ICC Forum

Forum Policies & Terms of Use

Terms of Service

We take seriously our duty to process your personal data in a fair and transparent way. We collect and manage user data according to the following policies. This document is part of our Terms of Service, and by using or visiting the International Criminal Law Online Forum—also known as the ICC Forum—(“the Website”), you agree to the Terms of Service which include our Privacy Policy. Please read these Terms of Service in their entirety.

To see UCLA’s privacy policy please go here.

  1. Privacy Policy

    • What type of personal data do we handle?

      There are three main categories of personal data stored by our forum platform: unregistered user data, registered user data, and invited expert data.

      For Unregistered Users, the only personal data that is stored is an IP address sent by the user’s browser. This is retained in weblogs and used in our analytics software.

      For Registered Users, the minimum personal data that is stored is:

      • full name
      • email address
      • IP address

      Optionally, Registered Users can provide

      • position
      • organization
      • associated URL
      • biography
      • profile picture

      For Invited Experts, the minimum personal data that is stored is:

      • full name
      • email address
      • position
      • organization
      • profile picture
      • IP address

      Optionally, the Invited Experts can provide

      • associated URL
      • biography
      • a list of citations

      Registered Users and Invited Experts have complete control of this data through their profile, and can request for it to be removed by contacting info@iccforum.com

    • What do we to keep that data secure?

      We regularly backup our databases, and we use reliable cloud service providers to ensure they are kept securely. We hash and salt passwords such that we are unable to retrieve the original password used to register an account. We use other security measures to keep hackers out of our database files. We have a clear internal data handling policy, restricting access to the data and backups to key employees only. In case of a detected data breach, we will report the breach to the affected users who have not unsubscribed from receiving emails from us.

    • How do we use the data?

      Personal information is only used to deliver the services provided by the ICC Forum. Email addresses for Registered Users and Invited Experts are not shared with third parties except as necessary to deliver the services of the ICC Forum. For example, email addresses are sent to the service which sends email notifications or comments are sent to our anti-spam service; but email addresses are never sold or shared with third party vendors for soliciation purposes. There is a contact option within the Forum software which will send along comments addressed to a user by another user, but the email address of the user being contacted will not be revealed to the sender. Other personal information which Registered Users and Invited Experts have elected to share in their profile page is visible to other users.

    • How we collect and use your data

      1. When using the website:

        1. What data do we collect?

          When you browse our website, we collect anonymised data about your use of the website; for example, we collect information about which pages you view, which files you download, what browser you are using, your IP address, and when you were using the site.

          When you make a comment, we collect the text of your comment and associate it to your registered account.

          The ICC Forum also uses cookies. Currently, these contain a login token which allows a registered user to login once and not have to re-login on each page. Cookies are also used to store your personal preferences on the site, such as whether to show you a list of comments in chronological or reverse chronological order.

        2. Why do we collect the data?

          We use anonymised website usage data to monitor traffic, help fix bugs, and see overall patterns that inform future redesigns of the website, and provide reports on how frequently the ICC Forum has been accessed from people within certain geographical areas.

        3. What do we do (and don’t do) with the data?

          We do not collect personal information that can be used to identify you when you browse the website.

          We currently use Google Analytics for publication reports, and to improve the website and services through traffic analysis, but no personal identifying data is shared with Google (for example your computer’s IP is anonymised before transmission).

        4. What to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed?

          Please contact info@iccforum.com to request a copy of your data, or for your account to be closed and your data to be deleted.

      2. When registering as a user, and submitting a comment:

        1. What data do we collect?

          When registering an account we ask you to log in and provide some personal information (your name and email address).

          We optionally allow you to set up a profile viewable by others that contains other information which you can elect to supply.

        2. Why do we collect the data?

          Registering an account allows you to log in, manage your profile, and participate as a commentor or invited expert. We use cookies and session information to streamline your use of the website (for example in order for you to remain logged-in when you move from page to page). You can block or delete cookies and still be able to use the websites, although if you do you will then need to enter your username and password to login again.

