Terms of Use
Introduction and acceptance
Welcome to starling.nyc (the “Website”). The Website is an interactive online service operated by Gowanus Hospitality Group, LLC (“us”, “we” or “our”).
PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF USE CAREFULLY BEFORE USING THE WEBSITE. BY ACCESSING AND/OR USING THE WEBSITE (OTHER THAN TO READ THESE TERMS OF USE FOR THE FIRST TIME) YOU ARE AGREEING TO COMPLY WITH THESE TERMS OF USE, WHICH MAY CHANGE FROM TIME TO TIME AS SET FORTH IN SECTION 18 BELOW. THESE TERMS OF USE REQUIRE YOU TO AGREE TO ARBITRATE DISPUTES RATHER THAN GOING TO COURT, GRANT US CERTAIN RIGHTS AND LICENSES, PROVIDE US CERTAIN INDEMNITIES, WAIVE CERTAIN OF YOUR RIGHTS AND REMEDIES, AND LIMIT OUR LIABILITY AND OBLIGATIONS TO YOU. READ THEM CAREFULLY AND DO NOT USE THE WEBSITE OR PURCHASE OUR PRODUCTS OR SERVICES IF YOU DO NOT AGREE.
You agree that these Terms of Use are supported by good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which you hereby acknowledge. Such consideration includes, without limitation, your use of the Website and the materials and information available on the Website.
We reserve the right to change any of these Terms of Use at any time without prior notice to you. You agree that our posting of revised Terms of Use on the Website will constitute notice to you of such revised Terms of Use and that your access or use of the Website after such posting constitutes your agreement to be bound by such changes and the revised Terms of Use. Consequently, please review these Terms of Use before each and any access or use of the Website. Any changes to these Terms of Use will become a part of these Terms of Use and will apply as soon as they are posted or at such a later date as may be specified in the posted Terms of Use.
Unless explicitly stated otherwise, any new features or functionality that augment or enhance the Website will be subject to these Terms of Use.
In addition to these Terms of Use, Starling has established a Privacy Policy to explain how user information is collected and used by Starling. A copy of our Privacy Policy can be found here and is incorporated by reference into these Terms of Use. By accessing or using the Website, you are signifying your acknowledgment and agreement to our Privacy Policy.
Intellectual property
The website and included content (and any derivative works or enhancements of the same) including, but not limited to, all text, illustrations, files, images, software, scripts, graphics, photos, sounds, music, videos, information, content, materials, products, services, URLs, technology, documentation and interactive features (collectively, the “Website Content”), and all intellectual property rights to the same, are owned by us, our licensors or both. Additionally, all trademarks, service marks, trade names and trade dress that may appear on the Website are owned by us, our licensors or both. Except for the limited use rights granted to you in these Terms of Use, you shall not acquire any right, title or interest in the Website or any Website Content. Any rights not expressly granted in these Terms of Use are expressly reserved.
Website access and use
A. Access to the Website including, without limitation, the Website Content, is provided for your information and personal, non-commercial use only. When using the Website, you agree to comply with all applicable federal, state and local laws including, without limitation, copyright law. Except as expressly permitted in these Terms of Use, you may not use, reproduce, distribute, create derivative works based upon, publicly display, publicly perform, publish, transmit or otherwise exploit Website Content for any purpose whatsoever without obtaining prior written consent from us or, in the case of third-party content, its respective owner. In certain instances, we may permit you to download or print Website Content or both. In such a case, you may download or print (as applicable) one copy of Website Content for your personal, non-commercial use only. You acknowledge that you do not acquire any ownership rights by downloading or printing Website Content.
B. Except as expressly permitted in these Terms of Use, you may not:
i. remove, alter, cover or distort any copyright, trademark or other proprietary rights notice on the Website or Website Content;
ii. circumvent, disable or otherwise interfere with security-related features of the Website including, without limitation, any features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any content or enforce limitations on the use of the Website or Website Content;
iii. use an automatic device (such as a robot or spider) or manual process to copy or “scrape” the Website or Website Content for any purpose without the express written permission of Starling;
iv. collect or harvest any personally identifiable information from the Website including, without limitation, user names, passwords or email addresses;
v. solicit other users to join or become members of any commercial online service or other organization;
vi. attempt to or interfere with the proper working of the Website or impair, overburden or disable the same;
vii. decompile, reverse engineer or disassemble any portion of the Website;
viii. use network-monitoring software to determine the architecture of or extract usage data from the Website;
ix. encourage conduct that violates any local, state or federal law, either civil or criminal or impersonates another user, person or entity (for example, using another person’s Membership (as defined in Section 5(B) below) without permission);
x. violate U.S. export laws, including, without limitation, the Export Administration Act and the Export Administration Regulations administered by the Department of Commerce; or
xi. engage in any conduct that restricts or inhibits any other user from using or enjoying the Website.
C. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in clause (B)(iii) above, Starling grants public search engine operators permission to use automatic devices (such as robots or spiders) to copy Website Content from the Website for the sole purpose of creating (and only to the extent necessary to create) a searchable index of Website Content that is available to the public. We reserve the right to revoke this permission (generally or specifically) at any time.
D. You agree to cooperate fully with Starling to investigate any suspected or actual activity that is in breach of these Terms of Use.
Conditions for linking to the website
We hereby grant you a non-exclusive, limited license, revocable at our discretion, for any reason and for no reason, for you to link to the Website home page from any site you own or control that is not commercially competitive with the Website and does not criticize or otherwise injure us, so long as the site where the link resides, and all other locations to which such site links, comply with all applicable laws and do not in any way abuse, defame, stalk, threaten or violate the rights of privacy, publicity, intellectual property or other legal rights of others or, in any way, post, publish, distribute, disseminate or facilitate any inappropriate, infringing, defamatory, profane, indecent, obscene or illegal/unlawful information, topic, name or other material or that violates the spirit of our mission. Such a link is not an endorsement of such other site(s) by us. All of our rights and remedies are expressly reserved.
Website content and third-party links
A. We provide the Website including, without limitation, Website Content and User Content, for entertainment, educational and/or promotional purposes only. You may not rely on any information or opinions expressed on the Website for any other purpose. In all instances, it is your responsibility to evaluate the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or usefulness of Website Content or User Content. Under no circumstances will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on any Website Content or User Content.
B. In many instances, Website Content will include content posted by a third party or will represent the opinions and judgments of a third party, including, without limitation, User Content. We do not endorse, warrant and are not responsible for the accuracy, timeliness, completeness or reliability of any opinion, advice or statement made on the Website by anyone other than authorized employees or spokespersons of Starling while acting in their official capacities.
C. If there is a dispute between persons accessing the Website or between persons accessing the Website and any third party, we are under no obligation to become involved. If there is such a dispute, you hereby release Starling and its officers, directors, employees, partners, successors, agents, distribution partners, affiliates, subsidiaries and their related companies from claims, demands, and damages of every kind or nature arising out of, relating to, or in any way connected with such dispute.
D. The Website may contain links to other websites maintained by third parties. We do not operate or control, in any respect, or necessarily endorse the content found on these third-party websites. You assume sole responsibility for your use of third-party links. We are not responsible for any content posted on third-party websites or liable to you for any loss or damage of any sort incurred as a result of your dealings with any third party or their website.
E. The Website does not provide any medical advice. No Website Content is intended to be professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment, or a substitute thereof. Always seek the advice of your physician or another qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or a wellness program. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on the Website.
Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Starling and its officers, directors, employees, partners, successors, agents, affiliates, subsidiaries and their related companies from and against any and all claims, liabilities, losses, damages, obligations, costs and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and costs) arising out of, related to, or that may arise in connection with: (i) your access to or use of the Website; (ii) any actual or alleged violation or breach by you of these Terms of Use; (ii) any actual or alleged breach of any representation, warranty or covenant that you have made to us; or (iv) your acts or omissions. You agree to cooperate fully with us in the defense of any claim that is the subject of your obligations hereunder.
Disclaimers
YOU EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT THE USE OF THE WEBSITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE WEBSITE AND WEBSITE CONTENT ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING AND TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, STARLING AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, PARTNERS, SUCCESSORS, AGENTS, DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES AND THEIR RELATED COMPANIES DISCLAIM ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES INCLUDING ANY: (i) WARRANTIES THAT THE WEBSITE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; (ii) WARRANTIES CONCERNING THE AVAILABILITY, ACCURACY, SECURITY, USEFULNESS, TIMELINESS OR INFORMATIONAL CONTENT OF THE WEBSITE OR WEBSITE CONTENT; (iii) WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE; (iv) WARRANTIES FOR SERVICES OR GOODS RECEIVED THROUGH OR ADVERTISED ON OR ACCESSED THROUGH THE WEBSITE; (v) WARRANTIES CONCERNING THE ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE WEBSITE; (vi) WARRANTIES THAT YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE WILL BE SECURE OR UNINTERRUPTED; AND (vii) WARRANTIES THAT ERRORS IN THE SOFTWARE WILL BE CORRECTED.
