Last Updated – March 27, 2023

Microsoft pubCenter Publisher Terms and Conditions

 

IF YOUR PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS IS IN THE UNITED STATES, SECTION 19 CONTAINS A BINDING ARBITRATION CLAUSE AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER. IT AFFECTS YOUR RIGHTS ABOUT HOW TO RESOLVE ANY DISPUTE WITH MICROSOFT. PLEASE READ IT.

 

1. INTRODUCTION. These publisher terms and conditions are an agreement (“Agreement”) between you ("You") and Microsoft.  “Microsoft” means Microsoft Online, Inc. (6880 Sierra Center Parkway, Reno, NV 89511 USA) unless your principal place of business is in (a) India in which case “Microsoft” means Microsoft Corporation (India) Private Limited (Level 10, Tower C, Epitome, Building No. 5, DLF Cyber City, Phase 3, Gurugram 122002 – Haryana, India), (b) Brazil in which case “Microsoft” means Microsoft do Brasil Importação e Comércio de Software e Video Games Ltda., enrolled with the CNPJ under No. 04.712.500/0001-07 (Av. Presidente Juscelino Kubitscheck 1909, Torre Sul, 18 Andar, conj. 181 – Vila Nova Conceição, CEP: 04543-907 São Paulo/SP Brasil), or (c) Europe, the Middle East, or Africa (“EMEA”) or Asia-Pacific (“APAC”) in which case “Microsoft” means Microsoft Ireland Operations Limited (One Microsoft Place, South County Business Park, Leopardstown, Dublin, Ireland 18, D18 P521).  This Agreement incorporates by reference the terms of the Microsoft Services Agreement (https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/servicesagreement/); provided, however, in the event of any conflict between the terms of the Microsoft Services Agreement that are applicable to You and this Agreement, the terms of this Agreement shall control.  This Agreement applies to Your participation in or use of one or more of the following offerings available through Microsoft pubCenter (collectively, "pubCenter Programs"), including the following Microsoft pubCenter offerings:  (a) the Microsoft pubCenter offering for web publishers (“pubCenter Program for Web Publishers”); (b) the Microsoft pubCenter offering for mobile application developers (“pubCenter Program for Mobile App Developers”); (c) the Microsoft pubCenter offering for Windows applications developers (“pubCenter Program for Win App Developers”); and (d) the Microsoft pubCenter offering for Xbox applications developers (“pubCenter Program for Xbox App Developers”).  Notwithstanding the foregoing, (a) if You have separately negotiated an agreement with Microsoft covering a pubCenter Program, that separately negotiated agreement continues to apply with respect to the applicable pubCenter Program, or (b) if You have another type of separately negotiated agreement with Microsoft (i.e., not specifically covering a pubCenter Program) that separately negotiated agreement shall apply to the extent it conflicts with the terms of this Agreement. 

2. MICROSOFT PUBCENTER. Subject to Your compliance with this Agreement and such other rules, policies, requirements, and procedures as Microsoft may publish on the pubCenter website located at http://pubcenter.microsoft.com(the "pubCenter Site”) or as published at https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en-us/policies/home (“Policies and Guidelines - Microsoft Advertising”) or as otherwise made available to  You from time to time (the “Policies”), You may access the pubCenter Programs through the pubCenter website. You may access the pubCenter Site solely to manage Your accounts for the pubCenter Programs (“Accounts”) for the purpose(s) described hereunder. You may also authorize third parties (“Agents”) to access the pubCenter Site and manage Your Accounts on Your behalf; provided, however that You will be jointly and severally responsible for the activities of Your Agents in association with the use of the pubCenter Site.

3. PUBCENTER CREDENTIALS. You agree not to use any false, inaccurate or misleading information when signing up for Your Accounts, and You must protect any passwords or other credentials associated with Your Accounts (“Credentials”), keep the Credentials confidential and take full and sole responsibility for any use of Your Credentials and any activities occurred under Your Account. You must keep all required registration and other Account related information up to date at all times. If You suspect any improper or unauthorized use of Your Accounts or other security issues that may affect a pubCenter Program, You must contact Microsoft immediately at pubhelp@microsoft.com or another email address specified by Microsoft.  If we reasonably suspect that Your Accounts are at risk of being used by a third party fraudulently (for example, as a result of an Account compromise), or if Microsoft discovers a security breach that is affecting a pubCenter Program, Microsoft may take actions that Microsoft deems necessary to address or minimize the impact of the security issue, including but not limited to suspending Your Account until You can reclaim ownership, requiring you to update your Credentials, or stop delivering advertising. You agree to cooperate in a timely manner with reasonable requests from Microsoft in connection with any security or data incidents.  

 

4. USE OF PUBCENTER PROGRAMS. 

a)       When accessing and using the pubCenter Programs, You agree to comply with the terms of this Agreement, the Policies, and all applicable laws and regulations. You may access and use only the pubCenter Programs for which You have been approved by Microsoft. Approval for Your access and use of a pubCenter Program is at Microsoft’s sole discretion and does not provide You with any right to access and use any other pubCenter Program without separate Microsoft approval. In addition, You agree to access and use the pubCenter Programs, including any associated tags, APIs, or code, (a) only in accordance with Microsoft’s technical specifications and (b) only with Your websites (“Websites”), mobile applications (“Mobile Apps”), Xbox applications (“Xbox Apps”) and Windows applications (“Win Apps”) that have been approved by Microsoft and properly registered with the pubCenter Programs. You also agree to the Microsoft API terms of use at https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/legal/microsoft-apis/terms-of-use, if applicable to your access or use. For the purposes of this Agreement, Websites, Mobile Apps, Xbox Apps, and Win Apps are referred to collectively as “Properties.  You acknowledge that Microsoft’s approval of a Property is not a certification or endorsement of that Property.  Your Properties shall at all times comply with the Policies.

