Terms of use

Thank you for visiting www.sbec.com.  We hope that you will find this Site helpful and informative.  These Terms of Use apply to and govern your use of this Site.  These Terms also incorporate our Privacy Notice.  If you do not agree with any terms or conditions herein, or have any questions, before proceeding contact us directly at contact@sbec.com, and we will be pleased to assist you.  By choosing to access and use this Site, you are expressly agreeing to be legally bound by these Terms.

Exclusive Terms. Please note that these Terms exclusively govern your access and use of this Site and do not alter or affect the terms and conditions of any other agreement that you may have or enter into with any S&B entity for any product or service. The latter agreement will continue to govern that specific relationship with S&B.  However, some pages on this Site or areas of this Site with restricted access (“Secured Sites,” including project extranets or sites engaged in e-commerce) may require the application of additional or special terms and conditions (for example, licensing restrictions to download software) which may be accessed through a separate link on the home page of that Site.

Copyright Notice. You acknowledge that, unless otherwise specifically designated, S&B is the sole owner of all intellectual property rights to this Site and its contents, including but not limited to copyright protection for all content, including the design, layout, graphics, photos, format and other visual elements of the Site. All ownership rights pertaining to the information and material contained on this Site, including but not limited to the S&B name, logos, trademark, graphics, photos, images and content, are owned or have been duly licensed by S&B, WITH ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. The Site pages and content may be electronically copied or printed in hard copy for internal informational, personal or non-commercial use only, provided that no modifications are made, it is not published in any media, and on each page of every internal copy, S&B is acknowledged as the source with a copyright symbol. You are not granted any license to use the content.

License and Site Access. S&B or third parties granting rights to S&B hold title to the materials on this Site, which are the copyrighted work of S&B or such third parties. S&B grants you a limited license to access and make personal, noncommercial use of this Site, including the right to download and make a single electronic or hard copy of limited portions (including text, photos, videos, and graphics), provided that the S&B copyright is acknowledged on each page copied. However, you may not modify it or any portion of it. This license does not include any commercial use of this Site or its contents other than our e-commerce services. The license also does not include any collection and use of any product listings, descriptions, or prices; any derivative use of this Site or its contents; or any use of data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools.  S&B may terminate this license at any time for any reason.

Neither this Web site nor any portion thereof may be reproduced, duplicated, copied, sold, or otherwise exploited for any commercial purpose. You may not frame or use framing techniques to enclose any portion of this Site. You may not use meta tags or any other hidden text using S&B’s name or trademarks. Any unauthorized use terminates the license to use granted herein.

Any use other than that set forth above, including the non-internal reproduction, modification, copying, display or use of any copyright-protected S&B or other logo, graphic, photo or image, without the prior written permission of S&B, is strictly prohibited and will be enforced to the full extent of the law. Except for data and information submitted pursuant to an existing agreement with S&B, any ideas, material or content submitted by any user on or through this Site (including by e-mail) is, to the extent you own the intellectual property rights, the sole property of S&B, and S&B has no obligation of confidentiality nor are we responsible for any claims of infringement or misappropriation that may result from any submission. Personal information submitted will be treated in accordance with our Privacy Notice. S&B makes no guarantee, representation or warranty that the content of this Site or its use will not infringe upon the intellectual property right of any person, nor that the use, transfer, reproduction, distribution, transmission or storage of any Site content outside the United States is in compliance with the laws of any other governmental authority or jurisdiction which may be applicable.

Changes to Site. In order to improve our service to you, we reserve the right to make changes in the access, operation, and content of this Site at any time without notice. We also reserve the right to make changes in the Terms and the Privacy Policy, so please check before each use for changes.

Secured Sites.  Access to some areas on this Site is restricted to users (“Authorized User(s)”) who have completed a registration process and who have then been granted authorization for access through issuance of a unique user ID and password. No other persons other than Authorized Users may access these Secured Sites. Registrations, passwords, and user ID numbers are non-transferable. Due to technical uncertainties in internet transmissions, S&B cannot be responsible for authenticating the identity of any person accessing a Secured Site with a verified user ID and password. As an Authorized User, you are solely responsible and liable to maintain the security and confidentiality of your password and user ID, and accordingly, you are liable for all resulting access, use and activities on these Secured Sites under this ID and password, including any use by others “borrowing” the user ID and password, or any fraudulent, erroneous, or unauthorized third party use. Should you become aware that your name, identity, account, system, electronic signature, registration, user ID, password, or other protected data or your identity is being used or attempted to be used on a Secured Site or otherwise by an unauthorized third party, or in the event of any other possible error, misuse or fraud, it is your responsibility to inform us immediately upon discovery so we may take appropriate action. We reserve the right to terminate any Authorized User’s access to and use of a Secured Site at any time, and without notice, including but not limited to any possible or alleged misuse, abuse, violation of law, fraud, or misconduct by any person accessing or using the Secured Site under a user ID and password.

