STANDARD CONDITIONS OF CONTRACT (2004)
The following Terms and Conditions constitute the entire agreement between
the parties and supersede any previous agreements, warranties,
representations, undertakings or understandings between the parties and may
not be varied except in writing.
1. Definitions
a. "Seller" means the party providing the goods or services under these
terms and conditions.
b. "Buyer" means the party contracting with the Seller to acquire the good
and services supplied under these terms and conditions.
c. "Work" means all goods (by way of intermediate or finished product) and
services supplied by the Seller to the Buyer.
d. “Intermediates” means all products produced during the manufacturing
process including non-exhaustively discs, film,plate, intellectual
property.
e. "Preliminary Work" means all work done in the concept and preparatory
stages (including non-exhaustively design,artwork, colour matching).
f. "Electronic File" means any text, illustration or other matter supplied
or produced by either Party in digitised form on disc, through a modem, or
by ISDN or any other communication link.
g. "Periodical Publications" means publications produced at (normally
regular) intervals.
h. "Insolvency" means the Buyer is in a position where it is unable to pay
its debts or has a winding up petition issued against it or has a receiver,
administrator or administrative receiver appointed to it or being a person
commits an act of bankruptcy or has a bankruptcy petition issued against
him.
2. Payment
a. Estimates are based on the Seller's current costs of production and,
unless otherwise agreed in writing, are subject to amendment to meet any
rise or fall in such costs that have taken place by the time of delivery.
b. Estimates are given exclusive of tax and the Seller reserves the right
to charge and the Buyer will pay any VAT or other tax payable.
c. All work carried out shall be charged. This includes all Preliminary
Work whether or not the Buyer agrees to that work being taken forward to
production.
d. Any additional work required of the Seller by reason of the Buyer
supplying inadequate copy, incomplete or incorrect instructions or
insufficient materials; or late delivery of the same shall be charged.
e. Payment shall become due before delivery of the Work. The Seller, at his
absolute discretion, may ask for part or full payment in advance of
starting the Work.
f. If Credit Facilities have been granted, payment is due by the end of the
month following the month of Invoice. If any item(s) remain unpaid by that
due date charges will apply, in accordance with s5A and/or s6 of the Late
Payment
Commercial Debt (Interest) Act 1998 or any subsequent enactment. In
addition, all invoices will become due and payable immediately and
will be treated as overdue items, with appropriate charges applied and all
costs reasonably incurred in collecting the debt payable by the Buyer.
g. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, the price of the Work will be
"ex-works" and delivery shall be charged extra.
h. Should the Work be suspended or delayed by the Buyer for any reason the
Seller shall be entitled to charge for storage and for loss of or wastage
of resources that cannot otherwise be used.
i. Should the suspension or delay in 2(h) above extend beyond 30 days the
Seller shall be entitled to immediate payment for work already carried out,
materials specially ordered and any other additional costs.
3. Credit Facilities
Credit facilities may be granted to applicants who complete the Seller’s
Credit Account Application Form and who satisfy the Seller’s criteria as
set out from time to time. Where facilities are granted the Seller reserves
the right to withdraw them at any time, without having to give their
reasons and, in such a case, all outstanding invoices become due and
payable immediately.
4. Delivery
a. Delivery of the Work shall be accepted when tendered.
b. Unless otherwise agreed in writing completion and delivery times are a
guide only and, whilst the Seller will make every effort to adhere to
proposed timescales, time is not of the essence in any contract with the
Buyer.
c. Unless otherwise agreed in writing, (in which case an extra charge may
be made) delivery will be to kerbside at the Buyer's address and the Buyer
will make arrangements for off-loading and for any additional
transportation to its storage facility.
d. Subject to any agreement as per 4(c) above, delivery involving difficult
access and/or unreasonable distance from vehicular access shall entitle the
Seller to make an extra charge to reflect its extra costs.
e. Should expedited delivery be agreed the Seller shall be entitled to make
an extra charge to cover any overtime or any other additional costs.
f. Any discrepancies or shortages must be reported within 3 days of receipt
of the goods. All goods must be returned within 15 working days, goods must
be in the original packaging and fit for resale. If the item is made to
order or a special item, then this is subject to be non-returnable or
non-refundable
5. Materials supplied or specified by the Buyer
5.1 Electronic Files
a. It is the Buyer's responsibility to maintain a copy of any original
Electronic File provided by the Buyer.
b. The Seller shall not be responsible for checking the accuracy of
supplied input from an electronic file unless otherwise agreed in writing.
c. Without prejudice to clause 5.2(b), if an electronic file is not
suitable for outputting on equipment normally adequate for such purposes
without adjustment or other corrective action the Seller may make a charge
for any resulting additional cost incurred or may reject the file without
prejudice to his rights to payment for work done/material purchased.
