Terms of Use

This page (together with the documents referred to herein) contains the Terms of Use on which you may make use of this website (the “Website”), whether as a guest or a contributor. Please read these Terms of Use carefully before you start to use the site. By using the Website, you indicate that you accept these Terms of Use and that you agree to abide by them. If you do not agree to these terms, please refrain from using the Website.

1. Information

The Website presents information, data, content, photo, picture, video, audio and other materials and items, tangible or intangible (collectively, the “Information”). If we agree to grant you access to the Website, such access shall be a non-exclusive, non-transferable and limited license to access the Website in accordance with these Terms of Use.

2. Change of Terms of Use

We may periodically change, add or delete terms from these Terms of Use in our sole discretion without notice or liability to you. By continuing to use the Website following such modifications, you agree to be bound by such modifications. You are advised to review this page from time to time.

3. Changes to Website Content and Materials

We reserve the right, in our discretion and at any time, to suspend, change, modify, add or remove portions of the content available on the Website and to restrict the use and accessibility of the Website.

4. User Conduct on the Website/Rules of Submission

Opinions expressed in pieces published by AsiaGlobal Online reflect those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views of AsiaGlobal Online or the Asia Global Institute. Authors remain entirely responsible for the opinions expressed, including any potential liability.

As a condition of your use of the Website, you understand and agree that you will not propose content that:

• Infringes on the rights (including copyright, trademark, patent and other intellectual property rights and rights of privacy and publicity) of any third party;
• Is false, misleading, libelous, defamatory, obscene, abusive, hateful or sexually explicit;
• Degrades others on the basis of gender, race, class, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual preference, disability or other classification; or
• Contains epithets or other language or material intended to intimidate or to incite violence.

You have no rights in or to the Information and you will not use the Information, except as permitted under these Terms of Use and/or in accordance with a separate license granted by us.

5. Third-Party Information

The Information may contain information provided by third parties or sourced by us from business information sources and other references or sources. We are not responsible if any such Information is not up-to-date. We do not always separately verify the Information provided by such third parties or agencies and you are cautioned thus to the reliability and accuracy of the Information accordingly. We do not accept any responsibility whatsoever in respect of such Information. Any use of and reliance on such Information is at your own risk.

6. Prohibition of Access and Suspension

Whilst we strive to ensure that our users have 24-hour access to the Website and its content, we cannot guarantee your access and you acknowledge that we do not represent or warrant that the Website will always be available.

You are responsible for your own hardware, software and facilities and we cannot guarantee compatibility of the Website with your systems. You are also responsible for ensuring that all persons who access the Website through your Internet connection are aware of these terms, and that they comply with them.

We reserve the right to (a) limit, deactivate or suspend the service or any part thereof, with or without notice to you, to carry out system maintenance, upgrading, testing and/or repairs; and/or (b) restrict your access to and use of the Website where we consider it reasonably necessary for the operation of the Website.

From time to time, we may restrict access to some parts of the Website, or to the entire Website. We reserve the right at all times to prohibit or deny your access to the Website or any part thereof immediately and without notice, where we are of the opinion that you have breached any of the terms contained in these Terms of Use or that such prohibition or denial is appropriate, desirable or necessary in our sole opinion.

7. Links to and from the Website

Where the Website may contain third-party-owned content and links to other websites, these links are provided for your information only. We have no control over such content and websites, and do not endorse and are not responsible or liable for the content, advertising, products, privacy practices or other materials on or available from the third parties that provide such content and websites.

You may link to any page of the Website, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it, but you must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval or endorsement on our part where none exists. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.

8. Intellectual Property Rights

All intellectual property rights subsisting in respect of the Website belong to us or have been lawfully licensed to us for use on the Website. All such rights under applicable laws are hereby reserved.

While you may print off one copy, and may download extracts, of any page(s) from the Website for your personal, non-commercial reference and use, it remains our property, unless otherwise stipulated. You must not use any part of the materials on the Website for commercial purposes without obtaining a license to do so from us or from our licensors.