Limitation on liability
A. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES SHALL STARLING OR ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, PARTNERS, SUCCESSORS, AGENTS, DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES OR THEIR RELATED COMPANIES BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES (EVEN IF STARLING HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES), ARISING OUT OF, RELATING TO, OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE WEBSITE, WEBSITE CONTENT, USER CONTENT, OR THESE TERMS OF USE. YOUR SOLE REMEDY FOR DISSATISFACTION WITH THE WEBSITE, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, THE WEBSITE CONTENT, IS TO STOP USING THE WEBSITE. SUCH LIMITATION SHALL ALSO APPLY TO DAMAGES INCURRED BY REASON OF SERVICES OR PRODUCTS RECEIVED THROUGH OR ADVERTISED IN CONNECTION WITH THE WEBSITE OR ANY LINKS ON THE WEBSITE, AS WELL AS BY REASON OF ANY INFORMATION OR ADVICE RECEIVED THROUGH OR ADVERTISED IN CONNECTION WITH THE WEBSITE OR ANY LINKS ON THE WEBSITE. SUCH LIMITATION SHALL ALSO APPLY WITH RESPECT TO DAMAGES INCURRED BY REASON OF ANY CONTENT POSTED BY A THIRD PARTY OR CONDUCT OF A THIRD PARTY ON THE WEBSITE, INCLUDING THE USER CONTENT.
B. NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE CONTRARY CONTAINED HEREIN, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE CUMULATIVE LIABILITY OF STARLING AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, PARTNERS, SUCCESSORS, AGENTS, DISTRIBUTION PARTNERS, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES AND THEIR RELATED COMPANIES EXCEED THE GREATER OF THE TOTAL PAYMENTS RECEIVED FROM YOU BY STARLING DURING THE PRECEDING TWELVE (12) MONTH PERIOD OR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100). FURTHERMORE, YOU AGREE THAT ANY CAUSE OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF, RELATING TO, OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH THE WEBSITE OR THESE TERMS OF USE MUST COMMENCE WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES; OTHERWISE, SUCH CAUSE OF ACTION SHALL BE PERMANENTLY BARRED.
C. In some jurisdictions, limitations of liability are not permitted. In such jurisdictions, some of the foregoing limitations may not apply to you; however, these limitations shall apply to the fullest extent permitted by law in such jurisdictions.
Copyright policy
A. Starling respects the intellectual property rights of others and expects its users to do the same. In appropriate circumstances, and at its sole discretion, Starling may terminate and/or disable the Membership of users whom it suspects to be infringers of the copyrights (or other intellectual property rights) of others. Additionally, in appropriate circumstances and in its sole discretion, Starling may remove or disable access to material on any of its websites or hosted on its systems that may be infringing or the subject of infringing activity.
B. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998, Title 17 of the United States Code, Section 512 (“DMCA”), we will respond promptly to claims of copyright infringement that are reported to the agent that we have designated to receive notifications of claims of copyright infringement (its “Designated Agent”). Starling's Designated Agent may be reached at:
Gowanus Hospitality Group, LLC
452 Union Street
Brooklyn, New York 11231
Attn: DMCA Agent
or
Email us at hello@starling.nyc
C. If you are a copyright owner (or are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner) and believe that your work’s copyright has been infringed, please report your notice of infringement to us by providing our Designated Agent with a written notification of claimed infringement that includes substantially the following:
i. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
ii. 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;
iii. 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 us to locate the material;
iv. Information reasonably sufficient to permit us to contact you, such as an address, telephone number, and, if available, an electronic mail address at which you may be contacted;
v. A statement that you have 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; and
vi. A statement that the information in the notification is accurate, and under penalty of perjury, that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.
We will investigate notices of copyright infringement and take appropriate actions under the DMCA. Inquiries that do not follow this procedure may not receive a response. If your notice of infringement relates to a recipe, then you may want to review the U.S. Copyright Office’s Circular on the copyrightability of recipes prior to reporting your notice of infringement. For more information on our DMCA policy, please click on this hyperlink: Infringements.
Choice of law; jurisdiction and venue
These Terms of Use shall be construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York without regard to its conflict of laws rules. Any legal proceedings against Starling that may arise out of, relate to, or be in any way connected with the Website or these Terms of Use shall be brought exclusively in the state and federal courts of New York located in New York County and you hereby waive any jurisdictional, venue or inconvenient forum objections to such courts.
Dispute resolution; binding arbitration
In the Dispute Resolution Section only, “we” and “us” are used to refer to you and Starling together.
A. We each agree to first contact the other party with any disputes and provide a written description of the problem, all relevant documents/information and the proposed resolution. You agree to contact us with disputes by contacting us at the address provided in these Terms of Use. We will contact you based on the contact information you have provided us.
