Technology for Polarization Measurement

Terms of Sale

Effective date: 03/25/2010

1. Sale and License
1.1. Controlling Terms and Conditions. All purchases and sales of products, including all parts, spare parts and components thereof (the "Products") or services (the "Services") between Buyer and Hinds Instruments, Inc. (Hinds) shall be made pursuant to Hinds' quote and/or order acknowledgment and shall be governed by these Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions and  Hinds' quote and/or order acknowledgement shall constitute the entire agreement between the parties pertaining to the subject matter hereof, and shall supersede all prior or contemporaneous oral or written negotiations, agreements, understanding or representations with respect thereto. These Terms and Conditions shall supersede any conflicting provision contained in any purchase order of Buyer. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, nothing contained in any purchase order of Buyer shall in any way modify or add any provision to these Terms and Conditions. These Terms and Conditions may not be amended or any provision hereof waived in any way except by an instrument in writing signed by both parties. IN THE EVENT THAT HINDS' QUOTE IS DEEMED AN OFFER, ACCEPTANCE BY BUYER OF SUCH OFFER IS EXPRESSLY LIMITED TO THE TERMS CONTAINED HEREIN. ISSUANCE BY BUYER OF A PURCHASE ORDER SHALL BE DEEMED AN ACCEPTANCE OF THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS. IN THE EVENT THAT HINDS' ORDER ACKNOWLEDGMENT IS DEEMED AN ACCEPTANCE OF BUYER'S PURCHASE ORDER, SUCH ACCEPTANCE BY HINDS OF BUYER'S PURCHASE ORDER IS EXPRESSLY MADE CONDITIONAL ON ASSENT TO ANY ADDITIONAL AND DIFFERENT TERMS CONTAINED HEREIN. FAILURE BY BUYER TO SPECIFICALLY OBJECT TO THESE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IN WRITING WITHIN TWENTY (20) DAYS OF RECEIPT SHALL CONSTITUTE AN ACCEPTANCE HEREOF.
1.2. License to Use Software. Buyer acknowledges that the software or firmware components and applications, if any, accompanying the Products sold hereunder (the "Software") are licensed and not sold to Buyer. Upon receipt of full payment therefore, Hinds grants to Buyer a nonexclusive, personal, nontransferable, limited and royalty-free license to use and execute such Software in object code form only and only in conjunction with the operation of the associated Product. Buyer shall receive no rights to the Software except as expressly provided herein. No license to use the source code of the Software is provided hereunder. Buyer agrees that it shall not use, distribute, license, sublicense, resell or otherwise transfer all or any part of the Software or supporting documentation other than as expressly permitted hereunder without the prior written consent of Hinds. Buyer agrees that it shall not permit any employee or agent of Buyer to, adapt, modify, copy, reproduce, reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Software in any way without the prior written consent of Hinds. Except as expressly set forth herein, Hinds shall have no obligations to Buyer whatsoever with regard to the Software. Without limiting the generality of foregoing, Hinds has no obligation to develop updates or modifications to the Software or develop or provide Software development tools to Buyer.
2. Price; Payment Terms
2.1. Payment. The prices for all Products and Services shall be as set forth in Hinds' quote and/or order acknowledgment and such prices shall be exclusive of all taxes and other charges referenced in Section 2.2 below, all of which shall be paid by Buyer. Upon credit approval, Hinds shall submit an invoice to Buyer with each shipment of Products. Unless otherwise stated in the invoice, each invoice shall be due and payable in U.S. Dollars net thirty (30) days from the date of shipment. Such payment terms are subject to credit approval. Hinds reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to limit, cancel or modify Buyer's credit terms as to time or amount from time to time and without prior notice. Hinds reserves the right to require alternative payment terms, including but not limited to sight draft, letter of credit or payment in advance. For credit card orders, Buyer's account will be charged upon shipment of the Products.
2.2. Taxes and Charges. Buyer shall pay all transportation, handling, insurance, taxes (except for taxes based on Hinds' income), license fees, import, export and customs fees and duties, tariffs and other charges related to the Products or Services purchased hereunder. If claiming tax exemption, Buyer must provide Hinds with valid tax exemption certificates.
