Terms of Service


Overview Terms of Service Acceptable Use Policy Privacy Policy Service Level Agreement Affiliate Terms

Terms Of Service

This Web Hosting Agreement (this "Agreement") is between Hawk Host Inc., a web hosting company formed under the laws of the Province of Ontario with its principal office at 100 Consilium Place Suite 200 Scarborough, Ontario, M1H 3E3 Canada ("Hawk Host") and the person (individual or legal person) whose signs Hawk Host's service order and set up form (the "Order") incorporating this Agreement by reference ("Customer"). This Agreement governs Customer's use of Hawk Host's Web hosting service.

Table of Contents

  1. Services
  2. Term
  3. Payments
  4. Law/AUP
  5. Customer Information
  6. Indemnification
  7. Disclaimer of Warranties
  8. Limitation of Damages
  9. Suspension of Services/Termination
  10. Request for Customer Information
  11. Back Up Copy
  12. Changes To The Hawk Host Network
  13. IP Address Ownership
  14. Bandwidth Usage
  15. System And Network Security
  16. Resource Usage
  17. Notices
  18. Force Majeure
  19. Governing Law/Disputes
  20. Support
  21. SPAM and Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE)
  22. Misc
  1. Services. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, and contingent on Customer's satisfaction of Hawk Host's credit approval requirements, Hawk Host agrees to provide the web hosting services described in the Order for the fees stated in the Order.
  2. Term. The initial service term of the Agreement shall begin on the date that Hawk Host generates an e-mail message to Customer announcing the activation of the Customer's account (the "Service Commencement Date") and shall continue for the number of months stated in the Order (the "Initial Term"). Upon expiration of the Initial Term, this Agreement shall automatically renew for as many successive renewal terms of the same length as the Initial Term (each a "Renewal Term") unless Hawk Host or Customer provides the other with written notice of non-renewal. The Initial Term and any Renewal Term may be referred to collectively in this Agreement as the "Term."
  3. Payments.
    1. Fees. Fees are payable in advance on the first day of each billing cycle. Customer's billing cycle shall be monthly, annually bi-annually as indicated on the Order, beginning on the Service Commencement Date. Hawk Host may require payment for the first billing cycle before beginning service. If the Order provides for credit/debit card billing, Customer authorizes Hawk Host to bill subsequent fees to the credit/debit card on or after the first day of each successive billing cycle during the Term of this Agreement; otherwise Hawk Host will invoice Customer via electronic mail to the Primary Customer Contact listed on the Order. Invoiced fees may be issued on or before the 7th day before each billing cycle, and the fees shall be due on the 7th day following invoice date. Payments must be made in United States dollars. Customer is responsible for providing Hawk Host with changes to billing information (such as credit card expiration, change in billing address). Hawk Host may suspend the service without notice if payment for the service is overdue. Fees not disputed within thirty (30) days of due date are conclusively deemed accurate. Customer agrees to pay Hawk Host's reasonable reinstatement fee following a suspension of service for non-payment, and to pay Hawk Host's reasonable costs of collection of overdue amounts, including collection agency fees, attorney fees and court costs. Customers who either reside in or have a primary billing address in Canada will be subject to the appropriate GST/HST tax for their province. This tax will be included and shown on all invoices issued by Hawk Host.
    2. Fee Increases. Hawk Host may increase its fees for services effective the first day of a Renewal Term by giving notice to Customer of the new fees at least forty five (45) days prior to the beginning of the Renewal Term, and if Customer does not give a notice of non-renewal as provided in Section 2 above, the Customer shall be deemed to have accepted the new fee for that Renewal Term and any subsequent Renewal Terms (unless the fees are increased in the same manner for a subsequent Renewal Term).
    3. Taxes. At Hawk Host's request Customer shall remit to Hawk Host all sales, VAT or similar tax imposed on the provision of the services (but not in the nature of an income tax on Hawk Host), regardless of whether Hawk Host fails to collect the tax at the time the related services are provided.
    4. Early Termination. Customer acknowledges that the amount of the fee for the service is based on Customer's agreement to pay the fee for the entire Initial Term, or Renewal Term, as applicable. In the event Hawk Host terminates the Agreement for Customer's breach of the Agreement in accordance with Section 9 (Termination), or Customer terminates the service other than in accordance with Section 9 (Termination) for Hawk Host's breach, the unpaid fees for each billing cycle remaining in the Initial Term or then-current Renewal Term, as applicable, are due on the business day following termination of the Agreement.
    5. Payments to Hawk Host are non-refundable except for the first payment which falls under the thirty (30) day money back guarantee. Only shared, reseller and semi-dedicated and VPS services are eligible for the thirty (30) day money back guarantee. No other services provided by Hawk Host are covered by this guarantee. The thirty (30) day money back guarantee is not valid upon any terms of service or acceptable use policy violations. All overcharges or billing disputes must be reported within thirty (30) days of the time the dispute occurred. Accounts that use an excessive amount of resources or exceed their plan resource quotas may not quality for a refund as part of this guarantee.
