Terms of Use

Last Modified: September 9, 2016

Welcome to the CommonLit Site, www.commonlit.org (the "Site"). Please read these Terms of Use carefully as they govern your use of the Site, including the products and services provided through the Site (collectively, the "Service"). The terms "CommonLit", "we", "us", and "our" refer to CommonLit, Inc.

YOUR ACCESS OR USE OF THIS SITE OR SERVICE IN ANY WAY SIGNIFIES THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS OF USE. By accessing or using this Site you also represent that you have the legal authority to accept the Terms on behalf of yourself and any party you represent in connection with your use of this Site. Please also confirm that you have read and understood our Privacy Policy. By agreeing to these Terms of Use, you additionally agree to be bound by our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to the Terms, you are not authorized to use the Site or the Services.

From time to time, we may change, remove, add or otherwise modify the Terms of Use, and reserve the right to do so at our discretion. In that case, we will post the updated Terms of Use and indicate the date of revision. Your continued use of the Site after new and/or revised Terms are effective indicators that you have been read, understood and agree to those Terms of Use. Accordingly, we encourage you to periodically review the Terms of Use.

The Site is maintained by CommonLit, in support of our mission to develop informed and engaged citizens by improving students' reading, writing and speaking skills.

  • Copyright and Other Protections. The texts, images, graphics, audio and video clips, information and other content of the Site (collectively, the "Content") are protected by copyright, trademark and other laws. We and applicable third parties own the copyright and other rights of the Site and the Content, and reserve all rights in both. You may use the Site and the Content only in the manner and for the purposes specified in these Terms of Use.
  • Permitted Uses. For content owned by CommonLit, we grant you the right for limited noncommercial use for educational or scholarly purposes only. For content owned by third parties, the scope of permitted use varies by the type of license and we ask you to follow the description provided in the respective material. Unless otherwise specified on the Site, you may employ the normal functions of your browser to download and print copies of individual Content files for such use, provided that you retain all copyright and other proprietary notices associated with the Content. You must cite the author/artist and source of the Content as you would content from any printed work, and the citation should include the URL www.commonlit.org.
  • Registration. You may view Content on the Site without registering, but as a condition of using certain aspects of the Service, you may be required to register with CommonLit and select a screen name and password. You shall provide accurate, complete, and updated registration information. Failure to do so shall constitute a breach of the Terms of Use, which may result in immediate termination of your account. You are solely responsible for activity that occurs on your account and shall be responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your password. You shall not use another User account without the other User's express permission. You will immediately notify us in writing of any unauthorized use of your account, or other known account-related security breach.
  • Parental Consent. By creating a class code and student accounts, Teachers and Administrators using our Services confirm that they have obtained all required parental consent, as outlined in this Privacy Policy.
  • Prohibited Uses. You are prohibited from copying, displaying, publishing, distributing, transmitting, modifying, performing or otherwise using or exploiting any of the protected Content on the Site for any commercial or non-educational purpose. You are also prohibited from including any of the protected Content in a database, website or electronic resource, and from making any other use of the protected Content that is not expressly permitted under Section 2.
  • Permission Requests. To request permission to use Content owned or controlled by CommonLit beyond the scope of rights granted herein, please contact us at permissions@commonlit.org.
  • Copyright Notifications. We take copyright very seriously and respect the intellectual property rights of others. It is our policy to address and respond timely to any concern that Content posted on the site may infringe the copyright or intellectual property of any party. If you're a rights-holder and believe that your rights have been violated in connection with Content that is made available on this Site, please send an email or written notice to our designated agent for infringement claims with the following information:
    1. An electronic or physical signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the rights-holder.
    2. A description of the work that you claim has been infringed.
    3. A URL indicating where the claimed infringing material is located on the Site.
    4. Your address, telephone number and email address.
    5. A statement by you describing a good faith belief that the content use is not authorized by the rights-holder or its agent, and is prohibited by law.

    6. A statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or an agent authorized to act on the copyright owner's behalf.

