Business of Diving Institute (BODI)

Terms and conditions

These terms and conditions ("Agreement") set forth the general terms and conditions of your use of the businessofdiving.com website ("Website" or "Service") and any of its related products and services (collectively, "Services"). This Agreement is legally binding between you ("User", "you" or "your") and this Website operator ("Operator", "we", "us" or "our"). By accessing and using the Website and Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms of this Agreement. If you are entering into this Agreement on behalf of a business or other legal entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind such entity to this Agreement, in which case the terms "User", "you" or "your" shall refer to such entity. If you do not have such authority, or if you do not agree with the terms of this Agreement, you must not accept this Agreement and may not access and use the Website and Services. You acknowledge that this Agreement is a contract between you and the Operator, even though it is electronic and is not physically signed by you, and it governs your use of the Website and Services.

Age requirement

You must be at least 18 years of age to use the Website and Services. By using the Website and Services and by agreeing to this Agreement you warrant and represent that you are at least 18 years of age.

Adult content

Please be aware that there may be certain adult or mature content available on the Website. Where there is mature or adult content, individuals who are less than 18 years of age or are not permitted to access such content under the laws of any applicable jurisdiction may not access such content. If we learn that anyone under the age of 18 seeks to conduct a transaction through the Services, we will require verified parental consent, in accordance with the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998 ("COPPA"). Certain areas of the Website and Services may not be available to children under 18 under any circumstances.

Links to other resources

Although the Website and Services may link to other resources (such as websites, mobile applications, etc.), we are not, directly or indirectly, implying any approval, association, sponsorship, endorsement, or affiliation with any linked resource, unless specifically stated herein. Some of the links on the Website may be "affiliate links". This means if you click on the link and purchase an item, the Operator will receive an affiliate commission. We are not responsible for examining or evaluating, and we do not warrant the offerings of, any businesses or individuals or the content of their resources. We do not assume any responsibility or liability for the actions, products, services, and content of any other third parties. You should carefully review the legal statements and other conditions of use of any resource which you access through a link on the Website and Services. Your linking to any other off-site resources is at your own risk.

Prohibited uses

In addition to other terms as set forth in the Agreement, you are prohibited from using the Website and Services or Content: (a) for any unlawful purpose; (b) to solicit others to perform or participate in any unlawful acts; (c) to violate any international, federal, provincial or state regulations, rules, laws, or local ordinances; (d) to infringe upon or violate our intellectual property rights or the intellectual property rights of others; (e) to harass, abuse, insult, harm, defame, slander, disparage, intimidate, or discriminate based on gender, sexual orientation, religion, ethnicity, race, age, national origin, or disability; (f) to submit false or misleading information; (g) to upload or transmit viruses or any other type of malicious code that will or may be used in any way that will affect the functionality or operation of the Website and Services, third party products and services, or the Internet; (h) to spam, phish, pharm, pretext, spider, crawl, or scrape; (i) for any obscene or immoral purpose; or (j) to interfere with or circumvent the security features of the Website and Services, third party products and services, or the Internet. We reserve the right to terminate your use of the Website and Services for violating any of the prohibited uses.

Intellectual property rights

"Intellectual Property Rights" means all present and future rights conferred by statute, common law or equity in or in relation to any copyright and related rights, trademarks, designs, patents, inventions, goodwill and the right to sue for passing off, rights to inventions, rights to use, and all other intellectual property rights, in each case whether registered or unregistered and including all applications and rights to apply for and be granted, rights to claim priority from, such rights and all similar or equivalent rights or forms of protection and any other results of intellectual activity which subsist or will subsist now or in the future in any part of the world. This Agreement does not transfer to you any intellectual property owned by the Operator or third parties, and all rights, titles, and interests in and to such property will remain (as between the parties) solely with the Operator. All trademarks, service marks, graphics and logos used in connection with the Website and Services, are trademarks or registered trademarks of the Operator or its licensors. Other trademarks, service marks, graphics and logos used in connection with the Website and Services may be the trademarks of other third parties. Your use of the Website and Services grants you no right or license to reproduce or otherwise use any of the Operator or third party trademarks.

Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, in no event will the Operator, its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, suppliers or licensors be liable to any person for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, cover or consequential damages (including, without limitation, damages for lost profits, revenue, sales, goodwill, use of content, impact on business, business interruption, loss of anticipated savings, loss of business opportunity) however caused, under any theory of liability, including, without limitation, contract, tort, warranty, breach of statutory duty, negligence or otherwise, even if the liable party has been advised as to the possibility of such damages or could have foreseen such damages. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the aggregate liability of the Operator and its affiliates, officers, employees, agents, suppliers and licensors relating to the services will be limited to an amount greater of one dollar or any amounts actually paid in cash by you to the Operator for the prior one month period prior to the first event or occurrence giving rise to such liability. The limitations and exclusions also apply if this remedy does not fully compensate you for any losses or fails of its essential purpose.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold the Operator and its affiliates, directors, officers, employees, agents, suppliers and licensors harmless from and against any liabilities, losses, damages or costs, including reasonable attorneys' fees, incurred in connection with or arising from any third party allegations, claims, actions, disputes, or demands asserted against any of them as a result of or relating to your Content, your use of the Website and Services or any willful misconduct on your part.

Severability

All rights and restrictions contained in this Agreement may be exercised and shall be applicable and binding only to the extent that they do not violate any applicable laws and are intended to be limited to the extent necessary so that they will not render this Agreement illegal, invalid or unenforceable. If any provision or portion of any provision of this Agreement shall be held to be illegal, invalid or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, it is the intention of the parties that the remaining provisions or portions thereof shall constitute their agreement with respect to the subject matter hereof, and all such remaining provisions or portions thereof shall remain in full force and effect.

Dispute resolution

The formation, interpretation, and performance of this Agreement and any disputes arising out of it shall be governed by the substantive and procedural laws of Quebec, Canada without regard to its rules on conflicts or choice of law and, to the extent applicable, the laws of Canada. The exclusive jurisdiction and venue for actions related to the subject matter hereof shall be the courts located in Quebec, Canada, and you hereby submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts. You hereby waive any right to a jury trial in any proceeding arising out of or related to this Agreement. The United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply to this Agreement.

Changes and amendments

We reserve the right to modify this Agreement or its terms relating to the Website and Services at any time, effective upon posting of an updated version of this Agreement on the Website. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. Continued use of the Website and Services after any such changes shall constitute your consent to such changes.

Acceptance of these terms

You acknowledge that you have read this Agreement and agree to all its terms and conditions. By accessing and using the Website and Services you agree to be bound by this Agreement. If you do not agree to abide by the terms of this Agreement, you are not authorized to access or use the Website and Services.

English language

It is the express wish of the parties that this Agreement and all related documents, including notices and other communications, be drawn up in the English language only. Il est la volonté expresse des parties que cette convention et tous les documents s’y rattachant, y compris les avis et les autres communications, soient rédigés en anglais seulement.

Contacting us

If you would like to contact us to understand more about this Agreement or wish to contact us concerning any matter relating to it, you may send an email to terms@businessofdiving.com.

This document was last updated on July 13, 2021.

Privacy Policy

This privacy policy ("Policy") describes how the personally identifiable information ("Personal Information") you may provide on the businessofdiving.com website ("Website" or "Service") and any of its related products and services (collectively, "Services") is collected, protected and used. It also describes the choices available to you regarding our use of your Personal Information and how you can access and update this information. This Policy is a legally binding agreement between you ("User", "you" or "your") and this Website operator ("Operator", "we", "us" or "our"). By accessing and using the Website and Services, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by the terms of this Policy. This Policy does not apply to the practices of companies that we do not own or control, or to individuals that we do not employ or manage.

Automatic collection of information

When you open the Website, our servers automatically record information that your browser sends. This data may include information such as your device's IP address, browser type and version, operating system type and version, language preferences or the webpage you were visiting before you came to the Website and Services, pages of the Website and Services that you visit, the time spent on those pages, information you search for on the Website, access times and dates, and other statistics.

