Terms

Terms and Conditions

Last Updated: 07/15/2022

1. Small Bee Inc. SERVICES

1.1 Applicability. These Small Bee Inc. Terms and Conditions apply to all Small Bee Services ordered by CLIENT ("Services") online from the Small Bee Website, or in any Small Bee Service Order, including any attachments thereto (collectively, "Service Order"), by CLIENT and Small Bee; together the Small Bee Terms and Conditions and Small Bee Service Level Agreement (SLA) make up the "Agreement" between the parties.

1.2 Service Description. Commencing as soon as practicable after the Effective Date, as defined herein, and continuing throughout the Term of this Agreement and subject to the terms hereof, Small Bee will use commercially reasonable efforts to provide the Services, subject to: (a) Small Bee's acceptance of the Service Order; (b) CLIENT's satisfaction of all conditions, dependencies and other requirements reasonably imposed by Small Bee, including those specified in the Service Order. Subject to the terms hereof, the features, functionality and all other aspects of the Services shall be as determined by Small Bee.

1.3 Service Levels. Small Bee will provide Services to the Client in accordance with any Service Level commitments reflected in the Small Bee Service Level Agreement (Small Bee SLA).

2. OWNERSHIP OF Small Bee DNS SERVICE INFRASTRUCTURE

2.1 Rights in Small Bee Service Infrastructure. Small Bee shall retain all right, title and interest in and to the Small Bee Service Infrastructure, including any and all modifications. Except as specifically provided in this Agreement, CLIENT shall not have physical or electronic access to the Small Bee Service Infrastructure. CLIENT will not, and will not authorize any third party to (a) create derivative works of, adapt, alter or, in any way, modify the Small Bee Service Infrastructure or any part thereof without the prior written consent of Small Bee, or (b) translate, decompile, disassemble, reverse compile, reverse engineer or decode any software included in the Small Bee Service Infrastructure, or in any other manner reduce such software to human readable form.

3. LICENSE GRANTS, CONFIDENTIALITY AND ACCEPTABLE USE

3.1 CLIENT License Grants. In connection with the Services provided under this Agreement, CLIENT may from time to time provide Small Bee with certain data ("CLIENT Data"), including without limitation CLIENT Zone Data Files and including without limitation CLIENT's Primary Name Server. CLIENT grants to Small Bee and Small Bee accepts a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-assignable royalty free license, for the term of and solely for the purposes of this Agreement, to use CLIENT Data for the purposes of providing the Services.

3.2 Confidentiality. Small Bee will not disclose CLIENT Data to any third party without CLIENT's prior written consent, provided however, that the foregoing shall not apply to any information which is publicly available or which Small Bee is required to disclose by law or judicial order.

3.3 Acceptable Use. 

3.3.1 CLIENT shall not use, nor shall it knowingly or recklessly permit others to use, the Services:

(a) for any unlawful, invasive, infringing, defamatory, or fraudulent purpose; (b) to send any virus, worm, trojan horse or harmful code or attachment; (c) to alter, steal, corrupt, disable, destroy, trespass or violate any security or encryption of any computer file, database or network; (d) so as to materially interfere with or disrupt Small Bee's network or third party networks connected to Small Bee's network; (e) in a manner that is inconsistent with Small Bee routing policies, provided CLIENT has notice of such policies or such policies are publicly available on Small Bee's website; (f) in violation of the acceptable use policies of Small Bee's backbone providers, provided CLIENT has notice of such policies or such policies are publicly available on such backbone providers' websites; or (g) in a manner which, in Small Bee's opinion, is inconsistent with the generally accepted rules of Internet etiquette and conduct. CLIENT agrees that Small Bee shall under no circumstances be held liable on account of any action it takes, in good faith, to restrict transmission of material that it or any user of e-mail service considers to be obscene, lewd, lascivious, filthy, excessively violent, harassing, or otherwise objectionable, whether or not such material is constitutionally protected.

3.3.2 CLIENT further agrees that it shall not, nor shall it recklessly or knowingly permit others to: (i) alter, tamper with, adjust, repair or circumvent any aspect of the Services provided by Small Bee; or (ii) resell, pass-through, sublicense, rent, lease, timeshare or rebrand the Services provided by Small Bee or otherwise provide such services to any party not within CLIENT's enterprise and related personnel. CLIENT's rights to use the Services are nonexclusive, non-transferable and subject to compliance with the terms and conditions herein.

