AMENDMENTS: This agreement comprises the entire agreement between OutlawStar.NET and you, and supersedes any prior agreements between you and OutlawStar.NET with respect to the use and/or access of this site and services and with respect to your registration of an account. This agreement does not supersede any additional terms or conditions of which you are notified by OutlawStar.NET. Furthermore, the administrators or authorized representatives of OutlawStar.NET reserves the right to amend the rules and regulations and this agreement at any time which shall be effective upon the date the amendment specifies or the posting of such revised agreement or rules on this site, whichever comes later. You further agree that your continued use of this site after the effective time of the amendment shall be deemed to be acceptance of all such revisions and constitutes your agreement to adhere to this agreement and the subsequent amendment as announced on the OutlawStar.NET site. If any revision is unacceptable to you, you may terminate the agreement by discontinuing use and access of the site and the associated account.
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"Jim, there's something that my old man told me a long time ago: 'People who make it big think big. People who can only think small will only earn chump change. That's what business is all about,' he said." -- Gene Starwind
Basically it says you can't sue OLS or its staff if you get your feelings hurt, and that if you use the site then this agreement is binding. There are other provisions like the age restriction on registration and such, but as far as I can tell, the disclaimer of liability is the only thing changed.
Yeah, I doubt it does, but then there's that cyberbullying law (and the fact that someone bumped the thread about it recently), so I guess you can't be too careful.
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"Jim, there's something that my old man told me a long time ago: 'People who make it big think big. People who can only think small will only earn chump change. That's what business is all about,' he said." -- Gene Starwind
What do you mean, "applicable"? If you mean are they enforceable, well, initially I was inclined to say yes, but then as I wrote out the legal analysis, I started to have doubts. So my final answer is, I'm really not sure.
If you really want to see the legal reasoning, here it is:
Spoiler: (Click to View)
Electronic agreements are a valid form of contract. One good example of them are EULA (End User License Agreements) that often accompany software. A contract requires three things: an offer, acceptance, and consideration. The offer here are the terms set forth in that document. Acceptance is shown by using the forum (or continuing to). Consideration is a legal requirement basically meaning both parties need to get something out of the agreement. This forum is a service which arguably gives benefits both ways (traffic to site on the one hand, entertainment to the user on the other). By using this service, arguably this is a contract.
One issue I see is on the offer/acceptance. These new terms are being laid out after the initial registration for the site, so the contract has already been formed between site admin and user. I guess it might apply to future users, but then again, there might be problems with the way the "offer" is made here within the site, rather than on the registration page. Really, it would be better to post it up in the registration page so that you have to read it, or at least be given a fair chance to, before registering for the site. Even then, however, with all the users who've already registered, I'm not certain you can go back and retroactively modify the contract. I guess you might argue that the user loses only the continued enjoyment of the forum by choosing to no longer take part and that just like, say, a restaurant may choose to change its prices or other various aspects of its business, so too may a forum change its rules and not be forever locked in to the original terms given during the registration. This all rests on the premise that a forum is analogous to a business of that sort, which does tend to ignore the fact that there is a definite registration for a forum, while there is none for a restaurant.
Having said all that, I'm not a lawyer yet and certainly not an expert on contracts. The internet has made contract law very complicated and I suspect there may be more specialized rules for these kinds of arrangements, though I don't know what they are. Still, it doesn't hurt you to have something written in like this. It certainly may make someone think twice about trying to sue since they now have to triumph both in contract law as well as in tort before they can get money from you.
So what would I have to do to get you to stop harrassing me then?
Any of these would be a good start:
-Get a job
-Move out of your parent's house
-Beat off
-Don't mention Aisha ever again
-Don't make excuses on why you won't do any of these
So basicly there is nothing I can do to get the harrasment to stop? I know vinnie will never stop harrassing me, but it would be nice if I wasn't harrassed by everybody on the board.
Board Rules Updated July 6, 2009
AKosygin
Electricity Gone Human
Linear Mode
