Terms of Use and Service
Welcome to GCR! GCR is a group of companies specializing in credit rating services, research and analytics (“Service”) owned by Global Credit Ratings Limited, Mauritius (“GCR”). By using our Service, you are agreeing to these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization or entity (“Organization”), then you are agreeing to these Terms on behalf of the Organization. In that case, “you” and “your” may refer to the Organization. Please read these terms carefully before start using our Service.
Restrictions on Use of the Service
Users must be 18 years of age or older to use the Service (“User”, “You” or “Your”). GCR will never knowingly solicit or accept personally identifiable information or other content from a user or visitor who GCR knows is under 18 years of age. If GCR discovers that a user is underage and has created an account, or that a user or visitor who is underage has provided personally identifiable information or other content to the Service, GCR will terminate the account and remove the information or other content.
Site Registration for Registered Users.
To Register an account, the User shall complete the Registration form, including providing User’s e-mail as a username, and choosing a password. The User will then review this Agreement appearing on that page and confirm that “I have read and accept the applicable “Terms of Use”. After completing the Registration process, the User will receive an email automatically generated by GCR. Registration will be complete when the User responds to that email confirming the User’s username and password. A registered User may then use the GCR Research Portal by entering the User’s username and password each time the GCR Research Portal is accessed via the Web. User may use the Site’s online FAQ feature or contact GCR for information on how to navigate and utilise the features of the GCR Research Portal, which may be revised by GCR from time to time.
Credit Card and Debit Card Registration
When a registered User utilising the GCR Research Portal Store incurs charges, the User will be asked to submit the User’s credit card or debit card information so that such charges can be billed to the User’s account via GCR’s payment processing service provider. Such activities will be subject to the then-current terms set forth by GCR’s payment processing service provider. Without a valid credit card or debit card, and the User’s compliance with such terms, the User will not be permitted to use the GCR Research Portal in any manner that incurs charges.
User Access, Passwords, Responsibilities and Privacy
If a User’s username or password has been revealed to a person not expressly authorized by the User to use it, User shall immediately notify GCR by telephone or e-mail, confirming such notice in writing. Upon acknowledgement of such notice, GCR will terminate access to the Service for that username and password and will assign the User a new username and password. The User is responsible for all use, whether permitted or not under this Agreement that is made under the User’s name and password unless such use is solely GCR’s fault. Information that GCR receives from the User is subject to GCR’s privacy policy, which is available here (“Privacy Policy“). The User understands that by utilising the Service, the User consents to the collection, storage, processing and use of such information in accordance with the Privacy Policy.
Change of Terms of Service
From time to time, GCR may modify existing terms and/or update these terms with additional terms that apply to the Service. For example, GCR may modify existing terms to reflect any mandatory changes to the law. You should check the terms regularly to keep informed. GCR will also post notice of modification to these Terms on this page or via the email address you registered. Changes will not apply retroactively and will become effective upon publication on our website. You should discontinue your use of our Service if you do not agree with updated/modified Terms.
Prior Agreement
If You have entered into a separate written agreement with GCR or any of its subsidiaries governing Your access to and use of the Service, the terms of such written agreement shall prevail if there are any additional terms in such agreement or if there is any inconsistency with the terms set out below.
Privacy Protection
GCR’s privacy policy explains how we treat your personal data and protect your privacy when using our Service. By using our Service, you automatically agree to our privacy policies and GCR can use such data in accordance with its privacy policies.
Content in Our Service
Our service, amongst others, provides content to Users in the form of reports, research, bulletins, analytics and opinions (“Content”). GCR retains ownership of any intellectual property rights in that Content. When you store, send or receive Content to or through our Service, you give GCR and its service partners a license to process this Content for the purpose of providing the Service to you and your use of the Content. We reserve our right at all times, but are not obligated, to remove or refuse to distribute any Content through the Service including your Content. GCR is not responsible for any loss, damage or harm pursuant to any content flowing from third party links which may be hosted on the Site or provided as part of the service. You use all Third-Party Links at your own risk and should apply a suitable level of caution and discretion in doing so. When you click on any of the Third-Party Links, the applicable third party’s terms and policies apply, including the third party’s privacy and data gathering practices.
Modifying and Terminating Our Service
GCR may add or remove functionalities or features in the normal course of improving, changing, and/or updating the Service. GCR does not and cannot guarantee the completeness, accuracy or timeliness of the Service made available to the User via the Site. We may also suspend or stop our Service with or without prior notice. You approve that GCR will not be held liable to you or any third-party for any change, interruption, or termination of the Site or any part thereof. The User is responsible for the User’s own investment decisions. GCR is not providing the User with investment advice. User should seek investment and other advice from the User’s financial, tax, legal, and other professional advisers before making investment and other decisions.
