Bacon, Inc. (“Bacon”) provides a service that allows independent contractors to connect with Bacon’s network of companies and other work providers (each, a “Business”) and enter into arrangements with one or more such Business for the performance of services.
An index of defined terms used in this Agreement is set out in Section 21.
1. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS
This Agreement constitutes a legal agreement between Bacon and the person named as “Contractor” in the registration process (“you” or “yours”). By clicking “ACCEPT”, the individual accepting this Agreement and requesting access to the Services represents that he/she is at least eighteen (18) years old and the person named as “Contractor.” By clicking “ACCEPT”, and/or accessing or using the Services (defined below), now or in the future, you indicate that you have read, understand, and agree to the terms of this Agreement and any posted guidelines or rules applicable to the Services.
2. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICES
A. Under this Agreement, Bacon provides a technology platform and related services through which contractors and Businesses can enter into arrangements for the performance of services for Businesses. The platform and related services are aimed at facilitating the formation of contracts between contractors and Businesses. As used in this Agreement, the “Services” means all of the services provided by Bacon to you as described generally in this Section.
B. A core element of Bacon’s technology platform is a software application that Bacon provides to its contractors and Businesses.As used in this Agreement, the “Application” means the software used by Bacon (including the software application that Bacon provides to you) in connection with the Services.
C. Through the Application, a Business may from time to time submit a request for services to Bacon (a “Service Request”), which will include (i) a description of the services to be provided by a contractor; (ii) special contractor qualifications, if any, required to perform the services; (iii) the deliverables to be provided, including the criteria determining completion of the job (the “Deliverables”); (iv) the date by which the services must be completed; and (v) the compensation to be paid to Contractor for completion of the services (the “Contractor Payment”). Bacon may pass along the Service Request to one or more contractors for possible acceptance.
D. Through the Application, you may reach an agreement with the Business to perform the services, including such other terms in addition to, and not inconsistent with, those specified in the Service Request.You shall not agree to any change to the Deliverables or the Contractor Payment indicated in the Service Request, except by amendment of the Service Request by the Business through the Application.
E. If you and the Business reach agreement and the Business retains you to perform the services, the Service Request will become a “Service Engagement”.
F. Bacon reserves the right to modify, discontinue, temporarily or permanently, the Application and/or the Service Request or Engagement or any part thereof with or without notice.
3. LICENSE GRANT AND RESTRICTIONS
A. Subject to the terms of this Agreement and any applicable payments, Bacon grants you a personal, limited, nonexclusive, nontransferable license, so long as this Agreement remains in effect, to access and use the Application and the Services, solely for the purposes described herein, consistent with any description of the Services published by Bacon.
B. Except as expressly permitted herein or by applicable law, you shall not (and shall not allow any third party to) do any of the following: (i) license, sublicense, copy, assign, loan, sell, resell, republish, upload, post, transfer, distribute, or commercially exploit to any third party the Application or the Services; (ii) modify or create derivative works based on the Application; (iii) decompile, disassemble, or reverse engineer the Application; (v) interfere with the proper working of the Services or prevent access to or use of the Services by other licensees or businesses; or (vi) use the Application or the Services except as contemplated by this Agreement.
4. DELIVERABLES AND CONTRACTOR PAYMENT
A. Normally, all Deliverables specified in a Service Engagement will be possible of completion in one day. A Service Engagement may provide for separate Deliverables associated with more than one Contractor Payment.
B. You agree to use your reasonable best efforts to complete each Service Engagement in accordance with the requirements and specifications of the Business.By entering into a Service Engagement, you are entering into a binding agreement to provide services to the Business for the specified Contractor Payment. You must not accept a Service Request unless you are confident that you (i) understand the requirements of the job; (ii) have the ability to get to the job site; (iii) have the qualifications and ability to perform the requested services and complete all of the Deliverables; and (iv) will be able to complete the Deliverables within the requested time.
C. Bacon will pay the Contractor Payment to you on behalf of the Business within twenty-four (24) hours after the Business’s acceptance of the relevant Deliverables and Bacon’s receipt of payment from the Business. The Contractor Payment will be Bacon’s only liability to you for services that you render under a Service Engagement. Bacon will not cover or reimburse any expenses associated with your performance of a Service Engagement. If there is a dispute between you and the Business regarding your completion of the Deliverables, you are solely responsible for resolving the dispute with the Business. Bacon will exercise its reasonable best efforts to collect payment from the Business promptly after you have completed the Deliverables, but Bacon does not guarantee such payments. You agree that Bacon will not be liable for any delay in payment to you based on Business’s refusal to accept the Deliverables or failure to make timely payment to Bacon.
D. A Service Engagement may be canceled at any time by the Business at any time prior to commencement of performance, but any cancellation without at least six (6) hours’ notice to you will be subject to a cancellation fee.
