TL;DR
Because we care about you and value your time ;)
Additional Services & Project Changes: Services outside the attached Statement of Work (SOW) or changes to approved work require a new SOW or Change of Scope, approved in writing by both parties.
Expenses: Client must pre-approve any expenses exceeding 10% of the SOW budget. Payment terms for these expenses are mutually determined in advance.
Payment Terms: Invoices are due within 30 days of the invoice date, with various payment options available. Late payments accrue 3% interest per month.
Client Representative: A designated Client Representative has full authority to provide necessary information, approvals, and communicate changes or additional service requests.
Client Obligations & Materials: The client is responsible for providing necessary materials in suitable formats and fulfilling obligations for the Consultant to perform its services effectively.
Approval of Work: Work begins after receiving the signed SOW. The client has 15 business days to approve deliverables or request modifications.
Suppliers: Consultant acts as principal in contracts with suppliers but will negotiate on the Client's behalf for best terms.
Legal Clearances & Indemnification: The client is responsible for legal clearances and must indemnify the Consultant against claims arising from client's actions or omissions.
Liability: Consultant is not liable for delays or nonperformance beyond its control and has a maximum liability up to the total fees received under the agreement.
Confidential Information: Both parties agree to maintain confidentiality of proprietary information used to perform their obligations.
Non-Solicitation: Neither party will solicit the other’s employees, contractors, or consultants during and for 18 months post-agreement.
Rights, Ownership, & Usage: Upon full payment, rights to work created specifically for the Client are assigned, except for background technology and unselected work, which remain with the Consultant.
Term & Termination: Agreement can be terminated by either party with 30 days' notice. Conditions apply for termination due to fault and for delays.
Warranties: Both parties warrant their right to enter the agreement, compliance with laws, and non-existence of claims against them that would affect their obligations.
Governing Law & Dispute Resolution: Governed by New Jersey laws; disputes subject to arbitration.
Notices & Miscellaneous: Notices must be sent via certified mail. The agreement covers any additional services or SOWs, with business hours specified for Consultant availability.
The Full Version
In consideration of this mutual agreement, covenants, rights, and obligations provided for pursuant to these Terms and Conditions and other good and valuable consideration, the receipt and sufficiency of which are hereby mutually acknowledged by these parties, and intending to be legally bound by the Agreement, Client and Consultant covenant and agree as follows:
1. Additional Services, Project Changes
Any services outside the scope of the attached SOW or changes to previously approved work requested by the Client shall be the subject of an additional SOW or Change of Scope to be approved in writing by both parties. Each such additional SOW or Change of Scope is hereby incorporated herein by this reference.
2. Expenses
Client will be notified in advance for pre-approval of any additional expenses in excess of more than ten percent (10%) of those set forth on each SOW. Consultant and client will mutually determine payment terms and payor prior to approval and then Client shall either pay such fees directly to the third-party vendor or reimburse Consultant therefore upon presentation of applicable invoices. Consultant shall maintain records of expenses. Where applicable, Consultant will invoice Client for all fees related to the acquisition of talent or talent services in advance and will only secure talent services upon receipt of all such fees from Client or in accordance with terms otherwise explicitly stated in any attached SOW.
3. Time of Payment and Late-Payment Charges
The Client shall pay Consultant for the work performed hereunder as set forth on the applicable SOW. In no event will any payment under this Agreement be contingent on receipt of any monies or other compensation by the Client. For the avoidance of doubt, fees or commissions payable to Consultant for media planning and buying services are in addition to, and not inclusive of, Consultant’s fees for other services which may be listed in each SOW, such as design, branding, hosting, and content distribution and syndication. Delays resulting from the action or inaction of Client may result in an adjustment in fees by Consultant, subject to Client approval.
Each invoice hereunder is due and payable within 30 days after its invoice date. Payment may be made via ACH or by check. If by check, please make payable to “Polarity, Inc.” and it must be received within 30 days from the invoice date at Consultant’s offices.
Some invoices may include an option to make payment online if requested by the Client, in which case payment may be made by ACH bank transfer, in which case the transaction must be completed within the same 30 days from the original invoice date. Any transactional fees will be paid by the Client and will be included on the invoice.
All rights of the Client herein are conditioned on Consultant’s receipt of full payment. In addition, Consultant may suspend performance of services and withhold delivery of materials until payment in full of all amounts due. Consultant shall not be liable for any damages, losses or liabilities that may arise out of Consultant’s suspension of performance and/or withholding of materials due to Client’s non-payment. Late payments shall accrue interest at the rate of 3% per month. Consultant shall be entitled to all of its costs of collection of amounts outstanding hereunder, including without limitation, the fees of its attorneys.