2.3. Interest Charges. If Buyer fails to pay any invoice when due, Hinds may charge Buyer interest in an amount equal to the lesser of one and one-half percent (1½%), or the maximum permissible rate, per month on any past due balance. Hinds may withhold delivery of any Products or Services at any time in which Buyer's account is past due or exceeds its approved credit limit. If Hinds employs any legal process to recover any amount due and payable from Buyer hereunder, Buyer shall pay all costs of collection and reasonable attorney's fees.
3. Delivery; Acceptance
3.1. Delivery; Title and Risk of Loss.  Unless otherwise agreed to in writing, all Products will be delivered FOB (for domestic shipments) or EXW (for international shipments), Hinds’ factory. Delivery shall occur, title to the Products (except for title to any Software which shall at all times remain with Hinds) shall pass from Hinds to Buyer, and Buyer shall assume all risk of loss or damage, upon delivery of the Products to the carrier, unless otherwise agreed by both parties in writing. In no event shall Hinds be liable for any delay in delivery (provided that Hinds timely delivers the Products to the carrier as provided above), or assume any liability in connection with shipment, nor shall the carrier be deemed an agent of Hinds.
3.2. Acceptance of Products. Buyer shall inspect all Products promptly upon receipt. Delivery by Hinds of Product to Buyer shall constitute acceptance unless Hinds receives a written notice of defect or nonconformity within five (5) business days after receipt by Buyer, provided, that such acceptance shall not relieve Hinds of its warranty obligations hereunder.
4. Changes; Cancellation; Returns
4.1. Hinds Instruments Product Changes and Substitutions. Hinds reserves the right to (a) make changes in Products without notice, and without any obligation to incorporate those changes in any Products previously delivered to Buyer and (b) ship to Buyer the most current Product regardless of catalog description, if applicable.
4.2. Buyer Cancellation, or Changes to Orders or Specifications.
4.2.1 Orders for Standard Stocking Products: Buyer may cancel or make changes to any order for standard stocking Products which does not exceed $5,000 (it being agreed that any series of similar orders for standard Products shall be aggregated and deemed one order for the purpose of determining such amount) by providing written notice to Hinds Instruments at least thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled shipment date. Any cancellation, or changes to any order for custom or option configured Products, or any order or series of similar orders for standard Products which exceeds $5,000, including but not limited to any cancellation, or changes to the specifications for the Products, must be approved in advance in writing by Hinds. All requests to change the terms of an order must be received by Hinds at least thirty (30) days prior to the scheduled shipment date. In the event of changes to any order or the specifications for the Products, Hinds reserves the right to adjust the prices and delivery dates for the Products, and to invoice Buyer for any unearned discounts based upon the actual quantities of Products delivered. In addition, Buyer may be responsible for other costs associated with such cancellation or change.
4.2.2 Orders for Custom and Non-Stocking Products: Cancellation of orders for custom or non-stocking products will incur a restocking fee – even if cancellation is received by Hinds more than 30 days prior to shipment. The restocking fee in each case will depend on the amount of time following the PO that the notice is received by Hinds. In such cases, the restocking fee will be 25% from the time the PO is placed until 90 days. The restocking fee will be 50% after 90 days from the date of the PO. The restocking fee will be 75% after 180 days from the date of the PO. Further, Hinds reserves the right to adjust prices for such Products, and to invoice Buyer for any unearned discounts based on the actual quantities of Products delivered. Buyer may be responsible for other costs associated with such cancellation or change.
4.3. Returns. Custom or option configured Products, film, optics, or any order or series of similar orders for standard Products which exceeds $5,000 in the aggregate, are non-returnable. Any order for standard Products which does not exceed $5,000 (it being agreed that any series of similar orders for standard Products shall be aggregated and deemed one order for the purpose of determining such amount) may be returned to Hinds Instruments for credit within thirty (30) days of the initial invoice date (60 days outside of the U.S.) and are subject to a 25% restocking charge. Prior to returning a Product, Buyer must contact Hinds for shipping instructions and a return material authorization number ("RMA#"). Buyer must ship the Product back in its original condition and in the original or equivalent packaging, with the RMA# clearly marked on the outside of the box, freight and insurance prepaid. Hinds shall not be responsible for any damage occurring in transit, nor shall Hinds be obligated to accept Products returned without a RMA#. Buyer bears all risk of loss or damage to the returned Products until delivery at Hinds’ designated facility. Any return shipment received by Hinds without an RMA# and/or whose contents are not received in their original condition, may be reshipped by Hinds freight collect to Buyer.
