Modification of Site Terms
Costco reserves the right to modify these Site Terms in our sole discretion from time to time and only Costco has the right to do so. If the Site Terms are changed, we will post the new terms on the Sites and note the date they were last updated. Any changes or modification will be effective upon posting of the Site Terms as revised, and your use of the Sites following the posting will constitute your acceptance of the new Site Terms.
Canadian Usage
The Sites may only be used by residents of Canada to order goods or services intended to be delivered to addresses in Canada. Use of the Sites is governed by the provincial and federal laws of Canada. The laws of your jurisdiction may be more or less stricter than the laws that apply to the Sites. If you access the Sites from outside Canada, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with the laws of your jurisdiction.
Licence and Site Access
Costco grants you a limited licence to view the Sites, to print individual pages from the Sites, and electronically copy pages from the Sites for the sole purpose of using materials it contains for informational and non-commercial, personal use only. This licence is conditional on your strict compliance and acceptance without modification of the Site Terms.
This licence does not include, without limitation: (a) any resale or commercial use of the Sites or any Site Materials (defined below); (b) modification, adaptation, translation, reverse engineering, decompilation, disassembly or conversion into human readable form any of the Site Materials not intended to be so read, including use of or directly viewing the underlying HTML or other code from the Sites except as interpreted and displayed in a Web browser; (c) copying, imitating, mirroring, reproducing, distributing, publishing, making available, downloading, displaying, performing, posting or transmitting any Site Materials (including any Costco trademarks) in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or other means; (d) the collection, use or disclosure of any product listings, prices or descriptions; (e) making derivative uses of the Sites and any Site Materials; or (f) use of any data mining, bots, spiders, automated tools or similar data gathering and extraction methods, directly or indirectly, on the Site Materials or to scrape or collect any information from the Sites or any other user of the Sites.
Except as noted above, you are not conveyed any right or licence by implication, waiver, estoppel, or otherwise in or under a patent, trademark, copyright, or proprietary right of Costco or any third party. You may not use any meta tags or any other “hidden text” utilizing Costco's corporate names, trade names, trademarks, product names or service names without our express written consent. “Site Materials” means all information, software and materials on the Sites, including, without limitation, trademarks (as specifically defined in these Site Terms) design, product names, prices and descriptions, HTML text, graphics, other files, photographs, codes, layout, designs, forms and the selection and arrangement thereof.
We may terminate this licence and your use of or access to the Sites if you make or permit any unauthorized use of the Sites. Such actions by you may violate applicable law including, without limitation, copyright laws, trademark laws (including trade dress), patent laws, and communications regulations and statutes. We reserve the right to initiate civil or criminal proceedings, or both, against all violators to the fullest extent of the law.
Changes, Misprints and Errors
Subject to applicable law, we: (a) reserve the right to change the goods and services advertised or offered for sale through the Sites, the prices or specifications of such goods and services, and any promotional offers and any other Site Materials at any time and from time to time without any notice or liability to you or any other person; (b) cannot guarantee that goods or services advertised or offered for sale on the Sites will be available when ordered or thereafter; (c) reserve the right to limit quantities sold or made available for sale; (d) do not warrant that the Site Materials (including without limitation product descriptions or photographs) are accurate, complete, reliable, current or error-free; and (e) reserve the right to cancel, to terminate or not to process orders (including accepted orders) where the price or other material information on the Sites is inaccurate or when we recognize abuse of our policies. If we do not process an order for such reason, we will advise you that the order has been cancelled and will either not charge you or will apply credit to the payment type used in the order. Some jurisdictions may not allow the exclusions and disclaimers of certain implied warranties, so some of the provisions of this section may not apply to you.
Passwords and Security
If you use a password to access the Sites or any portion of it, then you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and for restricting access to the device you use to access the Sites, and you agree to accept responsibility for all activities that occur on your account or with your password. In the event that the confidentiality of your account or password is compromised in any manner, you will notify Costco immediately. Costco reserves the right to take any and all action, as it deems necessary or reasonable, to ensure the security of the Sites and your account, including without limitation, terminating your account, changing your password or requesting information to authorize transactions on your account. Notwithstanding the above, Costco may rely on the authority of anyone accessing your account or using your password and in no event will Costco be held liable to you for any costs, liabilities or damages resulting from or arising out of (i) any action or inaction of Costco under this provision, (ii) any compromise of the confidentiality of your account or password, and (iii) any unauthorized access to your account or use of your password.