Confidential Information. S&B discourages you from sending or posting to the site materials or information that you consider to be confidential or proprietary. Please note that if you do send such information, S&B will assume that it is not confidential. By sending or posting such information or material, you grant S&B an unrestricted license to use, reproduce, and distribute those materials or information, and you agree that S&B may use any ideas, concepts, know-how or techniques that you send or post for any purpose.

No Warranties. The information on this Site is provided for general information purposes only. While S&B strives to provide only accurate information on this Web site, you may discover some inadvertent inaccuracies in the information provided. Please bring them to our attention by using the Contact Us link at the top right of the screen. Since such mistakes may occur, S&B MAKES NO GUARANTEES, WARRANTIES, OR REPRESENTATIONS CONCERNING THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, FITNESS FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE, OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY INFORMATION ON THIS WEB SITE. WE ARE PROVIDING THE INFORMATION ON AN “AS IS, WHERE IS” BASIS, AND ALL WARRANTIES (EXPRESS OR IMPLIED) ARE DISCLAIMED.

User Conduct. For the convenience of our users, some areas on this Site may allow for interactive communication, some of which may be conducted in “real time”. You agree not to post any content which is or may be, in whole or in part: false, unlawful, criminal, fraudulent, misleading, infringing, libelous, slanderous, defamatory, profane, racist, sexist, threatening, inflammatory, obscene, invasive of personal or privacy rights, advertising, promoting or soliciting for commercial purposes, containing any known viruses or bugs, or which is otherwise harmful, offensive, inappropriate, or unprofessional. S&B has no obligation to monitor, screen, filter or edit any information, communication, or content that is directly posted by or shared by users on the Site; however, we may at our discretion from time to time monitor use of the Site, and we reserve the right to delete or edit any objectionable content posted or submitted by authorized users, terminate the user's access to the Site, deny future access, or take any other action we deem appropriate under the circumstances. Please report any such violations to us at contact@sbec.com. S&B will handle any personally identifiable data or information posted by you in accordance with our Privacy Notice; however, any third-party liability or usage which may arise from your posting will be solely at your own risk. Information obtained through monitoring our Site may also be used for duly authorized law enforcement investigations. We also reserve the right to identify and investigate inquiries to the extent required to comply with applicable laws and regulations. S&B will have no liability for any content posted by users on any Site (including Secured Sites).

Compliance with all Laws. This Site is operated from servers located in Chicago, Illinois. You agree that your use of this Site will be in compliance with all relevant and applicable laws and regulations, which shall include but not be limited to U.S. export control laws and executive orders. The information provided on and through this Site or any Secured Site may be export-controlled technology and subject to the export control restrictions of the United States. IT IS YOUR OBLIGATION TO VERIFY AND COMPLY WITH ALL APPLICABLE LAWS AND REGULATIONS OF THE UNITED STATES PERTAINING TO ANY POTENTIAL ACCESS, TRANSFER AND USE OF ANY INFORMATION HEREIN WHICH MAY BE “EXPORT-CONTROLLED” AS DEFINED BY LAW. This Site may not be accessed or used by any national of certain countries or groups against which the United States has instituted sanctions (including Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Sudan, and Syria), Specially Designated Nationals, and other proscribed entities and persons who are listed on the Denied Parties list. Due to technical uncertainties preventing verification of the identity and ultimate point of access by any person attempting to access or use the Site, including any Secured Site, your access of the Site, including the presentment of any authorized user ID and password, constitutes your express representation that (1) the person attempting access thereunder is not a national of any such sanctioned country or group or a Specially Designated National, and (2) is not included on such Denied Parties list, and (3) that, if an Authorized User, you have not disclosed or provided such password and user ID to any such person for use under your registration. Users shall be fully liable and subject to prosecution to the full extent of the law for any violations of this paragraph, and SUCH USER HEREBY AGREES TO DEFEND, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD S&B HARMLESS FROM AND AGAINST ANY AND ALL SUCH DAMAGES AND LIABILITY.