3.3.3 If CLIENT purchased Small Bee Services online from Small Bee Website, CLIENT will designate a password at the time of purchase. CLIENT agrees that it shall be responsible for all actions or breach occurring through the use of CLIENT's password. CLIENT agrees to keep its password confidential and to notify Small Bee within 24 hours of any breach of password confidentiality or any other unauthorized use of its password.

3.3.4 If CLIENT purchased Small Bee domain webmail service from Small Bee, CLIENT will designate a password at the time of purchase or be provided a temporary password at time of webmail setup. CLIENT agrees that it shall be responsible for all actions or breach occurring through the use of CLIENT's password. CLIENT agrees to create a secure password, keep its password confidential and to notify Small Bee within 24 hours of any breach of webmail password confidentiality or any other unauthorized use of its webmail password.

4. FEES AND PAYMENTS

4.1 Pricing. Small Bee Inc. and smallbee.com posted and billed pricing is in USD (United States Dollar) amounts. When you make a payment, you will be charged in the currency of your credit card so if it is CAD, you will have a conversion made from USD to CAD.

4.2 CLIENT. Throughout the term of this Agreement, CLIENT shall pay Small Bee Inc. when due and without offset or deduction all fees and charges, determined in accordance with the fee schedule established by Small Bee Inc. for the Services ordered by CLIENT less any applicable discounts, or as otherwise provided in the Service Order (the "Fees"). CLIENT will also pay or reimburse Small Bee Inc. for all sales, use, excise, and other taxes and governmental charges (other than income taxes) which Small Bee Inc. is at any time required to pay or collect in connection with the furnishing of software, information or services under this Agreement.

4.3 CLIENT Online Purchase. If CLIENT purchased Small Bee Services online from Small Bee's website via credit card, Small Bee will charge CLIENT's credit card for all fees due for any Small Bee Services annually in advance for Initial Term and subsequently for any renewal terms.

4.4 CLIENT Invoice Purchase. If CLIENT pays through invoice process, all fees due for any Small Bee Services shall be invoiced monthly in advance for Initial Term and subsequently for any renewal terms. CLIENT's payment shall be accompanied by a reference to Small Bee's billing invoice number. Invoices shall be sent via e-mail addressed to the primary billing contact provided in the Small Bee Service Order or at such other location as the parties may agree in writing. Fees shall be paid to Small Bee Inc. at the address specified in the billing invoice or at such other place as Small Bee may designate in writing. Payments are due no later than thirty (30) days following the date posted on Small Bee's invoice.

4.5 Suspended Services. Small Bee Inc. may suspend performance or provision of its services or terminate this Agreement for late or non-payment of fees, and CLIENT shall be liable for any reasonable attorneys' fee or collection agency fees incurred by Small Bee Inc. in connection with CLIENT's non-payment of undisputed fees. Interest may be charged by Small Bee Inc. for overdue fees and charges at the rate of two percent (2%) per month or the maximum amount allowed by law, whichever is less, commencing with the date payment was due. Any services upgrades requested by CLIENT may result in additional fees or other charges.

5. WARRANTIES

CLIENT hereby warrants and represents to Small Bee Inc. as follows:

5.1 Authority: CLIENT has the corporate power and corporate authority to enter into this Agreement and has duly and validly authorized this Agreement.

5.2 Small Bee Inc. WARRANTS: Small Bee Inc. hereby warrants and represents to CLIENT as follows:

5.2.1 Limited Service Warranty. Small Bee warrants that the Services will meet or exceed the standards defined in any applicable Small Bee SLA. CLIENT's sole and exclusive remedy for failure to comply with such standards shall be as defined in the applicable Small Bee SLA.

5.2.2 Small Bee Inc. has the corporate power and corporate authority to enter into this Agreement and has duly and validly authorized this Agreement.

5.3 Disclaimer. THE FOREGOING WARRANTIES ARE IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER WARRANTIES, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. ALL SUCH WARRANTIES ARE HEREBY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMED. EXCEPT AS OTHERWISE EXPRESSLY PROVIDED HEREIN, THE PARTIES AGREE THAT ANY SERVICES OR MATERIALS PROVIDED PURSUANT TO THIS AGREEMENT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS".

