Website Terms of Use

Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to the Public School Teachers’ Pension and Retirement Fund of Chicago (“CTPF”) website. This website is owned and operated by CTPF and is subject to these Terms of Use (as defined below). These Terms of Use govern your use of the website and by accessing or using any of the functionality (the “Services”) available on the website, you agree to accept and comply with the terms, conditions and notices stated herein or as may be modified by CTPF from time-to-time without notice. These Terms of Use constitute a binding contract between CTPF and you. You are responsible for regularly reviewing the Terms of Use. If you do not wish to be bound by these Terms of Use, please do not access or use any Content (as defined below), functionality or Services accessible on the website, or immediately discontinue such use. In any event, your continued use of the website indicates your acceptance of the revised Terms of Use.

Additional terms may govern your use of certain Services, or Content accessible at the CTPF website or webpages within the website. In the event that any provision, term or guideline contained on the CTPF website or any webpage in the CTPF website conflicts with these Terms of Use, the particular terms of such website or webpage shall control over these Terms of Use except with respect to the General Terms set forth below, which shall at all times control.

All information, including your personal information submitted through the website is subject to the terms and conditions of the CTPF Privacy Policy, as it may be amended from time to time and which is incorporated herein by reference.

Content of the CTPF Website/License Grant

The website and all of its contents including, but not limited to, all information, text, messages, images, photos, illustrations, designs, icons, video clips, sounds, files, trademarks, copyrighted material, trade dress, software, specifications, catalogs, literature, technical information, advertisements and other content or materials located on or within the website (collectively, “Content”) is owned by CTPF and/or third parties with all rights reserved unless otherwise noted. CTPF grants you a limited license to access and use the Services and Content accessible on the website solely for your individual and non-commercial purposes (including printing individual pages from the website provided any printed copy of Content displayed on CTPF websites includes all copyright and other proprietary notices contained thereon). You are strictly prohibited from downloading (other than page caching), modifying or making any other use of the Services or Content accessible at the website, except with express written consent of CTPF. You understand that all third party Content posted on, transmitted through or linked from the website is the sole responsibility of the third party originator of such Content. All Content provided through the website is provided to you AS IS, and you agree that your use of and reliance on any Services or Content is at your own risk, and that under no circumstances shall CTPF be liable for any claim, loss, or damage of any kind suffered by you by your use of the Services or Content on or through the website.

You acknowledge that CTPF disclaims any duty or obligation to screen or approve third-party Content accessible on the website, and that CTPF shall have the right (but not the obligation) in its sole discretion to reject, modify, delete or relocate any Services or Content that are available, or may be available, via the website, for any reason and without notice.

Content of the CTPF Website/License Grant

The website and all of its contents including, but not limited to, all information, text, messages, images, photos, illustrations, designs, icons, video clips, sounds, files, trademarks, copyrighted material, trade dress, software, specifications, catalogs, literature, technical information, advertisements and other content or materials located on or within the website (collectively, “Content”) is owned by CTPF and/or third parties with all rights reserved unless otherwise noted. CTPF grants you a limited license to access and use the Services and Content accessible on the website solely for your individual and non-commercial purposes (including printing individual pages from the website provided any printed copy of Content displayed on CTPF websites includes all copyright and other proprietary notices contained thereon). You are strictly prohibited from downloading (other than page caching) modifying or making any other use of the Services or Content accessible at the website, except with express written consent of CTPF. You understand that all third party Content posted on, transmitted through or linked from the website is the sole responsibility of the third party originator of such Content. All Content provided through the website is provided to you AS IS, and you agree that your use of and reliance on any Services or Content is at your own risk, and that under no circumstances shall CTPF be liable for any losses of any kind suffered by you that may be proximately caused by your use of the Services or Content accessible at the website.

Use of the CTPF Website

Unless specified otherwise, CTPF offers you access to the website solely for your individual and non-commercial use. You agree to only access or use the website for legal purposes that are permitted by these Terms of Use. Among other things, you agree not to:

use CTPF branding including, but not limited to, any CTPF logo, without the expressed written permission of CTPF;
use CTPF website or any Content or Service on the website that in any manner that violates the trademark, copyright, or any other intellectual property rights of CTPF or others;
use the CTPF website or any Content or Service on the website for any pornography, illegal activities, or other materials that are discriminatory, defamatory, libelous, obscene, or otherwise objectionable;
use the CTPF website or any Content or Service on the website in any manner that violates any law, regulation, or other public policy;
except with the express written permission of CTPF, modify, copy, distribute, transmit, display, perform, reproduce, publish, license, create derivative works based upon, frame in another webpage, use on any other website, transfer or sell any information, software, lists of users, databases or other lists, products or services provided through or obtained from the website, including without limitation, engaging in the practices of “screen scraping,” “indexing,” “database scraping,” or any other activity with the purpose of obtaining lists of users or other information such as the use of internet robot or spider software to extract data or Content from the website;
damage, disable, overburden or impair the website or interfere with any other party’s use and enjoyment of the website;
obtain or attempt to obtain any materials or information through any means not made readily accessible by CTPF through the website;
attempt to gain unauthorized access to any services, accounts, computer systems or networks available through the website via hacking, password mining or any other method;
obtain or attempt to obtain any Services, Content or other materials or information through any method not intentionally made available to you through the website;
modify, copy, distribute, make or attempt to discover the source code, algorithms or processes of the website;
except with the express written or electronic authorization of CTPF, you agree that you will not access or attempt to access password protected, secure or non-public areas of the website.

