RULES, REGULATIONS, & TERMS OF USE
PARTICIPATION AGREEMENT
– By attending or participating in the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival, you agree to follow the festival’s rules and regulations.
– This Agreement, along with any other applicable terms and conditions governing submissions, purchases, ticket sales, contest entries, festival attendance, participation, and website use (including affiliated websites), represents the complete agreement between the parties.
– Submitters & participants of the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival, the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival Unpublished Screenplay Contest, and any related events or services acknowledge and agree to all terms, conditions, and regulations outlined in this Agreement upon entry, submission, participation, or site usage.
– The festival reserves the right to take appropriate action against any individual(s) or group(s) that fail to meet the standards set in these rules and regulations. This may include, but is not limited to, revoking event credentials without refund.
– The provisions herein shall survive termination or expiration as necessary.
– In the event that any provision is deemed invalid or unenforceable, it shall be severed, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.
– You consent to the assignment of this Agreement by the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival to a third party at its sole discretion.
– Section headings are for convenience of reference only and do not define the scope or interpretation of the sections.
– Failure by the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival to enforce any provision shall not constitute a waiver of its right to enforce subsequent breaches.
– Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival reserves the right to refuse service to anyone.
FESTIVAL RULES & REGULATIONS
Eligibility – Participants in any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or event must be at least 18 years old.
– Entries are void where prohibited by law.
Entry fees must be paid in US dollars before films are reviewed.
– All decisions made by festival judges, readers, screeners, programmers, and the event director are final.
Submission Authorization – By submitting to or screening at the festival, the submitter confirms that all listed creators, owners, and rights holders have authorized the submission and its public screening or other use at the submitted season’s event.
Originality & Copyright – By submitting your film, project, or script, you affirm that it is your original work or that you hold the necessary ownership and copyright, and that it does not infringe on the rights of others. In cases of multiple authors of an award-winning work, awards and prizes will be divided equally among the creators listed on the submission at the time of acceptance.
Materials – Do not send original master copies. The festival is not responsible for lost or damaged materials.
Disruptive Conduct – Any filmmaker, submitter, award winner, attendee, or their associate who disrupts the festival or its venues, or acts aggressively or threateningly towards any festival attendee, volunteer, staff member, contractor, employee, guest, or venue personnel, will have their film removed from exhibition without refund or reimbursement. They and their associates may also be removed from the festival without refund.
Submission and Screening – Submitting to Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival or any of our contests or events does not guarantee acceptance, screening, awards, or representation by the festival at any in-person or online event.
– However, by submitting, the submitter grants the festival permission to download, playback, and publicly screen submitted screeners for its judges, staff, and programmers during the submission season and all festival event dates.
Schedule Changes: All submission deadlines, contest deadlines, notification dates, and event dates (live and online) are subject to change without notice or refund.
– Live event dates and times (including events, parties, ceremonies, red carpets, and screenings) are also subject to change without notice.
– Screening times, dates, and venues may be delayed, canceled, or changed without refund or prior announcement.
– Listed events, screenings, and guest appearances are also subject to change without notice.
Refunds: All submission fees and purchases (including event, party, and screening tickets) are final and non-refundable.
– This applies to payments made to the festival, its affiliated services, partners, and the Screenplay Contest.
Shipping and Delivery: Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival is not responsible for lost, misplaced, or damaged shipped or messengered items, including those delivered to rented venues, cinemas, event spaces, or mailbox services.
– Submitted materials (film prints, submissions, posters, hard drives, Blu-rays, DVDs, press materials, computers, and documents) may not be returned.
Film Print/DCP Handling: Submitter is fully responsible for all film print/DCP returns, drop-offs, and pick-ups, which must be coordinated with the festival prior to the event and according to its established rules and protocols.
