Effective Date: July 30, 2026

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of the Bright House Media website, located at https://brighthousemedia.org, as well as any services provided by Bright House Media (“Bright House Media,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

By accessing our website, submitting an inquiry, or engaging Bright House Media for services, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree with these Terms, please do not use our website or services.

1. Our Services

Bright House Media provides digital services that may include:

  • Website design and development
  • WordPress development and support
  • Website redesigns
  • Search engine optimization
  • Website speed and performance optimization
  • Website hosting and maintenance
  • HubSpot implementation and support
  • E-commerce development
  • Analytics and tracking implementation
  • Content updates and website consulting
  • Other related digital services

The specific scope, pricing, timeline, deliverables, and responsibilities for a project may be described in a proposal, estimate, statement of work, invoice, email agreement, retainer agreement, hosting agreement, or other written communication.

If a separate written agreement conflicts with these Terms, the separate written agreement will control for the applicable services.

2. Estimates and Project Scope

Unless expressly identified as a fixed-price quote, project estimates are good-faith approximations based on the information available when the estimate is prepared.

Changes to the project scope, additional requests, unforeseen technical issues, incomplete access, third-party limitations, or delays in receiving client materials may affect the project’s price and completion date.

Work outside the agreed scope may require additional fees. Bright House Media will generally notify the client when a request appears to fall outside the original scope before completing substantial additional work.

3. Client Responsibilities

Clients are responsible for providing the materials, information, approvals, credentials, and access reasonably required to complete the services.

This may include:

  • Website, hosting, domain, analytics, and platform credentials
  • Written content, photographs, logos, videos, and brand assets
  • Timely feedback and approvals
  • Accurate business, product, and contact information
  • Required licenses and permissions
  • Compliance instructions specific to the client’s business or industry

Clients represent that they have the right to provide all materials submitted to Bright House Media and that those materials do not infringe another party’s copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other rights.

Bright House Media is not responsible for delays caused by missing materials, delayed feedback, incorrect information, unavailable access, or circumstances outside our reasonable control.

4. Fees and Payment

Fees and payment schedules will be stated in the applicable proposal, invoice, estimate, retainer agreement, or other written agreement.

Depending on the project, Bright House Media may require a deposit or advance payment before beginning work. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, payments are nonrefundable once the applicable work has been performed or reserved project time has been allocated.

Invoices must be paid by the due date shown on the invoice. Bright House Media may pause work, withhold deliverables, disable services under our control, or decline additional requests when an account is overdue.

Clients are responsible for applicable taxes, transaction fees, third-party charges, licensing fees, hosting fees, domain fees, plugin fees, software subscriptions, stock assets, and other expenses unless the written agreement states that they are included.

5. Revisions and Approvals

The number of revisions included in a project, when applicable, will be stated in the project proposal or agreement.

Requests that substantially change an approved design, add new functionality, replace previously approved work, or expand the original scope may be billed separately.

When a client approves a design, page, feature, migration, or other deliverable, Bright House Media may rely on that approval when proceeding with the remaining work. Changes requested after approval may require additional time and fees.

6. Project Delays and Inactive Projects

Project timelines depend on timely communication and cooperation from both parties. Completion dates are estimates unless Bright House Media expressly guarantees a deadline in writing.

If a client does not respond, provide materials, or give required approval for an extended period, Bright House Media may place the project on hold. Restarting an inactive project may be subject to availability, revised scheduling, additional fees, or an updated scope.

A project that remains inactive for more than 60 days may be considered abandoned unless otherwise agreed in writing. Amounts already paid will not be refundable for work completed, time reserved, expenses incurred, or opportunities declined.

7. Intellectual Property

Client Materials

Clients retain ownership of the content, trademarks, logos, photographs, videos, data, and other materials they provide to Bright House Media.

Clients grant Bright House Media a limited license to use, reproduce, edit, and adapt those materials as reasonably necessary to provide the requested services.

Final Deliverables

Unless otherwise stated in writing, ownership of custom final deliverables created specifically for the client will transfer to the client after Bright House Media receives full payment for the applicable project.