b)     Advertisers’ Right to Opt In or Opt Out. Microsoft may provide advertisers with a list of Properties and publisher names for the purpose of allowing advertisers to identify certain Properties and publishers on which it does or does not wish to place its ads.  Microsoft will not be required to disclose to You whether any individual advertiser chose to exercise this right with regard to You or Your Properties.

c)         Cooperation.  You will provide, via telephone and e-mail, cooperation and assistance that Microsoft reasonably requests related to customer service, billing and collections for the advertisers associated with the ads that Microsoft sells within Your Properties.

d)    Implementation Responsibilities.  You will:

i)  Deploy identifiers or other technologies designated by Microsoft (“Microsoft Ads SDK”), and provide information that Microsoft reasonably requests, in accordance with Microsoft’s technical requirements and instructions;

ii) test on Your Property the deployment of ad formats and browsers specified by Microsoft;

iii) in a timely manner, make reasonable efforts to cooperate to resolve problems identified during testing of Your Property;

iv) incorporate into Your Property all guidance, specifications, placement guidelines, documentation and other consultation related to ads (e.g., placement, sizes, experiences, formats, etc.) that Microsoft provides to You (if any);

v) cooperate in good faith with Microsoft’s reasonable requests to optimize and test modifications to the Microsoft Ads SDK to improve performance; and

vi) implement updates that Microsoft makes to the Microsoft Ads SDK within 60 days after Microsoft makes the update available to You.

 

e)    Traffic Quality and Ad Performance. 

 

i)              Microsoft may require that a quality score be maintained for traffic from Your Properties, in a manner and method determined by Microsoft.

ii)            You will manage traffic quality using methods to track each traffic source when made available by Microsoft. You will maintain traffic quality levels as set by Microsoft. 

iii)     Microsoft may warn You or suspend a Property if that Property has fallen below acceptable levels of quality. If You have received such warning or suspension, You will not directly or indirectly use, distribute, or offer the ad inventory in your Properties for Microsoft ads through any third party within the Microsoft Advertising network. You will minimize automated, fraudulent and lower quality traffic.  Microsoft will determine the validity and quality of all traffic in its sole discretion.

f) Performance. The parties will monitor the performance of each Property displaying ads served by a pubCenter Program, including user acceptance and overall deal performance (e.g., volume, monetization, and revenue). If either party reasonably believes a Property is performing below standards, the parties will cooperate and use commercially reasonable efforts to modify the Property to improve its performance.  If such efforts do not improve the Property’s performance to Microsoft’s reasonable satisfaction, You will promptly remove the poor-quality traffic and You will not directly or indirectly use, distribute, or offer such ad inventory for Microsoft ads through any third party within the Microsoft Advertising network.

 

5. GENERAL PROHIBITIONS. You will not do any of the following:

a)    work around any technical limitations of the pubCenter Site or any pubCenter Program or introduce or use any device, software, or routine that interferes or attempts to interfere with the operation of the pubCenter Site or any pubCenter Program, or otherwise attempt to access either of the foregoing in any ways other than those authorized by Microsoft;

b)    use any pubCenter Program to display advertising anywhere other than on a Property that has been approved by Microsoft and properly registered with the applicable pubCenter Program;

c)    cache, store, copy, distribute, or redirect any advertising delivered by any pubCenter Program;

d)    directly or indirectly implement or distribute ad inventory, or generate, or authorize or encourage others to generate, revenue hereunder through any automated, deceptive, fraudulent or other invalid means including but not limited to repeated manual clicks, the use of robots or other automated query tools or computer-generated search/page requests, clicks that are prohibited under any guidelines provided by Microsoft or the terms of this Agreement, or the unauthorized use of other search engine optimization services or software, or through the use of incentives (e.g. awarding users cash, points prizes, contest entries, etc.);

e)     edit, resize, modify, filter, obscure, hide, make transparent, or reorder any advertising (including their associated links) delivered by any pubCenter Program;

f)     display advertising from any pubCenter Program in Properties that do not have distinct, substantial and legitimate content and purpose other than the display of advertising;

g)     collect or use any user identifier created or provided to You by Microsoft for any purpose other than passing such identifier to a pubCenter Program as part of Your use of that pubCenter Program;

h)    frame, minimize, remove, redirect, delay (e.g., insert interstitial ads or pop up windows) or otherwise inhibit or modify any advertisements served by a pubCenter Program into your Properties or the display of any web page accessed by the links included with specific advertising;

i)      take any action that imposes an unreasonably or disproportionately large burden on Microsoft infrastructure, including the pubCenter Site or a pubCenter Program;

j)   display advertising from any pubCenter Program on any portion of your Properties that violate any applicable law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including export control), or includes materials or links to materials that are unlawful (including the sale of counterfeit goods or copyright piracy), obscene, pornographic, discriminatory, misleading, deceptive, false, gambling related or religious, that constitute hate speech or defamation, or otherwise contain materials that do not comply with the Policies or other Microsoft policies; or that infringe on any third party’s proprietary rights; 

k)   display advertising on any portion of your Properties that are generated by adware, spyware or P2P applications;

l  store, distribute, copy or otherwise use or repurpose data that You receive from Microsoft for any purpose other than to display ads in accordance with this Agreement;

m) display advertising from any pubCenter Program on any portion of your Properties that would download any type of unauthorized or unlawful program to a computer or other device, or link a user to a website intended to download this type of software; or

n) allow any ad tags (within ads served by Microsoft) or the Microsoft Ads SDK to (A) be used by a third party, (B) be placed anywhere other than Your Properties, or (C) display ads anywhere other than on Your Property.   

