11. MANDATORY BINDING ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER 11.1. PLEASE READ THIS ARBITRATION PROVISION CAREFULLY TO UNDERSTAND YOUR RIGHTS. EXCEPT WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW, YOU AGREE THAT ANY CLAIM THAT YOU MAY HAVE IN THE FUTURE MUST BE RESOLVED THROUGH FINAL AND BINDING CONFIDENTIAL ARBITRATION. YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT YOU ARE WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY. THE RIGHTS THAT YOU WOULD HAVE IF YOU WENT TO COURT, SUCH AS DISCOVERY OR THE RIGHT TO APPEAL, MAY BE MORE LIMITED OR MAY NOT EXIST.
11.2. YOU AGREE THAT YOU MAY ONLY BRING A CLAIM IN YOUR INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF (LEAD OR OTHERWISE) OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. YOU FURTHER AGREE THAT THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE PROCEEDINGS OR CLAIMS OR OTHERWISE PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF A REPRESENTATIVE OR CLASS PROCEEDING.
11.3. YOU AND THE COMPANY, AND EACH OF ITS RESPECTIVE AGENTS, CORPORATE PARENTS, SUBSIDIARIES, AFFILIATES, PREDECESSORS IN INTEREST, SUCCESSORS, AND ASSIGNS, AGREE TO ARBITRATION (EXCEPT FOR MATTERS THAT MAY BE TAKEN TO SMALL CLAIMS COURT), AS THE EXCLUSIVE FORM OF DISPUTE RESOLUTION EXCEPT AS PROVIDED FOR BELOW, FOR ALL DISPUTES AND CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THIS AGREEMENT, THE SERVICE, OR THE PRIVACY POLICY, UNLESS YOU ARE LOCATED IN A JURISDICTION THAT PROHIBITS THE EXCLUSIVE USE OF ARBITRATION FOR DISPUTE RESOLUTION.
11.4. Arbitration is a more informal way to settle disputes than a lawsuit in court. A neutral arbitrator instead of a judge or jury is used in arbitration, which allows for more limited discovery than in court, and is subject to very limited review by courts. The same damages and relief that a court can award can be awarded by arbitrators. Please see more information about arbitration at
https://www.adr.org.
11.5. A party which intends to seek arbitration must first send to the other a written notice of intent to arbitrate (a "Notice") by an international courier with a tracking mechanism, or, in the absence of a mailing address provided by you to us, via any other method available to us, including via e-mail. The Notice to the Company must be addressed to Florinis, 7, Greg Tower, 2nd floor, 1065, Nicosia, Cyprus (as applicable, the "Arbitration Notice Address"). The Notice shall (i) describe the basis and nature of the claim or dispute, and (ii) set the specific relief sought (the "Demand"). If you and the Company do not reach an agreement to resolve the claim within 30 days after the Notice is received, then you or we may commence an arbitration proceeding as set forth below or file an individual claim in small claims court.
11.6. THE AMERICAN ARBITRATION ASSOCIATION ("AAA") WILL EXCLUSIVELY ADMINISTER THE ARBITRATION IN ACCORDANCE WITH ITS COMMERCIAL ARBITRATION RULES AND THE SUPPLEMENTARY PROCEDURES FOR CONSUMER RELATED DISPUTES (THE "Rules"), AS MODIFIED BY THESE TERMS.
11.7. If you commence an arbitration against us, you are required to provide a second Notice to the Company at the Arbitration Notice Address within seven (7) days of arbitration commencement. The Rules and AAA forms are available online at
https://www.adr.org. Unless your Demand is equal to or greater than $1,000 or was filed in bad faith, in which case you are solely responsible for the payment of the filing fee, if you are required to pay a filing fee to commence an arbitration against us, then we will promptly reimburse you for your confirmed payment of the filing fee upon our receipt of the second Notice at the Arbitration Notice Address that you have commenced arbitration along with a receipt evidencing payment of the filing fee.
11.8. The arbitration shall be conducted exclusively in English. A single, independent and impartial arbitrator with his or her primary place of business in Alexandria, Virginia (if you are from the United States) or in Nicosia, Cyprus (if you are not from the United States) will be appointed pursuant to the Rules, as modified herein. You and the Company agree to comply with the following rules, which are intended to streamline the arbitration process and reduce the costs and burdens on the parties: (i) the arbitration will be conducted online and/or be solely based on written submissions, the specific manner to be chosen by the party initiating the arbitration; (ii) the arbitration will not require any personal appearance by the parties or witnesses unless otherwise mutually agreed in writing by the parties; and (iii) any judgment on the award the arbitrator renders may be entered in any court of competent jurisdiction.