6. INDEMNIFICATION AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

6.1 Indemnification. CLIENT shall indemnify, defend and hold harmless Small Bee Inc., and its corporate parent, affiliates, directors, officers, employees and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, liabilities, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses) that have been incurred or awarded against Small Bee Inc. arising from: (i) any breach of CLIENT's duty, obligation, representation or warranty under this Agreement; (ii) any injury to persons or property caused by CLIENT's use of the Services; (iii) CLIENT's data or other material supplied by CLIENT infringing or allegedly infringing on the proprietary rights of a third party; (iv) Zone Data Files disputes as described in Section 6.3 herein, or disputes arising from or related to the content or validity, accuracy, or content of CLIENT's Zone Data Files; and/or (v) unavailability, interruption or inoperability of CLIENT's systems and/or Small Bee DNS/Hosting Services. CLIENT's obligations hereunder are conditioned upon (i) Small Bee Inc. providing reasonable cooperation to CLIENT in connection with the defense and/or settlement of any such claim at CLIENT's expense; and (ii) Small Bee Inc. providing reasonable notice to CLIENT of any and all claims under this indemnity, provided that failure to provide such notice will not affect CLIENT's indemnity obligation unless Small Bee's delay in providing notice materially prejudices CLIENT's ability to defend such claim. Small Bee Inc. will be entitled to participate, at its own expense, in the defense and settlement of any such claim. CLIENT will not be entitled to settle any claim under this section which settlement would materially impact Small Bee Inc. without the prior written consent of Small Bee Inc. which consent will not be unreasonably withheld.

6.2 Limitation of Liability. NEITHER CLIENT NOR SMALL BEE INC., NOR THEIR RESPECTIVE AGENTS, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS OR EMPLOYEES, WILL BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER PARTY FOR LOST PROFITS OR ANY CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR INDIRECT DAMAGES, HOWEVER CAUSED ON ANY THEORY OF LIABILITY (INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION NEGLIGENCE), ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT WHETHER OR NOT CLIENT OR SMALL BEE INC. HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, NEITHER PARTY SHALL BE LIABLE TO THE OTHER FOR: (A) UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS, ALTERATION, THEFT, CORRUPTION, OR DESTRUCTION OF OR TO THE COMPUTER FILES, DATABASES, NETWORK, TRANSMISSION FACILITIES OR EQUIPMENT OWNED OR CONTROLLED BY THE OTHER PARTY OR SUCH OTHER PARTY'S CLIENTS OR END USERS; (B) THE CONTENT, ACCURACY OR QUALITY OF THE DATA TRANSMITTED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SERVICES PROVIDED HEREUNDER. Notwithstanding the foregoing, this section shall not limit either party's liability to the other for: (a) willful or malicious conduct; (b) gross negligence; or (c) indemnification.

6.3 Zone Data Files Disputes. CLIENT is solely responsible for the information contained in CLIENT's Zone Data Files. Small Bee Inc. specifically disclaims any responsibility or liability for the accuracy or content of CLIENT's Zone Data Files, both as provided to Small Bee Inc. by CLIENT and as the CLIENT Zone Data Files relates to third parties. In the event that a dispute arises between CLIENT and a third party over the information in CLIENT's Zone Data Files, including but not limited to the duplication of resource records contained therein, CLIENT assumes complete responsibility for resolving such a dispute, and Small Bee Inc. specifically disclaims any liability or responsibility in connection therewith. Small Bee Inc. reserves the right to suspend performance or provision of the Services until the CLIENT resolves such disputes. Any such suspension shall not relieve CLIENT of any obligations under this Agreement, including without limitation the obligation to pay applicable fees and charges.

7. NOTIFICATION

7.1 Except as otherwise expressly provided herein, all notices and requests in connection with this Agreement shall be deemed given as of the day they are received when delivered either by messenger, overnight delivery service, or by the United States Postal Service if mailed with postage prepaid, certified or registered, return receipt requested, and addressed as follows: 

If to CLIENT: To the address set forth as the CLIENT Legal Notices Contact on the Service Order.

If to Small Bee Inc.:

Small Bee Inc.

1604 Caton Farm Rd. Ste. #1

Lockport, IL 60441

Attn: Small Bee Inc. Contract Administrator

8. TERM AND TERMINATION

8.1 Term of the Agreement. This Agreement shall commence on the Effective Date and shall continue for the Initial Term unless and until terminated in accordance with the terms hereof ("Term").

8.2 Renewal. The Agreement Term shall automatically renew for one-year periods unless otherwise agreed to by the Parties.

8.3 Revision. Except as otherwise provided in this Agreement, CLIENT agrees, during the term of this Agreement, that Small Bee Inc. may, upon thirty (30) days’ notice to CLIENT as provided in the Service Order, change part of the services provided under this Agreement, provided that no such revisions, changes or modifications shall reduce the current level of service provided to CLIENT in accordance with the applicable Small Bee Inc. Service Level Agreement. Any such revision or change will be binding and effective upon notification of such revision or change and the CLIENT's continued use of the services.