4. Client Representative
In order to avoid miscommunication, the Client shall appoint a sole representative with full authority to provide or maintain any necessary information and approvals that may be required by Consultant (the “Client Representative”). The Client Representative shall be responsible for coordination and review of the Consultant’s services and notifying Consultant of Client instructions, change orders and approvals. The signature or e-mail approval of the Client Representative shall be final and binding on Client. If after the Client Representative has approved a work-product or deliverable, the Client or any authorized person alters the scope of work or requires additional services, the Client shall pay all fees and expenses arising from such changes and additional services as set forth in section 1 above.
5. Client Obligations and Materials
The Consultant’s ability to perform its obligations under this Agreement may be dependent on the Client fulfilling its obligations. The Consultant shall not be liable for any costs, charges, or losses sustained by the Client arising directly from any failure of the Client to fulfill its obligations under this Agreement.
All copy provided by the Client shall be in an electronic, editable format suitable for typesetting (i.e., Google Doc, PowerPoint, spreadsheet, etc.). Where photographs, illustrations or other visual materials are provided by the Client, they shall be of professional quality and in a form suitable for reproduction without further preparation or alteration. The Client shall pay all fees and expenses required to bring nonconforming materials up to such standards. The Client warrants that all assets, concepts, materials, specifications, information, and instructions provided by Client or its agents may be exploited pursuant to this Agreement and any applicable Statement of Work, including on the Internet, without violating any laws and without violating or infringing any rights of any third parties.
It is our mutual expectation that Consultant and Client will be active partners in helping to achieve the deliverables and milestones described in the work plan. While not strictly in the scope of this effort, Consultant agrees to make suggestions for Client considerations for additional marketing and communications activities which may strengthen Client’s market presence. Client agrees to facilitate meetings and work according to any attached SOW.
6. Approval of Work
Work will not commence until the signed SOW has been received.
Within fifteen business days following receipt of any deliverables, the Client will provide Consultant with either:
written approval and acceptance of such deliverable (which will not be unreasonably withheld), or
a written list of reasonable modification guidelines that will bring the deliverables into compliance with the SOW.
Each deliverable hereunder will be deemed accepted by the Client if, within fifteen business days of its delivery to the Client, the Consultant does not receive and confirm the foregoing written notice. Client may request a deadline extension when a deliverable is received and Client and Consultant will work together to accommodate each team’s schedules, and adjust deadlines accordingly. Payment of invoices will not be deemed acceptance of Deliverables, but rather such Deliverables will be subject to inspection, test, acceptance or rejection in accordance with the acceptance or completion criteria as specified in the relevant SOW (“Scope of Work”) or Project Plan (“Plan”), to be established and mutually agreed and attached as addenda to this Agreement, as needed. Client may, at its option, either reject Deliverables that do not comply with the acceptance or completion criteria for a refund of unused budget, or require Consultant, upon Client’s written instruction, to repair or replace such Deliverables, without charge and in a timely manner, according to the scope established within this statement of work and the aforementioned Plan.
The Client's written approval of any deliverables, materials, plans or other Work created or produced by the Consultant in the course of the provision of the Services, or any cost estimate, will constitute the Consultant’s authority to purchase, publish, and make contracts for talent, space, time and other facilities and otherwise to do any other act or thing which the Consultant considers it reasonable to do in order to carry out its obligations under this Agreement or any Statement of Work.
The Consultant will not be obliged to commit to any expenditure on behalf of the Client without first receiving written confirmation of the Client's instructions and the Consultant will not be responsible for the consequences of any delay on the part of the Client in providing such written confirmation.
7. Suppliers
Unless otherwise stated in this Agreement or agreed by the parties in writing, the Consultant’s contracts with suppliers in respect of the Services shall be made in accordance with suppliers’ standard terms or such other terms as the Consultant is able to negotiate with the relevant supplier.
The Consultant shall act as principal in all such contracts, but all rights and liabilities as between the Client and the Consultant shall correspond to those between the Consultant and the various suppliers under such conditions, including in particular any service levels and any rights of amendment, omission, and cancellation. The Consultant shall use reasonable efforts to procure best commercial terms for the Client, and on the Client’s written request the Consultant shall supply the Client with the relevant terms and conditions.