  4. Law/AUP. Customer agrees to use the service in compliance with applicable law and Hawk Host's Acceptable Use Policy posted at http://hawkhost.com/Legal/aup (the "AUP"), which is hereby incorporated by reference in this Agreement. Customer agrees that Hawk Host may, in its reasonable commercial judgment consistent with industry standards, amend the AUP from time to time to further detail or describe reasonable restrictions and conditions on Customer's use of the Services. Amendments to the AUP are effective on the earlier of Hawk Host's notice to Customer that an amendment has been made, or the first day of any Renewal Term that begins subsequent to the amendment. Customer agrees to cooperate with Hawk Host's reasonable investigation of any suspected violation of the AUP. In the event of a dispute between Hawk Host and Customer regarding the interpretation of the AUP, Hawk Host's commercially reasonable interpretation of the AUP shall govern.
  5. Customer Information. Customer represents and warrants to Hawk Host that the information he, she or it has provided and will provide to Hawk Host for purposes of establishing and maintaining the service is accurate. If Customer is an individual, Customer represents and warrants to Hawk Host that he or she is at least 18 years of age. Hawk Host may rely on the instructions of the person listed as the Primary Customer Contact on the Order with regard to Customer's account until Customer has provided a written notice changing the Primary Customer Contract.
  6. Indemnification. Customer agrees to indemnify and hold harmless Hawk Host, Hawk Host's affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, agents, and employees from and against any and all claims, demands, liabilities, obligations, losses, damages, penalties, fines, punitive damages, amounts in interest, expenses and disbursements of any kind and nature whatsoever (including reasonable attorneys fees) brought by a third party under any theory of legal liability arising out of or related to the actual or alleged use of Customer's services in violation of applicable law or the AUP by Customer or any person using Customer's log on information, regardless of whether such person has been authorized to use the services by Customer.
  7. Disclaimer of Warranties. Hawk Host does not warrant or represent that the services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or completely secure. To the extent permitted by applicable law Hawk Host disclaims any and all warranties including the implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and noninfringement. To the extent permitted by applicable law, all services are provided on an "as is" basis.
  8. Limitation of Damages. Neither party shall be liable to the other for any lost profits, or any indirect, special, incidental, consequential or punitive loss or damage of any kind, or for damages that could have been avoided by the use of reasonable diligence, arising in connection with the agreement, even if the party has been advised or should be aware of the possibility of such damages. Notwithstanding anything else in the agreement to the contrary, the maximum aggregate liability of Hawk Host and any of its employees, agents or affiliates, under any theory of law (including breach of contract, tort, strict liability, and infringement) shall be a payment of money not to exceed the amount payable by customer for three months of service.
  9. Suspension/Termination.
    1. Suspension of Service. Customer agrees that Hawk Host may suspend services to Customer without notice and without liability if: (i)Hawk Host reasonably believes that the services are being used in violation of the AUP; (ii) Customer fails to cooperate with any reasonable investigation of any suspected violation of the AUP; (iii)Hawk Host reasonably believes that the suspension of service is necessary to protect its network or its other customers, or (iv)as requested by a law enforcement or regulatory agency. Customer shall pay Hawk Host's reasonable reinstatement fee if service is reinstituted following a suspension of service under this subsection.
    2. Termination. The Agreement may be terminated by Customer prior to the expiration of the Initial Term or any Renewal Term without further notice and without liability if Hawk Host fails in a material way to provide the service in accordance with the terms of the Agreement and does not cure the failure within ten (10) days of Customer's written notice describing the failure in reasonable detail. The Agreement may be terminated by Hawk Host prior to the expiration of the Initial Term or any Renewal Term without further notice and without liability as follows: (i) upon ten (10) days notice if Customer is overdue on the payment of any amount due under the Agreement; (ii) Customer materially violates any other provision of the Agreement, including the AUP, and fails to cure the violation within thirty (30) days of a written notice from Hawk Host describing the violation in reasonable detail; (iii)upon one (1) days notice if Customer's Service is used in violation of a material term of the AUP more than once, or (iv)upon one (1) days notice if Customer violates Section 5 (Customer Information) of this Agreement. Either party may terminate this agreement upon ten (10) days advance notice if the other party admits insolvency, makes an assignment for the benefit of its creditors, files for bankruptcy or similar protection, is unable to pay debts as they become due, has a trustee or receiver appointed over all or a substantial portion of its assets, or enters into an agreement for the extension or readjustment of all or substantially all of its obligations.