8.4 Termination for Cause. In the event that either party materially defaults in the performance of any of its duties or obligations hereunder, and such material default is not substantially cured within thirty (30) days after written notice thereof, then the other party may terminate this Agreement immediately by giving the defaulting party written notice.

8.5 Termination without Cause. Either party hereto may, at its option, terminate this Agreement, without cause as follows: (i) Small Bee Inc. may terminate pursuant to this section at any time by delivery of notice to CLIENT not less than ninety (90) days prior to the date on which such termination is to be effective; (ii) CLIENT may terminate pursuant to this section at any time immediately upon notice, provided however, that by terminating this Agreement, CLIENT will not be entitled to any refund.

8.6 Effect of Termination. Upon termination of this Agreement, Company will immediately cease the use of the Services and pay Small Bee Inc. all outstanding fees and charges.

8.7 Termination for Insolvency. Either party hereto may, at its option, and without notice, terminate this Agreement, effective immediately, should the other party hereto (i) admit in writing its inability to pay its debts generally as they become due; (ii) make a general assignment for the benefit of creditors; (iii) institute proceedings to be adjudicated a voluntary bankrupt, or consent to the filing of a petition of bankruptcy against it; (iv) be adjudicated by a court of competent jurisdiction as being bankrupt or insolvent; (v) seek reorganization under any bankruptcy act, or consent to the filing of a petition seeking such reorganization; or (vi) have a decree entered against it by a court of competent jurisdiction appointing a receiver liquidate, trustee, or assignee in bankruptcy or in insolvency covering all or substantially all of such party's property or providing for the liquidation of such party's property or business affairs.

8.8 Survival. In the event of termination of this Agreement for any reason, Sections 2, 4, 6, and 8.6 shall survive. Neither party shall be liable to the other for damages of any sort resulting solely from terminating this Agreement in accordance with its terms.

9. MISCELLANEOUS

9.1 Relationship of the Parties. Nothing in this Agreement shall be construed as creating an employer-employee relationship, a partnership, or a joint venture between the parties. Additionally, neither party is the legal representative or agent of the other, nor shall either party have the right or authority to assume, create, or incur any liability or any obligation of any kind, expressed or implied, against, or in the name of or on behalf of the other party.

9.2 Governing Law. This Agreement will be interpreted and governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without reference to conflict of laws principles and without regard to the 1980 U.N. Convention on the International Sales of Goods. Both Small Bee Inc. and CLIENT consent to exclusive personal jurisdiction and venue in federal courts located in Will County and in state courts sitting in Illinois.

9.3 Assignment. Neither party shall assign or transfer its rights, duties or obligations under this Agreement without the prior approval of the other party, provided, however, that either party may assign its rights, duties and obligations hereunder, without obtaining such written approval, to an entity controlling, controlled by, or under the common control of that party, to an entity that purchases substantially all of the assets of the party relating to the performance of its obligations hereunder, or to an entity acquiring the party outright. Subject to the foregoing, this Agreement shall be binding upon and inure to the benefit of the successors and assigns of the parties. Any assignment in violation of this Section 9.3 shall be void.

9.4 Construction and Severability. If for any reason a court of competent jurisdiction finds any provision of this Agreement, or portion thereof, to be unenforceable for whatever reason, that provision of the Agreement will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible so as to effect the intent of the parties, and the remainder of this Agreement will continue in full force and effect.

9.5 Amendments. All amendments or modifications of this Agreement shall be binding upon the parties despite any lack of consideration so long as the same shall be in writing and executed by each of the parties hereto. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Small Bee Inc. shall be entitled to amend any provision of this Agreement by providing notice to CLIENT if such amendment is applied to substantially all of the CLIENT’s for Small Bee Inc. Services. It is expressly understood and agreed that no usage of trade or other regular practice or method of dealing between the parties hereto shall be used to modify, interpret, supplement or alter in any manner the express terms of this Agreement or any part hereof.

9.6 Entirety. This Agreement, complete with the Small Bee Inc. Terms and Conditions and Service Order executed by both Parties, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties relating to the subject matter hereof and supersedes all prior and contemporaneous communications, negotiations, commitments and understandings of the Parties. Except as specifically provided herein, this Agreement shall not be modified except by written agreement dated subsequent to the date of this Agreement and signed on behalf of Small Bee Inc. and CLIENT by their respective duly authorized representatives.