Notwithstanding the above, unless the parties agree to different arrangements in writing, the Consultant shall negotiate with any talent or celebrities (if applicable) on behalf of the Client, but the Client shall contract with such suppliers directly in order to derive maximum benefit from the relationship.
8. Legal Clearances and Indemnification
The Client is responsible for obtaining all legal clearances required for the performance of services hereunder. The Client shall indemnify, defend (at its own cost and expense) and hold Consultant and its officers, employees, and agents harmless from and against any and all claims, suits, demands, damages, losses, and expenses arising from any breach, misrepresentation or other act or omission of the Client.
9. Liability
Consultant shall not be held responsible for delays or nonperformance caused by activities or factors beyond its reasonable control, including delays and nonperformance caused by viruses, denial of service attacks, other acts or omissions by third parties, Internet service providers, the Client or its contractors, strikes, lockouts, work slowdowns or stoppages, accidents, fires, acts of God, terrorism, failure by the Client to timely furnish information or approve or disapprove work, or faulty performance by the Client or others, including third-party contractors hired by Consultant or by Client. Consultant will not hire subcontractors to perform the activities in this agreement or any attached Statement of Work (SOW) without explicit declaration of subcontracted activities in such an SOW or attachment and written approval from Client. Consultant shall not be liable for any indirect, third-party, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary or punitive damages arising out of this Agreement. Consultant’s maximum liability under this Agreement shall not exceed the total fees received by it hereunder.
Time is of the essence with respect to the Consultant's and Client’s performance of all of its obligations under this Agreement. It is our mutual expectation that the Consultant and Client will be active partners in helping to achieve the deliverables and milestones described in the work plan. If for any reason the Consultant or Client are unable to comply with the time requirements provided for in this Agreement, the Party shall immediately notify all Parties of the estimated delay involved. Consultant and Client agree to make no claim for damages for delay in the performance of this Agreement occasioned by an act or a failure to act by or any of its representatives. In such cases, Consultant's sole remedy for delay shall be an extension of the time for Consultant’s performance equal to the duration of Client’s delay, according to the monthly retainer rate, estimated by the projected and allocated hours in the SOW, provided such extension is otherwise agreed to in advance in writing by the parties.
10. Confidential Information
Confidential information is that which relates to the Client’s or Consultant’s research, development, trade secrets or business affairs and includes, in the case of Consultant’s confidential information, concepts presented to, but not selected by, the Client; it does not include information that is generally known or easily ascertainable by third parties. Consultant and the Client shall mutually respect and maintain each other’s confidential information and shall use it only to perform their respective obligations hereunder. For the avoidance of doubt, confidential information does not include information which is public knowledge, was in the recipient’s possession before receipt or is independently developed by the recipient.
11. Non-Solicitation
Neither party shall solicit the other’s employees, independent contractors or consultants, or engage them in any work independent of the parties’ relationship under this Agreement during the term of the Agreement and for 18 months thereafter.
12. Rights, Ownership, and Usage
Subject to Consultant’s receiving full payment under this Agreement, Consultant assigns to the Client, without representation or warranty, all rights, title, and interest Consultant may have in any work specifically created by Consultant for the Client pursuant to this Agreement, except that:
Consultant may use and distribute such work as part of its portfolio for promotional purposes, including the use of Client’s name and logo;
Consultant shall own and retain all rights to any and all concepts, ideas, designs, proposals and other work and materials (collectively, “Work”) which have been presented to the Client but not included in the final work product;
Consultant shall own and retain all rights to any technology, technical documentation, inventions, algorithms, software, architecture, logic, navigation, 3d modeling files, animation files and other source files for front-end deliverables, computer programs, source codes, game engines or other backend and background elements, files and features incorporated into or utilized by the Work (collectively, “Background Technology”). This includes any new software or intellectual property developed to fulfill the SOW but not explicitly listed as a deliverable. Unless the parties agree otherwise in a written and signed Statement of Work, Consultant shall retain ownership of any and all Background Technology, including any and all associated intellectual property rights. Consultant hereby grants to Client a nonexclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide license to use, reproduce, distribute, display and perform Consultant’s Background Technology, in compiled machine-readable object code form only, to the extent incorporated into deliverables provided hereunder strictly for the purposes and in the territories set out in the applicable Statement of Work. Use of Background Technology for any other project, on any other website or in any other medium shall be subject to additional fees and licenses which may be granted or withheld by Consultant in its sole discretion; and
If the Client desires to utilize any of the Work, whether accepted or rejected by the Client hereunder, for any marketing campaign, promotion, product, service, advertisement or any other purpose outside the scope of this Agreement, then the Client shall hire Consultant to design, create, develop, market and otherwise implement such work. The Client may solicit or hire a third party to implement such Work if, and only if, Consultant declines to do so and such third party is hired on terms in no way more beneficial than the terms first offered to Consultant.
