Privacy Policy and Terms of Service

PRIVACY POLICY

Welcome to the website (the “Site”) of Building Materials Corporation of America, doing business as GAF Materials Corporation (“GAF” or “we/our/us”).

This privacy policy describes how GAF treats your use of the Site, including the handling of personal information.  We reserve the right to revise this privacy policy at any time without any further notice to you.  You should periodically read this policy to learn of any revisions. Your use of the Site at any time is deemed to constitute your agreement to all of the terms of this privacy policy then in effect. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Site. 

1.  INFORMATION COLLECTION

We may share both personally identifiable information (PII) and non-personally identifiable information (Non-PII) with third parties that help manage the Site and related databases, as well as with our parent company, partners, affiliates, and other third parties.

A.  Non-Personally Identifiable Information

GAF gathers certain broad Non-PII about Site use, including the number of unique visitors, the frequency with which they visit, and the programs and services preferred. We look at the data in summary form, rather than on an individual basis. We gather this information so we can, for example, learn how many people visit the Site, see which pages are the most and least viewed, and identify which web sites are referring visitors to the Site and related information. The data helps us determine the extent to which visitors use certain parts of the Site and tailor the Site in the future. In connection with these activities we may use some of the following tools. 

Cookies and Pixel Tags: We use standard technologies such as a “cookie” and pixel tags to collect information about how the Site is used. A cookie is a small removable data file that is stored by your web browser on your computer.  We use cookies to, among other things, identify your computer during a particular visit to the Site and analyze Site visitor behavior. If you create a user account or otherwise join our Site, these cookies enable you to store your password for fast logon and other conveniences. We do not store personal or sensitive information in cookies. Most Web browsers provide you with the ability to accept or decline cookies, as well as to be warned each time a cookie is being sent. If you choose to decline cookies, however, you may not be able to take advantage of all aspects of our site.  Pixel tags, also known as beacons or clear GIF’s, help us better manage content on our site by informing us what content is effective. Pixel tags are tiny graphics with a unique identifier, similar in function to cookies, and are used to track the online movements of Web users. In contrast to cookies, which are stored on a user’s computer hard drive, pixel tags are embedded invisibly on Web pages.

IP Addresses: We collect and analyze traffic on the Site by keeping track of the IP addresses of our visitors. An IP address is the unique numeric identifier assigned to each computer browser accessing the Internet. An IP address, by itself, cannot identify you personally. However, when combined with other information provided by your Internet Service Provider (ISP), your IP address can be used to identify the computer originating a message.

B.  Personally Identifiable Information

Certain areas of the Site require you to provide personal information.  The PII we collect may include your name, address, phone number, mobile phone number, e-mail address, fax number, a user name you provide, or similar information.  By submitting personal information to us, you agree that we may use the information in accordance with this privacy policy.

If you do submit personally identifiable information to us, we may share such information with third party marketing partners in addition to using that information for the purposes for which it was submitted.

We may also use your information in other ways, such as to contact you about changes to Site, to provide you with information about products and offers we believe will be of interest to you, or as otherwise disclosed to you at the point of collection.  We may share your information with affiliates, subsidiaries, partners, and any other organizations or entities for similar purposes. Additionally, to the extent required by applicable federal or state law, we will provide this information to others.

By submitting information to us, you give us permission to receive it, review it, edit it, store it, and use it in appropriate settings designed to illustrate the viewpoint of GAF.

C.  Sharing Information for Operation Of GAF Business

For the purpose of operating our business, we may transfer information between GAF and our service providers who use that information only to conduct GAF business. For example, they may handle GAF’s credit card processing, shipping, data management, e-mail distribution, market research, information analysis, and promotions management. We may also share your information to administer a Site feature. We provide our service providers with the information they need to perform their services and work with them to protect your information.  The information that you submit on the Site may be provided to those vendors so that those vendors can provide services on our behalf.