          Personal data submitted with a comment, either by a user or by an invited expert, is collected to form part of the official published record in order for the provenance of the work to be established, and for the work to be correctly attributed.

        3. What do we do (and don’t do) with the data?

          We do not share your personal information with third parties, other than as necessary to send email from the ICC Forum.

          As a commentator or invited expert in the system, you may be contacted by the editor

          As a registered user or invited expert, we may contact you (infrequently) by email, usually to announce the publication of a new issue.

          Any personal data provided by the Registered User or Invited Expert which accompanies a comment may be published alongside it either on the website or in printed or other electronic form.

        4. Why do we store the data?

          We store the data in order to allow our users to login and use the ICC Forum, to be able to properly attribute their comments to themselves, and to allow other users to see them as members of a community of users.

          Published personal data that accompanies a comment forms part of the official published record in order for the provenance of the work to be established, and for the work to be correctly attributed.

        5. What to do if you want to get a copy of your data, or want your data to be removed?

          You are able to view, change, and remove your data associated with your profile. Login to your account and change your profile information using the forms provided.

          Should you choose not to receive emails from the ICC Forum, please click the unsubscribe link which will be provided in every email we send to you. You will be immediately unsubscribed.

          Should you choose to completely delete your account, please contact us at info@iccforum.com, put “Delete Account” in the subject line, and we will follow up with your request as soon as possible.

          To conform to publication ethics and best practice any personal data that is published alongside a comment cannot be removed. If you have a query about a publication to which you are improperly attributed please contact info@iccforum.com

      3. When signing-up to receive newsletters:

        1. What data do we collect?

          We require you to include your name and email address.

        2. Why do we collect and store the data?

          This data is collected to allow us to send you the requested newsletter or emails regarding the ICC Forum.

        3. What do we do (and don’t do) with the data?

          We use Campaign Monitor to provide our mailing list services. Their privacy policy can be found here.

          We do not share your email information with third parties, other than Campaign Monitor to send out the emails.

        4. What should you do if you want to stop receiving emails from the ICC Forum?

          All emails sent via Campaign Monitor will include a link that will allow you to unsubscribe from the mailing list.

      4. Notification about change of ownership or control of data.

        1. We may choose to buy or sell assets or associate with other partners. In the case that control of data changes to or from ICC Forum and a third party, or in the case of change of ownership of ICC Forum or of part of the operation where the control of personal data is transferred, we will inform all affected users (who have not unsubscribed) and present the options.

  2. Your Acceptance

    1. You affirm that you are either more than 18 years of age, or an emancipated minor, or possess legal parental or guardian consent, and are fully able and competent to enter into the terms, conditions, obligations, affirmations, representations, and warranties set forth herein.
    2. By using and/or visiting this International Criminal Law Online Forum (“the Website”), you signify your agreement to these terms and conditions, as they may be amended from time to time. If you do not agree to any of these terms, please do not use this website. The Website together with any associated or ancillary works derived therefrom, in any medium currently existing or hereafter devised, shall be collectively referred to herein as “the Project”.
    3. You understand that this Website is operated by the UCLA School of Law and controlled by the Regents of the University of California (“us” or “we”) primarily for research and educational purposes.
    4. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to modify or revise these Terms of Use at any time, and you agree to be bound by such modifications or revisions. Your use of the Website following any amendment of these Terms of Use will signify your assent to and acceptance of its revised terms.
    5. These Terms of Use apply to all users of the Website, including invited contributors and guests. The Website includes all aspects of the forum, including but not limited to all products, software and services offered via the Website.

  3. The International Criminal Law Website & Forum

    1. We reserve the right to change, modify or discontinue any aspect of the Project at any time.
    2. Nothing in these terms shall be deemed to confer any third-party rights or benefits.
    3. Unless expressly stated otherwise, the arguments, findings, interpretations and conclusions expressed in the Materials on the Website are those of the various individuals who prepared the work and do not necessarily represent the views of the International Criminal Court, the Prosecutor, us, or any other person, legal or natural. References to products, services, or organizations do not imply endorsement of such products, services or organizations.
    4. The Website may contain links to or material from third party websites that are not owned or controlled by us. We have no control over, and assume no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, safety, or practices of any third party website. By using the Website, you expressly relieve us from any and all liability arising from your use of any third party website.
    5. We reserve all rights not expressly granted in and to the Website and the content.