5. Proprietary Rights; Confidentiality
5.1. Hinds Instruments Rights. Unless otherwise specifically agreed in writing by Buyer and Hinds, as between Buyer and Hinds, Hinds retains all right, title and interest in and to the Software, all inventions, ideas, processes, methods, know-how, skills and techniques developed, discovered or conceived by Hinds or its employees, including without limitation those developed and/or used in connection with the manufacture of the Products or performing Services hereunder (collectively, "Hinds’ Intellectual Property Rights"). Such rights include, but are not limited to, patent rights, copyrights, trade secret rights, trademark rights, mask work rights and other proprietary rights throughout the world. Hinds hereby grants to Buyer a nonexclusive, nontransferable, worldwide, limited license to use Hinds’ Intellectual Property Rights solely to the extent required for Buyer to use the Products or Software sold or licensed hereunder. Hinds shall retain all right, title and interest in and to all materials, fixtures or tools designed, developed or manufactured by Hinds in connection with the manufacture of the Products.
5.2. Buyer Rights. Unless otherwise specifically agreed in writing by Buyer and Hinds, as between Buyer and Hinds, Buyer retains all right, title and interest in and to all specifications and materials provided by Buyer to Hinds, and all inventions, ideas, processes, methods, know-how, skills and techniques developed, discovered or conceived by Buyer or its employees (the "Buyers’ Intellectual Property Rights"). Such rights include, but are not limited to, patent rights, copyrights, trade secret rights, trademark rights, mask work rights and other proprietary rights throughout the world. Buyer hereby grants to Hinds a nonexclusive, worldwide, limited license to use and exploit the Buyer Rights solely to the extent required for Hinds to perform its obligations and exercise its rights hereunder.
5.3. Confidentiality. Each of Buyer and Hinds acknowledges that in connection with the purchase and sale of Products or Services, each party may make available to the other party certain confidential and proprietary business and technical information and materials, including the Software (the "Confidential Information"). Confidential Information shall be clearly marked with proprietary legends of the disclosing party at the time of disclosure. If Confidential Information is orally or visually disclosed, it shall be reduced to writing and clearly marked with proprietary legends by disclosing party within 30 days of disclosure. All of the protections and restrictions in these Terms and Conditions as to the use and disclosure of Confidential Information shall apply during such 30-day period. Notwithstanding the foregoing, any information or material which by its nature and under the circumstances surrounding its disclosure is generally considered proprietary and confidential shall be deemed Confidential Information regardless of whether it is properly marked with legends or properly reduced to writing. Each party agrees that it (a) will hold the Confidential Information in strict confidence and use its reasonable efforts to prevent the unauthorized disclosure of the Confidential Information; (b) will not disclose the Confidential Information in any manner whatsoever, except as required by applicable law; (c) will use the Confidential Information only for the purpose of performing its obligations hereunder or in conjunction with the operation of the Products or Software and for no other purpose; and (d) will provide access to the Confidential Information to only those of its employees or representatives who need to know the Confidential Information for the purpose of performing their duties in connection with the Products or Services. These obligations shall not apply to information that: (i) was independently developed by or for the receiving party without use of the disclosing party's Confidential Information, in whole or in part, as demonstrated by written evidence; (ii) is or becomes generally available to the public without breach of confidentiality obligations by the receiving party; (iii) was in the receiving party's possession or was known by the receiving party without restriction at the time of disclosure by disclosing party, as demonstrated by written evidence; or (iv) is lawfully received by the receiving party on a nonconfidential basis from a third party without breach by such third party of any legal, contractual, or fiduciary obligation to the disclosing party.
