Terms and Conditions for ProbateReads.com

Effective Date: October 5, 2025

1. Introduction and Acceptance

• Welcome to ProbateReads.com. We may also refer to ourselves as ProbateReads, we, us, or our. By accessing or using this website, creating an account, or submitting any forms including event listings, book submissions, or other content, or by participating in any promotions or offers, you agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and by our Privacy Policy.
• If you do not agree to these Terms and Conditions, do not use the site.

2. Site Purpose and Editorial Nature

• ProbateReads is an editorial, review, and commentary platform focused on probate related news, events, public records, products, and services. Content may include opinions, analysis, criticism, commentary, quotations, excerpts, and other editorial materials.

3. Eligibility

• You represent that you are at least the age of majority in your jurisdiction and that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms and Conditions.

4. User Submissions and License

• You may submit reviews, comments, events, articles, listings, books, or other content. We call this User Content. You retain ownership of your User Content.
• By submitting User Content, you grant ProbateReads a worldwide non exclusive royalty free transferable sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, publicly perform, and publicly display your User Content in connection with the site, social channels, newsletters, marketing, archives, and syndication to third parties as described in Section 11.
• You represent and warrant that you have all rights necessary to grant the license above and that your User Content does not infringe any third party rights and does not violate any law.

5. Fair Use, Copyright, and Public Records

• Review and Commentary. ProbateReads may reproduce and display limited excerpts, quotations, screenshots, thumbnails, or other portions of works for purposes of criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, or research, consistent with fair use under 17 U.S.C. § 107 and similar doctrines where applicable.
• Public Records and Publicity. Events, court dates, filings, notices, and similar items derived from public records or official sources may be reported, summarized, or quoted for informational and publicity purposes, subject to applicable law.
• Transformative Use. We aim to add value through context, analysis, commentary, curation, and transformation. If you believe a use exceeds fair use or otherwise infringes your rights, please see the Takedown Procedure below.

6. Takedown Procedure for Copyright, Trademark, and Other Rights

• If you are a rights holder or authorized agent and you believe content on ProbateReads infringes your rights, please contact us through the website Contact Us form and provide the following
  • Your name and your contact details
  • Identification of the work or works claimed to be infringed
  • The exact URLs of the allegedly infringing content
  • A statement of good faith belief that the use is not authorized by the rights owner, its agent, or the law
  • A statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate and that you are authorized to act
• Upon receiving a complete and clear notice, we will promptly review and if appropriate remove or restrict the content or seek additional information. We aim to resolve issues quickly and professionally.

7. Prohibited Conduct You agree that you will not do any of the following

• Violate any law or any third party rights including intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights
• Post or transmit unlawful defamatory harassing hateful deceptive or misleading content
• Attempt to bypass security, scrape at scale without permission, or interfere with site functionality
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation

8. Community and Moderation

• We reserve the right but do not have the obligation to monitor, refuse, remove, or edit content for any reason including legal risk, violations of these Terms and Conditions, or quality control. We may suspend or terminate access for violations.

9. Disclaimers and No Professional Advice

• ProbateReads provides information on an as is and as available basis for general informational and editorial purposes only. We do not guarantee accuracy, completeness, or timeliness.
• Nothing on the site constitutes legal, financial, or professional advice. You should consult a qualified professional for advice tailored to your situation.

10. Third Party Links, References, and Trademarks

• References to third party products, services, brands, or websites are for informational purposes only and do not imply endorsement. All trademarks, service marks, and logos are the property of their respective owners.
• We are not responsible for third party websites or resources and you access them at your own risk.

11. Syndication, Widgets, and Cooperative Distribution

• ProbateReads may syndicate, distribute, or license site content and metadata including User Content to third party websites, platforms, networks, or partners. This may include full text, excerpts, headlines, links, images, data feeds, embeddable widgets, and other cooperative arrangements.
• Your User Content may appear on third party sites or services as part of such syndication.
• You may request removal of your personal information or User Content via the website Contact Us form. We will evaluate removal requests and act as appropriate
  • If the content is publicly available information such as public records or qualifies for fair use or commentary, we may decline removal but we can consider context updates or minimization where legally appropriate
  • If the content is not public or not protected by fair use and removal is appropriate, we will take reasonable steps to remove it from our site and to cease further syndication. We cannot guarantee removal from third party caches, archives, or services outside our control, but we will make commercially reasonable efforts within our control