In order to better understand your preferences and better serve you, we may combine information we receive and that you give us online with other information from GAF sources, transactions and communications. This may include data from the Site, GAF contractors, direct mail, events, or online marketing. We may also combine that information with data that is publicly available and data that we receive from other reputable sources.

We also reserve the right to share PII you provide with legal authorities if it is, in our sole opinion, necessary to investigate, prevent, or otherwise take action regarding suspected fraud, situations involving threats or potential harm, or if otherwise required by law (such as by a subpoena, court order, or other legal means). In the event that we reasonably believe that you have violated any of the Terms or policies governing your use of the Site, we reserve the right to use any information we have collected about you in connection with any efforts we make or made by any of our agents on our behalf. 

We may transfer personally identifiable information to an affiliate or third party as part of a transfer of business assets. Such a transfer would be within the scope of this policy so long as the affiliate or third party agrees to continue to maintain use and storage of PII in accordance with this policy.

2.  SWEEPSTAKES, CONTESTS, PROMOTIONS
From time to time, we may request information from you via online polls, surveys, sweepstakes, or contests. Participation in these survey, sweepstakes, or contests is completely voluntary; you have a choice whether or not to disclose information required to enter. Information requested may include personal contact information such as your name, address, phone number, mobile phone number, e-mail address, username, and/or similar information.  In addition, as noted above, we may share this information with our affiliates, subsidiaries, partners, and any other organizations or entities. 

3.  ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS
We work with other companies who use tracking technologies to serve ads on our behalf across the Internet. These companies may collect Non-PII about your visits to our Site and your interaction with our communications, including advertising. Our advertising partners may use cookies and pixel tags on this Site and on third party sites on which our ads appear, which allow the advertising partner to track certain information about user behavior, such as “click stream data.”  Any use of information by an advertising partner would be governed by their terms of use and privacy policy, so be sure to become familiar with these policies prior to responding to online advertisements.
 
4.  E-MAIL NEWSLETTER AND UPDATES, TEXT MESSAGES
If you sign up to receive an e-mail newsletter, e-mail updates, or text messages from us, we may collect, store, and use your e-mail address and mobile phone number to send you such information from GAF. We may also collect and store other PII including but not limited to your name, address, phone number, number, username, and/or similar information you may opt to provide us. In addition, as noted above, we may share this information with affiliates, subsidiaries, partners, and any other organizations or entities.

5.  OTHER COMMUNICATIONS / OTHER USERS
You may choose to contact GAF, by e-mail or otherwise, with other inquiries or to provide comments. Any PII you provide in connection with such inquiries or comments will be collected and used by GAF for the purpose of processing and responding to your inquiries or comments.

6.  FACEBOOK AND OTHER THIRD-PARTY SOCIAL NETWORKING SITES
GAF maintains an active presence on several social networks.  Please read the privacy policies of those social platforms, because your participation at those sites will not be governed by GAF’s Privacy Policy.

7.  SECURITY
Information submitted via the Internet, including through a web page or e-mail is subject to interception or incorrect routing, and the Internet is not a fully secure communications channel. Please consider this prior to submitting any information to us via this Site.  While we follow generally accepted industry standards to protect the personal information submitted to us, no method of transmission over the Internet, or method of electronic storage, is 100 percent secure. Therefore, while we strive to use commercially acceptable means to protect your personal information, we cannot guarantee its absolute security. 

8.  INTERNATIONAL USERS
This site is operated, in whole or in part, from the United States. By using this Site, regardless of where you live in the world, you consent to have your personal data transferred to and processed in the United States, and allow GAF to use and collect your personal information in accordance with this Privacy Policy.