TERMS OF USE
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival: you the submitter/attendee Confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms of Use and the Rules and Regulations, and that all members of your team agree to abide by them.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee Cgree that any failure to comply with any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival guidelines, rules, regulations, or eligibility requirements may result in disqualification and removal of your film from screening or competition.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee Confirm that you are at least 18 years old.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee Cgree to release and hold harmless the festival, its Board of Directors, officers, staff, and volunteers from any losses, damages, rights, claims, and actions arising from your participation in the competition or related activities.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee Grant the festival the right to use screen grabs, press materials, and stills from your film for advertising, press materials, festival programs, and websites for at least 15 months before the festival and for 10 years after the festival year of your submission/acceptance.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee Grant the festival the right to publicly screen your film with paid admission at least one to two times within 13 months of your submission or other agreement to screen.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee Acknowledge that you are not entitled to any refunds or damage claims if your film cannot be screened due to technical or operational difficulties or rescheduling.
– By submitting to anySilicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee also Acknowledge that the festival is not responsible for broken, non-functioning, missing, damaged, unreadable, lost, or stolen films.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee Acknowledge that the festival reserves the right to refuse service to anyone. Non-compliance with these terms may result in disqualification, removal from screenings/competitions, and ejection from festival venues and events.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee also Grant the festival the right to use a trailer (up to nine minutes), stills, and screen grabs in advertisements, press materials, TV and print commercials, programs, film guides (print and online), and on festival and partner websites for 12 months preceding the festival and for 14 years after the festival year of your project’s acceptance.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee also acknowledge that you will not modify, publish, transmit, reverse engineer, transfer, sell, create derivative works from, or otherwise exploit any content found on the festival website or screened at its live or online events.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee also acknowledge that Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival content is not for resale.
and that use of the festival website and participation in events does not grant you any unauthorized use of protected content, including deleting or altering proprietary rights or attribution notices.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition or by attending the festival: you the submitter/attendee also acknowledge that you Agree not to use any content without express written permission from the festival and the copyright owner.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition: you the submitter/attendee Confirm that you do not acquire any ownership rights for any protected content – other than your own.
– By submitting to any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival competition: you the submitter/attendee agree that the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival does not grant any licenses, express or implied, to its own intellectual property or that of its licensors or other submitters, except as expressly stated in these terms and conditions and with written permission from the festival and the copyright owner.
GENERAL – In the event that any provision of this Agreement is deemed invalid or unenforceable, such provision shall be severed, and the remaining provisions shall continue to be valid and enforceable.
– You agree that this Agreement may be assigned by the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival, at its sole discretion, to a third party.
– The section headings contained herein are for convenience of reference only and shall not be construed as defining, limiting, or describing the scope or intent of the respective sections.
– The failure of the festival to enforce any provision of this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of its right to enforce subsequent or similar breaches.
– This Agreement, together with any other terms and conditions governing website use, constitutes the entire agreement between the parties with respect to the subject matter hereof.
– The provisions of this Agreement and any ancillary terms and conditions shall survive termination or expiration to the extent necessary to effectuate the intent of the parties.
RIGHT TO ENTER – Entrants hereby warrant that they possess the legal right to submit their film work to the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival.
– As the director, producer, or submitter of the film (or screenplay), entrants represent and warrant to the festival that the film and all components thereof are original works; that the film does not violate the rights of any individual or entity; and that entrants own or control the film and all components thereof and possess the exclusive authority to submit the film to the festival.
– Entrants further warrant that the submitted film is not currently subject to, nor threatened by, any legal action.
– Entrants acknowledge that no fiduciary or confidential relationship currently exists between the festival and the entrants, and further acknowledge that no such relationship is established by these guidelines, the act of submission, or the festival’s acceptance, review, or retention of the submitted film.
GOVERNING LAW – This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of California, excluding its principles of conflicts of law. You hereby submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the federal and state courts located within California and you also consent to service of process by certified mail or other means authorized by law and expressly waive any objections based on improper venue or inconvenient forum.
INTERNATIONAL RULES – Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival and all associated services are controlled, operated, and administered by the festival and its partners and affiliates from offices located within the United States. Users accessing the service from locations outside of the United States are responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable local laws.
– You agree not to utilize festival content in any country or in any manner that is prohibited by applicable laws, restrictions, or regulations.
