Revised: February 14, 2024
These Terms of Service contain an arbitration provision that applies to your relationship with Self-Realization Fellowship and any related entities (collectively “SRF”, “we”, “us”, or “our”), including any interactions you have with SRF offline or online. Please review the Arbitration Section for details.
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of SRF websites at yogananda.org and yogananda-srf.org (collectively the “Site”) and any other interactions you have with us online (the “Services”), which include your use of any SRF mobile apps, any purchases or donations you make, any communications with us, and any other services that link or refer to these Terms. The arbitration provision also covers any interactions you have with SRF offline or online. “You” as used in these Terms also includes your child, if your child has contact with SRF such as by registering for and participating in in-person and online youth programs offered by SRF.
THESE TERMS ARE A CONTRACT BETWEEN YOU AND SRF. BY USING THE SITE OR SERVICES, OR OTHERWISE INDICATING YOUR AGREEMENT, YOU ARE AGREEING TO THESE TERMS. PLEASE READ THEM CAREFULLY.
1. Eligibility
To use this Site or the Services, you must be at least 16 years old if reside in the European Union, European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, Switzerland or Brazil (collectively, "Europe or Brazil") and you must be at least 13 years old if you reside in the U.S. or anywhere else outside Europe or Brazil. If you are under the age of majority in your state or country of residence, a minor, your parent or legal guardian must agree to these Terms on your behalf and you may only access and use the Site and Services with permission from your parent or legal guardian
2. Additional Terms
Some of our Services have additional terms and conditions (“Additional Terms”). Where Additional Terms apply to a Service, we will make them available for you to read through your use of that Service. By using that Service, you agree to the Additional Terms
3. Acceptable Use of the Site and Services
You are responsible for your use of the Site and Services, and for any use of the Site or Services made using your account. Our goal is to create a positive, useful, and safe user experience. To promote this goal, we prohibit certain kinds of conduct that may be harmful to other users or to us. When you use the Site or Services, you may not:
- violate any law or regulation;
- violate, infringe, or misappropriate other people’s intellectual property, privacy, publicity, or other legal rights;
- post or share anything that is illegal, abusive, harassing, harmful to reputation, pornographic, indecent, profane, obscene, hateful, racist, or otherwise objectionable;
- send unsolicited or unauthorized advertising or commercial communications, such as spam;
- engage in spidering or harvesting, or participate in the use of software, including spyware, designed to collect data from the Site or Services;
- transmit any viruses or other computer instructions or technological means whose purpose is to disrupt, damage, or interfere with the use of computers or related systems;
- stalk, harass, or harm another individual;
- impersonate any person or entity or perform any other similar fraudulent activity, such as phishing;
- use any means to scrape or crawl any Web pages contained in the Site;
- attempt to circumvent any technological measure implemented by us or any of our providers or any other third party (including another user) to protect the Site or Services;
- attempt to decipher, decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer any of the software or other underlying code used to provide the Site or Services; or
- advocate, encourage, or assist any third party in doing any of the foregoing.
4. Access to App (applicable only to the extent that you download the App)
4.1 If you download our mobile application (“App”) from the Apple Store or Google Play App Store, subject to your compliance with these Terms and the Apple Store or Google Play App Store terms, SRF hereby grants you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, worldwide, royalty-free, limited-term right to access the App solely for personal, non-commercial use on a single mobile device owned or otherwise controlled by you, strictly in accordance with the App’s documentation and these Terms.
4.2 As between the parties, SRF owns all right, title, and interest in and to the App, any contents of the App, and any intellectual property rights associated with the App and its contents. SRF reserves all rights in and to the App not expressly granted to you in these Terms. Except as expressly permitted by these Terms, by law, or by applicable third-party license, you must not and must not allow any third party to: (i) sublicense, sell, rent, lease, transfer, assign, or redistribute the App or its contents; (ii) host the App for the benefit of third parties; (iii) disclose or permit any third party to access the App or its contents, except as expressly permitted in these Terms; (iv) modify or create derivative works of the App or its contents, or merge the App with other software; (v) disassemble, decompile, bypass any code obfuscation, or otherwise reverse engineer the App or attempt to derive any of its source code, in whole or in part; (vi) modify, obscure, or delete any proprietary rights notices included in or on the App or its contents; (vii) otherwise use or copy the App or its contents in a manner not expressly permitted by these Terms; or (viii) use the App beyond its applicable term.