6. Warranty; Disclaimer of Warranty
6.1. Hinds Instruments Warranty
7. Indemnity.
7.1. Hinds Instruments Indemnity. Hinds shall indemnify and hold harmless Buyer from any final award of damages in any suit or proceeding instituted against Buyer based upon a claim that a Product or the Software sold or licensed hereunder infringes any patent or copyright of a third party. Hinds shall defend, at its expense, any such suit or proceeding provided that: (a) Buyer gives Hinds prompt notice in writing of any such suit and permits Hinds through counsel of its choice, to answer the charge of infringement and defend such suit; and (b) Buyer gives Hinds all the needed information, assistance and authority, at Hinds' expense to enable Hinds to defend such suit. Hinds shall not be responsible for payment of any amounts under any settlement made without its prior written consent. The foregoing indemnity shall not apply to the extent such alleged or actual infringement arises as a result of (i) the use or incorporation of such Product or Software in a manner or in combination with any other products, devices or parts not specified in Hinds’ specifications therefore, or (ii) modifications of such Product or Software made by Buyer or any party (other than Hinds) which were not approved by Hinds, or (iii) Hinds’ compliance with any of Buyer's designs, specifications or instructions. In the event that a court of competent jurisdiction determines in a final, nonappealable order that the Product or the Software is infringing in a manner for which Hinds is obligated to indemnify Buyer pursuant to this Section 7.1, Hinds shall, at its option, either (1) procure for Buyer the right to continue using such infringing Product or Software; (2) replace the infringing Product or Software with a non-infringing item of like form, fit or function; (3) modify the Product or Software so that it no longer infringes; or (4) remove the Product or Software and refund the purchase price to Buyer. THIS SECTION STATES HINDS’ SOLE RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY, AND THE BUYER'S SOLE REMEDY, FOR ANY ACTUAL OR ALLEGED INFRINGEMENT OF ANY PATENT OR COPYRIGHT BY ANY PRODUCT OR SOFTWARE DELIVERED HEREUNDER OR ANY PARTS THEREOF. THIS SECTION IS IN LIEU OF AND REPLACES ANY OTHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY WARRANTY AGAINST INFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL HINDS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES RESULTING FROM ANY SUCH INFRINGEMENT.
7.2. Buyer Indemnity. Buyer shall indemnify and hold harmless Hinds Instruments from and against any expense or loss resulting from any actual or alleged infringement of any patent or copyright arising as a result of (a) Hinds' compliance with any of Buyer's designs, specifications or instructions, (b) the use or incorporation of such Product or Software in a manner or in combination with any other products, devices or parts not specified in Hinds’ specifications therefore, or (c) modifications of such Product or Software by Buyer or any party (other than Hinds) which were not approved by Hinds. Buyer shall defend, at its expense, any suit brought against Hinds alleging any such infringement provided that Hinds (i) gives Buyer prompt notice of any such suit and permits Buyer, through counsel of its choice, to defend such suit and (ii) gives Buyer all needed information, assistance and authority, at Buyer's expense, necessary for Buyer to defend any such suit.
8. Customer Furnished Material.
8.1. In the event that Buyer, with Hinds Instruments’ prior approval, provides products, raw materials, fixtures or tools (collectively, the "Customer Furnished Material" or "CFM") to Hinds for incorporation into, or use in the manufacture of, the Products, or in conjunction with Services, including materials testing, Buyer shall retain title to, and shall continue to bear all risk of loss or damage to, such CFM. CFM IS PROVIDED BY BUYER AT BUYER'S RISK. IN NO EVENT SHALL HINDS BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE TO SUCH CFM RESULTING FROM ANY CAUSE WHILE IN HINDS’ POSSESSION. BUYER SHALL BE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR INSURING THE CFM AGAINST ANY SUCH LOSS OR DAMAGE.
8.2. 8.2. CFM certification and quality are the responsibility of Buyer. All CFM is subject to inspection by Hinds upon receipt, and Hinds reserves the right to refuse the CFM and/or requote the order based upon such inspection. CFM is not guaranteed to yield Buyer's total order quantity. If material shortages occur due to yield, Buyer shall, at its option, either supply additional CFM to complete the order or close the order short. Any CFM not used by Hinds will be returned to Buyer, at Buyer's risk and expense.