    3. Hawk Host will make a best effort to retain user data/files for unpaid services for up to thirty (30) days past the renewal invoice due date. After thirty (30) days, Hawk Host will remove any data related to the unpaid hosting service(s) from its systems. In the event a customer requires restoration of the data, Hawk Host will attempt to recover the account from backup systems. Hawk Host makes no guarantee the terminated data will be recoverable from their backup systems. There will be a one time $10 fee for account recovery/restoration. This fee applies to each service the customer requires Hawk Host to restore. This restoration policy and corresponding $10 fee will also be applied to any terminated service(s) the customer has requested cancellation for in error.
  10. Requests for Customer Information. Customer agrees that Hawk Host may, without notice to Customer, (i) report to the appropriate authorities any conduct by Customer or any of Customer's customers or end users that Hawk Host believes violates applicable law, and (ii) provide any information that it has about Customer or any of its customers or end users in response to a formal or informal request from a law enforcement or regulatory agency or in response to a formal request in a civil action that on its face meets the requirements for such a request.
  11. Back Up Copy. Customer agrees to maintain a current copy of all content hosted by Hawk Host nothwithstanding any agreement by Hawk Host to provide back up services. Hawk Host will make a good faith effort to keep seven (7) days worth of backups through software accessible by client. However, Hawk Host makes no absolute guarantee that a backup can be provided. The customer is ultimately responsible for maintaining and storing their own backups.
  12. Changes to Hawk Host's Network. Upgrades and other changes in Hawk Host's network, including, but not limited to changes in its software, hardware, and service providers, may affect the display or operation of Customer's hosted content and/or applications. Hawk Host reserves the right to change its network in its commercially reasonable discretion, and Hawk Host shall not be liable for any resulting harm to Customer.
  13. IP Address Ownership: If Hawk Host assigns Subscriber an Internet Protocol address for Subscribers's use, the right to use that Internet Protocol address shall belong only to Hawk Host, and Customer shall have no right to use that Internet Protocol address except as permitted by in its sole discretion in connection with the Services, during the term of this Agreement Hawk Host shall maintain and control ownership of all Internet Protocol numbers and addresses that may be assigned to Customer by Hawk Host, and reserves the right to change or remove any and all such Internet Protocol numbers and addresses, in its sole and absolute discretion. Hawk Host's allocation of IP addresses is limited by ARIN's new policies. These new policies state that use of IP addresses for IP based virtual hosts will not be accepted as justification for new IP addresses. What this means to the Customer is that you MUST use name-based hosting where possible. We will periodically review IP address usage, and if we find that clients are using IP addresses where name-based hosting could be used, we will revoke authorization to use those IP addresses that could be used with name-based hosting.
  14. Bandwidth Usage. Hawk Host will monitor Subscribers's bandwidth. Hawk Host shall have the right to take corrective action if Subscriber's usage negatively impacts other clients.
  15. System and Network Security: Users are prohibited from violating or attempting to violate the security of the Network. Violations of system or network security may result in civil or criminal liability. Hawk Host will investigate occurrences, which may involve such violations and may involve, and cooperate with, law enforcement authorities in prosecuting Users who are involved in such violations. These violations include, without limitation:
    1. Accessing data not intended for such User or logging into a server or account, which such User is not authorized to access.
    2. Attempting to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of a system or network or to breach security or authentication measures without proper authorization.
    3. Attempting to interfere with service to any user, host or network, including, without limitation, via means of overloading, "flooding", "mail bombing" or "crashing".
    4. Forging any TCP/IP packet header or any part of the header information in any e-mail or newsgroup posting.
    5. Taking any action in order to obtain services to which such User is not entitled.
  16. Resource Usage.
    1. Daemons/Servers/Shell
      Under no circumstances are you allowed to run any daemons, servers or compile anything under your account without direct permission from Hawk Host management. Shell access is meant to be used solely with basic file system usage.
    2. System Resources
      You're not allowed to use an excessive amount of system resources for an extended period of time. If your account is found to be utilizing a large amount of resources we will contact you and give you further information. Under extreme cases suspension may be necessary until the issue can be resolved.
    3. Cron Usage
      You may not have cron jobs in intervals lower than 1 minutes a part.
    4. Account Limitations
      You may use your account for personal use but not as a backup facility for automated backups or things of that nature. If you're unsure if your intended use violates this TOS please contact us so we can clarify it for you.
    5. Inode Limits
      All shared hosting plans are limited to 500,000 inodes. All semi dedicated hosting plans are limited to 1,000,000 inodes. Each cPanel account owned by a reseller hosting plan is limited to 500,000 inodes. VPS plans do not have an inode limit.
    6. Disk Space Usage (Unlimited Plans)
      Your account may not be used as a storage and/or backup space for files/archives. Regular backups of databases, websites, etc, are permitted within reason. Any account found to be using an excessive and/or unreasonable amount of disk space may be asked to reduce their usage or face suspension/termination. Hawk Host reserves the right to suspend/terminate any service for resource abuse at their discretion.