Intellectual Property
Ownership
All Site Materials are owned by us and others and are protected by Canadian and international copyright, trademark and other applicable laws.
Trademarks
COSTCO, COSTCO WHOLESALE, COSTCO.CA, COSTCO.COM, KIRKLAND SIGNATURE (and other registered and unregistered trademarks owned by Costco or its affiliates listed on the attached Exhibit A), and their respective designs and/or logos, are registered or unregistered trademarks of Costco or its affiliates and may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Costco. In addition, all page headers, custom graphics, button icons, and scripts are trademarks and/or trade dress of Costco, and may not be copied, imitated, or used, in whole or in part, without the prior written permission of Costco. All other registered or unregistered trademarks, product names and company names or logos mentioned on the Sites are the property of their respective owners and may not be copied, imitated or used, in whole or in part, without their owners’ prior written permission.
Restrictions on Use
Except as stated in the Site Terms, none of the materials and intellectual property described in these Site Terms (including Site Materials) may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means, including, but not limited to, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Costco or the respective intellectual property owner. You may electronically copy and print to hard copy portions of the Sites for the sole purpose of using materials it contains for informational and non-commercial, personal use only. Any other use of the materials in the Sites (including any commercial use, reproduction for purposes other than described above, modification, distribution, republication, display, or performance without the prior written permission of Costco) is strictly prohibited.
Software
Any software, including any files, code, images incorporated in or generated by the software, and data accompanying the software (collectively “Software”), that may be made available on the Sites is licensed to you for use on a non-exclusive and limited basis. Costco shall retain full and complete title and all intellectual property rights to Software. You shall not copy, communicate to the public, make available, distribute, sell, modify, decompile, reverse engineer, disassemble or create derivative works from any Software.
Hyperlinks
Links to the Site
You are granted a limited, non-exclusive right to create a hypertext link to the home page only of the Sites, provided such link does not portray Costco or any of its products and services in a false, misleading, derogatory, or otherwise defamatory manner. This limited right may be revoked at any time. You may not use, frame or utilize framing or in-line linking techniques to enclose any Site Materials, Costco trademark, logo or other proprietary information, including the images found at the Sites, the content of any text or the layout/design of any page, or form contained on a page without Costco's express written consent. All other linking is prohibited without prior written consent from Costco. Except as noted above, you are not conveyed any right or licence by implication, estoppel, or otherwise in or under any patent, trademark, copyright, or proprietary right of Costco or any third party.
Third Party Links
Costco makes no claim or representation regarding, and accepts no responsibility for, the quality, content, nature or reliability of third-party websites accessible by hyperlink from the Sites, or third-party websites linking to the Sites. Any such hyperlinks provided by Costco are for your reference only and are used at your own risk.
Use of the Site
The use of the masculine gender includes the feminine and is employed solely to facilitate reading.
Your Information
If you register on the Sites or otherwise provide information to us via the Sites or through other electronic or non-electronic forms of communication, you agree that any such information will be current, accurate and complete.
Additional Submissions
You agree that any materials, including but not limited to questions, comments, suggestions, ideas, plans, notes, drawings, original or creative materials or other information, provided by you in the form of email or submissions to Costco, or postings on the Sites (“Submissions”) are non-confidential and that you remain solely responsible and liable for your Submissions. You further hereby grant (or warrant that the owner of the Submissions has granted) to us and our assigns a perpetual, royalty-free, irrevocable, unrestricted, non-exclusive, world-wide, assignable, sub-licensable, right and licence to use, copy, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, display and otherwise exploit the Submissions or any ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques associated with the Submissions for any purpose whatsoever, commercial or otherwise, using any form, media or technology now known or later developed, without providing compensation to you or any other person, without any liability whatsoever, and free from any obligation of confidence or other duties on our part or that of our assigns, and you hereby waive all moral rights, or agree, represent and warrant that all moral rights in the Submissions (including without limitation the rights of paternity, attribution and integrity) are irrevocably waived, in favor of us and our assigns. The foregoing license does not apply to the Photo Content defined and described in Section 4 below.
