PortTerms&Conditions

Terms and Conditions of Use of the Portuguese Language Network – Online (Portulano)

Website

1. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS

Welcome to the Portulano community website (Site). The Site is part of a research project currently funded by the European Union. Its creator and main administrator is Ana Cristina Sousa (asousa@dte.ua.pt), a doctoral student at the Department of Didactics and Educational Technology of the University of Aveiro (www.dte.ua.pt) in Portugal. Portulano provides its service to you subject to the following Terms and Conditions of Use (TCU), which may be updated from time to time without notice. You can review the most current version of the TCU at any time in the Site Documentation area (Library).

2. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE

Portulano provides members with access to a rich collection of resources, including various communication tools, forums, collaborative activities, search services, personalized content and member-led initiatives. Portulano is an emergent community which depends entirely on the active and responsible involvement of its members. Although Portulano is expected to grow and mature as a learning and teaching community, you understand and agree that the service is provided "AS-IS" and that Portulano administrators assume no responsibility for the timeliness, deletion, mis-delivery or failure to store any user communications or personalization settings. You are also responsible for obtaining access to the Site, and must provide and are responsible for all equipment necessary to interact within the Portulano community.

3. YOUR REGISTRATION OBLIGATIONS

In consideration of your use of Portulano, you agree to provide true, accurate, and current information about your interests in, and involvement with, education in general and Portuguese Language learning and teaching in particular. Therefore you agree not to use Portulano to impersonate any person or entity, including, but not limited to, a forum leader, guide or host, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity. If the Site administrators have reasonable grounds to suspect that such information is untrue, inaccurate, or not current they have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of the Site.

4. PRIVACY POLICY

Registration Data and certain other information about you is subject to Privacy Policies and Regulations enforced in Portugal and the European Union. This information will not be re-used for any incompatible purpose; it will not be disclosed to third parties and you can access it, verify its accuracy and, if necessary, correct it. Likewise you agree not to collect or store personal data about other members in connection with any prohibited conduct or activities.

If you have queries or complaints, you are invited to send your comments to the Help Desk mailbox (portulan.online@gmail.com). Since Portulano provides links to third party sites which we do not control, we encourage you to review their privacy policies as well.

5. MEMBER ACCOUNT, PASSWORD AND SECURITY

You will create a password and member username upon completing Portulano's registration process. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and account and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your password or account. You agree to (a) immediately notify the Site administrators of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and (b) ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. Portulano administrators cannot and will not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this Section.

6. MEMBER CONDUCT

You understand that all information, data, text, software, music, sound, photographs, graphics, video, messages, or other materials (Content), whether publicly posted or privately transmitted, are the sole responsibility of the person from whom such Content originated. This means that you, and not the Site administrators are entirely responsible for all Content that you upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available. Albeit the Site administrators do not monitor or exercise editorial control over member Content, they reserve the right (a) to access or examine any member Content; and (b) at their discretion move, remove or disable access to member Content which they consider to breach any law or to be otherwise unacceptable.

Considering the global nature of the Internet, you agree to comply with all local rules regarding online conduct and acceptable Content. You agree to not use Portulano to upload, post, email, transmit or otherwise make available:

- any Content that infringes copyright or other proprietary rights of any party (read more about our copyright policy);

- any unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, "junk mail," "spam," or any other form of solicitation;

- any Content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, obscene, invasive of another's privacy, or racially, ethnically or otherwise objectionable;

- any material that contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment.

You agree that you must evaluate, and bear all risks associated with, the use of any Content, including any reliance on the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of such Content.

7. GENERAL PRACTICES REGARDING USE AND STORAGE

You acknowledge that Portulano administrators may remove material Posted by you in accordance with any applicable guidelines, such as guidelines relating to period of storage or the maximum disk space which is allotted to you. You agree that Portulano administrators have no responsibility or liability for the deletion or failure to store any communications or other content maintained or transmitted on the Site. You acknowledge that Portulano administrators reserve the right to log off accounts that are inactive for an extended period of time (180 days). You further acknowledge that Portulano administrators reserve the right to modify these general practices and limits from time to time.

8. LINKS

Portulano provides, or third parties may provide, links to other World Wide Web sites or resources. Because Portulano administrators have no control over such sites and resources, you acknowledge and agree that they are not responsible for the availability of such external sites or resources, and do not endorse and are not responsible or liable for any Content, advertising, products or other materials on or available from such sites or resources. You further acknowledge and agree that Portulano administrators shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance on any such Content, goods or services available on or through any such sites or resources.

9. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

1. YOUR USE OF THE PORTULANO SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. PORTULANO ADMINISTRATORS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED.

2. PORTULANO ADMINISTRATORS MAKE NO WARRANTY THAT (i) THE SERVICE WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS; (ii) THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE OR ERROR-FREE; (iii) THE RESULTS THAT MAY BE OBTAINED FROM THE USE OF THE SITE WILL BE ACCURATE OR RELIABLE; (iv) THE QUALITY OF ANY PRODUCTS, SERVICES, INFORMATION OR OTHER MATERIAL OBTAINED BY YOU THROUGH THE SITE WILL MEET YOUR EXPECTATIONS; AND (v) ANY ERRORS IN THE SOFTWARE WILL BE CORRECTED.

3. ANY MATERIAL DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SITE IS ACCESSED AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE DOWNLOAD OF ANY SUCH MATERIAL.

This Site and any right or obligation under these conditions is governed by the laws in force in Portugal and the European Union.

Updated 24 February 2006