Information collected automatically is used only to identify potential cases of abuse and establish statistical information regarding the usage and traffic of the Website and Services. This statistical information is not otherwise aggregated in such a way that would identify any particular user of the system.

Collection of personal information

You can access and use the Website and Services without telling us who you are or revealing any information by which someone could identify you as a specific, identifiable individual. If, however, you wish to use some of the features on the Website, you may be asked to provide certain Personal Information (for example, your name and email address). We receive and store any information you knowingly provide to us when you fill any online forms on the Website. When required, this information may include the following:

- Contact information such as email address, address, etc.
- Geolocation data such as latitude and longitude.

Some of the information we collect is directly from you via the Website and Services. However, we may also collect Personal Information about you from other sources such as public databases and our joint marketing partners. You can choose not to provide us with your Personal Information, but then you may not be able to take advantage of some of the features on the Website. Users who are uncertain about what information is mandatory are welcome to contact us.

Use and processing of collected information

In order to make the Website and Services available to you, or to meet a legal obligation, we need to collect and use certain Personal Information. If you do not provide the information that we request, we may not be able to provide you with the requested products or services. Any of the information we collect from you may be used for the following purposes:

- Respond to inquiries and offer support
- Request user feedback
- Improve user experience
- Enforce terms and conditions and policies
- Protect from abuse and malicious users
- Respond to legal requests and prevent harm
- Run and operate the Website and Services

Processing your Personal Information depends on how you interact with the Website and Services, where you are located in the world and if one of the following applies: (i) you have given your consent for one or more specific purposes; this, however, does not apply, whenever the processing of Personal Information is subject to California Consumer Privacy Act or European data protection law; (ii) provision of information is necessary for the performance of an agreement with you and/or for any pre-contractual obligations thereof; (iii) processing is necessary for compliance with a legal obligation to which you are subject; (iv) processing is related to a task that is carried out in the public interest or in the exercise of official authority vested in us; (v) processing is necessary for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us or by a third party.

Note that under some legislations we may be allowed to process information until you object to such processing (by opting out), without having to rely on consent or any other of the following legal bases below. In any case, we will be happy to clarify the specific legal basis that applies to the processing, and in particular whether the provision of Personal Information is a statutory or contractual requirement, or a requirement necessary to enter into a contract.

Disclosure of information

Depending on the requested Services or as necessary to complete any transaction or provide any service you have requested, we may share your information with your consent with our trusted third parties that work with us, any other affiliates and subsidiaries we rely upon to assist in the operation of the Website and Services available to you. We do not share Personal Information with unaffiliated third parties. These service providers are not authorized to use or disclose your information except as necessary to perform services on our behalf or comply with legal requirements. We may share your Personal Information for these purposes only with third parties whose privacy policies are consistent with ours or who agree to abide by our policies with respect to Personal Information. These third parties are given Personal Information they need only in order to perform their designated functions, and we do not authorize them to use or disclose Personal Information for their own marketing or other purposes.

We will disclose any Personal Information we collect, use or receive if required or permitted by law, such as to comply with a subpoena, or similar legal process, and when we believe in good faith that disclosure is necessary to protect our rights, protect your safety or the safety of others, investigate fraud, or respond to a government request.

Retention of information

We will retain and use your Personal Information for the period necessary to comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements unless a longer retention period is required or permitted by law. We may use any aggregated data derived from or incorporating your Personal Information after you update or delete it, but not in a manner that would identify you personally. Once the retention period expires, Personal Information shall be deleted. Therefore, the right to access, the right to erasure, the right to rectification and the right to data portability cannot be enforced after the expiration of the retention period.

Transfer of information

Depending on your location, data transfers may involve transferring and storing your information in a country other than your own. You are entitled to learn about the legal basis of information transfers to a country outside the European Union or to any international organization governed by public international law or set up by two or more countries, such as the UN, and about the security measures taken by us to safeguard your information. If any such transfer takes place, you can find out more by checking the relevant sections of this Policy or inquire with us using the information provided in the contact section.