  4. Account Use

    1. To see UCLA’s privacy policy please go here.
    2. In order to access some features of the Website, you will have to create an account. When creating your account, you must provide accurate and complete information. You are solely responsible for the activity that occurs on your account, and you must keep your password secure. You must notify us immediately of any breach of security or unauthorized use of your account.
    3. Each account is for a single user only. Each user may only have a single account.
    4. You are responsible for any activity that occurs on your account, even if such activity occurs due to unauthorized use.
    5. As an account holder it is possible that you might submit content (“the Content”) to the Project. The Content shall not considered “Personal Information” for purposes of this document. You understand that whether or not such submissions are accepted, we do not offer confidentiality with respect to the Content. Your name will likely be linked to the Content, at our discretion.
    6. You understand and agree that the Content may continue to be used by the Project even if you have terminated your account.
    7. You understand and agree that we reserve the right, but shall have no obligation to, edit, pre-screen, filter, remove, refuse to accept, post, display, or transmit the Content in whole or in part at any time, without notice, at our sole and absolute discretion.
    8. You authorize us to contact you via email or through whatever other contact information you have provided or we obtain.
    9. We will not sell your email information to unrelated third parties.
    10. Our privacy policy does not apply to information that you may provide to us, or that we may obtain other than through the Website, such as telephone, postal mail, or third party sites on the Internet.

  5. Forum Use & Etiquette

    1. You understand that when using the Website, you will be exposed to User Submissions from a variety of sources, and that we are not responsible for the accuracy, usefulness, safety or intellectual property rights of or relating to such User Submissions. You further understand and acknowledge that you may be exposed to User Submissions that are inaccurate, offensive, indecent, or objectionable, and you agree to waive, and hereby do waive, any legal or equitable rights or remedies you have or may have against us with respect thereto.
    2. We have the right, but not the obligation, to remove or edit objectionable and inappropriate content, such as, but not limited to, harmful, threatening, or abusive content, pornography, obscene or defamatory material, or excessive length, at any time in our sole discretion and without notice to you. Repeated or egregious violations of these policies may result in the removal of members from the Website and access to individual accounts.
    3. All communications and contributions to the Website should be of a professional nature and never include harmful, threatening, or abusive language.
    4. All material contributed by a member to the forum should be original and reflect the author’s own ideas and writing. Any ideas or writing drawn in whole or in part from other sources should conform to commonly accepted citation practices and standards.
    5. You represent and warrant that you will not post, mail, link to or make available any content that:
      1. was authored by an AI large language model.
      2. infringes any third party’s intellectual property rights, or other proprietary or contractual rights.
      3. contains software viruses or any other computer code, files or programs designed to interrupt, control, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware.
      4. contains spamming, link spamming, chain letters, pyramid schemes, advertisement or solicitation of illegal or controlled products or services, or other advertising or marketing activities that violate these terms or any other applicable laws and regulations.
      5. is misleading, deceptive or fraudulent or otherwise illegal or promotes illegal activities.
      6. is libelous or defamatory, or is otherwise threatening, abusive, violent, harassing, malicious or harmful to any person or entity, or invasive of another’s privacy.
      7. is harmful to minors in any way.
      8. is hateful or discriminatory based on race, color, sex, religion, nationality, ethnic or national origin, marital status, disability, sexual orientation or age, or is otherwise objectionable, as determined exclusively by us.
      9. impersonates a UCLA or International Criminal Court employee, or any other person, or falsely states or otherwise misrepresents your affiliation with any person or entity.
      10. interferes with the proper working of the Website, or prevents others from using the Website, or in a manner that disrupts the normal flow of dialogue with an excessive number of messages, or that otherwise negatively affects another person’s ability to use the website.
      11. collects, uses, or discloses data, including personal or identifying information about other users and persons without their consent for unlawful purposes or in violation of other applicable laws and regulations.
      12. requests, solicits, or otherwise obtains access to usernames, passwords or other authentication credentials from any registered user.
      13. employs misleading email or IP addresses, forged headers or otherwise manipulated identifiers in order to disguise the origin of content transmitted.
      14. stalks or otherwise harasses anyone.
      15. includes any content containing child pornography.
      16. constitutes or is determined by us to constitute pornographic or objectionable content that is adult in nature.