If You engage in any of the activities prohibited by this Section 5 or otherwise prohibited by Microsoft, or your Property violates this Section 5 or another Microsoft requirement or the Policies, then without limiting any other rights and remedies Microsoft may have under this Agreement, Microsoft may, as Microsoft deems appropriate under the circumstances, do any of the following including in order to manage advertiser satisfaction issues:  credit advertisers for ad impressions; receive “make goods” from You; withhold or deduct payments due to You for the time period within which Microsoft determines, after reasonable investigation, the prohibited action occurred; or suspend or terminate Your Account.

6. REPORTS. As part of a pubCenter Program, Microsoft may provide You with access to online reporting systems to view and use a variety of online reports related to Your use of the pubCenter Program. You may not publicly publish or otherwise distribute or disclose any of these reports to third parties and may only use these reports for Your internal business purposes. These and similar reports are considered “Confidential Information” as defined in Section [30].

7. ADVERTISER PREFERENCES. As part of some pubCenter Programs, Microsoft may provide You with functionality and features that allow You to specify Your preference regarding the display of advertising from certain advertisers or groups of advertisers on or in Your Properties. If this functionality is provided through a pubCenter Program, it will be Your responsibility to specify and maintain Your preferences. However, Microsoft does not guarantee that all advertising served on or in Your Properties will meet or otherwise be subject to the preferences that You specify.

8. INVOICING AND PAYMENT. 

a)        Payments.  On a monthly basis, Microsoft will pay You in arrears on a net-45 basis for advertising displayed on or in Your Properties based upon the then-current payment schedules if Your earned balance equals or exceeds $100 USD (the “Payment Threshold”). If Your earned balance equals less than the Payment Threshold, Microsoft may elect to defer such payments (without penalty or late fee) to the next applicable payment date that the payment due is greater than the Payment Threshold or, if such amount has not increased in the trailing twelve month period, cancel such payment permanently without notice. Microsoft may update the timing of the payments, payment schedules, or minimum payment amounts at any time upon notice.  If a negative amount is due to You (for example, as result of a prior period adjustment for invalid Paid Search Ad traffic), Microsoft may, in its sole discretion, (i) invoice You for the negative amount, which You will pay within 45 days of receipt, or (ii) offset such amount against future payments.  In addition, if You receive a payment that was not due to You, Microsoft may reverse or seek return of that payment and You agree to cooperate with Microsoft (or its’ Payment Processor) in our efforts to do this. Microsoft may also reduce or offset Your earned balance without notice, to adjust for any previous overpayment. You acknowledge that the amount You actually receive will depend in part on the rates and fees imposed by Your bank or the Payment Processor (as defined herein) and on any applicable tax withholding requirements by U.S. legislation and the domestic legislation of Your domicile. You must provide Microsoft (or the Payment Processor) with all financial, tax and banking information requested in order to make payment of amounts owed under this Agreement. Microsoft will notify You of any changes to the required information. Failure to provide such information within 60 days after creation of Your Account or failure to keep such information current and accurate may result in the closing of Your Account by Microsoft and forfeiture of amounts owed to You under this Agreement.

b)        Data for Calculating Payments; Unauthorized or Fraudulent Revenue from Ads Served by a pubCenter Program.  To the extent that payment is based on the number of clicks, impressions, or actions generated by advertising that is displayed on or in Your Properties, reports generated by the applicable pubCenter Programs will be the sole measurement for purposes of invoicing and payment.  Impressions, clicks, or other or actions generated by advertising that a pubCenter Program registers as coming from IP addresses owned or controlled by You, or clicks associated with Your violation of this Agreement, the Policies or other applicable Microsoft requirements, are not valid impressions, clicks, or actions.  In response to Microsoft’s request, You will provide to Microsoft information relating to the pubCenter Program for Your Properties, including user IP addresses, referring URL (HTTP Referrer), user agent, and time of submission (as applicable).  Microsoft will determine whether the data calculating the number of clicks, impressions, or actions is valid, and Microsoft will not owe You payment in connection with any data that Microsoft judges to have been generated through invalid means or in any manner that violates the Agreement or is otherwise inaccurate.  MICROSOFT MAKES NO PROMISES OR GUARANTEES REGARDING (A) THE NUMBER OF ADVERTISEMENTS YOU MAY EXPECT TO BE DISPLAYED ON OR IN YOUR PROPERTIES BY A PUBCENTER PROGRAM OR (B) THE AMOUNT OF ANY PAYMENTS YOU MAY RECEIVE.

c)       Currency.  All amounts owed by Microsoft under this Agreement will be expressed and paid in the currency chosen by You in your Account; the Account may limit the choice of currencies available for selection.  If amounts owed by Microsoft under this Agreement are described in this Agreement in one currency and You choose a different currency, then at time of payment Microsoft will convert its payment amounts to the equivalent amount in Your chosen currency based on Microsoft’s standard practices.

 

IF YOU RESIDE IN CHINA, Microsoft may remit payment to You in US dollars only. You are solely responsible for obtaining the qualifications and/or completing relevant necessary filings or registrations with the government authorities as required by the applicable law, in order to accept payments in U.S dollars and convert the payment into Your local currency.