      Our designated agent for notice for claims of infringement can be reached as follows:

      By mail:
      CommonLit, Inc.
      660 Pennsylvania Ave. SE Ste. 302
      Washington, D.C. 20003
      By email: permissions@commonlit.org
  • Trademarks, Patents, Etc.. Nothing in these Terms of Use or on the Site shall be construed as granting you any right or license to use any trademarks, service marks or logos displayed on the Site, nor any right or license under any patent. You agree not to use any name or emblem of CommonLit in any advertising or promotional materials, or to falsely suggest any relationship between you and us, or in any manner that would infringe or violate any of our rights.
  • Disclaimer of Warranties. THE SITE AND THE CONTENT ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE". TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE AND ANY THIRD-PARTY CONTENT PROVIDERS OR LICENSORS (COLLECTIVELY, "CONTENT PROVIDERS") DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND (EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR OTHERWISE) REGARDING THE SITE OR THE CONTENT, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NEED, OWNERSHIP, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. NEITHER WE NOR ANY CONTENT PROVIDER MAKES ANY WARRANTY ABOUT THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, COMPLETENESS, TIMELINESS, SUFFICIENCY OR QUALITY OF THE SITE OR THE CONTENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SITE WILL OPERATE WITHOUT ERROR OR INTERRUPTION, OR THAT THE SITE OR ITS SERVER IS FREE OF COMPUTER VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL MATERIALS. WE MAY DISCONTINUE OR CHANGE ANY SITE CONTENT, SERVICE, FUNCTION OR FEATURE AT ANY TIME WITH OR WITHOUT NOTICE.
  • Limitations of Liability and Remedies. YOUR USE OF THE SITE AND THE CONTENT IS AT YOUR OWN SOLE RISK. IF YOUR ARE DISSATISFIED WITH THE SITE OR THE CONTENT, YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY IS TO STOP USING THE SITE AND THE CONTENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL WE OR ANY CONTENT PROVIDER BE LIABLE TO YOU, IN CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, FOR ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE OR OTHER DAMAGES OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SITE OR THE CONTENT, OR YOUR USE OF THE SITE OR THE CONTENT, EVEN IF WE OR A CONTENT PROVIDER ARE NEGLIGENT OR OTHERWISE AT FAULT, AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER WE ARE ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
  • Indemnity. You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless CommonLit, and our officers, board members, employees, agents, and affiliates, from and against all claims, actions, suits, damages, liabilities and expenses (including, without limitation, reasonable legal fees) that arise from or relate to your use or misuse of, or access to, the Site or the Content or otherwise from your breach of any provision of these Terms of Use as permitted by law.
  • Teacher and Administrator Feedback. Except as specifically indicated otherwise, communications or materials teachers or administrators transmit to us (including any information, questions, comments, ideas or the like) will be deemed to be non-confidential and non-proprietary. Teachers or administrators submitting such materials agree that we will be free, without further obligation, to reproduce, modify, prepare works derived from, perform, display, distribute, sell and otherwise make available, use and exploit, in any manner or medium now known or later developed, anything transmitted or posted to us or the Site, and to permit others to do so.
  • Links to Other Sites. Links in the Site to third-party websites are provided solely as a convenience to you. We are not responsible for, and do not endorse, the content of linked third-party sites. If you decide to access linked third-party websites, you do so at your own risk.
  • International. Accessing the Site is prohibited from territories where the Content is illegal. If you access the Site from other locations, you do so at your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.
  • Governing Law and Jurisdiction. You agree that all matters arising from or relating to the use and operation of the Site will be governed by the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, without regard to any conflicts of laws principles. You agree that all claims you may have arising from or relating to the operation or use of the Site will be heard and resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. You hereby consent and submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts over you, and waive and agree not to assert any objection to proceedings in such courts (including any defense or objection of lack of proper jurisdiction or venue or inconvenience of forum). If you choose to access our website from locations other than Cambridge, Massachusetts, you will be responsible for compliance with all local laws of such other locations.
  • Integration and Severability. If any provision of the Terms of Use is found to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the Terms of Use will otherwise remain in full force and effect and enforceable. Headings are for reference purposes only and in no way define or limit the scope or extent of that section. Our failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive our right to act with respect to subsequent or similar breaches. These Terms of Use set forth the entire understanding and agreement, and supersede all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals (whether oral, written or electronic) between you and us with respect to the subject matter hereof.