Terms of Use

1. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS

Welcome to Shards Media (“Shards Media,” “Company,” “we,” “our,” or “us”).

These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Shards Media website, including all content, articles, publications, features, services, and communications made available through the website (collectively, the “Website”).

By accessing or using the Website, you agree to be legally bound by these Terms. If you do not agree with these Terms, you must discontinue use of the Website immediately.

2. ELIGIBILITY

You must have the legal capacity to enter into binding agreements under applicable law to use the Website.

By using the Website, you represent and warrant that you satisfy these requirements.

3. CHANGES TO THESE TERMS

We reserve the right to modify, amend, or update these Terms at any time.

Updated versions will become effective upon publication on the Website unless otherwise stated.

Your continued use of the Website following any changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

4. WEBSITE CONTENT

The Website may provide news, commentary, analysis, opinions, articles, multimedia content, and other informational material.

All content is provided solely for general informational purposes.

Nothing on the Website constitutes legal, financial, investment, medical, professional, or other regulated advice.

Users should seek professional advice appropriate to their circumstances before acting on any information published on the Website.

5. EDITORIAL INDEPENDENCE

Opinions expressed in articles, interviews, commentaries, guest submissions, or other content belong solely to their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Shards Media.

Shards Media does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of opinions expressed by contributors.

6. USER CONDUCT

You agree not to:

• Violate any applicable law or regulation;
• Infringe the rights of any third party;
• Upload, transmit, or distribute unlawful, harmful, defamatory, obscene, fraudulent, or misleading content;
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Website, servers, systems, or networks;
• Interfere with the operation or security of the Website;
• Use automated tools, bots, scrapers, or similar technologies to access Website content in a manner that imposes an unreasonable burden on our infrastructure;
• Engage in activities that may damage the reputation or operation of Shards Media.

7. USER SUBMISSIONS

If you voluntarily submit information, inquiries, comments, feedback, articles, suggestions, or other materials to Shards Media, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to review, store, reproduce, publish, adapt, or otherwise use such submissions for legitimate editorial, operational, or business purposes.

You represent that you possess all rights necessary to provide such submissions.

8. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

Unless otherwise stated, all content on the Website, including but not limited to:

• Articles;
• Text;
• Graphics;
• Logos;
• Branding;
• Layouts;
• Designs;
• Images;
• Audio and video content;
• Databases;

is owned by or licensed to Shards Media and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws.

No content may be copied, reproduced, distributed, modified, republished, or commercially exploited without prior written permission, except as permitted by applicable law.

9. LIMITED LICENSE

Subject to compliance with these Terms, Shards Media grants users a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, and revocable license to access and use the Website for personal, non-commercial purposes.

10. COPYRIGHT COMPLAINTS

If you believe content on the Website infringes your intellectual property rights, please contact us with sufficient details to investigate the matter.

We reserve the right to remove or restrict access to allegedly infringing material where appropriate.

11. THIRD-PARTY LINKS

The Website may contain links to third-party websites, services, or resources.

Such links are provided solely for convenience.

Shards Media does not endorse, control, or assume responsibility for third-party content, products, services, or privacy practices.

12. DISCLAIMERS

THE WEBSITE AND ALL CONTENT ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SHARDS MEDIA DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, ACCURACY, AVAILABILITY, OR RELIABILITY.

WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT THE WEBSITE WILL OPERATE WITHOUT INTERRUPTION, ERROR, OR SECURITY INCIDENTS.

13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SHARDS MEDIA, ITS OWNERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRIBUTORS, AFFILIATES, AND REPRESENTATIVES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED TO THE USE OF THE WEBSITE.

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY EXCEED THE AMOUNT PAID BY THE USER TO ACCESS THE WEBSITE DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM OR INR 1,000, WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

14. INDEMNIFICATION

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Shards Media and its affiliates, officers, employees, contributors, and representatives from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses arising from:

• Your use of the Website;
• Your violation of these Terms;
• Your violation of any applicable law;
• Your infringement of third-party rights.

15. PRIVACY

Your use of the Website is also governed by the Shards Media Privacy Policy, which forms an integral part of these Terms.

16. TERMINATION

We reserve the right to suspend, restrict, or terminate access to the Website at any time and without prior notice if we reasonably believe a user has violated these Terms or applicable law.

17. FORCE MAJEURE

Shards Media shall not be liable for any delay or failure to perform resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control, including natural disasters, governmental actions, internet outages, cyber incidents, labor disputes, or other force majeure events.

18. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to conflict of law principles.

19. DISPUTE RESOLUTION

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Website shall first be attempted to be resolved amicably through good-faith discussions.

If such discussions fail, disputes shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts located in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India.

20. SEVERABILITY

If any provision of these Terms is determined to be invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

21. ENTIRE AGREEMENT

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other legal notices published on the Website, constitute the entire agreement between the user and Shards Media regarding use of the Website.