Bright House Media Materials

Bright House Media retains ownership of:

  • Preexisting code, systems, methods, templates, processes, and tools
  • General knowledge, skills, and techniques
  • Reusable code and development components
  • Internal files and working materials
  • Unused concepts and drafts
  • Licensed third-party materials
  • Materials expressly identified as proprietary

To the extent Bright House Media materials are incorporated into a final deliverable, the client receives a nonexclusive license to use those materials as part of the completed project.

Third-party themes, plugins, fonts, photographs, software, integrations, and other licensed materials remain subject to their respective license terms.

8. Portfolio and Promotional Use

Unless the client requests otherwise in writing before the project is publicly displayed, Bright House Media may identify the client as a customer and display completed, publicly available work in our portfolio, case studies, proposals, social media, award submissions, and other promotional materials.

Bright House Media will not publicly disclose confidential information solely for promotional purposes.

9. Third-Party Products and Services

Bright House Media may recommend, configure, or integrate third-party services such as:

  • Website hosting providers
  • Domain registrars
  • WordPress themes and plugins
  • HubSpot and other CRM platforms
  • Google services
  • Payment processors
  • Email-delivery platforms
  • Analytics services
  • Security and backup services
  • E-commerce platforms
  • Accessibility tools

Third-party services are governed by their own terms, privacy policies, prices, availability, and technical limitations.

Bright House Media does not control and is not responsible for third-party outages, data loss, security incidents, policy changes, price increases, service discontinuation, compatibility problems, account suspensions, or changes to third-party software.

Clients are responsible for maintaining ownership and control of their third-party accounts and for paying required third-party fees unless otherwise agreed in writing.

10. Hosting and Website Maintenance

Hosting and maintenance services are limited to the services described in the applicable plan or agreement.

Unless expressly included, maintenance services do not necessarily include:

  • Unlimited content updates
  • Website redesigns
  • New pages or features
  • Repair of custom code created by another provider
  • Malware remediation
  • Recovery from client-caused changes
  • Third-party platform support
  • Emergency or after-hours work
  • Legal or regulatory compliance reviews

Bright House Media will use commercially reasonable efforts to maintain supported websites, but no website or hosting service can be guaranteed to be continuously available, completely secure, or free from errors.

Clients should maintain current contact and billing information and promptly notify Bright House Media of suspected security problems or unauthorized access.

11. Search Engine Optimization

Search engine rankings and website traffic are influenced by many factors outside Bright House Media’s control, including search-engine algorithms, competitors, website history, client-provided content, market conditions, technical limitations, and third-party platform decisions.

Bright House Media does not guarantee:

  • A specific search-engine ranking
  • First-page placement
  • A particular amount of traffic
  • A specific number of leads or sales
  • Continued rankings after services end
  • Acceptance or indexing by any search engine

SEO recommendations and strategies are provided based on professional judgment and the information available at the time.

12. Accessibility and Legal Compliance

Bright House Media may implement generally accepted accessibility, privacy, security, or compliance practices when those services are included in the project scope. However, Bright House Media is not a law firm and does not provide legal advice or legal certification.

Unless expressly agreed in writing, Bright House Media does not guarantee that a website or business will comply with every law, regulation, industry rule, accessibility standard, privacy requirement, or contractual obligation that may apply to the client.

Clients are responsible for obtaining qualified legal advice and identifying requirements applicable to their business, audience, industry, location, products, and services.

13. Website Content and Informational Materials

The content published on the Bright House Media website is provided for general informational purposes. It should not be considered legal, financial, tax, security, or other professional advice.

Although we attempt to keep information accurate and current, we do not guarantee that all website content is complete, accurate, or current.

We may update, remove, or modify website content at any time without notice.

14. Acceptable Use

You may not use our website, forms, communication systems, or services to:

  • Violate any applicable law
  • Infringe intellectual-property or privacy rights
  • Transmit malware or harmful code
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to systems or accounts
  • Interfere with the website’s operation or security
  • Submit fraudulent, deceptive, threatening, or abusive content
  • Send spam or unsolicited commercial messages
  • Scrape, copy, or reproduce substantial portions of the website without permission
  • Impersonate another person or misrepresent your identity

We may restrict access or discontinue communication with anyone who violates these requirements.

15. Confidentiality

Each party may receive nonpublic information from the other in connection with a project.