B. We each agree to finally settle all disputes (as defined and subject to any specific exceptions below) only by arbitration. In arbitration, there is no judge or jury and review is limited. However, just as a court would, the arbitrator must honor the terms and limitations in these Terms of Use and can award the same damages and relief. The arbitrator’s decision and award are final and binding, with some exceptions under the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”), and judgment on the award may be entered in any court with jurisdiction. We each also agree as follows:
i. “Disputes” are any claims or controversies against each other related in any way to the Website, Website Content or these Terms of Use — this includes claims you bring against our officers, directors, employees, partners, successors, agents, affiliates, subsidiaries and their related companies, and claims Starling may bring against you.
ii. If either of us wants to arbitrate a dispute, we agree to send written notice to the other party providing a description of the dispute, previous efforts to resolve the dispute, all supporting documents/information, and the proposed resolution. We will send notice to you based on the contact information you have provided us and notice to us must be sent to Gowanus Hospitality Group, LLC, ATTN: Legal Department, 452 Union Street, Brooklyn, NY 11231. We agree to make attempts to resolve the dispute. If we cannot resolve the dispute within forty-five (45) days of receipt of the notice to arbitrate, then we may submit the dispute to formal arbitration.
iii. The FAA applies to these Terms of Use and this arbitration provision. We each agree that the FAA’s provisions, not state law, govern all questions of whether a Dispute is subject to arbitration.
iv. The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under its arbitration rules. If any AAA rule conflicts with these Terms of Use, these Terms of Use will apply. You can obtain procedures, rules and fee information from the AAA at 1 (800) 778-7879 or www.adr.org.
v. The arbitration will be conducted by a single neutral arbitrator and will take place in New York, New York. The federal or state law that applies to these Terms of Use will also apply during the arbitration.
vi. We each agree not to pursue arbitration on a classwide basis. We each agree that any arbitration will be solely between you and us (not brought on behalf of or together with another individual’s claim). If for any reason any court or arbitrator holds that this restriction is unconscionable or unenforceable, then our agreement to arbitrate doesn’t apply and the dispute must be brought to court.
vii. The prevailing party in the arbitration will be entitled to recover its costs and expenses, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and experts’ fees, which are incurred in connection with the arbitration.
C. Either of us may bring qualifying claims in small claims court.
No class actions
TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, WE EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO PURSUE DISPUTES ON A CLASSWIDE BASIS; THAT IS, TO EITHER JOIN A CLAIM WITH THE CLAIM OF ANY OTHER PERSON OR ENTITY OR ASSERT A CLAIM IN A REPRESENTATIVE CAPACITY ON BEHALF OF ANYONE ELSE IN ANY LAWSUIT, ARBITRATION OR OTHER PROCEEDING.
No trial by jury
TO THE EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, WE EACH WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY LAWSUIT, ARBITRATION OR OTHER PROCEEDING.
Amendment; additional terms
A. We reserve the right in our sole discretion and at any time and for any reason, to modify or discontinue any aspect or feature of the Website or to modify these Terms of Use. In addition, we reserve the right to provide you with operating rules or additional terms that may govern your use of the Website generally, unique parts of the Website, or both (“Additional Terms”). Any Additional Terms that we may provide to you will be incorporated by reference into these Terms of Use. To the extent any Additional Terms conflict with these Terms of Use, the Additional Terms will control.
B. Modifications to these Terms of Use or Additional Terms will be effective immediately upon notice, either by posting on the Website or by notification by email or conventional mail. It is your responsibility to review the Terms of Use and the Website from time to time for any changes or Additional Terms. Your access and use of the Website following any modification of these Terms of Use or the provision of Additional Terms will signify your assent to and acceptance of the same.
Territorial restrictions
Software related to or made available by the Website may be subject to United States export controls. Thus, no software from the Website may be downloaded, exported or re-exported (i) into (or to a national or resident of) Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Syria or any other country to which the United States has embargoed goods; or (ii) to anyone on the U.S. Treasury Department’s list of Specially Designated Nationals or the U.S. Commerce Department’s Table of Deny Orders. By downloading any software related to the Website, you represent and warrant that you are not located in, under the control of, or a national or resident of, any such country or on any such list. The parties specifically disclaim application of the Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods.
Miscellaneous
A. Any delay or failure on our part to exercise or enforce any rights under these Terms of Use to which we may be entitled shall not, in any event, be construed as a waiver of the right and privilege to do so at any subsequent time. You irrevocably agree that you waive any and all rights to injunctive or other equitable relief. The section headings used herein are for convenience only and shall not be given any legal import. If any provision of these Terms of Use is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms of Use which shall remain in full force and effect.
B. These Terms of Use (including the Privacy Policy and any Additional Terms incorporated by reference) constitute the entire agreement of the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all previous written or oral agreements between us with respect to such subject matter.
C. You may not assign these Terms of Use or assign any rights or delegate any obligations hereunder, in whole or in part, without our prior written consent. Any such purported assignment or delegation by you without the appropriate prior written consent will be null and void and of no force and effect. Gowanus Hospitality Group may assign these Terms of Use or any rights hereunder without your consent and without notice.