    6. You agree not to use automated means, including agents, scripts, spiders, robots, crawlers, data mining tools, or the like to download, manage, or access data from accounts, the Website, website code, or the content—except for Internet search engines (e.g., Google) and non-commercial public archives (e.g., archive.org). We reserve the right to make exceptions for other “well-behaved” web services, and reserve the right to define what we mean by “well-behaved.”

      You agree not to alter or modify any part of the Website, except by posting User Submissions through web forms provided by the Website itself.

      You agree that we may remove or edit any Content at any time and for any reason or for no reason at all. You agree that we may block your user account at any time and for any reason or for no reason at all. You agree that we may take such actions in our whole, complete, and unfettered editorial discretion without limitations of any kind whatsoever.

  6. Intellectual Property Liability & The Digital Millennium Copyright Act

    1. The content on the Website including without limitation, the text, software, scripts, graphics, photos, sounds, music, videos, interactive features and the trademarks, service marks, and logos contained therein, are owned by or licensed to us, and subject to copyright and other intellectual property rights under the law. Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only and may not be downloaded, copied, reproduced, distributed, transmitted, broadcast, displayed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any other purposes whatsoever without our prior written consent or that of the respective owners or through means already designated by the Website or through operation of “fair use” law in the United States.
    2. You shall be solely responsible for your own User Submissions and the consequences of posting or publishing them. In connection with User Submissions, you affirm, represent, and/or warrant that: you own or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to use and authorize us to use all patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright or other proprietary rights in and to any and all User Submissions.
    3. You further agree that you will not submit material that is copyrighted, protected by trade secret, violative of rights of publicity or privacy, or otherwise subject to third party proprietary rights, unless you are the owner of such rights or have appropriate permission.
    4. We comply with the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). If you have a concern regarding the use or takedown of copyrighted material, please contact the agent designated to respond to reports alleging copyright infringement. For complete information, including agent contact information, go to: UC Information Technology Services.

  7. Publication Rights

    1. These Terms of Use, and any rights and licenses granted hereunder, may not be transferred or assigned by you, but may be assigned and transferred by us without restriction.
    2. If you submit an article, invited expert opinion, any other comment or opinion (whether in writing or recorded on audio and/or video), or a user submission (all of the foregoing is referred to herein as “submitted content”), upon submission (or oral presentation) of your content you agree to fully assign to us at our sole and exclusive option, which may be exercised with or without further notice to you:
      1. the full copyright and any other intellectual property rights related to the sole and exclusive right to print, publish, distribute, market and sell your submitted content, as well as any included diagrams, photographs and/or illustrative material, images, audio or video owned by you, in any and all editions and formats (both now known and later developed) worldwide.
      2. all rights of action and all other rights of whatever nature in your submitted content and any included diagrams, photographs, and/or illustrative material, images, audio or video which are owned by you, whether known or in the future created to which you now or at any time after submission may be entitled to by virtue of or pursuant to any of the laws in force in any part of the world.
    3. If copyright in your submitted content is owned by someone other than you, or you are an employee submitting content in the course of your employment, you hereby:
      1. grant to us at our sole and exclusive option, which may be exercised with or without further notice to you, non-exclusive rights to reproduce and/or distribute your submitted content (in full or in part) and to publish the same throughout the world in any format and in all languages including without limitation in printed, electronic or other medium on optical disk, transmission over the internet and other communication networks and in any other electronic form, and to authorize others to do the same.
      2. warrant that you have obtained the consent of the copyright holder of the submitted content to grant the above rights to us and that publication by us will not infringe the copyright of any person.
    4. You acknowledge and accept that we may make additional changes to your submitted content as considered necessary in our sole discretion. We reserve full editorial control over your submitted content, including removal in whole or in part of your submitted content and allowing third parties of our choosing to amend or alter your submitted content.

