Terms and Conditions

British Thoracic Society – Website Terms of Use

Last updated: May 2023 (previous versions from 2020 and 2018 are available here.)

About these Terms

These terms and conditions ("Terms") apply to all websites with the address or URL ending in brit-thoracic.org.uk or respiratoryfutures.org.uk (the “Websites”), operated by The British Thoracic Society, a Charity registered in England with number 285174, and registered in Scotland with number SC041209. Our main offices are at 17 Doughty St, London, WC1N 2PL ("BTS" "we" "us" "our").

We have tried to make these Terms easy to read and understand, avoiding jargon wherever we can. Please read them carefully because they apply to your use of our Websites.

If we believe you have not followed these Terms then we have the right to prevent you from using our Websites.

How can I contact you?

Please see our Contact Us page for our contact details.

Are there any other terms I need to know about?

These Terms also refer to our Privacy Policy which sets out how we may use your personal information.

What happens if there are changes to these Terms or the Websites?

We will do our best to keep you up to date when we're making changes to these Terms or our Websites. We can make changes at any time. We do not need to give you any notice beforehand, but we will try to be reasonable and let you know when we can.

If you carry on using our Websites after we make changes to the Terms, it means you have agreed to them. The new version of the Terms will replace the old version.

Website availability

Materials on the Websites including any images, text, music, videos and any other content ("Content") are directed primarily at those who access them from the United Kingdom. BTS makes no representation that any Content is available to access or use in other locations. Those who choose to access these Websites from other locations are responsible for compliance with the local laws if and to the extent local laws are applicable.

We do not warrant that any functions on the Websites will be uninterrupted or error free, that defects will be corrected, or that the Websites or the server that makes them available are free of viruses or bugs or represents the full functionality, accuracy, reliability of the Websites.

We may suspend or withdraw or restrict the availability of all or any part of our Websites for business and operational reasons. We will try to give you reasonable notice of any suspension or withdrawal.

Use of Content on our Websites

You agree not to adapt, alter or create a derivative work from any of the Content contained in these Websites or use it for any other purpose other than for your personal non-commercial use.

We will use all reasonable care to ensure that the information contained in the Content on the Websites is accurate and up to date but makes no representations, warranties or assurances (express or implied) as to the accuracy, currency or completeness of such information. BTS shall not be liable for any financial loss, damage or injury which may arise from the use of or reliance upon any information or advice provided in Content on the Websites.

What am I allowed to do on your Websites?

We own or have a licence to all the intellectual property rights on our Websites, this includes all Content you might see. All our Content is protected by copyright and other proprietary rights.

Your right to access our Websites does not include any right to (except with our prior agreement in writing):

• modify, alter, reproduce, copy or resell any Content;
• create additional translations of any Content;
• create any other derivative work from the Content;
• use any part of the Content for commercial purposes, including promotional use;
• delete or augment the Content;
• rent, loan, lease, sublicense or transfer the Content to third parties;
• bypass any measures used by us or our partners to prevent or restrict access; or
• upload, post, reproduce or distribute Content in any way.

If you do not follow these Terms then we have the right to require you to return or destroy any copies of the Content you have created or made.

What else can I not do in relation to your Websites?

You agree not to:

• transmit any chain letters, spam letters, or junk email to other users of our Websites;
• participate in mischievous or malicious behaviour which causes damage or may cause damage to us or our Websites or any of the computer systems on which our Website resides; or
• attack our Websites via a denial-of-service attack or a distributed denial-of-service attack.

Links to third party sites and third party content

Certain hypertext links in the Websites will lead to web sites which are not under the control of BTS. When you activate any of these you will leave the Websites and we  have no control over and will accept no responsibility or liability in respect of the material of any web site which is not under our control.

Our Websites may include information and content uploaded by other users. This information and content have not been verified or approved by us. The views expressed by other users on our Websites may not represent our views or values.

Am I allowed to link to your Websites?

You may link to the homepage on our Websites provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it – for example, you must not suggest we support your website if that is not the case.

Whilst you may link to our home page you must not link to any other part of our Websites or frame our Website on any other site.

Please Contact Us if you would like to link to or make any use of content on our Websites other than that set out above.

Can I upload content to the Website?

If you upload any content to our Websites or any of our social media pages then you agree that we and any of our other users will have a licence to use, store and copy that content for free.

If a third party claims that any content breaches their intellectual property rights or rights to privacy then we have the right to disclose your identity to them. You agree that we may also disclose your identity where required to do so by applicable law, regulation, or the requirement of a governmental or regulatory authority who is lawfully entitled to require the disclosure.

You must only upload content to our Websites or social media pages that you own or otherwise have the right to use.

You must not upload any files or content to the Website or our social media pages which violates applicable law or is harmful or otherwise inappropriate.

You agree that we will not be responsible for securing or backing up your content, this is something you must do, you are solely responsible for securing and backing up your content. If you do upload content to our Websites, you agree that we will not be liable for any loss of or damage to that content.

We reserve the right, but have no obligation, to reject or remove any of your content that does not comply with these Terms.

What happens if something goes wrong?

If any foreseeable damage or loss is caused by us not following these Terms, then we will be responsible for our part of this foreseeable loss or damage. We will not be responsible for any unforeseeable loss or damage, even if we do not follow these Terms.

When we say "foreseeable", we mean that:

• it was obvious that it would happen; or
• at the time we made this agreement, we and you both knew that it might happen.

If you are a business user

We exclude all implied conditions, warranties, representations or other terms that may apply to our Websites or any content on it.

We will not be liable for loss of profits, sales, business, or revenue; business interruption; loss of anticipated savings; loss of business opportunity, goodwill or reputation or any indirect or consequential loss or damage.

If you are a consumer user

You agree not to use our Websites for any commercial or business purposes. This means that, even if we don't follow these Terms, we're not responsible for any business interruption, or loss of business earnings or opportunities.

To be clear, we don't limit our responsibilities to you where it wouldn't be lawful. For example, we don't limit our responsibility to you when we've breached your consumer rights. We also don't limit our responsibility to you when we've caused death or personal injury due to our negligence.

Do you monitor my use of the Websites?

To keep things running smoothly, we keep an eye on how people are using our Websites and take action when we need to. You agree that we can monitor your use of our Websites to make sure you're not breaking our Terms. We will always do this in line with our Privacy Policy.

Can you or I transfer these Terms to someone else?

In the future, we might transfer the rights and obligations we have under these Terms to another company, provided it does not materially affect your rights.

You can not transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms to anybody else. This is because these Terms are personal to you and nobody else is entitled to benefit from them.

What laws apply to these Terms?

These Terms are governed by English law and the English courts will have jurisdiction over any claim.