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General Terms of Use

Jason
Updated 3 months ago

In this article

Also see the Privacy Policy, the General Uploader Agreement, and the Prohibited Activity and
Content Notice. For payment and billing information, cancellation information, and
restrictions, see the Subscriber Agreement.

13 November 2020

Scribd is a website, mobile application, and related services company that provides for the
consumption and publication of written and audio-based digital content. These General Terms
of Use (the “Terms”) set out the terms and conditions by which Scribd o�ers you access to use
and enjoy Scribd.com (the “Site”), the Scribd mobile application (the “App”), and all services
provided by Scribd ( the “Services”).

Scribd is owned and operated in the United States by Scribd, Inc. If you are located in the
European Economic Area (“EEA”) or the United Kingdom (“U.K.”), then these terms comprise an
agreement between you and Scribd Netherlands B.V. If you are not located in the EEA or the
U.K., then these terms are an agreement between you and Scribd, Inc. For the purposes of
these Terms, Scribd, Inc. and Scribd Netherlands B.V. are collectively referred to as “Scribd.”

The term “Account” refers to a basic Scribd account maintained by an individual User or a
single entity (“You”, “User”, or, collectively, “Users”). The terms “Subscription,” “Subscription
Membership,” and “Membership” apply to any paid subscription that allows Account holders to
access premium and exclusive content (“Subscription Content”).

The following General Terms of Use is a legal contract between You, either an individual User or
a single entity, and Scribd regarding Your use of the Site and Apps. If you are accessing and
using the Services on behalf of a company (such as your employer) or other legal entity, you
represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms. In that
case, “You” and “Your” will refer to the entity.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS OF USE CAREFULLY. BY REGISTERING FOR, ACCESSING,

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4. Subscription.
Scribd o�ers access to premium and exclusive content by means of a Subscription. A
Subscription entitles You to access Scribd's digital library of content during the subscription
period. Your access to the applicable content and related purchase transaction are subject to
the Subscriber Agreement.

5. Modi�cation of these Terms and Services.

Scribd reserves the right, at our discretion, to change, modify, add, or remove portions of these
Terms, or any additional terms and notices, including the Subscriber Agreement, General
Uploader Agreement, the Prohibited Activity and Content Notice, and the Gi�card/Gi�
Membership Terms and Conditions at any time. If we do so, we will inform You either by
posting the modified Terms here or through other communications. Your continued use of
Scribd a�er the posting of changes constitutes Your binding acceptance of such changes. We
may change or discontinue all or any part of the Services, at any time and without notice, at our
sole discretion.

6. Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Scribd respects copyright law and expects its users to do the same. It is Scribdʼs policy to
terminate in appropriate circumstances Account holders who repeatedly infringe or are
believed to be repeatedly infringing the rights of copyright holders. Scribdʼs copyright-related
policies and procedures are further described at the Copyright Resource Center.

7. Scribd License Grant.

7.1 License Grant to Scribd Mobile App
Subject to Your compliance with these Terms, Scribd grants to You a limited, non-exclusive,
non-transferable, freely revocable license to download and install a copy of the App on any
mobile device or computer that You own or control and to run such copy of the App solely
for Your own personal non-commercial purposes. You may not copy the App, except for
making a reasonable number of copies for backup or archival purposes. Except as expressly
permitted in these Terms, You may not: (i) copy, modify or create derivative works based on
the App; (ii) distribute, transfer, sublicense, lease, lend or rent the App to any third party; (iii)
reverse engineer, decompile or disassemble the App; or (iv) make the functionality of the
App available to multiple users through any means. Scribd reserves all rights in and to the
App not expressly granted to You under these Terms.

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9.1 use Scribd for any purpose other than to receive original or appropriately licensed
content, to add Descriptive Information, and/or to access Scribd as such Services are o�ered
by Scribd (“Descriptive Information” refers to the corresponding title and description of User
Content posted by Users along with such content);

9.2 rent, lease, loan, sell, resell, sublicense, distribute, display or otherwise transfer the
licenses granted herein or any Materials (as defined in section 13, below);

9.3 post, upload, or distribute any defamatory, libelous, or inaccurate content and/or
Descriptive Information;

9.4 post, upload, or distribute any content or Descriptive Information that is unlawful or that a
reasonable person could deem to be objectionable, o�ensive, indecent, pornographic,
invasive of anotherʼs privacy, harassing, threatening, embarrassing, distressing, vulgar,
hateful, racially or ethnically o�ensive, or otherwise inappropriate;

9.5 impersonate any person or entity, falsely claim an a�iliation with any person or entity, or
access the Accounts of others without permission, forge another personsʼ digital signature,
misrepresent the source, identity, or content of information transmitted via Scribd, or perform
any other similar fraudulent activity;

9.6 delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notices on Scribd or associated with any
content available via Scribd;

