General terms and conditions of use

Welcome to hachette.com, Hachette Livre’s corporate site, where you will find information about the group and its activities. The site describes the group’s history, areas of activity, strategies and latest news.

This document sets out the general terms and conditions of use (hereinafter the “T&Cs”) of the website hachette.com, which is accessible at http://hachette-com.pprod.hachette-livre.fr (hereinafter the “Site”).

ARTICLE 1 – PURPOSE OF T&Cs AND AMENDMENTS

The purpose of these T&Cs is to govern the use of the Site by its users. They should be read in conjunction with the confidentiality policy available at here and the cookie policy available at here

Hachette Livre reserves the right to update and amend these T&Cs at any time, without the user’s prior consent. Any amendments made will be effective from the day they are published online. Users are therefore encouraged to check them regularly.

ARTICLE 2 -OBLIGATIONS ET RESPONSIBILITIES

2.1 User obligations and responsibilities

2.1.1 General obligations

All users who use the Site undertake to comply with the stipulations of these T&Cs and any other conditions or policy in effect on the Site, and in particular to:

  • use the Site for the purposes set out in these T&Cs;
  • use the Site for strictly personal purposes. Among other things, users undertake not to use the Site for commercial purposes or to send unsolicited advertising or promotional materials;
  • not to breach or attempt to breach the security or integrity of the Site;
  • not to commit or attempt to commit any fraudulent act, by any means whatsoever;
  • not to seek to damage, as defined in articles L.323-1 et seq. of the French Criminal Code, the automated data processing systems implemented to operate the Site.

Users are informed that any breach of these stipulations is likely to result in legal proceedings and sanctions in respect of their actions.

2.1.2 Obligations and technical constraints

A number of technical prerequisites are necessary for the Site to run smoothly. These are subject to change, in light of the constant technical development of the internet.

Hachette Livre cannot be held liable under any circumstances for interruptions resulting from the normal operational limitations of the internet and the consequences that may arise as a result.

In general terms, users undertake not to take any action that might hinder or disrupt the smooth operation or accessibility of the Site, in particular in relation to its IT configuration or the operational status of its hardware.

The cost of access to and browsing the Site are borne exclusively by the user.

2.2 Hachette Livre obligations and responsibilities 

Hachette Livre’s general obligation as the publisher of the Site is an obligation to use its best endeavours and users acknowledge that Hachette Livre is under no obligation to achieve a specific result or commit additional resources of any kind.

The Site is accessible 24/7. Continuous access to the Site is not, however, guaranteed. Hachette Livre reserves the right, without prior notice, to suspend, interrupt or limit access to all or part of the Site, in particular for maintenance operations and upgrades required for the smooth running of the Site and the associated hardware, or for any other reason, without the user having any right of recourse against Hachette Livre. Hachette Livre cannot be held liable for any harm of any kind that could result from such changes and/or the unavailability of the Site.

Hachette Livre cannot guarantee that the Site or the server on which it is hosted are free from viruses or other hazards. Users must take all appropriate measures to protect their own data and/or software from contamination by any viruses that may be circulating on the internet.

Users are hereby informed that Hachette Livre may shut down or change the nature of the Site at any time, without notice.

Hachette Livre makes every effort to ensure the quality of the content published on the Site. However, it cannot guarantee the accuracy, current nature, completeness or updating of the information and documents published on the Site and cannot be held liable for existing errors or omissions.

Hachette Livre is not responsible for the content of sites accessed via the hypertext links featured on the Site, or which are linked to it by any means whatsoever.

Hachette Livre declines any responsibility in the event of:

  • a viral attack leading, in particular, to intrusion into its information systems or a theft of data;
  • abnormal or unlawful use of the Site;
  • a user’s breach of the contractual documents, in particular these T&Cs;
  • accidental, material and/or immaterial, direct and/or indirect harm that could result from access to or use of the Site, including inaccessibility, loss of data, deterioration, destruction or viruses that could affect the user’s computer equipment, and/or the presence of viruses on its Site.

Under no circumstances can Hachette Livre be held liable except in the case of proven negligence.

ARTICLE 3 – INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

The Site is a protected work. The trademarks, slogans, graphic elements, photographs, videos, databases and texts published on the Site are the exclusive property of Hachette Livre and Lagardère SCA. Legal action will be taken in response to any reproduction, use or representation of such elements.

The same applies to the IT developments, technologies and underlying developments that make up the Site. Legal action will therefore be taken in response to any reproduction, decompiling or disassembly without express prior authorisation from Hachette Livre.

Hachette Livre grants users the right to use the Site for strictly personal needs and solely for private, non-professional and not-for-profit purposes.

Any total or partial reproduction of the Site content by any process whatsoever is prohibited, and constitutes an act of fraud sanctioned by articles L.335-2 et seq. and articles L.713-1 et seq. of the French Intellectual Property Code. Users undertake not to use any of the Site’s content outside the context of these terms and conditions.

ARTICLE 4 – PERSONAL DATA

Hachette Livre may gather personal data from you for the purpose of online applications. For further information, see the confidentiality policy accessible here.

Hachette Livre complies with the French Data Protection Act no. 78-17 of 6 January 1978, the European Data Protection Regulation and Act no. 2004-575 of 21 June 2004 on confidence in the digital economy.

ARTICLE 5 – GENERAL PROVISIONS

Failure to rely on a particular clause in these T&Cs, either permanently or temporarily, cannot under any circumstances be deemed a waiver of the rights arising from this clause. Should any of the provisions in these T&Cs be declared null and void, it will be deemed never to have existed and will not in any way affect the remaining clauses, which will retain their full effect.

ARTICLE 6 – APPLICABLE LAW AND DISPUTES

The Site and these T&Cs are subject to French law.