9.7 Order of Precedence. In the event of a conflict between any Service Order and these Small Bee Inc. Terms and Conditions, the terms of the Service Order shall govern.

9.8 Headings. The titles and heading of the various sections and paragraphs in this Agreement are intended solely for convenience of reference and are not intended for any other purpose whatsoever, or to explain, modify or place any construction upon or on any of the provisions of this Agreement.

9.9 No Waiver. Any waiver of any term or condition of this Agreement must be in writing to be effective. The failure or neglect by either party to enforce any of the terms or conditions hereof shall not be construed to be a waiver of any party's rights under the Agreement, including the performance of any such term or condition.

9.10 No Third Party Beneficiaries. This Agreement does not provide and shall not be construed to provide third parties (i.e., non-parties to this Agreement) with any right, remedy, claim, and cause of action or privilege.

9.11 No Publicity. Neither party shall issue any news release or announcement concerning this Agreement, except as required by law, without the prior written consent of the other party.

9.12 Force Majeure. Neither party shall be deemed in default hereunder, nor shall it hold the other party responsible for, any cessation, interruption or delay in the performance of its obligations hereunder due to earthquake, flood, fire, storm, natural disaster, act of God, war, armed conflict, labor strike, lockout, or boycott, provided that the party relying upon this section (i) shall have given the other party written notice thereof promptly and, in any event, within five (5) days of discovery thereof and (ii) shall take all steps reasonably necessary under the circumstances to mitigate the effects of the force majeure event upon which such notice is based; provided further, that in the event a force majeure event described in this Section 10.13 extends for a period in excess of thirty (30) days in the aggregate, Small Bee Inc. may immediately terminate this Agreement.

10. DEFINITIONS

10.1 "CLIENT Zone Data Files" shall mean the data provided by CLIENT to Small Bee Inc. for which DNS hosting is being provided under the terms of this Agreement.

10.2 "Effective Date"

10.2.1 If CLIENT purchased Small Bee services from the Small Bee Inc. website, Effective Date shall mean the date specified in the Small Bee e-mail confirming CLIENT Order.

10.2.2 If CLIENT purchased Services through invoice process, Effective Date shall mean the date specified in the Service Order.

10.3 "Small Bee Service" is web-based service including domain name licensing, domain webmail (email), website hosting, and content management service featuring an interface providing the CLIENT with the ability to manage its website content while it is hosted on Small Bee Inc. name servers.

10.4 "Initial Term" is month to month commencing the Effective Date, or such other period defined in Service Order.

10.5 "Monthly Timeframe" shall mean each single calendar month beginning and ending at 0000 Greenwich Mean Time ("GMT").

10.6 "Name Server" shall mean and be used to collectively refer to hardware, software, data, algorithms and processes for performing DNS name and address resolution.

10.7 "Primary Name Server" shall mean servers which Small Bee zone information from the CLIENT's database and make the generated CLIENT Zone Data Files available to Small Bee for distribution to the Small Bee server infrastructure.

10.8 "Resource Record(s)" shall mean a record contained in a zone file that associates data with a particular domain name in a zone.

10.9 "Second-level domain names" shall mean and include all names located immediately to the left of the TLD name.

10.10 "User" shall mean those persons, who query Small Bee Servers for domain name resolution.

10.11 "Small Bee Servers" shall mean the name servers owned, controlled or utilized by Small Bee Inc. and used to host CLIENT Zone Data Files to provide DNS service under the terms of this Agreement, including hardware and software, data, algorithms and processes for Domain Name System (DNS) address resolution. Small Bee Servers may contain several zones, including, but not limited to, CLIENT's zones. "Small Bee Servers" may also be referred to as "Sites."

10.12 "Small Bee Service Infrastructure" shall include, but not be limited to, the database, primary name servers, secondary name servers, distribution servers, application servers, application gateways, network devices, software, specifications, protocols, IP addresses, configurations, routing data and processes and any other tangible or intangible asset used by Small Bee to perform the Small Bee Services as described in the Service Order.

10.13 "Zone" shall mean a delegated portion of a domain name that resides on a name server.

10.14 "Zone Data Files" shall mean and refer to those data files that contain the data needed to resolve Internet domain names in the TLD to Internet Protocol (IP) numbers.

10.15 "Zone Transfer" shall mean and refer to Small Bee transferring of Zone files over a network to and from CLIENT's primary name server and distributed to Small Bee Server Infrastructure.