PREAMBLE

Golden Gate Business Link SA (hereinafter referred to as “GGBL”) offers companies, groups, production factories, cooperatives, agencies, associations, foundations, clubs, universities, towns, cities, states, confederations and countries (hereinafter referred to as “members”) the possibility of using its internet platform so as to benefit from the services offered by GGBL in addition to the network offered by the internet platform.  Being a GGBL member, and consequently that of being a user of the GGBL internet platform, implies acceptance of these general conditions as well as meeting certain conditions described below. These general conditions govern contractual relations between the member and GGBL, whatever the location in which the member undertakes its business activities, and subsequently connects to the GGBL internet platform. The general conditions are available at any time on the GGBL internet platform. They may be freely consulted, printed or downloaded.

GGBL reserves the right to modify these general conditions at any time. The application of any modifications and their enforcement with regard to members will become effective as soon as they appear on the platform.

GGBL INTERNET PLATFORM

The GGBL internet platform allows members to benefit from a worldwide business network composed of branches, partners and service providers recognised for their professional competence.

GGBL offers four products to its members, these are:

 
• Business Site 
• Business Link Internet
• Business Link Human Network
• Business Services “ + ” 

Business Site allows GGBL members to benefit from services offered by the GGBL partner, the Regus company, at preferential conditions.

Business Link Internet allows members to be confidentially placed in contact with another member seeking to purchase or sell a product of any type whatsoever to/from another member who is able to meet the conditions of the advert placed, with the exception of art objects and products listed on the stock exchange. 

As adverts are placed anonymously and as international business rests on the credibility of operators, each member must be verified by GGBL prior to acceptance. The verification procedure is undertaken by GGBL on the basis of its own criteria and in partnership with its partners D&B and American Express. The verification procedure does however respect GGBL’s confidentiality policy.

Business Human Network allows GGBL members to contact local GGBL partners offering them the possibility of using services provided by these professionals, recognised and verified by GGBL

Business Services “ + ” allows GGBL members to benefit from services and privileged offers with our professional service partners; this allows members to benefit from a high-level of service quality whilst significantly simplifying their business.

MEMBER REGISTRATION

Gaining GGBL membership is effected by registration on this platform and acceptance by GGBL.

Registration is subject to payment of a total of 100.00 Euros for Silver membership and 430.00 Euros for Gold membership.

Member acceptance is decided upon entirely by GGBL following verification with its partners D&B and American Express. GGBL informs members that one of the membership criterions stipulates that the member has existed for at least three years. In the event of non-acceptance, members are still required to pay 100.00 Euros to GGBL.

The member guarantees that all data provided in the membership form (email address, surname, first name, login, password etc.) is true and complete. In particular, the member is not permitted to use any unorthodox username or an alias. The member additionally confirms that he/she is over 18 years of age at the time of registration.

By completing the membership form, the member makes a contractual offer relating to use of the GGBL internet platform. GGBL may accept or refuse this offer following the aforementioned verification procedure by allowing or otherwise the member to access the internet platform. The member undertakes to register only once.

RIGHTS OF MEMBERS

Once the verified member is consequently accepted by GGBL, the former shall benefit from the rights pertaining to membership status. There are two possible statuses:

 
• Silver
• Gold

Rights granted to the various statuses above can be found under: Member Privileges.

Once a verified “Gold” member is consequently accepted by GGBL, this status is further divided in two sub-categories:

• Gold “Premium”:

This member pays for membership with a card such as Visa-Master-Diners etc. and holds the status of “Gold Premium” member thus granting him/her the opportunity of directly working with the GGBL platform. 

This member may use all GGBL products. 

If membership is accepted by GGBL and American Express, this member shall receive an American Express EUR/USD credit card. This member shall then obtain the status of “Gold Privilege” member and subsequently benefit from all GGBL and American Express advantages and privileges.

If this member is not verified by American Express, he/she may continue to work with the GGBL platform as a “Gold Premium” member under the above-mentioned conditions and rights. Cost of registration remains however identical.

 
• Gold “Privilege”

This member is already an American Express Gold EUR/USD cardmember and pays for membership with his/her American Express card. This member may immediately use all products on the GGBL platform.

Gold “Premium” or “Privilege” members additionally have the possibility of becoming Business Contributors for GGBL. The acquisition of this capacity is subject to payment of an annual subscription of 500.00 Euros and acceptance by GGBL following completion of the business contributor registration form. Business Contributors accepted by GGBL are permitted to undertake business in its name and on behalf of a third party under regular GGBL conditions in the property and wealth management sectors.

MEMBER OBLIGATIONS

Members are bound to pay the annual subscription fee payable to GGBL. This subscription is due for the full year even in the event of contract termination during the year. By placing or responding to an advert, the member undertakes to observe all points of the advert conditions, up until the conclusion of the business and/or expiry of the advert. In this regard the member confirms his/her intention, during each transaction undertaken through the GGBL internet platform, to agree to a business deal and to behave in line with statutory rules and in good faith.

In the event of an advert being placed, the member undertakes to offer solely those services or goods for which he/she holds all rights of use and for which no third party may claim any preferable right whatsoever, in particular any intellectual property right.

The member undertakes not to place adverts dealing with any business which fails to respect acceptable customs or any national or international laws in force in the countries concerned (such as pornographic or sexual related offers, breaking laws on unfair competition, use of a pyramid-selling system, etc.). The member additionally undertakes not to use any legally protected content notably that protected by intellectual property rights without authorisation.

The member additionally undertakes not to take any measure whatsoever which may prejudice the GGBL internet platform, notably by ensuring that any files uploaded to the platform are free from viruses.