E. You agree that you will not cancel any Service Engagement without the consent of the Business.
5. USER ACCOUNT, PASSWORD, AND SECURITY
A. As a condition of using the Service, you agree to: (i) provide accurate, current, and complete information about yourself as prompted by the Service’s registration form, and (ii) maintain and promptly update the registration data to keep it accurate, current and complete.
B. You will receive a password and account designation upon completing the Service’s registration process. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of the password and account and are fully responsible for all activities that occur under your password or account.
C. Bacon will ask for your social security number as part of the registration process, which may be used to conduct a background check and which may be provided to our payment vendor, Stripe, to process payments and ensure the safety of your account.
6. BACKGROUND CHECK
As part of your registration with Bacon, you agree to execute a written consent for a background check. Your right to use the Application and the Services is conditioned upon a satisfactory background check, and you agree to any additional ongoing background checks that may be required by Bacon or a Business as a condition of your continued use of the Services.
7. RELATIONSHIPS
A. Under this Agreement (and Bacon’s service agreement with Businesses), Bacon provides services to both contractors and Businesses, including providing a technology platform, aimed at facilitating the formation of contracts between contactors and Businesses. If you and a Business agree on terms and establish a Service Engagement, a contract is formed directly between you and the Business.
B. BACON’S SERVICES MAY BE USED ONLY FOR ENTERING INTO SERVICE ARRANGEMENTS UNDER INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR RELATIONSHIPS. Businesses are referred to in this Agreement as “employers” for convenience of language only, lacking a better term. No Service Engagement is intended to create an “employment” relationship between you and any Business. You will not be eligible for any employee benefits. You will not be considered an employee of the Business for purposes of any laws related to employment termination, employment discrimination, harassment, workplace safety, workers’ compensation, unemployment benefits, minimum wage, overtime, or any claims for sick leave, holiday or vacation pay, or any other employee benefits. Neither Bacon nor the Business will deduct any amounts for withholding, unemployment, Social Security, or other taxes in connection with any Contractor Payment.
C. Bacon will not provide you with any training or any equipment or materials needed for fulfillment of any Service Engagement, except to make available to you any training materials provided by the Business. Bacon will not in any way supervise, direct, or control any of your work for a Business.
D. You acknowledge and agree that Bacon has no control over the workplace, and Bacon will have no liability arising out of or related to the workplace environment in which you perform services under a Service Engagement or the workplace conduct of employees or agents of the Business or others.
E. You agree that Bacon will have no liability to you, in connection with any Service Engagement, for (i) any physical injury or death occurring at any location where you perform services under the Service Engagement, or (ii) any act or omission by any person that gives rise to any claim under employment laws, including laws related to employment termination, employment discrimination, harassment, and workplace safety, and any similar act or omission notwithstanding the non-applicability of such laws to you as an independent contractor; or (iii) any claim for overtime pay, sick leave, holiday or vacation pay, or any other employee benefits.
F. BACON DOES NOT MAKE ANY REPRESENTATION OR WARRANTY RELATING TO THE ACTIONS, HISTORY, INTEGRITY, OR SUITABILITY OF ANY Business.
G. The parties agree that there exists no partnership or agency relationship between Bacon and any Business.No Business has authority to enter into any written or oral agreement, whether express or implied, on behalf of Bacon.
H. Neither of the parties to this Agreement and none of the parties’ agents, employees, representatives, or independent contractors shall (i) be considered an agent, employee, or representative of the other party for any purpose whatsoever, (ii) have any authority to make any agreement or commitment for the other party or to incur liability or obligation in the other party’s name or on its behalf, or (iii) represent to third parties that either of them has any right so to bind the other party. Nothing contained in this Agreement shall be construed or interpreted as creating an agency, partnership, or joint venture relationship between the parties.
8. INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR
A. You will be treated in all respects as an independent contractor in connection with your performance of a Service Engagement.You are responsible for providing your own tools and equipment unless the Business otherwise agrees.You are responsible for all taxes related to Contractor Payments, including quarterly tax payments to appropriate government authorities when required, and you agree to make all required tax filings and tax payments in a timely manner. If any services to be performed by you under a Service Engagement require any registration, license, or other authorization, you are responsible to obtain and maintain the necessary registration, license, or other authorization.
B. When required by law, Bacon will report payments to you in connection with Service Engagements by filing form 1099-MISC with the Internal Revenue Service.
C. Acceptance of any Service Request by you constitutes a representation and warranty to Bacon that you have obtained workers’ compensation insurance covering your services. If you have not obtained workers’ compensation insurance prior to accepting a Service Request, you agree to pay an additional fee for coverage under a policy provided by Bacon.