9.  UNSUBSCRIBE / CONTACT US
We want to communicate with you only if you want to hear from us. If you prefer not to receive information from GAF or would like to update or change your personal information or preferences, follow the instructions below. However, GAF may send you service-related announcements, and transactional e-mail such as confirmations and receipts, from time to time through the general operation of the Site or by e-mail.  If you do not want to receive any e-mail from us in the future, click the “unsubscribe” reference in any e-mail we send you.  If you wish to review the contact information we have on file for you, correct your contact information, provide a change of address, or inform us how you wish your contact information to be used, please contact our staff. You may contact us by mail, telephone, or e-mail, as follows:

Building Materials Corporation of America d/b/a GAF Materials Corp.
1361 Alps Road
Wayne, NJ  07470
http://www.gaf.com
1-888-532-5767
ResidentialSales@gaf.com

TERMS OF USE

I.  THE SITE

A. Legal Contract
Welcome to the website (the “Site”) of Building Materials Corporation of America, doing business as GAF Materials Corporation (“GAF” or “we/our/us”).  These terms constitute a legal agreement between you and GAF. 

These Terms of Use govern your use of the Site.  We reserve the right to revise these Terms of Use at any time without further notice. Your use of the Site after such changes constitutes your agreement to the new policies. You should periodically read this policy to learn of any revisions. Your use of the Site at any time is deemed to constitute your agreement to all of the Terms of Use then in effect. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Site.  IF YOU DO NOT AGREE, DO NOT USE THIS SITE!

B. Changes to the Terms of Use
We may change these Terms of Use at any time. You are responsible for checking the Terms of Use from time to time. Your continued use of this Site signifies your acceptance of the most recent Terms of Use then in effect. 

C. Electronic Communications
When you visit our Site or send e-mail to us, you are communicating with us electronically. You consent to receive communications from us electronically. We will communicate with you by e-mail or by posting notices on this Site. You agree that all notices, disclosures, and other communications that we make electronically satisfy any legal requirement that such communications be in writing. 

D. Changes To This Site/Right To Terminate/Sale of Company
We may change or discontinue this Site or any feature on it at any time with or without notice. GAF may, in its sole discretion, terminate or suspend your access or refuse service at any time, without notice, to all or part of the Site for any or no reason, including, without limitation, breach of these Terms of Use or the infringement of copyrights owned by third parties.  In the event that GAF is sold to a third party, such a sale will not be deemed a transfer of personal information so long as that third party agrees to assume GAF' obligations as to these Terms of Use and associated Privacy Policy. 

E.  Access and Availability of Services and Links
The Site may contain links to other websites.  Interactions that occur between you and the third party sites are strictly between you and such sites, and are not the responsibility of GAF. We are not responsible for examining or evaluating, and do not warrant the offerings of, any of these businesses or individuals or the content of their sites. GAF does not assume any liability or responsibility for the actions, product, availability or content of these outside resources. We encourage you to read those third party sites’ applicable Terms and Privacy Policies.

F. Indemnification
To the extent that you violate any of these Terms of Use, you agree to indemnify and hold harmless GAF as to the civil and/or criminal consequences of your actions, including costs and attorney fees where relevant.

G. Choice Of Law; Arbitration
These terms of use shall be governed by the law of the State of New Jersey, and subject to binding arbitration by a three-person panel in New Jersey under the rules of the American Arbitration Association, which shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all claims between you and GAF relating to or arising out of your use of this Site. The arbitrator's award may be entered as a judgment in any court of competent jurisdiction. However, nothing in this mandatory arbitration clause shall limit a party from seeking any equitable relief from a court of proper jurisdiction in New Jersey. 

II. YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES

A.  Intellectual Property and Site Materials

i. Copyright

Unless otherwise stated, all content on this Site, such as text, images, logos, button icons, audio clips, data compilations, and software, is the property of GAF or third parties. These contents are protected by copyright as a collective work and/or compilation, pursuant to U.S. copyright laws, international conventions and other copyright laws. GAF grants to you a limited license to copy its content for your personal use, for example by downloading, printing, or saving to your individual storage medium. You must not remove or alter any proprietary notice included in the content.  This limited license does not apply to any copyrighted materials on this Site that are owned by third parties. You are solely responsible for determining whether and under what conditions you may download, print, or otherwise use the copyrighted material of third parties.