9.7 make unsolicited o�ers, advertisements, proposals, or send junk mail or spam to other
Users of Scribd. This includes, but is not limited to, unsolicited advertising, promotional
materials, or other solicitation materials, bulk mailing of commercial advertising, chain mail,
informational announcements, charity requests, and petitions for signatures;

9.8 use Scribd for any illegal purpose, or in violation of any local, state, national, or
international law, including, without limitation, laws governing intellectual property and
other proprietary rights, and data protection and privacy;

9.9 defame, harass, abuse, threaten or defraud Users of Scribd, or collect, or attempt to
collect, personal information about Users or third parties without their consent;

9.10 use Scribd if You are under the age of thirteen (13) years old;

9.11 remove, circumvent, disable, damage or otherwise interfere with rights enforcement and
other security-related features that prevent or restrict use or copying, printing, or sharing of
any content accessible through Scribd, or features that enforce limitations on the use of
Scribd or any content available via Scribd;

9.12 reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble or otherwise attempt to discover Scribdʼs

source code or any part thereof, except and only to the extent that such activity is expressly
permitted by applicable law notwithstanding this limitation;

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between You and such advertisers. Access and use of Reference Sites, including the
information, materials, products, and services on or available through Reference Sites is solely
at Your own risk.

12. Termination; Terms of Use Violations.

12.1 Scribd.
You agree that Scribd, at its sole discretion, for any or no reason, and without penalty, may
terminate any Account (or any part thereof) You may have with Scribd or Your use of Scribd
and remove and discard all or any part of Your Account, User profile, and any content, at any
time and without notice to You. One reason we may terminate Your Account is if You do not
log into Your Account for an extensive period of time; however, we will not terminate Your
Account for inactivity if You continue to pay the fees associated with a Subscription. Scribd
may also in its sole discretion and at any time discontinue providing access to Scribd, or any
part thereof, with or without notice. You agree that any termination of Your access to Scribd
or any Account You may have or portion thereof may be e�ected without prior notice, and
You agree that Scribd will not be liable to You or any third party for any such termination.
Any suspected fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity may be referred to appropriate law
enforcement authorities. These remedies are in addition to any other remedies Scribd may
have at law or in equity. Notwithstanding the foregoing, if you have paid for a Subscription
Membership, please see the Subscriber Agreement for additional terms applicable to the
cancellation of Your Account.

12.2 You.
Your only remedy with respect to any dissatisfaction with (i) Scribd, (ii) any term of these
Terms, (iii) any policy or practice of Scribd, or (iv) any content or information transmitted
through the Services, is to cancel Your Account and to stop using Scribd. You may cancel
Your Account at any time through the account settings panel a�er You have logged into the
Site or the App, or by sending an email to support@scribd.com requesting a cancellation of
your Account. You may terminate these Terms at any time by canceling Your Account and
discontinuing use of Scribd.

12.3 E�ect of Cancellation or Termination.

Upon any cancellation or termination, the rights and licenses granted to You under these
Terms and any additional terms and conditions will automatically terminate and the
following provisions will survive: “E�ect of Cancellation or Termination,” “Ownership;
Proprietary Rights,” “Indemnification,” “Disclaimers; No Warranties,” “Limitation of Liability
and Damages,” “Dispute Resolution,” and “Miscellaneous.”

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16. Limitation of Liability and Damages.

16.1 Limitation of Liability.
UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, NEGLIGENCE, WILL SCRIBD
OR ITS AFFILIATES, CONTRACTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR THIRD-PARTY PARTNERS,
LICENSORS, OR SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL,
CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, RELIANCE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES (INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION DAMAGES ARISING FROM ANY UNSUCCESSFUL COURT ACTION OR LEGAL
DISPUTE, LOST BUSINESS, LOST REVENUES OR LOSS OF ANTICIPATED PROFITS OR ANY
OTHER PECUNIARY OR NON-PECUNIARY LOSS OR DAMAGE OF ANY NATURE WHATSOEVER)
ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THAT RESULT FROM YOUR USE OR YOUR
INABILITY TO USE THE MATERIALS AND CONTENT ON SCRIBD OR ANY REFERENCE SITES, OR
ANY OTHER INTERACTIONS WITH SCRIBD, EVEN IF SCRIBD OR A SCRIBD AUTHORIZED
REPRESENTATIVE HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

16.2 Limitation of Damages.

IN NO EVENT WILL THE TOTAL LIABILITY OF SCRIBD OR ITS AFFILIATES, CONTRACTORS,
EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR THIRD-PARTY PARTNERS, LICENSORS, OR SUPPLIERS TO YOU FOR
ALL DAMAGES, LOSSES, AND CAUSES OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE
TERMS, YOUR USE OF SCRIBD OR YOUR INTERACTION WITH OTHER SCRIBD USERS
(WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE, WARRANTY, OR OTHERWISE),
EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU, IF ANY, FOR ACCESSING SCRIBD DURING THE THREE (3)
MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE OF THE CLAIM OR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS,
WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

16.3 Reference Sites.

THESE LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY ALSO APPLY WITH RESPECT TO DAMAGES INCURRED BY
YOU BY REASON OF ANY PRODUCTS OR SERVICES SOLD OR PROVIDED ON ANY REFERENCE
SITES OR OTHERWISE BY THIRD PARTIES OTHER THAN SCRIBD AND RECEIVED THROUGH OR
ADVERTISED ON SCRIBD OR RECEIVED THROUGH ANY REFERENCE SITES.