D. Your response to a Service Request and your performance of a Service Engagement constitute a representation and warranty to Bacon that you are authorized to work as an independent contractor in the United States and that your performance of the Service Engagement will not violate any law or conflict with any obligation that you have to any person.
9. ADDITIONAL TERMS AND SERVICES
A. Certain features of the Application may be subject to additional terms, conditions, or registration requirements. Any violation of such terms, conditions, or registration requirements will constitute a breach of this Agreement.
B. Bacon may offer services, features, products, and applications in addition to the Application and the Services. If you elect to use such services, you will be required to accept additional terms and conditions governing such services, and separate fees may apply.
10. INFORMATION AND FEEDBACK
A. You acknowledge that in accessing the Services, you may upload or enter certain data from your account(s) such as names, addresses, phone numbers, purchases, and sales, among others, to the Internet. You hereby grant Bacon permission to use information about yourself and your usage experience to enable Bacon to provide the Services to you, including updating and maintaining your data, addressing errors or service interruptions, and to enhance the types of data and services Bacon may provide to you in the future. You also grant Bacon permission to combine your data with that of others in a way that does not identify you to improve services, to create, market, or promote new Bacon offerings to you and others and to use such combined data to create, market, or promote new Bacon offerings.
B. You acknowledge that all metadata and other information generated or submitted to Bacon by you and Businesses in connection with the Application and the Services are owned by Bacon.
C. Bacon may provide you with a mechanism to provide feedback, suggestions, and ideas, if you choose, about its services (“Feedback”). You agree that Bacon may, in its sole discretion, use the Feedback in any way, including in future modifications to the Application and/or the Services and in multimedia works, advertising, marketing, and promotional materials relating to the Services. You hereby grant to Bacon a perpetual, worldwide, fully transferable, sublicensable (through multiple tiers), non-revocable, fully paid up, royalty free license to use, modify, create derivative works from, distribute, display, and otherwise exploit any information you provide to Bacon in Feedback.
11. PRIVACY POLICY
For details about Bacon’s privacy policies, please refer to the Privacy Statement contained in the Services. You agree to be bound by the applicable Bacon privacy policy, as amended from time to time, in accordance with its terms.
12. GENERAL PRACTICES
You acknowledge and agree that Bacon may establish general practices and limits concerning use of the Service. Bacon reserves the right to log off accounts that are not active for an extended period of time. Bacon shall have no responsibility or liability for the deletion or failure to store any data or other information or materials maintained or transmitted by the Service. Such general practices and limits may be changed by Bacon at any time, in its sole discretion, with or without notice.
13. RESERVATION OF RIGHTS AND OWNERSHIP
The Application and the Services are licensed and not sold. Bacon reserves all rights not expressly granted to you in this Agreement. The Application and the Services are protected by copyright, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws. Bacon and its licensors, where applicable, own all right, title, and interest in and to the Application and the Services (and all intellectual property rights therein), including but not limited to its technology, content, derivatives, and modifications of the Services by whomsoever made.
14. NO WARRANTIES
A. THE APPLICATION AND THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS-AVAILABLE.” TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, BACON DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, REGARDING THE SERVICES, CONTENT, AND RELATED MATERIALS, INCLUDING ANY WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Bacon does not warrant the accuracy, reliability, completeness, usefulness, or quality of any content included in the Services. Bacon does not warrant that the Services are secure, free from bugs, interruption, or errors, or that the Services will meet your requirements.
B. You are solely responsible for the selection of a Business for whom you desire to perform services and for the arrangement under which services are provided. Bacon is not liable for the action or inaction of any Business in connection with any Service Engagement and your performance of services thereunder. Bacon does not guarantee or warrant the Business’s performance in connection with any Service Engagement.
C. Bacon does not guarantee you any minimum number of engagements.Until a Service Request becomes a Service Engagement, it may be accepted by other contractors or withdrawn by the Business. Bacon does not guarantee that a Service Request will remain open or available to you for any particular length of time. Bacon does not guarantee that you will be retained by the Business for every (or any) Service Request that you seek to accept.
D. Bacon shall have no liability to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance of the Application or the Services or any part thereof.
15. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND DAMAGES
A. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, THE ENTIRE CUMULATIVE LIABILITY OF BACON AND YOUR EXCLUSIVE REMEDY FOR ALL MATTERS OR CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THIS AGREEMENT SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAYABLE TO YOU UNDER THIS AGREEMENT IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.
B. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW, PROVIDER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY (i) INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, PUNITIVE, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES; OR (ii) DAMAGES RELATING TO TELECOMMUNICATIONS FAILURES, INTERNET AND ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATIONS FAILURES, DELAYS OR LIMITATIONS, LOSS, CORRUPTION, SECURITY, OR THEFT OF DATA, VIRUSES, SPYWARE; OR (iii) LOSS OF INCOME, ARISING OUT OF OR RELATED IN ANY WAY TO THE SERVICES, WHETHER BASED IN TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), PRODUCT LIABILITY OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF PROVIDER HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.16. INDEMNIFICATION You shall defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Bacon and its parents, affiliates, employees, and agents from and against any and all liabilities, losses, damages, costs, and other expenses, including attorneys’ fees, arising from or related to (i) a breach by you of any representation, warranty, covenant, or obligation in this Agreement; (ii) any intentional or negligent act or omission committed by you in connection with the performance (or failure to perform) any Service Engagement; and (iii) your violation of any law.
17. CONSENT TO CONDUCT BUSINESS ELECTRONICALLY
A. You agree that Bacon may send notices and other communications to you by email and/or may make communications available to you by posting them on the Application or on Bacon’s website. You consent to receive such communications electronically. You shall notify Bacon promptly of any change in your email address or other registration data.
B. You certify that you have the ability to electronically retrieve, download, and print (i) this Agreement; (ii) all terms, policies, rules, notices, and forms (including IRS Form 1099-MISC) related to this Agreement and your relationship with Bacon hereunder; and (iii) all other items required by law.
18. MODIFICATION AND AMENDMENT
Bacon may change this Agreement from time to time, effective upon posting of the modified Agreement on its website or through the Application. Bacon may also notify you of the change by email or other electronic communication. You are responsible to review the Agreement periodically for changes. Bacon has the right to change, delete, discontinue, or impose conditions on any features or aspect of the Services, including but not limited to pricing, technical support options, and other product-related policies. Your continued use of the Services after Bacon’s publication of any changes shall constitute your acceptance of the changes.
19. TERMINATION
Either party may terminate this Agreement without cause at any time, effective upon notice to the other party; provided, however, that termination of this Agreement will not relieve either party of its obligations related to any Service Engagement that has been entered into prior to the time of cancellation. Sections 5 (Fees), 9 (Information and Feedback), 12 (Reservation of Rights and Ownership), 13 (No Warranties), 14 (Limitation of Liability and Damages), 15 (Indemnification) 16 (Consent to Conduct Business Electronically), and 19 (Miscellaneous) shall survive any termination of this Agreement. Bacon shall have the right to terminate your password, account (or any part thereof), or use of the Service, at any time in its sole discretion, with or without cause and with or without prior notice. Bacon shall not be liable to you or any third party for any termination of your access to the Service.
20. MISCELLANEOUS
A. This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with law of the state in which you reside, without regard to its rules regarding conflicts of law. Each of the parties consents to the jurisdiction of the courts located in that state with respect to all matters relating to this Agreement.
B. Any controversy or claim arising out of or relating to this Agreement, or the breach of this Agreement, shall be settled by arbitration in accordance with the Commercial Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, except that the parties agree that arbitration will not afford an adequate remedy in connection with any violation of a party’s rights pertaining to any patent, copyright, trade secret, trademark, service mark, or other intellectual property, and the parties shall have the right to seek an injunction or other appropriate relief to restrain or remedy any such violation in any court having jurisdiction. Judgment upon the award of the arbitrator (or arbitrators) may be entered in any court having jurisdiction. Before filing a claim for arbitration, you agree first to inform Bacon of the complaint, including sufficient information to allow Bacon to evaluate the complaint, and afford Bacon at least sixty (60) days from its receipt of such information to resolve the matter informally. To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, no arbitration or claim under this Agreement shall be joined to any other arbitration or claim, including any arbitration or claim involving any other current or former user of the Service, and no class arbitration proceeding shall be permitted. In no event shall any claim, action, or proceeding by either party related in any way to the Application and/or the Services be instituted more than one (1) year after the claim arose.
C. This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between the parties pertaining to its subject matter, and it supersedes any and all written or oral agreements previously existing between the parties with respect to such subject matter. Except for changes by Bacon as provided herein, no modification or amendment of this Agreement shall be binding unless executed in writing by both parties. No waiver shall be effective unless it is in writing and signed by the party against whom enforcement is sought.
D. This Agreement may not be assigned by either party without the prior written consent of the other.
E. If any of the provisions of this Agreement are held by a court or other tribunal having jurisdiction to be unenforceable, the parties intend that the provision shall be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining portions of this Agreement shall remain in full force and effect.
21. DEFINITIONS
As used in this Agreement, the following terms have the following meanings:
“Application” has the meaning given in Section 2.B.
“Business” has the meaning given in the preamble.
“Contractor Payment” has the meaning given in Section 2.C.
“Deliverables” has the meaning given in Section 2.C.
“Feedback” has the meaning given in Section 10.C.
“Service Engagement” has the meaning given in Section 2.E.
“Service Request” has the meaning given in Section 2.C.