This is a working draft. Bracketed items still need to be filled in before launch. By using unitedstatesof.lol (the “Site”) you agree to these terms.
1. What this is
The Site is a novelty bidding game. You place bids to have your name, company logo and link displayed on a map of the 50 US states. “Claiming” a state is entertainment only. It confers no property, no rights, and no real-world claim to any state, land or anything else. The Site is not affiliated with any government or with any company that appears on it.
2. Eligibility
You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter into a contract. If you bid on behalf of a company, you confirm you are authorised to represent that company.
3. Handles and submissions
You are responsible for everything you submit through the bid form: your username or handle, company name, logo image and link. It must be accurate, must not impersonate another person or business, and must not infringe anyone’s rights.
4. Bids and payments
- A bid is a binding offer to pay the amount you enter, charged immediately through our third-party payment processor. You authorise that charge.
- Starting prices and the $1 minimum increment are set out in the Rules, which form part of these terms.
- Being outbid by someone else is expected behaviour and is not a breach of these terms by us or by them.
- All amounts are in US dollars. Any applicable taxes are yours.
5. Refunds
Bids are final. We do not refund a bid because you were later outbid, or because you changed your mind. If we fail to display a placement you paid for due to our own error, or we remove your content for a reason that is not your fault, we will refund that bid. Nothing here limits rights you have under applicable law.
6. Your content and licence
You keep ownership of your logo and other submissions. You grant us a worldwide, royalty-free licence to store, resize and display them on the Site, in the newsfeed, in the ledger, and in related promotion of the Site, for as long as your placement is live. You warrant that you have the rights to grant this licence.
We may remove or refuse any submission at our discretion, including content that is illegal, deceptive, phishing, malware, sexually explicit, hateful, abusive, or that impersonates someone. Removal for your breach does not earn a refund.
7. Acceptable use
- Do not interfere with, overload, or try to break the Site.
- Do not use bots or automated scripts to place bids without our written permission.
- Do not misrepresent your affiliation with any person or company.
- Do not scrape the Site except as permitted by our robots rules.
8. Availability and changes
The Site is provided “as is” and “as available”. We may change, pause, reset demo data, or discontinue any part of the Site at any time. We do not guarantee that a placement stays visible for any length of time, gets any views, or drives any traffic, clicks or sales.
9. Intellectual property
The Site name, design, code and copy are ours or our licensors’. The state map geometry is derived from public-domain US Census / Natural Earth data.
10. Disclaimers
To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. The Site is a joke about maps, not a financial product, an investment, or a registry of anything.
11. Limitation of liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability to you for any claim relating to the Site is limited to the greater of (a) the total amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or (b) US $100. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, special or consequential damages.
12. Indemnity
You will indemnify us against claims, losses and costs arising from your submissions, your use of the Site, or your breach of these terms.
13. Governing law
These terms are governed by the laws of [state / country to be confirmed], without regard to conflict-of-laws rules. The courts of [venue to be confirmed] have exclusive jurisdiction.
14. Changes to these terms
We may update these terms. If we make a material change we will update the date at the top of this page. Continuing to use the Site after a change means you accept it.
15. Contact
Questions about these terms: hello@unitedstatesof.lol.