TRADEMARKS – Except where expressly indicated, all names, graphics, designs, logos, page headers, button icons, scripts, commercial markings, trade dress, and service names contained within the Website and in festival-created press materials, advertisements, and print publications constitute trademarks of the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival and are protected by the trademark laws of the United States and other applicable jurisdictions. No trademark may be used, copied, reproduced, republished, distributed, modified, or posted in any manner, including in advertising or publicity relating to the Website or its materials, without the express prior written consent of the festival. Our trademarks may not be used in any manner that is likely to cause confusion among consumers or that disparages or discredits the festival.
DMCA – Through use of this website, submission to the festival, or attendance at its live or online events, you enter into this Agreement and acknowledge that no copyright infringement exists on the website.
– You also understand that the festival is granted permission to use accepted film submissions, screenplay contest winners, and related press and promotional materials (including press text and images) in posters, websites, and festival promotional materials for a period of 15 years from the date of acceptance, as stipulated in the festival submission agreement and its rules and regulations.
– Should you believe that copyright infringement has occurred on the website and wish to file a claim, please contact the festival via email with the subject header “512 copyright request” and, if possible, include a completed DMCA 512(c)(3) Notice of Infringement form, available from the U.S. Copyright Office.
– Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival will investigate and review all such requests within four months of receipt of the form – and will take appropriate action to address any valid copyright disputes.
RISK OF LOSS – You acknowledge and agree that your exclusive remedy for any failures, delays, or interruptions concerning the ordering, delivery, or utilization of passes, tickets, or services obtained through the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival or any affiliated partner website or ticketing/venue partner is limited to a refund, which shall be issued at the sole discretion of the festival. Likewise, you acknowledge and agree that your exclusive remedy for any failures, delays, or interruptions related to submissions, prints submitted for review or public screening, purchased or complimentary screening tickets, or any festival or related event shall be limited to a refund, issued at the festival’s sole discretion following a review of the matter.
INDEMNIFICATION – You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival , its members, staff, and all individuals associated with the festival and its events from any claim, expense, or demand, including reasonable attorney fees, made by any third party due to or arising out of your breach of this Agreement, or your violation of any applicable law or the rights of any third party.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES – By submitting to the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival presented via FilmFreeway, or by screening at the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival, or by use of the website URLs s the submitter, screener, and/or user acknowledges this full agreement and by doing so agrees that their use of the websites, attendance at Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival events, or entering any Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival presented event, contest, film festival, or competition is at submitter’s sole risk, as The Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival does not make any representation or warranty as to the accuracy, correctness, completeness, or usefulness of any content appearing on the website and is not responsible for any errors or omissions in any content appearing on the website, or generally for the accuracy, reliability, or quality of any content appearing on the website or any other materials published, unpublished, or distributed by the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival or its affiliates. The Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival is not responsible for any failures, delays, or interruptions of the website. The website and the event screenings are provided to you “as is” and the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival makes no representation or warranty of any kind to you, either express or implied. Specifically, the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival disclaims any implied warranties of title, non-infringement, merchantability, and fitness for a particular purpose. As website user, festival or contest submitter, or festival attendee or participant you hereby fully acknowledge and agree that under no circumstances will the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on content obtained through the website or caused by your conduct. The Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival presented does not guarantee continuous, uninterrupted, or secure access to the website, and the operation of the website may be interfered with by numerous factors outside of our control.
LIMITATION OF LIABILITY – Silicon Valley Independent Film Fest shall not, under any circumstances, be held liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages. This includes damages arising from the use of the website, attendance at in-person events or screenings, participation in any competition, or submission of any work for review, judgment, analysis, or screening by Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival. Such damages include, without limitation, lost profits or anticipated business opportunities, even if the possibility of such damages was made known. Furthermore, the total aggregate liability of the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival and its affiliates to any individual or third party, in any situation related to the website or to this agreement, shall not exceed $300.
AGREEMENT UPDATES – Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival reserves the right to amend the Rules and Regulations and Terms and Conditions contained in this Agreement at its discretion. The latest version of these Rules, Regulations, Conditions, and Terms, as published on our website (sliconvalleyindependentfilmfestival.com, sliconvalleyindependentfilmfest.com, etc.) and concurrently on FilmFreeway.com, shall supersede all prior versions. You are encouraged to periodically consult these documents to stay apprised of any updates as it is not any responsibility of the Silicon Valley Independent Film Festival to contact you about any amendments or revisions to this document.
