Rappler PLUS: Terms and Conditions

Rappler PLUS is a membership program created in the spirit of collaboration and partnership.

It is an invitation for Rappler’s audience to be part of a vibrant and engaged community. In exchange for a sign-up, members of Rappler PLUS will get exclusive Rappler access and invites to some of its content and events.

Rappler believes that collaboration on shared values broadens perspectives, widens coverage, and enables participation from diverse groups. It is the engine that moves communities.

Here are our 5 principles:

WHY – We tell you why things happen, why events are important.

COURAGE – We are not afraid to ask. And keep asking. No matter what.

IMAGINATION – We commit to reimagine a better future for journalism, for our society.

DREAM – We pledge to protect the public interest above commercial interests.

PROMISE – We promise to be transparent, accountable, and consistent

These Terms and Conditions govern the relationship between Rappler and each member, including the terms on which contribution may be accepted, refused, or returned by Rappler. Payment will be accepted in the form of an annual or recurring monthly payments made directly to Rappler as described in this Agreement.

Other terms, conditions, policies, and rules, as published by Rappler and made known to the member shall also apply to the member’s use of the Rappler services suppletorily.

1. AGREEMENT

By signing up to Rappler PLUS, a member agrees and acknowledges that:

• The membership subscription is provided to Rappler in exchange for a service provided by Rappler, subject to Rappler’s right to return any contribution at its discretion;
• The subscription will be used by Rappler to support Rappler’s content and activities based on its shared values with its members; and
• The subscription is made subject to these Terms and Conditions, which shall constitute a legally binding agreement between the subscriber and Rappler (the “Agreement”), entered into by each party in consideration of the other’s obligations under these Terms and Conditions.

2. CONDITIONS

Membership applications will be accepted from individuals as well as legal entities. Members who are not incorporated, established and/or registered in the Philippines are governed by the laws of their native country.

3. ADMINISTRATION OF CONTRIBUTIONS

All contributions to Rappler shall be made through the contributions page or widget on rappler.com (the “Rappler Website”). Payments will be accepted by Rappler for the period during which the membership page or widget is live on the Rappler Website.

Payments received by Rappler will be deposited in one or more bank accounts in the name of Rappler together with other Rappler funds. Each contribution will be identifiable by a unique merchant identification number and accounted for separately by Rappler.

From the moment the payment is processed, Rappler will be legally and beneficially entitled to the full amount of the contribution and the member has no entitlement to the return of the payment in any circumstances other than as specified in these Terms and Conditions.

The member shall receive project updates or defined incentives as indicated in the project description in return for his/her payment but shall have no rights to influence the editorial policy or output of Rappler.

Rappler PLUS membership payments are not charitable donations under the law of the Philippines. As far as Rappler is aware, contributors shall not be entitled to any tax relief for their contributions under Rappler PLUS, nor is any contribution eligible for “gift aid” either in the Philippines or in any other jurisdiction worldwide.

Members are liable for the corresponding taxes, if any, that are associated with their payment and activities on Rappler PLUS. Rappler will not cover donor’s taxes. Rappler gives no warranty and accepts no responsibility as to the ultimate treatment of any potential tax on the members’ payment and Rappler PLUS activities. Members shall be provided official receipts upon payment, via email.

5. REFUNDS AND CANCELLATION OF MEMBERSHIP

Rappler reserves the right to refuse and return any payment in its absolute discretion, including without limitation where it believes that accepting the payment would conflict with the mission, values or interests of Rappler, and/or where, having regard to the source of the contribution or intentions of the subscriber, Rappler considers that to accept the payment could damage the independence or reputation of Rappler or adversely affect the relationship of Rappler with other contributors or stakeholders.

Members may cancel their membership before the expiration of their choice package. But they are not eligible for a refund unless Rappler deems it necessary.

6. TRANSPARENCY OF CONTRIBUTIONS

Rappler reserves the right to:

• request the full name and contact details of the member
• request from the member any other information that it considers to be necessary or desirable to determine the provenance of the payment
• undertake any further investigations it deems fit to determine the provenance of the payment
• if necessary, publicly disclose the identity of the subscriber and the amount of the payment

If the member refuses to provide any information requested by Rappler under Clause, Rappler may refuse and return the payment to the member at its discretion. The member warrants that information provided to Rappler are true, accurate, and up to date. 