If you create a link to the website, you agree that:

(a) you will not employ any technology that results in the placement of Content from the website in a frame and/or a reduced pop-up window and/or any other display mechanism which changes the appearance of the website from how it would appear if a user typed the URL in a typical browser line,

(b) your site shall not display content, provide services, or link to other websites that contain content that contains pornography, is used for or promotes illegal activities, or other materials that are discriminatory, defamatory, libelous, obscene, or otherwise objectionable,

(c ) you have duly registered your domain name and possess all rights necessary to use the same, and

(d) you shall not in any manner access, collect, store, disclose, transfer or use any information obtained or derived from a user’s access to or use of the website.

CTPF reserves the right to revoke your permission to create such link at any time in its sole discretion and you agree to immediately cease using the link at any time that CTPF so requests.

You agree that CTPF may in its sole discretion and at any time terminate your access to and use of the website or any part thereof, with or without notice. You further agree that use of the website and any of its Services or Content shall be immediately terminated if you violate these Terms of Use. In addition, CTPF reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify or discontinue the Services or access to Content, or any portion thereof, with or without notice, and without liability to you.

The Services or Content provided through the website may also be located on third party websites or applications, via a link, or otherwise. Nothing contained in any of these Services or Content is an offer or promise by CTPF to sell a specific product for a specific price or that any provider or advertiser will sell any product or service for any purpose or price or on any specific terms. In addition, CTPF does not make any representations or warranties with respect to such third party Services or Content, and is not responsible for their accuracy, sufficiency, veracity, completeness or timeliness. You are responsible for confirming the sufficiency and reliability of any third party Services and you hereby release CTPF from any and all claims, demands, liability and damages (actual or consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown, suspected or unsuspected, disclosed or undisclosed, arising out of or in any way connected with your use of such Services or Content. Please note that you may be subject to additional and/or different terms, conditions and privacy policies when you use third party services, content (as defined below), software or sites.

General Terms

Applicable Law

The Terms of Use are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, U.S.A., without regard to conflicts of laws principles. You hereby consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of federal or state courts sitting in the city of Chicago, County of Cook, State of Illinois, in all disputes arising out of or relating to access or use of the website, the website Content, the website Services. Access or use of the website is unauthorized in any jurisdiction that does not give effect to all provisions of these terms and conditions, including without limitation this paragraph.

You agree that no joint venture, partnership, employment or agency relationship exists between you and CTPF as a result of the Terms of Use or accessing or using the website, Services or Content. CTPF’s performance under the Terms of Use is subject to existing laws and legal process, and nothing contained in the Terms of Use is in derogation of CTPF’s right to comply with governmental, court and law enforcement requests or requirements relating to your access or use of the website or information provided to or gathered by CTPF with respect to such use.

Disclaimer of Warranties

You expressly understand and agree that: your use of and reliance upon the website, any and all of CTPF website, Services and/or Content is at your sole risk and is made available on an “as is” and “as available” basis. CTPF makes no express or implied representations, warranties, or guarantees with regard to the appropriateness, accuracy, sufficiency, correctness, veracity, value, completeness, or timeliness of the CTPF website, , Services and/or Content and expressly disclaims all representations or warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including, but not limited to, the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose and non-infringement. You expressly agree that your use of the website is at your sole risk.

Indemnification of CTPF by User

You agree to indemnify and hold CTPF, its third-party vendors, affiliates and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents harmless from any and all claims and demands, including, but not limited to reasonable attorneys’ fees and litigation expenses, made by any third-party due to or arising out of any Content, submitted, posted, or otherwise provided by you to the website and/or CTPF and/or its third party advertisers, or any breach by you or your affiliates, employees, agents and representatives of these Terms of Use.

CTPF Limitation of Liability

In no event shall CTPF, its third-party vendors, affiliates, and their respective directors, officers, employees and agents be liable for any direct, indirect, punitive, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or any damages whatsoever including, without limitation, damages for loss of use, data or profits, arising out of or in any way connected with the use or performance of the website, with the delay or inability to access or use the website or related Services, the provision of or failure to provide Services, or for any Content, software, products and services made available or obtained through the website, or otherwise arising out of the use of the website, whether based on contract, tort, negligence, strict liability or otherwise, even if CTPF has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Any Services or Content made available or obtained through the use of the website, and all other use of the website, is done at your own discretion and risk and you will be solely responsible for any damage to your computer system or loss of data that results therefrom.