16.4 Basis of the Bargain.

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT SCRIBD HAS OFFERED ITS PRODUCTS AND SERVICES,
SET ITS PRICES, AND ENTERED INTO THESE TERMS IN RELIANCE UPON THE WARRANTY
DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SET FORTH HEREIN, THAT THE WARRANTY
DISCLAIMERS AND LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY SET FORTH HEREIN REFLECT A REASONABLE
AND FAIR ALLOCATION OF RISK BETWEEN YOU AND SCRIBD, AND THAT THE WARRANTY

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day period, You will be deemed to have knowingly and intentionally waived Your right to
litigate any Dispute except as expressly set forth in clauses (i) and (ii) above. The exclusive
jurisdiction and venue of any IP Protection Action or, if You timely provide Scribd with an
Arbitration Opt-out Notice, will be the state and federal courts located in the Northern
District of California and each of the parties hereto waives any objection to jurisdiction and
venue in such courts.

17.3 Class and Representative Action Waiver.

Unless You timely provide Scribd with an Arbitration Opt-out Notice, You acknowledge and
agree that You and Scribd are each waiving the right to a trial by jury or to participate as a
plainti� or class member in any purported class action or representative proceeding.
Further, unless both You and Scribd otherwise agree in writing, the arbitrator may not
consolidate more than one person's claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of
any class or representative proceeding. If this specific paragraph is held unenforceable, then
the entirety of this “Dispute Resolution” section will be deemed void. Except as provided in
the preceding sentence, this “Dispute Resolution” section will survive any termination of
these Terms.

17.4 Arbitration Rules.

The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) in
accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules and the Supplementary Procedures for
Consumer Related Disputes (the “AAA Rules”) then in e�ect, except as modified by this
“Dispute Resolution” section. (The AAA Rules are available here or by calling the AAA at
1-800-778-7879.) The Federal Arbitration Act will govern the interpretation and enforcement
of this Section.

17.5 Arbitration Process.

A party who desires to initiate arbitration must provide the other party with a written
Demand for Arbitration as specified in the AAA Rules. The AAA provides a general Demand for
Arbitration, a separate Demand for Arbitration for California residents, and other forms here.
The arbitrator will be either a retired judge or an attorney licensed to practice law and will be
selected by the parties from the AAAʼs roster of arbitrators. If the parties are unable to agree
upon an arbitrator within seven (7) days of delivery of the Demand for Arbitration, then the
AAA will appoint the arbitrator in accordance with the AAA Rules.

17.6 Arbitration Location and Procedure.

Unless You and Scribd otherwise agree, the arbitration will be conducted in the county
where You reside. If Your claim does not exceed $10,000, then the arbitration will be

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18.1 Notice.
Scribd may provide You with notices, including those regarding changes to Scribdʼs terms
and conditions, by email, regular mail, or postings on a Scribd-a�iliated website. Notice will
be deemed given twenty-four hours a�er email is sent, unless Scribd is notified that the
email address is invalid. Alternatively, we may give You legal notice by mail to a postal
address, if provided by You. In such case, notice will be deemed given three days a�er the
date of mailing. Notice posted on Scribd is deemed given ten days following the initial
posting.

18.2 Waiver.
The failure of Scribd to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not
constitute a waiver of such right or provision. Any waiver of any provision of these Terms will
be e�ective only if in writing and signed by Scribd.

18.3 Severability.
If any provision of these Terms or any Guidelines is held to be unlawful, void, or for any
reason unenforceable, then that provision will be limited or eliminated from these Terms to
the minimum extent necessary and will not a�ect the validity and enforceability of any
remaining provisions.

18.4 Assignment.
These Terms and related Guidelines, and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not
be transferred or assigned by You, but may be assigned by Scribd without restriction. Any
assignment attempted to be made in violation of these Terms shall be void.

18.5 Survival.
Upon termination of these Terms, any provision which, by its nature or express terms should
survive, will survive such termination or expiration, including, but not limited to, sections
6-18.

18.6 Headings.
The heading references herein are for convenience purposes only, do not constitute a part of
these Terms, and will not be deemed to limit or a�ect any of the provisions hereof.

18.7 Entire Agreement.

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Copyright © 2021 Scribd Inc.

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