7. CONFIDENTIALITY AND PUBLICITY

Members shall not be entitled to publicize their membership or otherwise market themselves or any connected person or business in connection with their membership, except with the prior written consent of Rappler and then only if the member complies with any relevant policies, procedures or requirements of Rappler.

8. DATA PROTECTION AND PRIVACY

If a member opts in to receive information relating to offers from Rappler via the email address supplied by the member, then he or she may unsubscribe at any time by contacting plus@rappler.com.

Any personal information about a member obtained by Rappler as a result of a contribution being made will be used in accordance with the Rappler privacy policy, available here. By making a payment, the member accepts the terms and conditions of the privacy policy.

The member is responsible for providing accurate registration information and for updating it as required. Each member is responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of their password. 

9. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Rappler PLUS contains copyrighted material, trademarks and other proprietary information. Without limiting the scope of Rappler’s intellectual property rights, members acknowledge that Rappler and/or its licensors own intellectual property rights in: (i) the content included within the publications; (ii) the Rappler PLUS membership, the content contained within it; (iii) the selections, coordination, and arrangements of the Rappler website and the publications contained within it; and (iv) the trademarks used in connection with the membership subscription service.

Publications available with the service are for personal use only and may not be modified, reverse engineered, redistributed, sold, publicly displayed, licensed, rented or otherwise provided to a third party or commercially exploited. Rappler does not grant any license express or implied to its subscriber members to the intellectual property of Rappler and Rappler PLUS except as expressly authorized in this Agreement. 

10. EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY

Neither Rappler nor any affiliated person, employee, agent, officer or director shall be liable for any loss suffered by any member or other person arising out of or in connection with a membership payment, or the member’s participation in Rappler PLUS, whether direct or indirect, including loss of revenue, loss of profits, loss of business or anticipated savings, loss of use, loss of goodwill, loss of data, and whether caused by tort (including negligence), breach of contract or otherwise, except in respect of any liability for death or personal injury or any other liability which cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law.

11. CHANGES TO RAPPLER PLUS SERVICES AND PRICING

Rappler may, at any time, change or discontinue any aspect or feature of Rappler PLUS, including content, subscription plans and features, pricing, hours of availability, equipment or the software needed for access or use. Rappler may also impose certain limits on features and services or restrict access to parts or all of the services provided through Rappler PLUS, without notice or liability. 

12. THIRD PARTY CONTENT

Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers, or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in publications offered by the service, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of Rappler. Neither Rappler nor any third-party provider of information guarantees the accuracy, timely availability, completeness, or usefulness of any content. Under no circumstance will Rappler be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information obtained through Rappler PLUS. Rappler PLUS may contain links to other Internet sites and third-party resources. Rappler is not responsible for either the availability of these outside resources or their content. 

13. MISCELLANEOUS

A failure of Rappler to assert a right or provision under these Terms and Conditions shall not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is held by a court of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal or unenforceable for any reason, that provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent such that the remaining provisions of these Terms and Conditions will continue in full force and effect.

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the subscriber and Rappler regarding any contributions made by the Rappler PLUS member. – Rappler.com

This Agreement will be governed by and construed in accordance with Philippine laws, without regard to conflict of laws provisions.

In the event that a dispute arises out of or in connection with this Agreement among the Parties, the Parties shall endeavor in good faith to reach an amicable settlement of the dispute through amicable negotiations. If no mutually acceptable settlement of the dispute is made within sixty (60) days from the commencement of the settlement negotiation or if any Party refuses to engage in any negotiation, the Parties shall resort the dispute resolution method in the next paragraph.

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or the breach, termination, or invalidity thereof shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Philippine Dispute Resolution Center, Inc. (“PDRCI”) Arbitration Rules. The appointing authority shall be the PDRCI. The number of arbitrators shall be one (1). The place of arbitration shall be in Metro Manila, Philippines. The language to be used in the arbitral proceedings shall be English. 

14. MODIFICATIONS

The member undertakes to periodically visit these Terms and Conditions for updates and agrees to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and its subsequent updates, revisions or modifications. Rappler reserves the right to change or update these Terms and Conditions, or any other of our policies or practices, at any time, and will notify users by posting such changed or updated Terms and Conditions on this page. Any changes or updates will be effective immediately upon publication. – Rappler.com