9. PAYMENT PROCESSING. 

a)        You may only receive payments if You reside in one of our supported pubCenter countries that are qualified to receive payments.   MICROSOFT TAKES NO RESPONSIBILITY FOR AND DISCLAIMS ANY OBLIGATIONS TO MAKE PAYMENTS TO PUBLISHERS WHO ARE OPERATING OUTSIDE OF OUR SUPPORTED COUNTRIES.  

b)      Third-Party Payment Processor.  All payments are processed by a Microsoft-designated third-party payment processor (“Payment Processor”).  Microsoft may share information about You with the Payment Processor and other third parties in order to provide the payments.    

i)       Terms Applicable to Use of Stripe as Payment Processor.  Payment processing services provided by Stripe are subject to the Stripe Connected Account Agreement, which includes the Stripe Terms of Service (collectively, the “Stripe Services Agreement”).  By agreeing to this Agreement and using Stripe as Payment Processor, You agree to be bound by the Stripe Services Agreement, as the same may be modified by Stripe from time to time.  As a condition of Microsoft enabling payment processing services through Stripe, You agrees to provide Microsoft accurate and complete information about You and its business, and You authorize Microsoft to share such information and transaction information related to Your use of the payment processing services provided by Stripe.

ii)      Terms Applicable to Use of Other Payment Processors.  Microsoft reserves the right to change or add Payment Processors at any time in Microsoft’s sole discretion.  Your continued engagement in the pubCenter Program may require Your agreement to additional terms specific to additional or other Payment Processors.

 

c)      Payment Processor Onboarding.  To enable payments, You must have, or obtain, an appropriate account with a Payment Processor (“Payment Processor Account”), complete any onboarding requirements the Payment Processor or Microsoft may have, and connect Your Payment Processor Account with Your pubCenter Account.  Microsoft is not responsible for Payment Processor’s decisions about whether to create or maintain a Payment Processor Account for You.  You are solely responsible for maintaining Your Payment Processor Account, including the accuracy and completeness of all information related to such account, whether provided to the Payment Processor or to Microsoft.  You acknowledge and understand that the Payment Processor or Microsoft may, in their sole discretion, suspend or terminate Your ability to receive payments through Your Payment Processor Account.  You must maintain the security of Your Payment Processor Account and promptly notify Microsoft if You discover or suspect that someone has accessed Your Payment Processor Account without permission.  You are solely responsible for all activities that occur under or through Your Payment Processor Account whether such actions were taken by You or not.  You authorize Microsoft to take certain actions through Your Payment Processor Account as permitted under the Agreement and the additional terms You agree to with the Payment Processor including communicating information about transactions conducted through the Payment Processor Account such as charges, refunds, adjustments, and the handling of disputes.

d)     Violation of Payment Processor Agreements.  If Microsoft receives notice that Your activity violates its agreements with the Payment Processor, Microsoft may in its sole discretion take action against Your account to comply with Microsoft’s obligations to the Payment Processor.  Such actions may include canceling transactions, disabling Your connection to the Payment Processor, and/or suspending Your access to or use of the pubCenter Programs.

e)      Your Acknowledgment.  You agree and acknowledge that:

i)       Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein (including the section regarding assignment and sublicensing), Microsoft will have no responsibility or liability for any losses or damages relating to or arising out of the Payment Processor’s services, including but not limited to the receipt or transmission of payments, losses or damages from misdirected or lost payments, breaches of security, chargebacks, fraud, theft of funds, violations of banking, money-laundering, privacy, or any other laws relating to or arising out of the use of the Payment Processor’s services;

ii)      Nothing herein is intended to limit any rights You may have against the Payment Processor;

iii)     Designation of any Payment Processor does not represent an endorsement by Microsoft of the Payment Processor or its services, and You will rely on Your own diligence with regard to the Payment Processor, and You agree that You will not state or imply any such endorsement by Microsoft; and

iv)     Microsoft is not a bank or other depository institution, payment institution, a money transmitter or a money services business and does not offer any banking, money transmission or payment services.

10. TAXES.  Each party will bear its own taxes in connection with the transactions under this Agreement, and all such taxes (including but not limited to net income or gross receipts taxes, and taxes arising from sales between a party and its customers) will be the financial responsibility of the party who is obligated by operation of law to pay such tax.  Each party will pay to the other party any sales, use or value added taxes that are owed by that party solely as a result of entering into this Agreement and which are required to be collected under applicable law.  A party may provide to the other party a valid exemption certificate, in which case the other party will not collect the taxes covered by such certificate.  If any taxes are required to be withheld on payments made by one party to the other, the paying party will deduct such taxes from the amount otherwise owed and pay them to the appropriate taxing authority.  The paying party will secure and deliver to the other party an official receipt for those withholdings and other documents reasonably requested by the other party in order to claim a foreign tax credit or refund.  The parties will use reasonable efforts to ensure that any taxes withheld are minimized to the extent possible under applicable law.