Both parties agree to use reasonable care to protect confidential information and to use it only for purposes related to the services. Confidential information does not include information that is publicly available through no breach of these Terms, was independently developed, was lawfully received from another source, or must be disclosed by law.

Bright House Media may share necessary information with employees, contractors, and service providers who require access to perform the services and who are subject to appropriate confidentiality obligations.

16. Disclaimer of Warranties

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Bright House Media website and services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis.

Bright House Media disclaims all warranties not expressly stated in a written agreement, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, noninfringement, uninterrupted availability, and error-free operation.

Nothing in these Terms excludes warranties or rights that cannot legally be excluded.

17. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Bright House Media will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, exemplary, punitive, or consequential damages, including lost revenue, lost profits, lost business opportunities, lost data, loss of goodwill, or interruption of business.

Bright House Media will not be responsible for damages caused by:

  • Third-party products or services
  • Unauthorized access or cyberattacks
  • Client actions or omissions
  • Incorrect or unlawful client-provided materials
  • Search-engine or social-platform changes
  • Hosting, domain, email, or software outages
  • Changes made by the client or another provider
  • Events outside Bright House Media’s reasonable control

Except where prohibited by law, Bright House Media’s total liability arising from a particular service or project will not exceed the amount paid to Bright House Media for that service or project during the six months preceding the event giving rise to the claim.

18. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Bright House Media and its owners, employees, contractors, and representatives from claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and reasonable legal fees arising from:

  • Materials or instructions you provide
  • Your products, services, or business practices
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of applicable law
  • Your infringement of another party’s rights
  • Your unauthorized or improper use of a deliverable

This section does not require you to indemnify Bright House Media for liability caused solely by Bright House Media’s gross negligence or willful misconduct.

19. Suspension and Termination

Either party may end an ongoing service relationship as permitted by the applicable proposal, agreement, or service plan.

Bright House Media may immediately suspend or terminate services when:

  • Payment is overdue
  • The client materially breaches an agreement
  • The requested work may violate the law or another party’s rights
  • Continuing the relationship could create a security or reputational risk
  • The client engages in abusive, threatening, or fraudulent conduct
  • A third-party provider prevents Bright House Media from continuing the service

Upon termination, the client remains responsible for completed work, reserved time, approved expenses, third-party charges, and other amounts incurred through the termination date.

Sections that by their nature should continue after termination, including payment obligations, intellectual-property provisions, disclaimers, liability limitations, indemnification, and dispute provisions, will remain in effect.

20. Privacy

Our collection and use of personal information through the website are described in our Privacy Policy.

When Bright House Media processes information on behalf of a client, additional privacy or data-processing terms may apply.

21. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Before filing a legal claim, each party agrees to make a good-faith effort to resolve the dispute through direct written communication.

Unless prohibited by law or otherwise agreed in writing, legal proceedings relating to these Terms or Bright House Media’s services must be brought in the appropriate state or federal court located in Sonoma County, California. Each party consents to the jurisdiction of those courts.

22. Force Majeure

Bright House Media will not be responsible for delays or failure to perform caused by circumstances outside our reasonable control, including natural disasters, wildfire, severe weather, power or internet outages, labor disputes, government actions, war, civil unrest, epidemics, cyberattacks, third-party platform failures, or widespread service interruptions.

23. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms periodically. Updated Terms will be posted on this page with a revised effective date.

Changes will apply prospectively unless otherwise required by law. Your continued use of the website after updated Terms are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Material changes affecting an existing client engagement will not override a separate signed agreement unless agreed by the parties in writing.

24. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect. The unenforceable provision will be modified only to the extent necessary to make it enforceable while preserving its original intent as closely as possible.

25. No Waiver

A failure to enforce any provision of these Terms does not waive the right to enforce that provision or another provision in the future.

26. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any applicable proposal, statement of work, invoice, retainer agreement, hosting agreement, or other written agreement, constitute the agreement between the parties concerning the applicable website use or services.

27. Contact Information

Questions about these Terms may be directed to:

Bright House Media
Serving Marin and Sonoma Counties, California
Email: info@brighthousemedia.org
Phone: (415) 450-5490
Website: https://brighthousemedia.org