11.9. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER LAW, YOU AND THE COMPANY AGREE THAT YOU AND THE COMPANY MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS, REPRESENTATIVE, OR CONSOLIDATED PROCEEDING. FURTHER, YOU AGREE THAT THE ARBITRATOR MAY NOT CONSOLIDATE PROCEEDINGS OF MORE THAN ONE PERSON'S CLAIMS, AND MAY NOT OTHERWISE PRESIDE OVER ANY FORM OF A REPRESENTATIVE OR CLASS PROCEEDING, AND THAT IF THIS SPECIFIC PROVISION IS FOUND TO BE UNENFORCEABLE, THEN THE ENTIRETY OF THIS MANDATORY ARBITRATION SECTION WILL BE NULL AND VOID.
11.10. The arbitrator shall have the exclusive and sole authority to resolve any dispute relating to the interpretation, construction, validity, applicability, or enforceability of these Terms, the Privacy Policy, and this arbitration provision. The arbitrator shall have the exclusive and sole authority to determine whether this arbitration clause can be enforced against a non-party to this agreement and whether a non-party to these Terms can enforce its provision against you or us.
11.11. Barring extraordinary circumstances, the arbitrator will issue his or her final, confidential decision within 120 days from the date the arbitrator is appointed. The arbitrator may extend this time limit for an additional 30 days upon a showing of good cause and in the interests of justice. All arbitration proceedings will be closed to the public and confidential, and all records relating thereto will be permanently sealed, except as necessary to obtain court confirmation of the arbitration award. The award of the arbitrator will be in writing and will include a statement setting forth the reasons for the disposition of any claim. The arbitrator shall apply the laws of the Commonwealth of Virginia without regard to its conflicts of laws principles in conducting the arbitration. You acknowledge that these terms and your use of the Service evidence a transaction involving interstate commerce. The United States Federal Arbitration Act ("FAA") will govern the interpretation, enforcement, and proceedings pursuant to this Section 10. Any award rendered shall be final, subject to appeal under the FAA.
11.12. The abovestated provisions of this Section 10 shall not apply to any claim in which either party seeks equitable relief to protect such party's copyrights, trademarks, patents, or other intellectual property. For the avoidance of doubt, you agree that in the event the Company or a third party breaches these Terms, the damage or harm, if any, caused to you will not entitle you to seek injunctive or other equitable relief against us, and your only remedy will be for monetary damages, subject to the limitations of liability set forth in these Terms.
11.13. You and we agree that notwithstanding any other rights a party may have at law or in equity, any claim arising out of or related to these Terms (including the Privacy Policy) or the Service, excluding a claim for indemnification, must be initiated with the AAA or filed in small claims court in Alexandria, Virginia within one (1) year after the claim accrues. Otherwise, such cause of action is permanently and forever barred. This one (1) year period includes the thirty (30) day pre-dispute procedure set forth in sub-clause 10.5 above.
11.14. All claims you bring against the Company must be resolved in accordance with this Section. All claims filed or brought contrary to this Section shall be considered improperly filed. Should you file a claim contrary to this Section, the Company may recover attorneys' fees and reimbursement of its costs provided that the Company has notified you in writing of the improperly filed claim, and you fail to promptly withdraw such claim.
11.15. In the event that we make any material change to this arbitration provision (other than a change to our Arbitration Notice Address), you may reject any such change by sending us written notice to our Arbitration Notice Address within thirty (30) days of the change, in which case your license to use the Service will terminate immediately, and this Section 10, as in effect immediately prior to the amendments you reject, will survive the termination of these Terms.
11.16. If only clause 10.9 paragraph above or the entirety of this Section 10 is found to be unenforceable, then the entirety of this Section 10 will be null and void and, in such case, the parties agree that the exclusive jurisdiction and venue described in Section 11 will govern any action arising out of or related to this Agreement.
11.17. YOU UNDERSTAND THAT YOU WOULD HAVE HAD A RIGHT TO LITIGATE THROUGH A COURT, TO HAVE A JUDGE OR JURY DECIDE YOUR CASE, AND TO BE PARTY TO A CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION. HOWEVER, YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE TO HAVE ANY CLAIMS DECIDED INDIVIDUALLY AND ONLY THROUGH BINDING, FINAL, AND CONFIDENTIAL ARBITRATION.
11.18. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO OPT-OUT OF THIS ARBITRATION PROVISION WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS FROM THE DATE THAT YOU FIRST USE, OR ATTEMPT TO USE, THE SERVICE BY WRITING TO
INFO@CHECKIFY.PRO OR TO THE ARBITRATION NOTICE ADDRESS. FOR YOUR OPT-OUT TO BE EFFECTIVE, YOU MUST SUBMIT A SIGNED WRITTEN NOTICE OPTING OUT AND CONTAINING ENOUGH DETAILS ABOUT YOU FOR US TO BE ABLE TO IDENTIFY YOU WITHIN THIRTY (30) DAYS. IF MORE THAN THIRTY (30) DAYS HAVE PASSED, YOU ARE NOT ELIGIBLE TO OPT OUT OF THIS PROVISION AND YOU MUST PURSUE YOUR CLAIM THROUGH BINDING ARBITRATION AS SET FORTH IN THIS AGREEMENT.