Subject to the services provided hereunder or in an attached SOW, Consultant shall retain all rights to any existing illustrations and other proprietary technologies or artwork that it provides, if any, listed in any SOW (each item, a “Property”), provided that Consultant shall not, without Client’s prior written consent, use, license, sell or otherwise authorize the use of any Property that becomes synonymous with Client’s brand for use in connection with the marketing or promotion of any competitive consumer product or brand, in any format or medium, electronic or otherwise, for a period of one year from date on which such Property is first published. Except as otherwise set forth in this Section 12, Consultant grants Client the limited, exclusive, irrevocable right to use the Property as set forth in any SOW.
13. Term and Termination
Either party may terminate this Agreement for any reason upon giving 30 days’ prior written notice to the other. Upon termination of this Agreement by Client without Consultant’s fault or consent, Client shall pay Consultant all of the fees earned by Consultant pursuant to the terms hereof plus any and all expenses and third-party costs reasonably incurred by Consultant through the effective date of cancellation. At Consultant’s election, Client’s delay of work under this Agreement for a cumulative period of more than 30 days without Consultant’s fault or consent may be considered a termination of this Agreement by Client within the meaning of the immediately preceding sentence upon Consultant’s notice. If Client desires to terminate this Agreement due to Consultant’s fault, Client shall give Consultant written notice detailing the nature of Consultant’s fault and possible remedies, whereupon Consultant shall have a reasonable period of time (but in no event less than 30 days) to cure such fault. Termination by Client without providing the foregoing notice and cure period shall be considered “termination without Consultant’s fault’ as described above.”
14. Warranties
Both parties make the following ongoing representations and warranties:
They have the right to enter into this Agreement and their performance of this Agreement will comply, at each party’s own expense, with the terms of any contract, obligation including any between Client and its end-users; or any law, regulation or ordinance to which it is or becomes subject;
No claim, lien, or action exists or is threatened against either party that would interfere with each party’s rights under this Agreement;
All parties have agreed not to assert their moral rights in the Deliverables, to the extent permitted by law;
Deliverables are safe for use, consistent with, and will comply with the warranties, specifications, and requirements in this Agreement; Consultant will perform preliminary research to reasonably assure rights but, ultimately, the Client will be responsible for all copyright searches, patent research, and the rights to use creative and materials developed;
Services will be performed using reasonable care and skill and in accordance with the relevant SOW and/or Plan.
15. Governing Law, Jurisdiction, and Attorney Fees
The Parties agree that this Agreement shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New Jersey without regard to any conflict of law provisions. Any controversy between the parties hereto involving the construction or application of any of the terms, covenants, or conditions of this Agreement will, on the written request of one party served on the other, be submitted to arbitration. The arbitration will comply with and be governed by the provisions of the New Jersey Code of Civil Procedure.
The parties will each appoint one representative, who will then appoint one arbitrator to hear and determine the dispute and whose decision will be final and conclusive on both parties. The cost of arbitration will be borne in such proportions as the arbitrator may decide.
16. Notices
Any and all notices required or permitted hereunder shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested, to the address of the party for which intended, set forth below its signature hereto and, in the case of the Consultant.
17. Miscellaneous
Consultant will be accessible during the course of its business hours, less holidays and time out of the office according to each SOW’s Workplan, from Monday through Thursday, between 9 am and 5 pm US Eastern time, and on Fridays and weekends when arranged and agreed in advance.
If the parties agree to additional services, referred to as Scopes of Work, these Master Terms and Conditions shall control, including in the event a conflict exists between this Master and any new Scopes of Work.
This Master Services Agreement (the “Agreement”) shall govern the provision of services to the client (the “Client”) by Polarity, Inc. (“Consultant”). Additional terms, such as the services and deliverables to be provided hereunder, the schedule for the delivery thereof and the amount of fees payable therefore are set forth on the Proposal or Statement of Work (the “SOW” or "Proposal" or "Agreement") which is hereby incorporated herein by this reference and may, from time to time, be amended upon the written consent of both parties. In the event of any conflict between the terms of any SOW and the terms of this Agreement, the terms of the Agreement shall control.