Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of insidedcpulse.com and its related features (“Inside DC Pulse,” “the Site,” “we,” “us”). By submitting an opinion, voting, launching a Topic, or claiming the Spotlight, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Site.

You must be at least 18 years old and capable of forming a binding contract to use any paid feature of the Site (Spotlight bids, Topic launches). The public opinion board and voting are open to visitors of legal age in their jurisdiction to enter into online agreements.

Inside DC Pulse is an independent commentary and public-bulletin-board website. It provides paid website placement features (“Spotlight” and “Launch a Topic”) that let a user pay to have their own statement displayed more prominently on the Site.

Inside DC Pulse is not a political action committee, campaign, candidate committee, lobbying entity, or fundraising platform, and it is not affiliated with any government body, political party, or candidate for office. Payments made through the Site are for website advertising/placement services only. They are not political contributions, donations, or campaign expenditures, and no portion of any payment is transmitted to any candidate, campaign, or political organization.

• All payments are processed by Stripe. We never receive or store your card number.
• Spotlight: the highest current bid is displayed in the #1 position. A new bid must meet the posted minimum increment and, once accepted, immediately replaces the previous holder. We do not guarantee any specific duration, view count, or outcome from holding the Spotlight.
• Launch a Topic: a flat fee (currently $1.00 USD) creates a new debate topic tag visible on the board.
• All sales are final. Because placement is delivered immediately upon payment, we do not offer refunds except where required by law or at our sole discretion.
• Prices, minimum bid increments, and fees may change at any time without notice.

Opinions, headlines, topic names, author names/handles, and any other content you submit (“User Content”) remain yours. By submitting User Content, you grant Inside DC Pulse a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display, reproduce, and distribute it on the Site and in connection with promoting the Site.

You agree not to submit User Content that:

• is unlawful, defamatory, obscene, or infringes another person’s rights;
• harasses, threatens, or incites violence against any individual or group;
• impersonates any person or organization, or is knowingly false in a way intended to deceive;
• contains malware, spam, or unsolicited advertising unrelated to public commentary.

We may remove or refuse to display any User Content, and suspend a submitter’s ability to post, at our sole discretion and without prior notice.

The People’s Political Bulletin Board and the Spotlight display opinions and statements written by individual users, not by Inside DC Pulse. We do not endorse, verify, or take responsibility for the accuracy or viewpoint of any User Content.

The Site is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Site will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Inside DC Pulse will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or data, arising from your use of the Site. Our total liability for any claim arising out of these Terms will not exceed the amount you paid us in the 90 days before the claim arose.

You agree to indemnify and hold Inside DC Pulse harmless from any claim or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees, arising out of your User Content or your violation of these Terms.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the District of Columbia, United States of America, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of the Site after a change is posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. The “Last updated” date above reflects the most recent revision.

Questions about these Terms can be sent to insidedcpulse@gmail.com.