12. Email, SMS or Text, and Direct Communications with Opt Out

• Scope of Consent. If you submit any forms on the website including but not limited to event listings, book submissions, contact requests, quote requests, or newsletter sign ups, you consent to receive communications from ProbateReads related to your submissions. These may include confirmations, updates, service information, editorial newsletters, and promotional content. Communications may be sent by email or by text message. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies.
• Unsubscribe or Opt Out. You can opt out at any time
  • For emails, use the unsubscribe link provided in any message
  • For text messages, reply STOP to any message to stop further messages
  • You may also request changes to your communication preferences via the website Contact Us form
• Consent Not a Condition. Consent to receive marketing communications is not a condition of any purchase or participation. We may still send transactional or service related messages as necessary to fulfill your request.
• Third Party Responses. If your submission requests information from third party providers, we may share necessary details to fulfill your request as described in Section 14. Those third parties are responsible for their own compliance and opt out mechanisms.

13. Occasional Free Promotions and Offers

• Overview. From time to time ProbateReads may provide or facilitate complimentary or discounted promotions, trial codes, or special offers from us or from third party providers. We refer to these as Promotions. These Promotions are courtesy opportunities for qualified users and they may change without notice.
• Eligibility and Delivery. If you are eligible for a Promotion, you may receive a code, a link, or instructions within a reasonable period after submitting the relevant form. No purchase is required unless the provider expressly states otherwise. Activation of third party Promotions may require acceptance of the provider terms.
• Modifications. ProbateReads and any participating third party providers may modify, suspend, or terminate any Promotion at any time without notice.
• Disclaimers. Third party providers are solely responsible for their products or services. ProbateReads makes no warranties regarding any Promotions or third party offerings.

14. Authorization to Share Information for Requests You Initiate

• By submitting a form requesting information, listings, features, reviews, publicity, quotes, or Promotions, you authorize ProbateReads to share your request details with third party providers, partners, or affiliates solely to fulfill your request or to provide related information. You may withdraw this authorization using the website Contact Us form. Withdrawal does not affect prior good faith disclosures.

15. Privacy, Cookies, and Tracking

• We may use cookies, pixels, and similar technologies for analytics, performance, personalization, and ad measurement. By using the site, you consent to this activity as described in our Privacy Policy. You can adjust your browser settings to limit certain tracking.

16. Warranty Disclaimer

• To the fullest extent permitted by law, the site, the content, and the services are provided as is and as available without warranties of any kind, express or implied. This includes implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non infringement.

17. Limitation of Liability

• To the fullest extent permitted by law, ProbateReads and its owners, officers, employees, agents, and affiliates are not liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses that arise out of or relate to your use of the site, any content, any Promotions, or any third party services.
• Our total liability for any claim will not exceed the amount you paid if any to use the site in the twelve months preceding the event that gave rise to the claim.

18. Indemnification

• You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless ProbateReads and its owners, officers, employees, agents, and affiliates from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses including reasonable attorneys fees that arise out of or relate to your use of the site, your User Content, your participation in Promotions, your violation of these Terms and Conditions, or your violation of any third party rights.

19. Dispute Resolution, Arbitration, and Class Action Waiver

• Arbitration. Any dispute that arises out of or relates to these Terms and Conditions or to the site will be resolved through binding arbitration under the rules of the American Arbitration Association. The arbitrator may award any relief available in court subject to these Terms and Conditions.
• Governing Law and Venue. These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of the state identified on our website without regard to conflict of law provisions. The arbitration seat and venue will be in that state and county unless otherwise required by law.
• Class Action Waiver. You and we waive any right to participate in class or representative actions. You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days of first acceptance by notifying us through the website Contact Us form with your full name and a clear statement of intent to opt out.

20. Modifications to the Site and to these Terms and Conditions

• We may update the site and these Terms and Conditions at any time. Changes are effective when they are posted. Your continued use after changes are posted means you accept the changes.

21. Termination

• We may suspend or terminate your access at any time for any reason. Upon termination, the license you granted to us for your User Content survives as to any copies already made in the ordinary operation of the site and archives including any existing syndication arrangements.

22. Contact Information

• For all questions, notices, consent withdrawals, takedown requests, and other communications, please use the Contact Us form on the website.

23. Entire Agreement, Severability, and Assignment

• These Terms and Conditions together with our Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement between you and ProbateReads regarding the site. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force. We may assign these Terms and Conditions without notice. You may not assign without our consent.

24. Acceptance

• By using the site, submitting content, or participating in offers or communications, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms and Conditions.