11. DATA AND TRADEMARKS. 

a) Microsoft will collect data about Your use of a pubCenter Program and its performance in connection with Your Properties. As between You and Microsoft, Microsoft owns and controls all data collected in connection with pubCenter Programs or from Microsoft online properties, apps, and other technology like our tags, pixels, or other unique tracking codes (“pubCenter Data”). You understand and acknowledge that Microsoft uses pubCenter Data for its own purposes, including to (a) generate aggregated reports that may be viewed by Microsoft’s clients and partners, (b) improve the pubCenter Program and other Microsoft advertising products and services and optimize their performance and (c) provide campaign reporting to advertisers whose advertising was displayed on Your Properties or otherwise related to reporting and performance analysis. In addition, with respect to the pubCenter Program for Mobile App Developers and the pubCenter Program for Win App Developers, Microsoft will have the right to, without any additional consent or approval from You, share with advertisers and partners (e.g.,  ad networks or exchanges) information specific to Your Mobile Apps and Win Apps including, without limitation, the Mobile App’s or Win App’s name, Your name as publisher of the Mobile App or Win App, impression data and targeting availability. You expressly agree to worldwide disclosure and transfer of data described in this Section 11 to Microsoft without any charge.  If Microsoft makes available to You reports or other information related to Your Properties, upon Microsoft’s request, You will provide screenshots or other representations of such reports and information to Microsoft, and You agree that Microsoft may copy, distribute and otherwise use these reports and information solely to provide and promote the pubCenter Program, and promote Microsoft’s relationship with You to potential advertisers.  Microsoft does not share personal information that may be contained in pubCenter Data collected as a result of Your use of pubCenter Programs with third parties in any way that identifies individuals personally. To the extent such pubCenter Data is also personal information, we collect, use, and disclose such data as described in the Microsoft Privacy Statement available at https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement.

b) You grant to Microsoft a worldwide, nonexclusive, royalty-free, fully paid-up license to display and otherwise use Your trademarks and trade names that You provide to Microsoft in writing (including via email) (the “Publisher Marks”) for the purposes of providing and promoting the pubCenter Programs.  Microsoft will comply with Your trademark usage guidelines that You provide to Microsoft in writing.  All goodwill, rights, and benefits in the Publisher Marks that arise from Microsoft’s use under this Agreement will inure solely to You. 

12. PRIVACY. Nothing in this Agreement provides for the collection or transfer between You and Microsoft of any personally identifying information of an end user without the express consent of the end user. You must maintain and comply with a posted privacy policy on Your Properties and must use the pubCenter Programs and all other Microsoft technologies in a manner consistent with this privacy policy. You assume all liability for the collection, use and disclosure of data related to users of Your Properties and You will comply with all applicable laws and regulations in Your collection, use and disclosure of this data. Microsoft does not intend to share any personally identifying information under this Agreement with You. However, to the extent that Microsoft does share any information with You that could be considered “personal information” or “personal data” under the California Consumer Privacy Act ("CCPA”), the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”), or any other applicable privacy law, You are prohibited from: (i) selling or sharing such personal information unless the consumer is first provided notice and an opportunity to opt out of the sale or sharing in the United States; or (ii) retaining, using, or disclosing such personal information for any purpose other than for the specific purpose intended when it was shared. You will comply with all applicable obligations under the CCPA, GDPR and other applicable privacy laws and will provide the level of privacy protection required of your business. You will notify Microsoft if you determine that you can no longer comply with this section of the Agreement, and you will maintain reasonable security procedures and practices appropriate to the nature of the personal information to protect the personal information from unauthorized or illegal access, destruction, use, modification, or disclosure.

13. CONSUMER NOTICES. You will maintain a privacy policy, along with consumer privacy notices that refer to Your privacy policy, that are all prominently visible on or in Your Properties and all of Your websites. Your privacy policies and notices must be based on then-current laws, regulations and industry best practices and must include at a minimum: (a) a full, accurate and clear disclosure regarding the placement, use and reading of cookies (if applicable) and related technologies, and any collection, sharing and use of data related to activity by users; (b) Your use of Microsoft and/or other third party ad providers and a pubCenter Program for the delivery of advertising and data collection by Microsoft and/or other third party ad providers in connection with the pubCenter Program; (c)  explicitly obtain affirmative user consent prior to collecting or using user-related information; and (d) a disclosure that users may choose to not participate in Microsoft’s or other third-party ad providers’ personalized advertising services, along with a clear, meaningful and prominent link (such as in the footer of its website) to Microsoft-specified web address at  https://choice.live.com/AdvertisementChoice/ or other industry opt-out tools approved by Microsoft where users may "opt out" of such personalized advertising services.  Currently approved industry opt-outs include without limitation, www.networkadvertising.org/ or the Self-Regulatory Program for Behavioral Advertising Consumer Choice opt-out page located at www.AboutAds.info for the US and Canada or http://www.youronlinechoices.eu/ for Europe, or the applicable laws and regulations in the People’s Republic of China in this regard.  If at any time after acceptance of these terms specific US and/or legislation of any country applicable to You or Your Properties provides for additional legal requirements to Your Properties or relevant activities (e.g., data collection), You agree to immediately adjust Your Properties so that they become compliant with all applicable legislation regardless of any notice from Microsoft in this regard. You agree that You are solely liable for complying with any and all applicable legislation from the countries where Your Properties are developed and intended to be made available or legislation that is otherwise applicable to You.

14. SUPPORT AND FEEDBACK. Microsoft is not obligated to provide any technical or other support to You for the pubCenter Programs. If You give feedback about the pubCenter Programs to Microsoft, then You grant to Microsoft, without charge, the right to use, share, and commercialize Your feedback in any way and for any purpose. You also grant to third parties, without charge, any patent rights necessary for their products, technologies and services to use or interface with any specific parts of a Microsoft software or service that incorporates Your feedback. You will not give feedback that is subject to a license that requires Microsoft to license its software or documentation to third parties because Microsoft includes Your feedback in our software or documentation. These rights that You grant to Microsoft and third parties in this Section 14 will survive any termination of this Agreement or any termination of Your rights to use the pubCenter Programs. In addition, if You receive any feedback, comments, or complaints from users of Your Properties about any advertising delivered by the pubCenter Programs, You will promptly forward this information to pubhelp@microsoft.com.