You must not modify the paper or digital copies of any materials you have printed off or downloaded in any way, and you must not use any illustrations, photographs, video or audio sequences or any graphics separately from any accompanying text. Our status (and that of any identified contributors) as the authors of material on the Website must always be acknowledged.

If you print off, copy or download any part of the Website in breach of these Terms of Use, your right to use the Website will cease immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have made.

The articles on the website are published under the Creative Commons license “Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 3.0 Hong Kong”. Please refer to the legal code of the license for more detailed information. In summary, under the terms of this license:

• Attribution – You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
• Non-Commercial – You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
• NoDerivatives – If you remix, transform or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.

In submitting an article, authors and contributors grant AsiaGlobal Online a perpetual license to publish and communicate the material in any format. Authors and contributors also agree to permit us to allow the republishing of the work by other parties, notably via the Creative Commons license.

9. Prevention of Viruses

Although we take reasonable steps to prevent the introduction of viruses, worms, “Trojan horses” or other destructive materials to the Website, we and our officers, directors, shareholders, employees, representatives, parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, agents, licensors and other third-party providers do not guarantee or warrant that the materials that may be downloaded from the Website do not contain such destructive features. We and our affiliates, agents, licensors and other third-party providers are not liable for any damage or harm attributable to such features. If you rely on the Website and any materials available through the Website, you do so solely at your own risk.

10. Limited Liability and Warranty

Your access to and use of the Website is at your sole risk and is provided “as is”, “as available”. The Website is for your personal use only and we make no representation or warranty of any kind, express or implied. References in the Website to any third-party events or services do not constitute or imply our endorsement of any kind.

Without limiting any exclusion specifically provided for in these Terms of Use, we shall in no event be liable for any costs, damages or liability for any unauthorized use of the Website or breach of security relating to the Website.

We do not guarantee or assume any responsibility, and you acknowledge that we make no representation or warranty, that:

• The Information on the Website is accurate, adequate, current or reliable, or may be used for any purpose other than for general reference or as specified in any separate license granted by us;
• The Information on the Website is free of defect, error, omission, virus or anything which may change, erase, add to or damage your software, data or equipment;
• Messages sent through the Internet will be free from interception, corruption or loss;
• Access to the Website will be available or be uninterrupted; or defects in the Website will be corrected.

In no event shall we be liable to you or any other person for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, punitive or consequential damages, including any loss of business or profit, arising out of any use of, or inability to use, errors or omission in the Website or the Information, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

You will exercise and rely solely on your own skill and judgment in your use of the Website and use and interpretation of the Information. You are responsible to ensure that your use of the Website and the Information complies with all applicable legal requirements.

The limitation of the liability contained in these Terms of Use applies to the fullest extent permitted by applicable laws.

11. Indemnity

You agree to defend and indemnify us, our employees, agents, officers, directors, contractors, suppliers and other representatives against all liabilities, damages, claims, actions, costs and expenses (including legal fees), in connection with or arising from your breach of these Terms of Use and/or your use of the Website.

We may, if necessary, participate in the defence of any claim or action and any negotiations for settlement. You will not make any settlement that may adversely affect our rights or obligations without our prior written approval. We reserve the right, at our own expense and on notice to you, to assume exclusive defence and control of any claim or action.

12. Privacy Policy

For information about our privacy policies and practices, please refer to our Privacy Policy Statement. You agree to the use and disclosure of your information in the manner set out in our Privacy Policy Statement (as updated from time to time). For information on our use of cookies, please also refer to our Privacy Policy Statement.

13. Miscellaneous

No waiver of any breach of these Terms of Use will amount to a waiver of any other breach. The headings in these Terms of Use are for convenience only and do not affect interpretation.

14. Termination

We may, in our sole discretion and at any time, without prior notice to you and without cause, terminate all or any part of our services to you and consequentially prohibit your right to access the Website.

15. Partial Invalidity

The illegality, invalidity or unenforceability of any provision of these Terms of Use under the law of any jurisdiction shall not affect its legality, validity or enforceability under the laws of any other jurisdiction nor the legality, validity or enforceability of any other provision.

16. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms of Use shall be governed by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. You agree to submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the Hong Kong courts.