19.1 This Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement shall apply if your (i) Country of Residence is in the United States; or (ii) your Country of Residence is not in the United States, but bring any claim against Adventure IO in the United States (to the extent not in conflict with Section 21).
19.2 Overview of Dispute Resolution Process. Adventure IO is committed to participating in a consumer-friendly dispute resolution process. To that end, these Terms provide for a two-part process for individuals to whom Section 19.1 applies: (1) an informal negotiation directly with Adventure IO’s customer service team, and (2) a binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) using its specially designed Consumer Arbitration Rules (as modified by this Section 19 and except as provided in Section 19.6). Specifically, the Consumer Arbitration Rules provide:
19.3 Pre-Arbitration Dispute Resolution and Notification. Prior to initiating an arbitration, you and Adventure IO each agree to notify the other party of the dispute and attempt to negotiate an informal resolution to it first. We will contact you at the email address you have provided to us; you can contact Adventure IO’s customer service team by emailing us. If after a good faith effort to negotiate one of us feels the dispute has not and cannot be resolved informally, the party intending to pursue arbitration agrees to notify the other party via email prior to initiating the arbitration. In order to initiate arbitration, a claim must be filed with the AAA and the written Demand for Arbitration (available at www.adr.org) provided to the other party, as specified in the AAA Rules.
19.4 Agreement to Arbitrate. You and Adventure IO mutually agree that any dispute, claim or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the breach, termination, enforcement or interpretation thereof, or to the use of the Adventure IO Platform, the Guide Services, or the Collective Content (collectively, “Disputes”) will be settled by binding arbitration (the “Arbitration Agreement”). If there is a dispute about whether this Arbitration Agreement can be enforced or applies to our Dispute, you and Adventure IO agree that the arbitrator will decide that issue.
19.5 Exceptions to Arbitration Agreement. You and Adventure IO each agree that the following claims are exceptions to the Arbitration Agreement and will be brought in a judicial proceeding in a court of competent jurisdiction: (i) Any claim related to actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation or violation of a party’s copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, patents, or other intellectual property rights; (ii) Any claim seeking emergency injunctive relief based on exigent circumstances (e.g., imminent danger or commission of a crime, hacking, cyber-attack).
19.6 Arbitration Rules and Governing Law. This Arbitration Agreement evidences a transaction in interstate commerce and thus the Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this provision. The arbitration will be administered by AAA in accordance with the Consumer Arbitration Rules and/or other AAA arbitration rules determined to be applicable by the AAA (the “AAA Rules”) then in effect, except as modified here. The AAA Rules are available at www.adr.org or by calling the AAA at 1–800–778–7879.
19.7 Modification to AAA Rules - Arbitration Hearing/Location. In order to make the arbitration most convenient to you, Adventure IO agrees that any required arbitration hearing may be conducted, at your option, (a) in the county where you reside; (b) in Salt Lake County; (c) in any other location to which you and Adventure IO both agree; (d) via phone or video conference; or (e) for any claim or counterclaim under $25,000, by solely the submission of documents to the arbitrator.
19.8 Modification of AAA Rules - Attorney’s Fees and Costs. You and Adventure IO agree that Adventure IO will be responsible for payment of the balance of any initial filing fee under the AAA Rules in excess of $200 for claims of $75,000 or less. You may be entitled to seek an award of attorney fees and expenses if you prevail in arbitration, to the extent provided under applicable law and the AAA rules. Unless the arbitrator determines that your claim was frivolous or filed for the purpose of harassment, Adventure IO agrees it will not seek, and hereby waives all rights it may have under applicable law or the AAA Rules, to recover attorneys’ fees and expenses if it prevails in arbitration.
19.9 Arbitrator’s Decision. The arbitrator’s decision will include the essential findings and conclusions upon which the arbitrator based the award. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court with proper jurisdiction. The arbitrator may award declaratory or injunctive relief only on an individual basis and only to the extent necessary to provide relief warranted by the claimant’s individual claim.
19.10 Jury Trial Waiver. You and Adventure IO acknowledge and agree that we are each waiving the right to a trial by jury as to all arbitrable Disputes.
19.11 No Class Actions or Representative Proceedings. You and Adventure IO acknowledge and agree that we are each waiving the right to participate as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class action lawsuit, class-wide arbitration, private attorney-general action, or any other representative proceeding as to all Disputes. Further, unless you and Adventure IO both otherwise agree in writing, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one party’s claims and may not otherwise preside over any form of any class or representative proceeding. If this paragraph is held unenforceable with respect to any Dispute, then the entirety of the Arbitration Agreement will be deemed void with respect to such Dispute.
19.12 Severability. Except as provided in Section 19.11, in the event that any portion of this Arbitration Agreement is deemed illegal or unenforceable, such provision shall be severed and the remainder of the Arbitration Agreement shall be given full force and effect.
19.13 Changes. Notwithstanding the provisions of Section 3 (“Modification of these Terms”), if Adventure IO changes this Section 19 (“Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement”) after the date you last accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms), you may reject any such change by sending us written notice (including by email) within thirty (30) days of the date such change became effective, as indicated in the “Last Updated” date above or in the date of Adventure IO’s email to you notifying you of such change. By rejecting any change, you are agreeing that you will arbitrate any Dispute between you and Adventure IO in accordance with the provisions of the “Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement” section as of the date you last accepted these Terms (or accepted any subsequent changes to these Terms).
19.14 Survival. Except as provided in Section 19.12 and subject to Section 15.8, this Section 19 will survive any termination of these Terms and will continue to apply even if you stop using the Adventure IO Platform or terminate your Adventure IO Account.