The rights of users

You may exercise certain rights regarding your information processed by us. In particular, you have the right to do the following: (i) you have the right to withdraw consent where you have previously given your consent to the processing of your information; (ii) you have the right to object to the processing of your information if the processing is carried out on a legal basis other than consent; (iii) you have the right to learn if information is being processed by us, obtain disclosure regarding certain aspects of the processing and obtain a copy of the information undergoing processing; (iv) you have the right to verify the accuracy of your information and ask for it to be updated or corrected; (v) you have the right, under certain circumstances, to restrict the processing of your information, in which case, we will not process your information for any purpose other than storing it; (vi) you have the right, under certain circumstances, to obtain the erasure of your Personal Information from us; (vii) you have the right to receive your information in a structured, commonly used and machine readable format and, if technically feasible, to have it transmitted to another controller without any hindrance. This provision is applicable provided that your information is processed by automated means and that the processing is based on your consent, on a contract which you are part of or on pre-contractual obligations thereof.

The right to object to processing

Where Personal Information is processed for the public interest, in the exercise of an official authority vested in us or for the purposes of the legitimate interests pursued by us, you may object to such processing by providing a ground related to your particular situation to justify the objection.

Data protection rights under GDPR

If you are a resident of the European Economic Area (EEA), you have certain data protection rights and the Operator aims to take reasonable steps to allow you to correct, amend, delete, or limit the use of your Personal Information. If you wish to be informed what Personal Information we hold about you and if you want it to be removed from our systems, please contact us. In certain circumstances, you have the following data protection rights:

- You have the right to request access to your Personal Information that we store and have the ability to access your Personal Information.
- You have the right to request that we correct any Personal Information you believe is inaccurate. You also have the right to request us to complete the Personal Information you believe is incomplete.
- You have the right to request to erase your Personal Information under certain conditions of this Policy.
- You have the right to object to our processing of your Personal Information.
-  You have the right to seek restrictions on the processing of your Personal Information. When you restrict the processing of your Personal Information, we may store it but will not process it further.
-  You have the right to be provided with a copy of the information we have on you in a structured, machine-readable and commonly used format.
-  You also have the right to withdraw your consent at any time where the Operator relied on your consent to process your Personal Information.

You have the right to complain to a Data Protection Authority about our collection and use of your Personal Information. For more information, please contact your local data protection authority in the European Economic Area (EEA).

California privacy rights

In addition to the rights as explained in this Policy, California residents who provide Personal Information (as defined in the statute) to obtain products or services for personal, family, or household use are entitled to request and obtain from us, once a calendar year, information about the Personal Information we shared, if any, with other businesses for marketing uses. If applicable, this information would include the categories of Personal Information and the names and addresses of those businesses with which we shared such personal information for the immediately prior calendar year (e.g., requests made in the current year will receive information about the prior year). To obtain this information please contact us.

How to exercise these rights

Any requests to exercise your rights can be directed to the Operator through the contact details provided in this document. Please note that we may ask you to verify your identity before responding to such requests. Your request must provide sufficient information that allows us to verify that you are the person you are claiming to be or that you are the authorized representative of such person. You must include sufficient details to allow us to properly understand the request and respond to it. We cannot respond to your request or provide you with Personal Information unless we first verify your identity or authority to make such a request and confirm that the Personal Information relates to you.

Privacy of children

We do not knowingly collect any Personal Information from children under the age of 18. If you are under the age of 18, please do not submit any Personal Information through the Website and Services. We encourage parents and legal guardians to monitor their children's Internet usage and to help enforce this Policy by instructing their children never to provide Personal Information through the Website and Services without their permission. If you have reason to believe that a child under the age of 18 has provided Personal Information to us through the Website and Services, please contact us. You must also be at least 16 years of age to consent to the processing of your Personal Information in your country (in some countries we may allow your parent or guardian to do so on your behalf).

Cookies

The Website and Services use "cookies" to help personalize your online experience. A cookie is a text file that is placed on your hard disk by a web page server. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you, and can only be read by a web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you.