GAF grants to distributors, sellers, re-sellers, and similar entities a limited license to use and display GAF Site materials in works such as brochures and websites, provided that it is clear that the GAF materials are manufactured by GAF.  See subsection B below for additional information and requirements concerning logos, trademarks, and images.   

ii. Trademarks

GAF.COM and other GAF graphics, logos, page headers, button icons, scripts, and service names are trademarks or trade dress of GAF or its subsidiaries. GAF trademarks and trade dress may not be used in connection with any product or service that is not GAF’s, in any manner that is likely to cause confusion among customers, or in any manner that disparages or discredits GAF.  All other trademarks not owned by GAF or its subsidiaries that appear on this site are the property of their respective owners, who may or may not be affiliated with, connected to, or sponsored by GAF or its subsidiaries.

iii. Copyright Complaints

If you believe that your work has been used on our Site in a way that infringes your copyright, please contact us at the address listed below. 

iv.  Additional terms

You may not use data-mining, robots, or any other data-gathering and extraction tools. You may not use webpage frames to enclose any part of the Site. You may not use any metatags or other hidden text that includes GAF trademarks or trade names. You may not use the Site for any unlawful purpose.

You agree that any information, feedback, questions, and / or comments ("Submissions") that you make to us via this Site will be considered non-proprietary and non-confidential. We shall have no obligations of any kind with respect to any Submissions and shall be free to reproduce, use, disclose and/or distribute any Submissions for any purpose whatsoever, without limitation. You also agree that we shall be free to use any ideas, concepts or techniques embodied in the Submissions for any purpose whatsoever, including, but not limited to, developing, manufacturing, and marketing products or services incorporating such ideas, concepts, or techniques, without attribution. In addition, you hereby waive all moral rights you may have in any materials uploaded or sent to us by you.

B. Logos, Graphics, and Downloadable Photos
On the “Logos, Graphics, and Downloadable Photos” page of the Site, GAF provides a collection of logos, trademarks, and images (“Images”) that GAF customers can use to develop their advertising, including but not limited to, their brochures, ads, posters, and other advertising.  The Images are proprietary to GAF.  GAF grants to GAF customers a non-transferable, non-exclusive license to use the Images solely for purposes relating to the promotion and sale of GAF products.  All other uses are prohibited.  You may not sell, lease or distribute copies of the Images to others. You may not copy any portion of the Images for the purpose of alteration (except that you may change the overall size of a logo as necessary to fit your particular graphic need). You may not modify or otherwise alter the content of the Images. You agree to use the trademarks of the Images only in a manner consistent with the principles of proper trademark usage.  GAF may revoke this license at any time without prior notice, and all use of the Images must cease.
You acknowledge that GAF owns the Images and that the Images are distinctive and indicate the source of GAF’s products that bear the Images. You agree not to challenge the validity of or GAF’s title to the Images, and not to oppose or petition to cancel any applications filed or registrations received for the Images. All rights created by or arising from use of the Images shall be and remain the sole and exclusive property of GAF. You shall not attempt to register or claim rights in the Images alone or as part of another mark in the United States or foreign jurisdictions. Except as stated above, these Terms of Use do not grant you any intellectual property rights in the Images, or to any patents, trademarks, copyrights or other intellectual property rights owned or licensed by GAF.
No Warranty. The Images are being supplied to you AS IS.  GAF MAKES NO WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH RESPECT TO THE IMAGES. GAF SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIMS ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES, WHETHER OF MERCHANTABILITY, SUITABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, INFRINGEMENT OR OTHERWISE.