Restrictions for Submissions
By using the Sites, you agree not to do any of the following:
- Upload to, distribute, create through or otherwise publish through the Sites any message, information, text, file, hyperlink, or other material (“Content”) that is unlawful, libelous, defamatory, obscene, pornographic, indecent, lewd, harassing, threatening, invasive of privacy or publicity rights, false or misleading, abusive, inflammatory, contains nudity or is otherwise objectionable;
- Upload or transmit any Content that would constitute or encourage a criminal offense, violate the rights of any party, or that would otherwise create liability or violate any local, state, national, or international law, including without limitation, the regulations of any provincial securities commission or other securities commission such as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, or any rules of any securities exchange such as the Toronto Stock Exchange, the New York Stock Exchange, the American Stock Exchange, or the NASDAQ Stock Market;
- Upload or transmit any Content that may infringe any patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, or other intellectual, industrial or proprietary right of any party. By posting any Content, you represent and warrant that you have the lawful right to communicate, make available, display, distribute and reproduce such Content;
- Impersonate any person or entity or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with a person or entity;
- Upload to, distribute or otherwise publish through the Sites any Content such as charity requests, petitions for signatures, chain letters or letters relating to pyramid schemes, advertising or solicitations for funds, political campaigning, mass mailings, any form of unsolicited commercial email or “spam,” (regardless of whether the email itself complies with the requirements of applicable law for sending commercial electronic messages) or offering or disseminating fraudulent goods, services, schemes or promotions;
- Upload any Content that contains any private or personal information of a third party without such third party’s consent; and
- Disseminate any harmful content of any kind, including without limitation, viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, zombies, cancel bots, spyware, malware, malicious code or scripts, or any other items that may damage, interfere with, provide unauthorized access to, surreptitiously intercept, or expropriate any system, program, data or personal information.
Photo Centre
Our Site provides free, unlimited storage of online photos to Costco members through our online Photo Centre services (“Photo Services”). Except as otherwise set forth in these Site Terms, only you will have access to the Content you submit to, or otherwise create with, the Photo Services (“Photo Content”). If your Costco membership becomes inactive or is terminated for any reason, Costco may delete or take down your Photo Content, including all information, communications, postings, albums, or image files you have stored through the Photo Services. For clarity, the Content restrictions set out above also apply to Photo Content. You are solely responsible for maintaining backup copies of all Photo Content. Costco will not be liable or responsible to you for any damages or losses that result from your inability to access or use Photo Content. You hereby grant Costco a perpetual, universal, nonexclusive right to copy, display, modify, transmit, make derivative works of and distribute your Photo Content solely for the purpose of providing the Photo Services you request. Except as otherwise set forth in these Site Terms, Costco will not print or display your Photo Content other than in accordance with actions you take or selections you make (e.g. printing, etc.).
Policies and Enforcement
All access to and use of the Sites is governed by and subject to the Site Terms. We have the right, but not the obligation, to monitor any activity and Content associated with forums and interactive areas on the Sites. Subject to our Privacy Policy, we may access at any time and use internally for any lawful purpose information stored on our systems, including the content of any emails or other communications. We may disclose such information to any third party including law enforcement agencies to protect our rights or property in response to legal process, or in a good faith belief that such disclosure is justified or required in an emergency situation. We may investigate any reported violation of our policies or complaints and take any appropriate action that we deem appropriate. Costco has the right, but not the obligation, to take any action we deem appropriate, including but limited to action to issue a warning, suspend or terminate your access and use of the Sites and related services at any time, and block, remove or edit any communication and materials that Costco believes in its sole discretion may violate applicable law, the Site Terms or a third party's rights. Costco takes no responsibility and assumes no liability for any Content posted or uploaded by you or any third party, or for any mistakes, defamation, slander, libel, omissions, falsehoods, obscenity, pornography or profanity you may encounter.
Responsibility for Your Conduct
You represent and warrant that you have and will retain all rights necessary to grant the licenses to Costco under these Terms. You remain solely liable for the Content of any messages or other information you upload or transmit to the discussion forums or interactive areas of the Sites, including the Photo Services. You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Costco and its parents, subsidiaries, affiliates, employees, agents and representatives from any claim, action, demand, loss, or damages (including legal fees) made or incurred by any third party arising out of or relating to your conduct, your violation of these terms and conditions or any applicable law, or your Submissions (including Content and Photo Content), your violation of any rights of a third party. Indirect or attempted violations of these Site Terms or any policy, and actual or attempted violations by a third party on behalf of a user of the Sites will be considered violations of these Site Terms by such user.
Children
This website is designed for and intended for use by adults. If you are under 18, you may use the Sites only with involvement of a parent or guardian. If you are a parent or legal guardian, you must monitor and supervise the use of the Sites by children, minors and others under your care. You agree to be responsible for their use of the Sites.
