be conducted in accordance with the then applicable Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association. The award rendered by the arbitrator will be binding and conclusive on the parties and judgment upon such award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. Each party will bear its own costs and expenses, including fees and expenses of counsel, associated with the arbitration. The arbitrator will not be empowered to award punitive damages to either party. California users may also contact the Consumer Information Center of the Department of Consumer Affairs, Consumer Information Division, at 1625 North Market Blvd., Suite N-112, Sacramento, California 95834 or 1-800-952-5210 or (916) 445-1254.
12. Modification: We reserve the right to modify this Agreement at any time. Any modifications will be effective when posted through this Service, on our website or when we notify you by other means. We may also change or discontinue the Services, in whole or in part. Your continued use of this Service indicates your agreement to the modifications.
13. Severability: If any provision of this Agreement is held to be invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be struck and the remaining provisions shall be enforced.
14. Entire Agreement: This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter contained herein and supersedes all previous and contemporaneous agreements, proposals and communications, written or oral, between Fastcase representatives and you. For members of the Virginia State Bar, Fastcase’s contract with the VSB dated January 25, 2006 contains provisions that supplement and revise this Agreement, which provisions shall apply at the member’s option
15. Terms of Service Rider. 

Licensed Content on Fastcase. Licensed content owned by third parties is available for sale within Fastcase’s legal research product. This includes, but is not limited to, content owned by Wolters Kluwer, the American Bar Association, the American Bankruptcy Institute, state and practice-specific bar associations, and other business entities that have provided content to Fastcase for sale (“Licensor”/”Licensors”). Licensor and its licensors, licensees, and affiliates shall have no liability to users or subscribers (“Designated End Users”) related to this content on Fastcase (the “Licensed Content”). All Licensed Content from Licensors is the copyrighted materials of Licensor or its licensors, all rights reserved.

Designated End Users shall only be permitted to use the Licensed Content for internal purposes only and not for resale or distribution. Designated End Users may download and store insubstantial portions of select data so long as such downloading is consistent with the foregoing use restriction and so long as Designated End Users comply with all applicable conventions regarding copyright and source of material attribution.

The Licensed Content is provided on an “as is” basis and without any warranties of any kind, express or implied. LICENSOR AND ITS LICENSORS AND AFFILIATES AND FASTCASE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE LICENSED CONTENT, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT AND INFORMATION COMPLETENESS, CURRENCY OR ACCURACY.

Designated End Users assume all responsibilities and obligations with respect to the selection of the Licensed Content to achieve the Designated End User’s intended results. Designated End Users assume all responsibilities and obligations with respect to any decision or advice made or given as a result of the use or application of the Licensed Content. Licensor and its licensors and affiliates are not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, tax or other professional advice or services. If legal, accounting, tax or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional should be sought.

XVI. Customer Support

Providing great customer service is one of our Company’s top priorities. We strive to answer all inquiries and customer complaints for the products we provide in a professional, timely and efficient manner. Customers may contact a member of the team during our business hours as noted on the Support page (https://www.fastcase.com/support/) via phone, email, contact form, or live chat within our website and applications. Customers will receive a response within the same business day. Customers who contact our support channels outside of normal business hours will receive a response on the next business day. To further provide customers with self-support, Fastcase’s Support team regularly curates videos and documentation made available on the Support page (https://www.fastcase.com/support/). For customers who are part of large partner groups, personalized support resources and webinars are available by contacting support@fastcase.com.

 

1. Disrespectful Language

Our staff provides respect and expects respect in return. All staff members have the right not to be subjected to any behavior that includes threats of physical harm or violence; ill will; inappropriate religious, cultural or racial insults; homophobic, sexist or other derogatory remarks; or any cursing or swearing. Once our staff experience these disrespectful behavior and/or actions, they have the right to conclude any support and escalate the situation to a senior staff member. Customers can anticipate a response from the senior staff member within 24 hours of the conversation with the initial staff member. Customers who continue to use disrespectful language will be blocked from communicating with the Fastcase team via phone and live chat, and will be limited to contacting the team for support via email only. Further action may be taken to limit the customer’s contact with the Fastcase team which might include, but not limited to, blocking the customer entirely from Fastcase applications and team. Such steps will be communicated to the customer in writing.

 

1. CLE Training & Credits

Fastcase receives annual approval from state continuing legal education organizations for CLE credit webinars noted on the webinars schedule (https://www.fastcase.com/webinars/). Attendance reports will be provided to your respective state continuing legal education organization per their requirements within 30 days of the webinar. Credits will be awarded by your respective state continuing legal education organization per their processes and timelines, and questions about credits being awarded should be directed toward your state continuing legal education organization. Questions about Fastcase’s CLE approved webinars should be sent to support@fastcase.com.