  8. Warranty Disclaimer

    You agree that your use of the Website shall be at your sole risk. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Regents of the University of California, the International Criminal Court, the Promise Institute, and Pipsqueak Productions LLC, together with their officers, directors, contractors, employees, assigns, and agents disclaim all warranties, express or implied, in connection with the Website and your use thereof. We make no warranties or representations about the accuracy or completeness of this site’s content or the content of any sites linked to the site and assume no liability or responsibility for any (i) errors, omissions, mistakes, or inaccuracies of content, (ii) personal injury, property damage, or damage or harm of any nature whatsoever, resulting from your access to and use of our Website, (iii) any unauthorized access to or use of our servers and/or any and all personal information and/or financial information stored therein, (iv) any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from our Website, (v) any bugs, viruses, trojan horses, or the like which may be transmitted to or through our Website by any third party, and/or (vi) any errors or omissions in any content or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any content posted, emailed, transmitted, or otherwise made available via the Website. We do not warrant, endorse, guarantee or assume responsibility for any information provided on this Website, or any product or service that may be advertised or offered by a third party through the Website or any hyperlinked Website or featured in any banner or other advertising, and we will not be a party to or in any way be responsible for monitoring any transaction between you and third party providers of products or services.

  9. Limitation of Liability

    1. In no event shall the Regents of the University of California, the Promise Institute, Pipsqueak Productions LLC, and/or the International Criminal Court, their officers, directors, contractors, employees, assigns, agents, students, faculty, staff or administrators be liable to you for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages whatsoever resulting from any (i) errors, omissions, mistakes, or inaccuracies of content, (ii) personal injury, property damage, or damage or harm of any nature whatsoever, resulting from your access to and use of the Website, (iii) any unauthorized access to or use of our secure servers and/or any and all personal information and/or financial information stored therein, (iv) any interruption or cessation of transmission to or from our Website, (v) any bugs, viruses, trojon horses, or the like, which may be transmitted to or through our Website by any third party, and/or (vi) any errors or omissions in any content or for any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of your use of any content posted, emailed, transmitted, or otherwise made available via the Website, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory, and whether or not we are advised of the possibility of such damages. The foregoing limitation of liability shall apply to the fullest extent permitted by law in the applicable jurisdiction.
    2. You specifically acknowledge that we shall not be liable for user submissions or the defamatory, offensive, or illegal conduct of any third party and that the risk of harm or damage from the foregoing rests entirely with you.
    3. The Website is controlled and offered by us from our facilities in the United States of America. We make no representations that the Website is appropriate or available for use in other locations. Those who access or use the Website from other jurisdictions do so at their own volition and are responsible for compliance with local law.

  10. Jurisdiction

    You agree that: (i) the Website shall be deemed solely based in California; and (ii) the Website shall be deemed a passive website that does not give rise to personal jurisdiction over us, either specific or general, in jurisdictions other than California. These Terms of Use shall be governed by the internal substantive laws of the State of California, without respect to its conflict of laws principles. Any claim or dispute between you and us that arises in whole or in part from your use of the Website shall be decided exclusively by a court of competent jurisdiction located in California. These Terms of Use, together with any other legal notices published by us on the Website, shall constitute the entire agreement between you and us concerning the Website. If any provision of these Terms of Use is deemed invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the invalidity of such provision shall not affect the validity of the remaining provisions of these Terms of Use, which shall remain in full force and effect. No waiver of any term of these Terms of Use shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or any other term, and our failure to assert any right or provision under these Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.

    You agree that any cause of action against us arising out of or related to the website must commence within one (1) year after the cause of action accrues: otherwise, such cause of action is permanently barred.

Last updated September 7, 2023.