Privacy Policy and other legal info

Image: Frank the mouse writes on a sheet of paper using a feather almost as big as himself, while Jane the vole, clad in a twentieth-century-formal dress, looks over his shoulder with interest.

Clause 1: Preamble and Definitions

The text presented on this page (henceforth referred to as "This Policy") constitutes a contract regarding the use of http://frankhightower.blogspot.com (henceforth referred to as "This Blog") undertaken between any user of This Blog (henceforth referred to as "You") and the author, creator, and administrator of This Blog (henceforth referred to as "The Author"). By using This Blog, You implicitly agree to the terms in This Policy. Should You disagree with any particular term, You must contact The Author, notifying him, after which a renegotiation of This Policy will occur. The results of said negotiation will be announced on This Blog in the form of a Post, in accordance with the Final Clause of This Policy.

A "Post" refers to any URL within This Blog whose contents declare the date and time on which said URL was made accessible from the World Wide Web.

A "Cookie" refers to a small text file placed automatically on the computer You use to access This Blog.

"Using" This Blog refers to, but is not limited to, reading the Posts published in This Blog.

Clause 2: Privacy

Subclause 2.1: Comments

This Blog allows You to publish comments within Posts, related to the Post in which said comments are published. Said comments give You the option to provide identifying data (generally, a username and password) from several third-party services for the purposes of associating Your comments with a name You have provided through your chosen third-party service, an image You have associated to Yourself through your chosen third-party service, and a URL that You have also associated to yourself through said third-party service. This identifying data is processed by Blogger in accordance with its privacy policy. The Author of This Blog cannot, (and, should this change in the future, will not) access said identifying data for any reason, but can see the name, image, and URL the third-party service provided, just like You can.

Should you disagree with Blogger's privacy policy, you are free to comment anonymously, or to not comment at all.

Subclause 2.2: Google Analytics

This Blog automatically counts the number of visitors that have accessed it each hour, including their country of origin and the URL from which each visitor clicked to access this Blog, using Google Analytics technology. By accessing This Blog, you agree to be counted in said statistics, and that Google can register your country, the time at which you access This Blog, and what URL you were at before clicking to This Blog. The Author of This Blog cannot, (and, should this change in the future, will not) use this information to identify You personally.
If you are not accessing This Blog for the first time, The Author cannot know from where or when you accessed This Blog previously –or if you have accessed This Blog previously at all– with the data The Author obtains through Google Analytics (and, should this change in the future will not use it to do so).

Google Analytics uses tracking Cookies to maintain these statistics. You acknowledge that You are authorized to put Cookies on the computer You are using to access This Blog. You agree that you will not alter or delete these cookies under pretenses of generating statistics that are fraudulent or otherwise untrue.

Subclause 2.3: Google AdSense

Advertisements on This Blog are provided by Google AdSense. Google AdSense uses tracking cookies to, among other purposes, avoid displaying the same advertisement twice on the same page. You acknowledge that You are authorized to put Cookies on the computer You are using to access This Blog. You agree that you will not alter or delete these cookies under pretenses of fooling the AdSense engine into registering fraudulent impressions of, nor fraudulent clicks on, these advertisements and are aware that, should You do so, You would be conspiring to terminate The Author's contract with Google, and would accept the legal weight associated to such a conspiracy. Any legal dispute between You and The Author will be settled by a mediator agreed upon by both parties.

Clause 3: Copyright

Subclause 3.1: The Author's copyright

With the exception of specifically sourced quotes and certain fair-use images, all content on This Blog was created by The Author and is therefore copyrighted by The Author, reserving all rights. The Author will permit reasonable use of his content, provided The Author is first asked permission to do so.

Subclause 3.2: The copy rights of others

From time to time, This Blog may use copyrighted images not created by The Author in a Post. Each such image added after March 12, 2011 will, upon being clicked, display a web page that will include the Fair Use Rationale for including said image. Rationale for images added prior to March 12, 2011 will be produced expeditely upon request, if it has not been added between March 12, 2011, and the time at which said request is sent. The Author acknowledges that 20 such images are in existence as of March 12, 2011, and agrees to make a reasonable effort to add the Fair Use Rationale to said images starting March 12, 2011.

Should You believe Your rights are violated by the presence of any such image on This Blog, after reading the associated Fair Use Rationale, You agree to contact The Author informing him of said violation (henceforth referred to as "The Claim") presuming good faith on his part, and to not seek legal action or any mediation whatsoever until thrity (30) days have passed since The Claim was sent to The Author. For these thirty days to begin being counted, The Author must acknowledge he received The Claim within seven (7) days of it being sent. If The Author fails to acknowledge The Claim, You will consider The Claim undelivered (i.e.: lost in the mail), and are free to send it again. The Author therefore agrees to notify You of the reception of The Claim as soon as he sees it. Any legal action or mediation to occur thereafter must refer to what is accessible on This Blog at the end of these thirty days, and not to what "was" or "had been" (as such matters should be settled within the aforementioned thirty days). Any legal dispute between You and The Author will be settled by a mediator agreed upon by both parties.


Final Clause: Modifications

This Policy may be modified at any time. The Author is in no obligation to provide prior notice of said modification. The Author is obligated to notify You once said modification occurs. You agree that a Post on This Blog counts as sufficient notification.

Legal notices depicted within Posts, such as the one shown at the end of The Post published on December 18, 2010, do not constitute notifications of changes to This Policy.