4.3 By using the App, you acknowledge that this Section of the Terms is entered into by and between SRF and you, and not with Apple, Inc. or Google, Inc. Notwithstanding the foregoing, you acknowledge that Apple, Inc. and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of this Section and that Apple, Inc. and Google, Inc. have the right (and is deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce this Section. SRF is solely responsible for the App and any content contained therein. You acknowledge that Apple, Inc. and Google, Inc. have no obligation whatsoever to furnish any maintenance and support services with respect to the App. You represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a "terrorist supporting" country; and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. Government "watch list" of prohibited or restricted parties, including the Specially Designated Nationals list published by the Office of Foreign Assets Control of the U.S. Treasury or the Denied Persons List published by the U.S. Department of Commerce.
4.4 In the event of any third-party claim that the App or your possession and use of the App infringes that third party’s intellectual property rights, SRF, and not Apple, Inc. or Google, Inc., will be solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of any such intellectual property infringement claim.
4.5 This Section only applies to the extent that you have access to the App. Upon deletion of the App from your mobile device, all rights granted to you in this Section will also terminate, and you must cease use of the App and delete all copies of the App from your mobile device and account. Termination will not limit any of SRF’s rights or remedies at law or in equity.
5. User Content
The Site and some of our Services allow you to upload, submit, store, send, or receive content and data (“User Content”). You retain ownership of any intellectual property rights that you hold in that User Content.
When you upload, submit, store, send, or receive User Content to or through the Site or Services, you give us permission to reproduce and use your User Content as follows: you grant to us and those we work with a license to use, host, store, reproduce, modify, create derivative works from (such as translations, adaptations, or other changes we make so that User Content works better with the Site and Services), publicly perform, publicly display, and distribute your User Content. This license is for the purposes of providing the Site and Services(including distributing your User Content thereon), operating, promoting, and improving the Site and Services, to develop new Services, and to encourage others on the spiritual path and to advertise and promote SRF, SRF’s programs and SRF’s religious mission and services. Our license to your User Content is non-exclusive, meaning you may use the User Content for your own purposes or let others use your User Content for their purposes. This license is fully-paid and royalty free, meaning we do not owe you anything else in connection with our use of your User Content. We may exercise our rights under this license anywhere in the world and in any media, including publishing your User Content in other locations, such as in the Self-Realization Magazine or promotional materials. Lastly, this license is perpetual, meaning that our rights under this license continue even after you stop using the Site and Services.
You promise that:
- you own all rights to your User Content or, alternatively, that you have the right to give us the rights described above; and
- your User Content does not infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy rights, publicity rights, or other legal rights of any third party.
We may refuse to accept or transmit User Content for any reason. We may remove User Content from the Site or Services for any reason.
6. Ownership
Other than User Content, we own or license all right, title, and interest in and to (a) the Site and Services, including all information, software, text, displays, images, video and audio, and the design, selection and arrangement thereof, and other content available on the Site and Services (“Our Content”); and (b) our trademarks, logos, and brand elements (“Marks”). The Site and Services, Our Content, and Marks are all protected under U.S. and international copyright, trademark, patent, and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws. The look and feel of the Site and Services are copyright © Self-Realization Fellowship. All rights reserved. You may not duplicate, copy, or reuse any portion of Our Content, Site, Services, Marks or visual design elements or concepts, without express written permission from SRF. Unauthorized downloading, publication or exploitation of SRF’s files for commercial purposes is specifically prohibited. Anyone wishing to use any of these files or images for commercial use, publication, or any purpose other than fair use as defined by law, must request and receive prior permission from SRF.
7. Privacy
Your privacy is very important to us. Our General Privacy Policy or EU/Brazil Privacy Notice (for users in the European Union, European Economic Area, United Kingdom, Switzerland, and Brazil) explains how we collect, use, protect, and when we share personal information and other data with others. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account information, including your username and password. You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account and you agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access or use of your account. We are not responsible or liable for any damage or loss related to any unauthorized access or use of your account.
8. Links
The Site and Services may contain links to other websites and online resources. A link to a third party’s website does not mean that we endorse it or that we are affiliated with it. We are not responsible or liable for any damage or loss related to the use of any third-party website. You should always read the terms and conditions and privacy policy of a third-party website before using it.