    7. Email Accounts
      All shared, reseller, semi-dedicated, and cloud hosting plans are limited to 500 total email accounts when utilizing SpamExperts for incoming spam filtering. Accounts found violating this policy may be suspended for resource abuse.
  17. Notices. Notices to Hawk Host under the Agreement shall be given via electronic mail to the e-mail address posted for customer support ([email protected]). Notices to Customer shall be given via electronic mail to the individual listed as the Primary Customer Contact on the Order. Notices are deemed received on the day transmitted, or if that day is not a business day, on the first business day following the day delivered. Customer may change his, her or its notice address by a notice given in accordance with this Section.
  18. Force Majeure. Hawk Host shall not be in default of any obligation under the Agreement if the failure to perform the obligation is due to any event beyond Hawk Host's control, including, without limitation, significant failure of a portion of the power grid, significant failure of the Internet, natural disaster, war, riot, insurrection, epidemic, strikes or other organized labor action, terrorist activity, or other events of a magnitude or type for which precautions are not generally taken in the industry.
  19. Governing Law/Disputes. The Agreement shall be governed by the laws of, exclusive of its choice of law principles, and the laws of the United States of America, as applicable. The Agreement shall not be governed by the United Nations Convention on the International Sale of Goods. EXCLUSIVE VENUE FOR ALL DISPUTES ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE AGREEMENT SHALL BE THE STATE AND FEDERAL COURTS IN ONTARIO, CANADA, AND EACH PARTY AGREES NOT TO DISPUTE SUCH PERSONAL JURISDICTION AND WAIVES ALL OBJECTIONS THERETO.
  20. Support. Hawk Host provides support to it's subscribers. Hawk Host only ensures that the service is online and is remotely accessible. Hawk Host does not offer technical support for application specific issues. We encourage you to use our Ticket System on our web site.
  21. SPAM and Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE). Hawk Host takes a zero tolerance approach to the sending of Unsolicited Commercial Email (UCE) or SPAM over our network. Under no circumstances are you to solicit the sending of UCE or SPAM over our network or you will be subject to penalties and service termination. (a) Violation of Hawk Host's SPAM policy will result in severe penalties. Upon notification of an alleged violation of our SPAM policy, Hawk Host will initiate an immediate investigation (within 48 hours of notification). During the investigation, Hawk Host may restrict customer access to the network to prevent further violations. If a customer is found to be in violation of our SPAM policy, Hawk Host may, at its sole discretion, restrict, suspend or terminate customer's account. Further, Hawk Host reserves the right to pursue civil remedies for any costs associated with the investigation of a substantiated policy violation. Hawk Host will notify law enforcement officials if the violation is believed to be a criminal offense. c. As our Customers are ultimately responsible for the actions of their clients over the network, it is advisable that Customers develop a similar, or stricter, policy for their clients.
  22. Miscellaneous. Each party acknowledges and agrees that the other party retains exclusive ownership and rights in its trademarks, service marks, trade secrets, inventions, copyrights, and other intellectual property. Neither party may use the other party's name or trade mark without the other party's prior written consent. The parties intend for their relationship to be that of independent contractors and not a partnership, joint venture, or employer/employee. Neither party will represent itself to be agent of the other. Each party acknowledges that it has no power or authority to bind the other on any agreement and that it will not represent to any person that it has such power or authority. The terms on Subscriber's purchase order or other business forms are not binding on Hawk Host unless they are expressly incorporated into a formal written agreement signed by both parties. A party's failure or delay in enforcing any provision of the Agreement will not be deemed a waiver of that party's rights with respect to that provision or any other provision of the Agreement. A party's waiver of any of its right under the Agreement is not a waiver of any of its other rights with respect to a prior, contemporaneous or future occurrence, whether similar in nature or not. The captions in the Agreement are not part of the Agreement, but are for the convenience of the parties. The following provisions will survive expiration or termination of the Agreement: Fees, indemnity obligations, provisions limiting liability and disclaiming warranties, provisions regarding ownership of intellectual property, these miscellaneous provisions, and other provisions that by their nature are intended to survive termination of the Agreement. There are no third party beneficiaries to the Agreement. Neither insurers nor the Subcriber's of resellers are third party beneficiaries to the Agreement. Subscriber may not transfer the Agreement without Hawk Host's prior written consent. Hawk Host's approval for assignment is contingent on the assignee meeting Hawk Host's credit approval criteria. Hawk Host may assign the Agreement in whole or in part. This Agreement together with the Order and AUP constitutes the complete and exclusive agreement between the parties regarding its subject matter and supercedes and replace any prior understanding or communication, written or oral.
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