Disclaimer
THIS SECTION DOES NOT AFFECT THE LEGAL WARRANTY PROVIDED FOR UNDER QUÉBEC LAW. THE SITES AND THE MATERIALS PROVIDED HEREIN ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” BASIS WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. COSTCO DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT WITH RESPECT TO THE SITES AND MATERIALS, CONTENT, SERVICES AND PRODUCT ON THE SITES. COSTCO DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT MATERIALS IN THE SITES ARE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE, CURRENT, OR ERROR-FREE. COSTCO DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SITES IS FREE FROM TYPOGRAPHICAL ERRORS OR OMISSIONS RELATING TO PRICING, TEXT OR PHOTOGRAPHY. COSTCO DOES NOT REPRESENT OR WARRANT THAT THE SITES OR ITS SERVER(S) ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, EVEN IF COSTCO OR ITS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. YOU EXPRESSLY AGREE THAT USE OF THE SITES, INCLUDING ALL CONTENT, DATA OR SOFTWARE DISTRIBUTED BY, DOWNLOADED OR ACCESSED FROM OR THROUGH THE SITES IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK.
Reference to any products, services, processes, or other information, by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, supplier, or otherwise does not constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation thereof by Costco.
Limitation of Liability
IN NO EVENT SHALL COSTCO BE LIABLE FOR ANY DIRECT, SPECIAL, PUNITIVE, EXEMPLARY, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, OR ANY OTHER DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF PROFITS, OR LOSS OF DATA, WHETHER IN AN ACTION IN CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO NEGLIGENCE), OR OTHERWISE, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH COSTCO’S OPERATION OF THE SITES OR WITH THE USE OR INABILITY TO USE THE SITES OR THE MATERIALS CONTAINED IN, OR ACCESSED THROUGH, THE SITES, EVEN IF COSTCO OR ITS AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVES HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF COSTCO (WHETHER IN CONTRACT, WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT LIABILITY, STRICT LIABILITY OR OTHER THEORY) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE USE OF THE SITES EXCEED $5 OR THE COMPENSATION YOU PAID COSTCO, WHICHEVER IS LESS.
SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW LIMITATIONS ON IMPLIED WARRANTIES, OR THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE DISCLAIMERS, EXCLUSIONS, OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MAY HAVE RIGHTS ADDITIONAL TO THOSE CONTAINED HEREIN.
Applicable Law, Venue and Limitation of Actions
This section does not apply in the Province of Québec. These Site Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario applicable to agreements made and entirely to be performed within the Province of Ontario, excluding any rules of private international law or the conflict of laws which would lead to the application of any other laws. Regardless of where you access the Sites, you agree that any action at law or in equity arising out of or relating to these Site Terms shall be filed and adjudicated only in the federal or provincial courts located in Ontario (Judicial District of Ottawa), and you hereby irrevocably and unconditionally consent and attorn to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of such courts over any suit, action or proceeding arising out of these Site Terms.
Termination
Notwithstanding any of these terms and conditions, Costco reserves the right, without notice and in its sole discretion, to terminate your licence to use the Sites, and to block or prevent future access to and use of the Sites if you violate any of these Site Terms. Upon termination, these Site Terms shall still apply.
Communication Preferences
To subscribe or unsubscribe from news, promotions, special offers and other information from Costco, regarding Costco, its affiliates and selected partners, Update my Communication Preferences.
Legal Equivalency
This electronic document and any other electronic documents, policies and guidelines incorporated herein will be: (i) deemed for all purposes to be a “writing” or “in writing,” and to comply with all statutory, contractual, and other legal requirements for a writing; (ii) legally enforceable as a signed writing as against the parties subject to the electronic documents; and (iii) deemed an “original” when printed from electronic records established and maintained in the ordinary course of business. Electronic documents introduced as evidence in any judicial, arbitration, mediation or administer of proceeding will, if established and maintained in the ordinary course of business, be admissible to the same extent as business records in written form that are similarly established and maintained.
Severability
If any provision of the Site Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or for any reason unenforceable, then that provision shall be deemed to be severed from the rest of these Site Terms and shall not affect the validity and enforceability of any remaining provisions.
Waivers
No waiver, express or implied, by Costco of any breach of or default under these Site Terms will constitute a continuing waiver of such breach or default or be deemed to be a waiver of any preceding or subsequent breach or default.
Language
The parties hereto acknowledge having expressly required that the Site Terms and all related policies and terms are to be drawn up in the English language. Les parties aux présentes reconnaissent avoir expressément exigé que les Conditions et règlements du site ainsi que toutes les politiques et règles s'y rapportant soient rédigées en anglais.