15. USE OF THIRD-PARTY ADVERTISING PLATFORMS.  You have the option of authorizing the serving of ads from third-party advertising serving platforms (e.g., Google AdSense) with whom you have an account (the “Third Party Platform Program”).  If you would like to participate in the Third Party Platform Program, you will need to configure the settings for ad placement in your Account, supply the requested authentication and authorization, and comply with the third party platform’s applicable terms and policies (including privacy rules).  If you have elected to participate in the Third Party Platform Program, you will be prompted to log into your account with the third party platform and to authorize Microsoft to have access to such account and data to facilitate ad serving and other related activities (e.g., reporting). Microsoft will have no responsibility or liability for any losses or damages relating to or arising out of use of the Third Party Platform Program or its functionality in connection with a pubCenter Program.

16.PUBLICITY/INFORMATION REQUESTS. You may not cause or permit to be released any publicity, advertisement, news release, public announcement, or denial or confirmation of the same, in whatever form, regarding any aspect of this Agreement or the relationship between You and Microsoft, without Microsoft’s prior written consent. In addition, You may not use Microsoft’s name, trade name, service marks, trademarks, trade dress or logo in publicity releases, advertising or similar activities without Microsoft’s prior written consent and compliance with the Microsoft Trademark Guidelines.

17. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS. Microsoft retains ownership of all intellectual property rights associated with the pubCenter Programs and the pubCenter Site, its technology and any enhancements or modifications thereof. As between Microsoft and You, You retain all intellectual property rights in the contents of Your Properties, other than such content as Microsoft or its clients may supply. Microsoft’s clients will retain all right to the advertising displayed on Your Properties.

18. WARRANTIES. At all times during the term of this Agreement, You represent, warrant and undertake to Microsoft that:

a)      You have the power and authority to enter into this Agreement and to fully perform Your obligations under this Agreement;

b)      You are a business or sole proprietor and not a consumer;

c)       You are authorized to act on behalf of any third party for which You facilitate participation in the pubCenter Programs;

d)         You have obtained any and all consents, approvals or licenses (including written consents of third parties where applicable) required for the display of advertising by a pubCenter Program on or in Your Properties, including without limitation, the internet content provider permit, as applicable;

e)       Your Properties, including all activities carried on or through Your Properties, comply with all applicable laws and regulations;

f)      Your Properties (including the content available on or through Your Properties) do not infringe, misappropriate or otherwise violate any third-party intellectual property right;

g)      Your Properties do not violate the rights of any person or entity, including, without limitation, rights of publicity or privacy, and are not defamatory, misleading, false, libelous, obscene, unlawful, or injurious to any third party;

h)        Your transfer and disclosures of data to Microsoft are compliant with all applicable data protection laws; and

i)        The information You provide to Microsoft under or in connection with this Agreement is true, accurate, current, and complete and not misleading.

If the person agreeing to these terms is an individual acting on behalf of a business or sole proprietorship, such person hereby represents and warrants that they are authorized to act on behalf of such business or sole proprietorship and that they are at least the older of 18 years of age or the age of majority in their applicable jurisdiction.

19. BINDING ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER IF YOUR PRINCIPAL PLACE OF BUSINESS IS IN THE UNITED STATES. We hope we never have a dispute, but if we do, You and we agree to try for 60 days to work it out informally. If we can’t, You and we agree to binding individual arbitration before the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) under the Federal Arbitration Act, and not to sue in court in front of a judge or jury. Instead, a neutral arbitrator will decide. Class action lawsuits, class-wide arbitrations, private attorney-general actions, and any other proceeding where someone acts in a representative capacity aren’t allowed. Nor is combining individual proceedings without the consent of all parties.  This Section applies to any dispute EXCEPT DISPUTES RELATING TO THE ENFORCEMENT OR VALIDITY OF YOUR, YOUR LICENSORS’, MICROSOFT’S, OR MICROSOFT’S LICENSORS’ INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS. The term “dispute” means any dispute, action, or other controversy between You and Microsoft concerning the pubCenter Programs (including their price) or this Agreement, whether in contract, warranty, tort, statute, regulation, ordinance, or any other legal or equitable basis. “Dispute” will be given the broadest possible meaning allowable under law.

The complete Arbitration Agreement and Class Action Waiver contains more terms and is at https://about.ads.microsoft.com/en-us/resources/policies/class-action-waiver-and-binding-arbitration. You and we agree to it. Please read it.

20. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES. MICROSOFT PROVIDES THE PUBCENTER SITE AND PUBCENTER PROGRAMS "AS-IS," "WITH ALL FAULTS," AND "AS AVAILABLE." YOU BEAR THE RISK OF USING THE PUBCENTER SITE AND PUBCENTER PROGRAMS TO DISPLAY ADVERTISING ON OR IN YOUR PROPERTIES. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LOCAL LAW, MICROSOFT EXCLUDES ANY EXPRESS, STATUTORY OR IMPLIED WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THOSE OF PRODUCT LIABILITY, MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WORKMANLIKE EFFORT, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT, RELATING TO THE PUBCENTER SITE AND PUBCENTER PROGRAMS. YOU MAY HAVE CERTAIN RIGHTS UNDER YOUR LOCAL LAW. NOTHING IN THESE TERMS IS INTENDED TO AFFECT THOSE RIGHTS, IF THEY ARE APPLICABLE. WITHOUT LIMITING ANY OF THE FOREGOING, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS SYSTEMS ARE NOT FAULT-FREE AND OCCASIONAL PERIODS OF DOWNTIME OCCUR.  MICROSOFT EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS THAT ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE PUBCENTER SITE AND PUBCENTER PROGRAMS WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR ERROR FREE. 