VAT OR OTHERS TAXES

Any price indicated on the GGBL site is stated exclusive of value added tax or any other applicable sales tax. Buyers, shall be responsible for paying any value added tax or other taxes which may be due on amounts owed by the buyers under these Terms and Conditions in the applicable jurisdictions at the rates prevailing at the date that their contract of sale is concluded. If goods are exported, tax refunds or zero rating may apply.

GGBL RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS

Following acceptance, GGBL allows its members to access and use the services offered on the internet platform in line with member status (Bronze, Silver or Gold). GGBL is entitled to modify, replace, refuse access, suspend or terminate its services, partially or entirely, without this leading to any compensation whatsoever being owed to its members. GGBL is entitled, but not obligated, to store member data whilst observing its confidentiality policy.

GGBL can send any information or important notifications concerning the internet platform to its members via any means of its choosing (mail, online publication etc.). The member acknowledges that this information is deemed as having been received as soon as it has been sent to him/her (by mail or other means), and subsequent to its availability on the internet platform.

EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY

GGBL assumes no liability for the content, data and/or information provided by its members on the GGBL internet platform. In particular, GGBL is not obliged to ensure that the content in question is true.

GGBL’s sole aim is to create a network allowing contact between “those who buy and those who sell”. GGBL assumes no liability as to the conclusion of any transaction, or as to its execution. GGBL does not take any part in the various business relations which may be established between its members between themselves or with its partners or local partners. GGBL is not a party to any contract which may be agreed between these parties.

Members are hereby responsible for respecting contracts agreed between themselves, with the exclusion of all GGBL liability. The latter furthermore assumes no liability in the event of any potential failure to respect contractual provisions agreed between members. 

Members should however signal any abuse made by any other member or GGBL partner via the following link: Contact

Members acknowledge that it is technically impossible to guarantee permanent availability of the internet platform and also that it may not be possible to exclude any operating error. GGBL hereby relinquishes all liability in the event of interrupted availability of the internet platform and in the event of any operating error. GGBL relinquishes all liability for any malfunction, inaccessibility or inappropriate user conditions of the internet platform due to the use of inappropriate equipment, any problems linked to internet service providers, internet network saturation and/or for any other reason not attributable to GGBL.

TERMINATION

Parties may terminate their relations with immediate effect. In the event of termination by a member, the latter is bound to immediately withdraw its advert. In the event of failing to do so, it is bound to respect this advert if another GGBL member has responded thereto.

GGBL in particular reserves the right to block access to its site with immediate effect to any member subsequent to the latter posting any adverts which fail to comply with these general conditions.

Whatever the grounds for termination, the annual subscription fee paid by the member remains payable to GGBL.

Immediately upon termination, the member no longer has access to the GGBL platform.

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

The member confirms possessing all intellectual property rights pertaining to the adverts which it will post on the internet platform. For as much as shall be required, it grants GGBL a licence to use the content provided by each member to be disclosed on the internet platform. These rights are granted at an international level for the entire duration of contractual relations.

The member expressly authorises GGBL to modify, where appropriate, the advert content so as this complies with interface or advert display requirements or any other communication medium and is compatible with its technical performance or the format of the medium in question. These rights are granted at an international level for the entire duration of contractual relations.

GGBL holds all intellectual property rights pertaining to the site or holds the rights of use pertaining to the site.

Access does not grant any right to the intellectual property rights relating to the site, which remain the exclusive property of GGBL.

Items accessible on the site, notably in the form of text, photographs, images, icons, cards, sounds, videos, software, databases and data are also protected by intellectual and industrial property rights as well as other private rights held by GGBL.

Aside from the provisions hereby outlined in these general conditions, members may under no circumstances whatsoever, reproduce, represent, modify, transmit, publish, adapt, on any medium whatsoever and by any means whatsoever, or use in any way whatsoever all or part of the site without prior written permission from GGBL. Members are informed that this prohibition concerns notably, yet not exclusively, practices such as “scrapping” or the use of robots for extracting or reproducing any item on the site.

Any use which is not previously authorised by GGBL, in any form whatsoever, of all or any part of the site may be subject to appropriate action, notably that taken against forgery.

Inserting hypertext links to all or any part of the site is prohibited without prior written permission from GGBL.

DISPUTES

In the event of a member believing that another member is violating his/her own rights, notably in terms of intellectual property, with the placement of an advert, he/she undertakes to contact the GGBL company solicitor, accessible uniquely to members, prior to any other course of action.

GGBL shall thereupon undertake an examination into the application and, in the event of the violation being confirmed, shall undertake the necessary steps so as to terminate this violation. 

DISPUTES WITH GGBL

In the event of a member believing that GGBL may have failed to respect its obligations in the terms of these general conditions or in its confidentiality policy, it should immediately inform the GGBL company solicitor, uniquely accessible to members.

Parties hereby undertake to designate a mediator by mutual agreement so as to reach an amicable agreement to any dispute. Parties hereby undertake not to take any legal action whatsoever until such time as a mediator observes that no arrangement whatsoever can be reached.

APPLICABLE LAW AND JURISDICTION

MEMBERS AND GGBL AGREE TO REFER ANY POSSIBLE DISPUTE TO COURTS SITTING IN THE LOCATION WHERE GGBL OPERATES IN SWITZERLAND, NAMELY MONTREUX IN THE CANTON OF VAUD. SWISS LAW IS APPLICABLE.

LANGUAGES

These general conditions are translated into several languages. In the case of discrepancy between versions, only the French version shall be deemed authentic.