If you are dissatisfied with any portion of the website or with any of these Terms of Use, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue using the website.

Links to Other Websites

This website may contain links to Internet sites not owned, operated or otherwise affiliated with CTPF. CTPF has no control over the content or links that appear on these sites. By using the website to link to third party sites, you acknowledge and agree that CTPF is not accountable for any damage or loss that may occur in connection with linking to, or the content found in, third party sites.

We do not monitor the policies of any third party sites and are not responsible for their privacy policies. We recommend that you carefully review the privacy policies of any third party sites before providing your personal information and to contact them with any questions.

Cookie Policy

BY CONTINUING TO USE OUR SITE AND SERVICES, YOU ARE AGREEING TO THE USE OF COOKIES. IF YOU DO NOT ACCEPT THE USE OF COOKIES AND SIMILAR TECHNOLOGIES, DO NOT USE THIS SITE. What is a cookie? A cookie is a simple text file that is stored on your computer or mobile device by a website’s server. Each cookie is unique to your web browser. It will contain some anonymous information such as a unique identifier and the site name and some digits and numbers. Most websites you visit use cookies to improve your user experience by allowing the website to ‘remember’ you, either for the duration of your visit (using a ‘session cookie’) or for repeat visits (using a ‘persistent cookie’). Cookies may be set by the website you are visiting (‘first party cookies’) or they may be set by other websites who run content on the page you are viewing (‘third party cookies’). What do cookies do? Cookies have lots of different jobs, like letting you navigate between pages efficiently, storing your preferences, and improving your experience of a website. Cookies make the interaction between you and the website faster and easier. If a website doesn’t use cookies, it will think you are a new visitor every time you move to a new page on the site, for example, even after you “log in,” if you move to another page it won’t recognize you and it won’t be able to keep you logged in.

Trusted partners analytics companies like Google Analytics may also place cookies on your device. Please read our partners’ privacy policies (linked below) to ensure that you’re comfortable with how they use cookies. We’ve also provided links to opt out of their services, if you’d like.

What should you do if you don’t want cookies to be set? Some people find the idea of a website storing information on their computer or mobile device to be intrusive, particularly when this information is stored and used by a third party without them knowing. You may not, for example, want to see advertising that has been targeted to your interests using your browser history. If you prefer, you may choose to block some or all cookies, or even to delete cookies that have already been set; but you should be aware that you might lose some functions of the website. If you want to restrict or block the cookies that are set by our Site, or any other site, you can do so through your browser setting. The ‘Help’ function in your browser should explain how. Alternatively, you can visit www.aboutcookies.org, which contains comprehensive information on how to do this on a wide variety of browsers. You will find general information about cookies and details on how to delete cookies from your machine. To opt-out of third-parties collecting any data regarding your interaction on our Site, please refer to their websites for further information.

Copyright Notice

All materials on the website (as well as the organization and layout of the website) are owned and copyrighted or licensed by CTPF, its corporate affiliates, subsidiaries or third parties. You may copy information from the website for your individual or educational use only, provided that each copy includes any copyright or trademark notice or attribution as they appear on the pages copied. The materials may not otherwise be copied, displayed, distributed, downloaded, licensed, modified, published, reposted, reproduced, reused, sold, transmitted, used to create a derivative work or otherwise used for public or commercial purposes, except as provided in these Terms of Use without the express written permission of CTPF. You may not use any Content contained in the materials in any manner that may give a false or misleading impression or statement. Nothing on the website shall be construed as conferring any license of any intellectual property rights, whether by estoppel, implication or otherwise. You may not use CTPF branding including, but not limited to, any CTPF logo, without the expressed written permission of CTPF.

CTPF Trademarks

The website includes the display of various branding including, but not limited to, logos, trademarks, service marks and/or registered trademarks of the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund. Marks are either owned or used by CTPF with permission. You may not use CTPF branding including, but not limited to, any CTPF logo, without the expressed written permission of CTPF. Address any inquiries concerning usage of the Marks to: CTPF Communications Department, Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund, 203 North LaSalle Street, Suite 2600, Chicago, Illinois, 60601.

Severability/Entire Agreement

If any part of the Terms of Use is determined to be invalid or unenforceable pursuant to applicable law including, but not limited to, the warranty disclaimers and liability limitations contained herein, then the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed superseded by a valid, enforceable provision that most closely matches the intent of the original provision and the remainder of the Terms of Use shall continue in effect. Unless otherwise specified herein (or in any other definitive written agreement between you and CTPF), the Terms of Use constitutes the entire agreement between you and CTPF with respect to your access to and use of the website, Services and Content available on the website and it supersedes all prior or contemporaneous communications and proposals, whether electronic, oral or written, between you and CTPF with respect to the website.

Waiver

Any failure by CTPF to strictly enforce a provision of these Terms of Use shall in no event be considered a waiver of any part of such provision and no waiver by CTPF of any breach by of these Terms of Use shall operate as a waiver of any succeeding breach. If you have any questions or comments regarding these Terms of Use, contact CTPF.