IF YOU LIVE IN AUSTRALIA, there are guarantees that are implied under the Australian Consumer Law that may apply to the goods and services supplied to You as part of the pubCenter Programs (the “AU Guarantees”). Should the AU Guarantees apply to You, then these AU Guarantees are not included in the disclaimers and exclusions specified by this Section 20. For those pubCenter Programs that include services (rather than goods), should Microsoft breach any of the AU Guarantees, Your remedy is limited to receiving the supply of the service again or the payment of the cost of having the services supplied again. For those pubCenter Programs that includes goods (which includes computer software), the goods come with AU Guarantees that cannot be excluded under the Australian Consumer Law and You are entitled to a replacement or refund for a major failure and compensation for any other reasonably foreseeable loss or damage. You are also entitled to have the goods repaired or replaced if the goods fail to be of acceptable quality and the failure does not amount to a major failure. In the case of software, the repair of goods may not be practicable, and a replacement will be provided if this is the case. For any AU Guarantees related issues, please contact pubhelp@microsoft.com.

 

21. EXCLUSIONS AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL MICROSOFT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR THAT RELATE IN ANY WAY TO THIS AGREEMENT OR ITS PERFORMANCE. THIS EXCLUSION WILL APPLY REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY UPON WHICH ANY CLAIM FOR SUCH DAMAGES IS BASED, WHETHER MICROSOFT HAD BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES, WHETHER SUCH DAMAGES WERE REASONABLY FORESEEABLE, OR WHETHER APPLICATION OF THE EXCLUSION CAUSES ANY REMEDY TO FAIL OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE. IN ADDITION, MICROSOFT WILL NOT BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY CLASS OR KIND IN EXCESS OF AMOUNTS REMAINING DUE AND PAYABLE TO YOU UNDER A PUBCENTER PROGRAM. HOWEVER, NONE OF THE FORGOING LIMITATIONS WILL APPLY TO MICROSOFT’S INDEMNIFICATION OBLIGATION UNDER SECTION 22 (INDEMNIFCATION). NOTHING IN THIS SECTION 21 WILL AFFECT THE STATUTORY RIGHTS OF ANY CONSUMER TO EXCLUDE OR RESTRICT LIABILITY FOR DEATH OR PERSONAL INJURY ARISING FROM MICROSOFT’S NEGLIGENCE, FRAUD, OR GROSS NEGLIGENCE OR WILLFUL INTENT. SOME OR ALL OF THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU IF YOUR STATE, PROVINCE, OR COUNTRY DOES NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR OTHER DAMAGES.

 

22. INDEMNIFICATION.

aBy You. You will defend, indemnify and hold Microsoft and Microsoft’s affiliates, agents and employees, harmless from all losses, damages, liability and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) from any third-party claims, proceedings or suits resulting from or related to (i) any improper use by You or Your Agents of the pubCenter Programs, (ii) any access or use by third parties of the pubCenter Programs through Your Account or with Your Credentials; (iii) any improper use of any tags, IDs, code, or the Microsoft Ads SDK related to the pubCenter Programs that are provided to You, (iv) Your breach of the Policies, Your warranties or any other term or provision of this Agreement; (v) Your Properties and (vi) Your collection, use and disclosure of user related data.

bBy Microsoft. Microsoft will defend, indemnify and hold You harmless from and against any and all losses, damages, liability and expenses from any third-party claims, proceedings, or suits that arise out of a claim that the pubCenter Programs or pubCenter Site, when accessed or used in accordance with this Agreement and all applicable Microsoft policies and technical requirements, infringes the intellectual property rights of any third party.

cRequirements For Indemnification. In connection with any claims subject to the indemnification obligations above, the party receiving indemnification (“Indemnified Party”) will (i) give the other party (“Indemnifying Party”) prompt written notice of the claim, (ii) cooperate with the Indemnifying Party (at the Indemnifying Party's expense) in connection with the defense and settlement of the claim, and (iii) permit the Indemnifying Party (through mutually agreed counsel) to answer and defend the claim. The Indemnifying Party will not settle the claim against the Indemnified Party without the Indemnified Party's prior written consent.  The Indemnifying Party will not be responsible for any settlement made by the Indemnified Party without the Indemnifying Party’s consent. The Indemnified Party (at its cost) may participate in the defense and settlement of the claim with counsel of its own choosing. 

 

23. TERM AND TERMINATION. The term of this Agreement will become effective upon Your access of either the pubCenter Site or a pubCenter Program and continue until terminated by either You or Microsoft as provided by this Section 23. You may cancel Your Accounts and terminate this Agreement at any time by providing written notice to Microsoft. Microsoft will have the right to terminate or suspend, entirely or in part, Your use of the pubCenter Site and pubCenter Programs at any time upon notice with respect to either all or some of Your Properties without cause or explanation. In addition, if Microsoft reasonably believes that You have breached this Agreement or that any of Your Properties are in violation of any applicable laws, regulations or Microsoft policies (whether internal or external), then Microsoft will have the right to immediately terminate or suspend, entirely or in part, Your use of the pubCenter Site and pubCenter Programs with respect to either all or some of Your Properties. Except for payments due and payable to You under a pubCenter Program, Microsoft will have no liability to You for any termination or suspension under this Section 23.