We may use cookies to collect, store, and track information for statistical purposes to operate the Website and Services. You have the ability to accept or decline cookies. Most web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can usually modify your browser setting to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you will not be able to use and experience the features of the Website and Services. Visit this web page to learn more about cookies and how they work: https://www.businessofdiving.com/pages/cookie-policy

Do Not Track signals

Some browsers incorporate a Do Not Track feature that signals to websites you visit that you do not want to have your online activity tracked. Tracking is not the same as using or collecting information in connection with a website. For these purposes, tracking refers to collecting personally identifiable information from consumers who use or visit a website or online service as they move across different websites over time. How browsers communicate the Do Not Track signal is not yet uniform. As a result, the Website and Services are not yet set up to interpret or respond to Do Not Track signals communicated by your browser. Even so, as described in more detail throughout this Policy, we limit our use and collection of your personal information.

Email marketing

We offer electronic newsletters to which you may voluntarily subscribe at any time. We are committed to keeping your e-mail address confidential and will not disclose your email address to any third parties except as allowed in the information use and processing section or for the purposes of utilizing a third party provider to send such emails. We will maintain the information sent via email in accordance with applicable laws and regulations.

In compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act, all e-mails sent from us will clearly state who the email is from and provide clear information on how to contact the sender. You may choose to stop receiving our newsletter or marketing emails by following the unsubscribe instructions included in these emails or by contacting us.

Links to other resources

The Website and Services contain links to other resources that are not owned or controlled by us. Please be aware that we are not responsible for the privacy practices of such other resources or third parties. We encourage you to be aware when you leave the Website and Services and to read the privacy statements of each and every resource that may collect Personal Information.

Information security

We secure information you provide on computer servers in a controlled, secure environment, protected from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. We maintain reasonable administrative, technical, and physical safeguards in an effort to protect against unauthorized access, use, modification, and disclosure of Personal Information in its control and custody. However, no data transmission over the Internet or wireless network can be guaranteed. Therefore, while we strive to protect your Personal Information, you acknowledge that (i) there are security and privacy limitations of the Internet which are beyond our control; (ii) the security, integrity, and privacy of any and all information and data exchanged between you and the Website and Services cannot be guaranteed; and (iii) any such information and data may be viewed or tampered with in transit by a third party, despite best efforts.

Data breach

In the event we become aware that the security of the Website and Services has been compromised or users Personal Information has been disclosed to unrelated third parties as a result of external activity, including, but not limited to, security attacks or fraud, we reserve the right to take reasonably appropriate measures, including, but not limited to, investigation and reporting, as well as notification to and cooperation with law enforcement authorities. In the event of a data breach, we will make reasonable efforts to notify affected individuals if we believe that there is a reasonable risk of harm to the user as a result of the breach or if notice is otherwise required by law. When we do, we will post a notice on the Website.

Changes and amendments

We reserve the right to modify this Policy or its terms relating to the Website and Services from time to time in our discretion and will notify you of any material changes to the way in which we treat Personal Information. When we do, we will revise the updated date at the bottom of this page. We may also provide notice to you in other ways in our discretion, such as through contact information you have provided. Any updated version of this Policy will be effective immediately upon the posting of the revised Policy unless otherwise specified. Your continued use of the Website and Services after the effective date of the revised Policy (or such other act specified at that time) will constitute your consent to those changes. However, we will not, without your consent, use your Personal Information in a manner materially different than what was stated at the time your Personal Information was collected.

Acceptance of this policy

You acknowledge that you have read this Policy and agree to all its terms and conditions. By accessing and using the Website and Services you agree to be bound by this Policy. If you do not agree to abide by the terms of this Policy, you are not authorized to access or use the Website and Services.

English language

It is the express wish of the parties that this Agreement and all related documents, including notices and other communications, be drawn up in the English language only. Il est la volonté expresse des parties que cette convention et tous les documents s’y rattachant, y compris les avis et les autres communications, soient rédigés en anglais seulement.

Contacting us

If you would like to contact us to understand more about this Policy or wish to contact us concerning any matter relating to individual rights and your Personal Information, you may send an email to privacy@businessofdiving.com.

This document was last updated on July 13, 2021.