Site Security. So that this Site remains to the extent possible open and available to all users, we have mechanisms in place to identify unauthorized attempts to gain access to Secured Sites, upload or change information or any image, inject any harmful elements, or otherwise cause damage. Regardless, even though we strive to keep these mechanisms up to date, due to the technical uncertainties, we are unable to make any representation or warranty that the content, information, or links in this Site are secure and free of data-processing errors, technical glitches, operational problems, interruptions, errors, bugs, worms, viruses, unauthorized third party access or any other harmful elements. YOU REMAIN SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR THE SECURITY AND PROTECTION OF YOUR SYSTEMS WHEN USING THIS SITE. Unauthorized attempts to upload, insert or change any information or image on this Site or cause harm are strictly prohibited and may be punishable to the full extent of the law, including the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and the National Information Infrastructure Protection Act.

Links to Other Sites. As convenience, this Site may contain links to other sites that are not controlled by, or affiliated or associated with, S&B. Accordingly, S&B does not make any representations concerning the privacy practices or terms of use of such sites, nor does S&B control or guarantee the accuracy, integrity, or quality of the information and materials available on such sites.

Access Outside United States. If you are accessing this Site from outside the United States, you are doing so at your own risk, and you remain fully responsible and liable for familiarity and compliance with these Terms as well as with the laws, regulations, directives, codes and rules of the United States, including its export compliance laws and regulations, as well those of the jurisdiction from which you are accessing the Site, and any other applicable jurisdiction which may be involved in the access, transmission, routing, receipt, disclosure, storage or use of information on this Site, or any commercial transactions conducted on or through this Site.

Privacy. The use of your personal information given to us during your visit to our Site is governed by the S&B Privacy Notice, which is posted on this Site and incorporated into these Terms. You agree that any personal information you choose to provide to us will be accurate and truthful to the best of your knowledge.

LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNIFICATION. YOU AGREE THAT S&B AND ITS AFFILIATES AND DIVISIONS, CUSTOMERS, PARTNERS, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS, EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, CONTRACTORS, VENDORS, SUPPLIERS, LICENSORS, ASSIGNEES, SUCCESSORS, INSURERS AND AGENTS ARE NOT LIABLE IN ANY RESPECT FOR ANY DAMAGES (INCLUDING FOR ANY SPECIAL, INDIRECT, ECONOMIC, EXEMPLARY, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES) OR LOSS OF ANY NATURE WHICH MAY OCCUR AS A RESULT OF YOUR ACCESS AND USE OF THIS SITE.

YOU AGREE TO DEFEND, INDEMNIFY AND HOLD HARMLESS S&B AND ITS AFFILIATES AND DIVISIONS, ITS CUSTOMERS AND JOINT VENTURE PARTNERS, AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS, EMPLOYEES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, CONTRACTORS, VENDORS, ASSIGNEES, AND AGENTS, FOR ANY COSTS, CLAIMS, DAMAGES, LOSSES, OR OTHER LIABILITIES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SITE IN BREACH OF THESE TERMS OR IN VIOLATION OF LAW.

SHOULD THE ABOVE PROVISIONS BE HELD TO BE UNENFORCEABLE FOR ANY REASON, IN WHOLE OR IN PART, COMPANY'S AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ANY REASON CONNECTED TO YOUR USE OF THIS SITE WILL IN NO EVENT EXCEED THE SUM OF $100.00. ALL OTHER TERMS AND CONDITIONS HEREIN WILL REMAIN IN EFFECT IN THE EVENT ANY PROVISION SHOULD BE FOUND UNENFORCEABLE.

Applicable Law and Dispute Resolution. You agree that these Terms will be interpreted under the laws of the State of Texas, regardless of any conflicts of laws rules, and regardless of the laws of any other jurisdiction which may be asserted. Any dispute or claim which you may have (“Claim”) arising from your access or use of the Site shall be first submitted in writing to S&B within one month (30 days) from the occurrence of the event upon which such Claim is alleged to be based, or such Claim shall be deemed waived. Any Claim which has been properly submitted to S&B which has not been resolved within a reasonable period time not to exceed six (6) months may be submitted to binding arbitration as an exclusive alternative to litigation. YOU EXPRESSLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO BRING ANY LITIGATION IN ANY JURISDICTION AGAINST S&B BASED ON YOUR ACCESS OR USE OF THIS SITE OR UNDER THESE TERMS. Any arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association in Houston, Texas, in accordance with its applicable commercial rules and procedures. Any arbitral award will specifically exclude any special, indirect, incidental, exemplary, punitive or consequential damages.