24. CONTACTS AND NOTICE. You must identify an individual to serve as the primary contact under this Agreement. This primary contact will be the default administrator for this Agreement and will receive all notices unless You change the primary contact by updating Your Account information through the pubCenter Site. Microsoft may provide notice to You via email or through the pubCenter Site. All notices that You provide to Microsoft under this Agreement must be sent to pubhelp@microsoft.com. Microsoft may disclose Your or Your designated agent’s business contact information as necessary for Microsoft to administer this Agreement through its affiliates and other third parties that help Microsoft administer this Agreement.

 

25. ASSIGNMENT AND SUBLICENSE. Microsoft may assign this Agreement to a Microsoft affiliate at any time. You may not assign this Agreement or any rights or obligations hereunder without the prior written consent of Microsoft. Microsoft may also delegate its rights under this Agreement to third parties to assist Microsoft in performing its obligations under this Agreement, provided that Microsoft will be responsible for the performance of those third parties subject to the terms of this Agreement.

26. VENUE, CHOICE OF LAW. If you live in (or, if a business, your principal place of business is in) the United States, the laws of the state where you live (or, if a business, where your principal place of business is located) govern all claims, regardless of conflict of laws principles, except that the Federal Arbitration Act governs all provisions relating to arbitration. If your principal place of business is in any other country, Nevada, USA law governs, regardless of conflict of laws principles. You and Microsoft irrevocably consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state or federal courts in King County, Washington, USA for all disputes arising out of or relating to this Agreement or a pubCenter Program that are heard in court (not arbitration and not small claims court).

27. SURVIVAL; NON-EXCLUSIVITY. Sections of this Agreement that, by their terms, require performance after the termination or expiration of this Agreement will survive. This Agreement is nonexclusive, and nothing in this Agreement may be construed as restricting Microsoft from offering the pubCenter Programs or any other Microsoft product or service to any third party.

28. UPDATES. Microsoft may update this Agreement at any time in its sole discretion by providing You with notice of the update (“Update Notice”). Following Microsoft’s provision to You of an Update Notice, by continuing to access and use either the pubCenter Site or a pubCenter Program You agree to be bound by the updated version of this Agreement referenced in the Update Notice. If You do not agree with an update, do not continue to access and use the pubCenter Site and pubCenter Programs and immediately notify Microsoft that You are terminating this Agreement. Your continued access or use of either the pubCenter Site or a pubCenter Program binds You to any updates to this Agreement specified in an Update Notice.

29. LANGUAGE. It is the express wish of the parties that this Agreement and all related documents be in English. C’est la volonté expresse des parties que la présente convention ainsi que les documents qui s’y rattachent soient rédigés en anglais.

 

30. Confidentiality.  Neither party will disclose the other’s Confidential Information to third parties.  Each party will use the other’s Confidential Information only for purposes of the business relationship. Each party agrees to take reasonable steps to protect the other’s Confidential Information.  A party may disclose the other’s Confidential Information to its affiliates, employees and contractors only, so long as the disclosing party remains responsible for any unauthorized use or disclosure. These disclosures may be made only on a need-to-know basis, subject to the obligations of this Section. “Confidential Information” means non-public information, know-how and trade secrets in any form, which is designated as confidential, or a reasonable person reasonably should understand to be confidential. The following types of information, however marked, are not confidential information: information that (i) is, or becomes, publicly available without a breach of this Agreement; (ii) is lawfully known to the receiver of the information without an obligation to keep it confidential; (iii) is received from another source who can disclose it lawfully and without an obligation to keep it confidential; (iv) is independently developed without reference to the other party’s Confidential Information; or (v) is a comment or suggestion one party volunteers about the other’s business, products or services.  Each party may disclose the other’s Confidential Information if required to comply with a court order or other government demand that has the force of law. Before doing so, the receiving party must seek the highest level of protection available and, when possible, give the disclosing party enough prior notice to provide a reasonable chance to seek a protective order for its Confidential Information.

If You and Microsoft Corporation have entered into a standard Microsoft Corporation Non-Disclosure Agreement (“NDA”), then the terms most favorable to Microsoft between this Agreement and the NDA will prevail.

31. Export Controls. The Parties acknowledge that the devices, services, software, and related technology (“Items”) may be subject to U.S. and other countries’ export jurisdictions. Each Party will comply with all laws and regulations applicable to the import or export of the Items, including but not limited to trade laws such as the U.S. Export Administration Regulations and International Traffic in Arms Regulations, and sanctions regulations administered by the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (“OFAC”) (“trade laws”). You will not take any action that causes us to violate U.S. or other applicable trade laws. In the event that you learn of a potential violation of trade laws relating to the performance of this Agreement, or a potential violation of the terms in this subsection, it will alert us as soon as possible, but in no event more than 14 days after acquiring this knowledge. We may suspend or terminate this Agreement to the extent that we reasonably conclude that performance would cause us to violate U.S. or other applicable trade laws, including those described above, or put it at risk of becoming the subject of economic sanctions under such laws.  For additional information related to exporting, see http://www.microsoft.com/exporting. 

32. Anti-Bribery/Anti-Corruption. You represent and warrant that you have reviewed and will comply with the Anti-Corruption Policy for Microsoft Representatives available at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/Legal/Compliance/anticorruption. You will provide annual training to your employees who resell, distribute, or market Microsoft products or services on compliance with Anti-Corruption Laws.   You represents and warrants that this Anti-Corruption training has been provided to its employees and, if not, you agree to participate annually in online Anti-Corruption training made available free of charge by us and certify its completion, understanding, and compliance with the Anti-Corruption Policy for Microsoft Representatives.