C. Prohibited Conduct 

You may use this Site for lawful purposes only. You may not submit or transmit through the Site any material or engage in any conduct that:

1. violates or infringes the rights of others, including without limitation, patent, trademark, trade secret, copyright, publicity, or other proprietary rights;
2. is unlawful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, libelous, deceptive, fraudulent, invasive of another's privacy, tortiously interferes with another, or contains explicit or graphic descriptions, or accounts of, sexual acts;
3. is libelous, obscene, threatening, defamatory, pornographic, profane, sexually explicit, abusive, is otherwise objectionable, or which otherwise violates any law, rule or regulation or the rights of a third party;
4. forges e-mail headers or otherwise disguises the origin of any communication;
5. victimizes or harasses, degrades, or intimidates any individual or group of individuals;
6. impersonates any person, business or entity including GAF and its employees or agents;
7. contains viruses or any other computer code, files or programs that interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telephonic (including cable) equipment and/or is likely to harm GAF’s or a third party's computer system;
8. allows for you or any third party to unlawfully access the computer of a third party or a computer network;
9. encourages conduct that constitutes a criminal act or that gives rise to civil liability;
10. violates these Terms of Use or any policy posted on this Site or otherwise interferes with the rights of others.

You further agree that you will not post or transmit any photograph of another person without that person's consent.  You may not use the Site in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair our servers or interfere with any other party's use and enjoyment of the Site.  You may not attempt to gain unauthorized access to any services or information to which you have not been granted access through password mining or any other process. We may take any legal and technical remedies to prevent the violation of this provision and to otherwise enforce these Terms of Use. 

D. Information Provided On The Site
We take reasonable efforts to ensure that information posted on the Site is accurate, correct, and updated.  Please note that despite our efforts, we do not warrant that all content is current, complete, or accurate, and reserve the right to reject any request or order based on inaccurate or out of date information. If you have questions about any particular information, please contact us for further details. 

E. Privacy Policy
Please read our Privacy Policy, which also governs your visit to our Site.

F. Children
This Site is not intended for children. Anyone under the age of 18 should not use it in any way.

III. ADDITIONAL TERMS

A. E-mail
You may sign up to receive e-mail from GAF by providing your email address and other information to us.  While we attempt to ensure that all information in any e-mail we distribute is accurate, we do not warrant that the information will be error free and reserve the right to reject any order or request based on inaccurate or out of date information. 

B. Photos
We may publish on the Site photographs that we think you may enjoy.  While GAF has authority to use these photos on line, any individual in the photographs not employed by GAF could object if you make any further publication or distribution. Such conduct would also violate the Copyright provisions of this Site as described more fully below.

C. Downloads and Uploads
The Site may also offer the opportunity to upload content to and/or transmit content. You agree that your uploading and/or transmittal of content does not violate any of provisions set forth herein.  If you upload content to the Site and/or transmit content from the Site, you grant to GAF a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sub-licensable right to use, reproduce, modify, publish, create derivative works (including products) from, distribute, and display such content throughout the world in all media. You grant to GAF the right to use the name that you submit in connection with such content. You warrant that you own or otherwise control all of the rights to such content, that it is accurate, and that its use does not violate this policy and will not injure any person or entity. GAF has the right but not the obligation to monitor, edit, and remove any posted content, and assumes no liability for any such content.

IV. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND LIMITATION OF LIABILITY

THIS SITE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." YOUR USE OF THIS SITE IS AT YOUR SOLE RISK. GAF DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE CONTENT OF THIS SITE IS ACCURATE, COMPLETE, RELIABLE, CURRENT, OR ERROR-FREE. TO THE FULL EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, GAF DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. GAF DOES NOT WARRANT THAT THE OPERATION OF THIS WEBSITE IS RELIABLE OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT TRANSMISSIONS FROM THIS WEBSITE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL ELEMENTS. GAF WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND ARISING FROM THE USE OF THIS WEBSITE, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, AND PUNITIVE DAMAGES.  SOME STATE LAWS DO NOT ALLOW CERTAIN LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY. THOSE LAWS MAY GIVE YOU ADDITIONAL RIGHTS UNDER THE DISCLAIMERS ABOVE.

V. CONTACTING US

If you have questions or comments about these terms of use, please contact:

Building Materials Corporation of America d/b/a GAF Materials Corp.
1361 Alps Road
Wayne, NJ  07470
http://www.gaf.com
1-888-532-5767
ResidentialSales@gaf.com

Last Updated: June 11, 2010