9. Limitation of Liability. HINDS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY COMMERCIAL LOSSES, LOSS OF REVENUES OR PROFITS, LOSS OF GOOD WILL, INCONVENIENCE, OR EXEMPLARY, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES WHATSOEVER, OR CLAIMS OF THIRD PARTIES, REGARDLESS OF THE FORM OF ANY CLAIM, WHETHER IN CONTRACT OR TORT, WHETHER FROM BREACH OF THIS AGREEMENT, OR DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS, OR LOSS OF DATA OR FROM ANY OTHER USE, EVEN IF HINDS HAS BEEN ADVISED OR SHOULD BE AWARE OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGE. HINDS’ LIABILITY FOR LOSS OR DAMAGES SHALL NOT EXCEED THE PURCHASE PRICE PAID FOR THE PARTICULAR PRODUCT.
10. General
10.1. Exceptions to Performance. Hinds’ performance of its obligations will be excused or the timeframe for performance will be extended as is reasonably necessary under the circumstances, in the event that Hinds is prevented from performing its obligations in whole or in part by riots, fire, flood, earthquake, explosion, epidemics, war, strike or labor disputes, embargo, civil or military authority, act of God, changes in law, regulation or governmental policy, acts or omissions of vendors or suppliers, transportation difficulties or delays, or other causes beyond its reasonable control. In such event, such performance shall take place as soon thereafter as is reasonably practicable. Failure of the Buyer to provide timely response to requests from Hinds may also result in delivery delays which shall be excused hereunder.
10.2. Export. Buyer acknowledges and agrees that the Ultimate Destination of the Products and Software is in the United States of America, unless otherwise indicated in Hinds’ quote and/or order acknowledgment. Buyer shall not, nor shall permit its employees, distributors, customers, and/or agents to, export or re-export any of the Products or Software (including any information relating thereto) to any foreign national, nation, firm, or country, including foreign nationals employed by or associated with Buyer, without first complying with all U.S. laws, regulations or ordinances including the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR) and the Export Administration Regulation (EAR), including the requirement for obtaining an export license, if applicable. Buyer agrees to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Hinds from and against any claim, loss, liability, expense, or damage (including liens or legal fees) incurred by Hinds with respect to any of Buyer's export or re-export activities contrary to this provision.
10.3. Severability. If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is held to be invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, then the remaining provisions shall remain, nevertheless, in full force and effect. The parties agree to renegotiate in good faith any term held invalid and to be bound by the mutually agreed substitute provision in order to give the most approximate effect intended by the parties.
10.4. No Waiver. No waiver of any provision of these Terms and Conditions shall be valid or binding on any party unless agreed to in writing by the party to be charged. The failure of either party to enforce at any time any of the provisions of these Terms and Conditions, or the failure to require at any time performance by the other party of any of the provisions of these Terms and Conditions, shall in no way be construed to be a present or future waiver of such provisions, nor in any way affect the validity of either party to enforce each and every such provision thereafter.
10.5. Remedies. Hinds shall have the right to terminate any order, or to delay the shipment thereof, by reason of (a) Buyer's bankruptcy or insolvency, or the pendency of any proceedings against Buyer under any statute for the relief of debtors; (b) Buyer's breach of these Terms and Conditions; (c) Hinds’ learning that the ultimate destination of the Products is other than that set forth in the Hinds quote; or (d) failure of Buyer to meet any other reasonable requirements established by Hinds or to provide timely responses to requests from Hinds (including acts or omissions of Buyer which may delay production).
10.6. Governing Law; Jurisdiction and Venue. These Terms and Conditions shall be construed under and according to the laws of the State of Oregon without regard to its conflict of law provisions. The parties agree that jurisdiction and venue for any actions relating to these Terms and Conditions will be in the state or federal courts located in the State of Oregon. Each party hereby irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts sitting in the State of Oregon, for the adjudication of any dispute hereunder or in connection herewith and hereby irrevocably waives, and agrees not to assert in any suit, action or proceeding, any claim that it is not personally subject to the jurisdiction of any such court, or that such suit, action or proceeding is improper.
10.7. Attorney's Fees. In the event of any action, suit or proceeding relating to the subject matter hereof, the prevailing party shall be entitled, in addition to any other rights and remedies it may have, to recover its reasonable attorneys' fees and related costs from the non-prevailing party.