You can choose to stop using our Service at will. We may also stop providing Service to you, or add or create new limitations to our Service at any time as detailed in the Terms.
Using Our Service
You must follow any policies made available to you within the Service. You may only use our Service as permitted by law. GCR may investigate and/or suspend or terminate our Service to you at any time if we find your use of our Service violates the Terms and/or any policies.
Using our Service does not grant you ownership of any intellectual property rights in our Service or the content you may have access to. You may not use any copyrighted content in our Service unless you obtain permission from the content owner and/or are otherwise permitted by law. The Terms do not grant you the right to use any branding or logos used in our Service. Our Service may display some logos, trademarks, or branding materials that is not the property of GCR. These types of content are the sole responsibility of the entity that makes it available.
You must not abuse and/or misuse our Service, including but not limited to, doing the following things:
- You shall not sell, rent, lease, transfer, assign, distribute, host, or otherwise commercially exploit the Site;
- Directly or indirectly, allow any other person to use or share User’s username or password, or to otherwise have access to the GCR Research Portal;
- You shall not change, make derivative works of, disassemble, reverse compile or reverse engineer any part of the Site;
- You shall not access the Site in order to build a similar or competitive website;
- reproduce or store in or transmit to any other website, newsgroup, mailing list, electronic bulletin board, local area or wide area network or regularly or systematically store in electronic or print form all or any part of the GCR Research Portal,
- publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale of, reproduce, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, display or in any way exploit all or any part of the Service or Content (including, but not limited to, as part of any library, archive or similar service), and
- except as authorised by GCR, no part of the Site may be copied, reproduced, distributed, republished, downloaded, displayed, posted or transmitted in any form or by any means unless otherwise authorised, any future release, update, or other addition to functionality of the Site shall be subject to these Terms.
GCR, in its sole discretion, will determine abuse and/or misuse of our Service.
Paid Service and Payments
You may choose our Service depending on your need. We do not guarantee when, if ever, paid features will be available in the Service. All pricing supplements provided by GCR are exclusive of any applicable sales taxes, levies, value-added taxes, or duties imposed by taxing authorities, and you are responsible for payment of all such taxes, levies, or duties.
Limited Liability for Our Service
To the maximum extent permitted by law, the service is available “as is”. You expressly understand and agree that:
When permitted by law, GCR and its service partners, licensors, employees, agents will not be responsible for any lost profits, revenues, or data, financial losses or indirect, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages under any circumstances.
Your use and/or purchase of service are all at your sole risk. The service is provided on an “as is” basis.
GCR does not warrant that:
- The service will meet all of your requirements at all times;
- The service will be error-free and all errors in the service will be corrected; and
- The service will be uninterrupted.
All content downloaded, uploaded and/or otherwise obtained through the use of the service is done at your own discretion and risk and you are solely responsible for any damage to your computer equipment or devices, including but not limited to, laptop computers, desktop computer, tablets, smartphones and smartwatches, or any data loss resulting from download or use of any such above mentioned material.
No support or maintenance
You agree that Company will have no obligation to provide you with any support in connection with the Site.
Information gathering and usage
When registering for a GCR account we ask for information such as your name and email address which we may store and use in order to monitor consumer use of our services.
Term and Termination:
Subject to this Section, these Terms will remain in full force and effect while you use the Site. We may suspend or terminate your rights to use the Site at any time for any reason at our sole discretion, including for any use of the Site in violation of these Terms. Upon termination of your rights under these Terms, your Account and right to access the Site will terminate immediately. You understand that any termination of your Account may involve deletion of your User Content associated with your Account from our live databases. Company will not have any liability whatsoever to you for any termination of your rights under these Terms. Even after your rights under these Terms are terminated, the provisions pertaining to access to the Site, Use of the GCR Research Portal, Privacy, Limitation on Liability and copyright remain in full force and effect.
Breach and Enforcement
Should there be a breach of the terms and conditions contained herein it is agreed that the aggrieved party shall provide the other party with 14 (fourteen) days’ notice to correct the breach. Should the breach persist, the parties agree that the resulting dispute may be referred to arbitration which process shall be governed by internationally acceptable alternative dispute resolution standards, including the possibility for mediation, arbitration rules and processes. The right to arbitrate the matter does not restrict either party’s right to take interlocutory action and gain interim relief. It is agreed that the aggrieved party and the other party shall be bound by the decision of the arbitrator.
Applicable law.
It is agreed that the law applicable to these terms of service shall be that of the Republic of South Africa.