9. Changes to the Site or Services
We enhance and update the Site and Services often. We may change or discontinue the Site or Services at any time, with or without notice to you.
10.Termination
We reserve the right to not provide the Site or Services to any person. We also reserve the right to terminate any user’s right to access the Site or Services at any time, in our discretion. If you violate any of these Terms, your permission to use the Site and Services automatically terminates.
11. Disclaimer and Limitations on Our Liability
YOU USE THE SITE AND SERVICES AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE SITE AND SERVICES ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, SRF AND ITS OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, DIRECTORS, SHAREHOLDERS, PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, AGENTS, AND LICENSORS (“AFFILIATES”) DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, CONDITIONS, AND REPRESENTATIONS OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE INCLUDING THOSE RELATED TO MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT AND THOSE ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.
IN PARTICULAR, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, SRF AND ITS AFFILIATES MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES ABOUT THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF CONTENT AVAILABLE ON OR THROUGH THE SITE OR SERVICES, OR THE CONTENT OF ANY WEBSITES OR ONLINE SERVICES LINKED TO OR INTEGRATED WITH THE SITE OR SERVICES. SRF AND ITS AFFILIATES WILL HAVE NO LIABILITY FOR ANY: (a) ERRORS, MISTAKES, OR INACCURACIES OF CONTENT; (b) PERSONAL INJURY OR PROPERTY DAMAGE RESULTING FROM YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF THE SITE OR SERVICES; (c) ANY UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR USE OF OUR SERVERS OR OF ANY PERSONAL INFORMATION OR USER DATA; (d) ANY INTERRUPTION OF TRANSMISSION TO OR FROM THE SITE OR SERVICES; (e) ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, TROJAN HORSES, OR THE LIKE THAT MAY BE TRANSMITTED ON OR THROUGH THE SITE OR SERVICES BY ANY THIRD PARTY; OR (f) ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY KIND INCURRED AS A RESULT OF THE USE OF ANY CONTENT POSTED OR SHARED THROUGH THE SITE OR SERVICES.
YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY MATERIAL OR INFORMATION DOWNLOADED OR OTHERWISE OBTAINED THROUGH THE USE OF THE SITE OR SERVICES IS DONE AT YOUR OWN RISK AND THAT YOU WILL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE ARISING FROM DOING SO. NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM US OR THROUGH THE SITE OR SERVICES WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY NOT EXPRESSLY MADE.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL WE BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (INCLUDING FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, OR DATA) OR FOR THE COST OF OBTAINING SUBSTITUTE PRODUCTS, HOWEVER CAUSED, WHETHER SUCH LIABILITY ARISES FROM ANY CLAIM BASED UPON CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE, AND WHETHER OR NOT WE’VE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTY FROM ALL CAUSES OF ACTION AND ALL THEORIES OF LIABILITY, WILL BE LIMITED TO AND WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNTS YOU HAVE ACTUALLY PAID US DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM GIVING RISE TO SUCH LIABILITY, OR US$10, WHICHEVER IS GREATER.
12. Indemnification
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless SRF from and against any and all claims, costs, proceedings, demands, losses, damages, and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable attorney’s fees and legal costs) of any kind or nature, arising from or relating to, any actual or alleged breach of these Terms by you or anyone using your account. If we assume the defense of such a matter, you will reasonably cooperate with us in such defense.
13. Arbitration Agreement & Waiver of Certain Rights
Except as set forth below, you and SRF agree that we will resolve any disputes between us (including any disputes between you and a third-party agent of ours) through binding and final arbitration instead of through court proceedings. You and SRF hereby waive any right to a jury trial of any Claim (defined below). All controversies, claims, counterclaims, or other disputes between you and SRF or you and a third-party agent of ours, in any way arising from or relating to your interaction with SRF whether online or offline (each a “Claim”) shall be submitted for binding arbitration in accordance with the Rules of the American Arbitration Association (“AAA Rules”). The arbitration will be heard and determined by a single arbitrator. The arbitrator's decision in any such arbitration will be final and binding upon the parties and may be enforced in any court of competent jurisdiction. You and SRF agree that the arbitration will be kept confidential and that the existence of the proceeding and any element of it (including, without limitation, any pleadings, briefs, or other documents submitted or exchanged and any testimony or other oral submissions and awards) will not be disclosed beyond the arbitration proceedings, except as may lawfully be required in judicial proceedings relating to the arbitration, by applicable disclosure rules and regulations of securities regulatory authorities or other governmental agencies, or as specifically permitted by applicable law. The Federal Arbitration Act and federal arbitration law apply to this agreement. However, the arbitrator, and not any federal, state, or local court or agency, shall have the exclusive authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, or formation of this agreement including, but not limited to, a claim that all or any part of this agreement is void or voidable.
If you demonstrate that the costs of arbitration will be prohibitive as compared to the costs of litigation, SRF will pay as much of the administrative costs and arbitrator's fees required for the arbitration as the arbitrator deems necessary to prevent the cost of the arbitration from being prohibitive. In the final award, the arbitrator may apportion the costs of arbitration and the compensation of the arbitrator among the parties in such amounts as the arbitrator deems appropriate.
This arbitration agreement does not preclude you or SRF from seeking action by federal, state, or local government agencies. You and SRF also have the right to bring qualifying claims in small claims court. In addition, you and SRF retain the right to apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for provisional relief, including pre-arbitral attachments or preliminary injunctions, and any such request shall neither be deemed incompatible with these Terms, nor a waiver of the right to have disputes submitted to arbitration as provided in these Terms.
Neither you nor SRF may act as a class representative or private attorney general, nor participate as a member of a class of claimants, with respect to any Claim. Claims may not be arbitrated on a class or representative basis. The arbitrator can decide only your and/or SRF’s individual Claims. The arbitrator may not consolidate or join the claims of other persons or parties who may be similarly situated. The arbitrator may award in the arbitration the same damages or other relief available under applicable law, including injunctive and declaratory relief, as if the action were brought in court on an individual basis. Notwithstanding anything to the contrary in the foregoing or herein, the arbitrator may not issue a “public injunction” and any such “public injunction” may be awarded only by a federal or state court. If either party seeks a “public injunction,” all other claims and prayers for relief must be adjudicated in arbitration first and any prayer or claim for a “public injunction” in federal or state court stayed until the arbitration is completed, after which the federal or state court can adjudicate the party’s claim or prayer for “public injunctive relief.” In doing so, the federal or state court is bound under principles of claim or issue preclusion by the decision of the arbitrator.
If any provision of this Section is found to be invalid or unenforceable, then that specific provision shall be of no force and effect and shall be severed, but the remainder of this Section shall continue in full force and effect. No waiver of any provision of this Section of the Terms will be effective or enforceable unless recorded in a writing signed by the party waiving such a right or requirement. Such a waiver shall not waive or affect any other portion of these Terms. This Section of the Terms will survive the termination of your relationship with SRF.
THIS SECTION LIMITS CERTAIN RIGHTS, INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO MAINTAIN A COURT ACTION, THE RIGHT TO A JURY TRIAL, THE RIGHT TO PARTICIPATE IN ANY FORM OF CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE CLAIM, THE RIGHT TO ENGAGE IN DISCOVERY EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN AAA RULES, AND THE RIGHT TO CERTAIN REMEDIES AND FORMS OF RELIEF. OTHER RIGHTS THAT YOU OR SRF WOULD HAVE IN COURT ALSO MAY NOT BE AVAILABLE IN ARBITRATION.
14. Other Provisions
Under no circumstances will we be held liable for any delay or failure in performance due in whole or in part to any acts of nature or other causes beyond our reasonable control.
These Terms will be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without giving effect to any conflict of laws rules or provisions.
Subject to the arbitration agreement in Section 13, you agree that any action of whatever nature relating to these Terms, the Site, the Services or your interactions with SRF, will be filed only in the state or federal courts located in Los Angeles, California. You consent and submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts for the purposes of any such action.
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful or unenforceable, then that provision will be deemed severable from these Terms and will not affect the enforceability of any other provisions.
The failure by us to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not prevent us from enforcing such right or provision in the future.
We may assign our rights and obligations under these Terms, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale of assets or equity, or by operation of law.
15. Changes to these Terms
From time to time, we may change these Terms. If we change these Terms, we will give you notice by posting the revised Terms on the Site. Those changes will go into effect on the Revision Date shown in the revised Terms. By continuing to use the Site or Services, you are agreeing to the revised Terms.
PLEASE PRINT A COPY OF THESE TERMS FOR YOUR RECORDS AND PLEASE CHECK THE SITE FREQUENTLY FOR ANY CHANGES TO THESE TERMS.