5.2 Other Materials
a. Metal, film and other materials owned by the Buyer and supplied to the
Seller for the production of type, plates, filmsetting, negatives,
positives, electronic files and the like shall remain the Buyer's exclusive
property. However, where the content is generated by the Seller, the Seller
may, in order to protect his intellectual property rights and at his
absolute discretion replaces such material with unused material of a
similar or better quality.
b. The Seller may reject any film, discs, paper, plates, electronic files
or other materials supplied or specified by the Buyer which appear to him
to be unsuitable for the purpose intended. Additional cost incurred if
materials are found to be unsuitable during production may be charged
except that if the whole or any part of such additional cost could have
been avoided but for unreasonable delay by the Seller in ascertaining the
unsuitability of the materials then that amount shall not be charged to the
Buyer.
c. Without prejudice to clause 5.2.b, where materials are so supplied or
specified, and the Seller so advises the Buyer, and the Buyer instructs the
Seller in writing to proceed anyway, the Seller will use reasonable
endeavours to secure the best results but shall have no liability for the
quality of the end-product(s).
d. Quantities of materials supplied shall be adequate to cover normal
spoilage. Any costs incurred as a result of shortages, including
re-starting jobs, duplicating masters etc will be charged in addition to
the estimated price.
5.3 Risk and storage
a. Buyer's property and all property supplied to the Seller by or on behalf
of the Buyer shall while it is in the possession of the Seller or in
transit to or from the Buyer be deemed to be at Buyer's risk unless
otherwise agreed in writing and the Buyer should insure accordingly.
b. The Seller shall be entitled to make a reasonable charge for the storage
of any Buyer's property left with the Seller before receipt of the order or
after notification to the Buyer of completion of the work.
5.4 Finished Goods
a. The risk in the Work and all goods delivered in connection with the Work
shall pass to the Buyer on delivery and the Buyer should insure
accordingly.
b. On completion of the Work, the Seller will store the Buyer’s materials
and Work for a maximum of one month, after which time they will be
destroyed without further notice
.
6. Materials and equipment supplied by the Seller
a. Metal, film and other materials owned by the Seller and used in the
production of intermediates, type, plates, filmsetting, negatives,
positives, electronic files and other production processes, together with
items thereby produced, shall remain the Seller's exclusive property.
b. Type shall be distributed and film and plates, tapes, discs, electronic
files or other work destroyed immediately after the order is executed
unless written arrangements are made to the contrary. In the latter event,
storage shall be charged.
c. The Seller shall not be obliged to download any digital data from his
equipment or supply the same to the Buyer on disc, tape or by any
communication link.
7. Retention of Title
a. The Work remains the Seller's property until the Buyer has paid for it
and discharged all other debts owing to the Seller.
b. If the Buyer becomes subject to Insolvency and the Work has not been
paid for in full the Seller may take the goods back and, if necessary,
enter the Buyer's premises to do so, or to inspect and/or label the goods
so as to identify them clearly.
c. If the Buyer shall sell the goods before they have been paid for in full
he shall hold the proceeds of sale on trust for the Seller in a separate
account until any sum owing to the Seller has been discharged from such
proceeds.
d. Where the Buyer is in breach of these Terms or performs any act of
Bankruptcy or Insolvency the Seller reserves the right to approach the
Buyer's customer and to offer the Work directly to them, notwithstanding
the fact that this will involve advising the Buyer’s customer that the
Buyer is in breach or in default.
8. Proofs and variations
a. The Seller shall incur no liability for any errors not corrected by the
Buyer where the Buyer has been provided with proofs. The Buyer's
alterations and additional proofs necessitated thereby shall be charged
extra. When style, type or layout is left to the Seller's judgement,
changes therefrom made by the Buyer shall be charged extra.
b. Where the Buyer specifically waives any requirement to examine proofs
the Seller is indemnified by the Buyer against any and all errors in the
finished Work.
c. Colour proofs Due to differences in equipment, paper,
inks and other conditions between colour proofing and production runs, a
reasonable variation in colour between colour proofs and the completed job
will be deemed acceptable unless otherwise agreed in writing.
d. Variations in quantity Every endeavour will be made to
deliver the correct quantity ordered, but estimates are conditional upon
margins of 5 per cent for work being allowed for overs or unders the same
to be charged or deducted, unless otherwise agreed in writing.
9. Claims and Liability
9.1 Claims
a. Advice of damage, delay or loss of goods in transit or of non-delivery
must be given in writing to the Seller and the carrier within three clear
days of delivery (or, in the case of non-delivery, within 3 days of
notification of despatch of the goods) and any claim in respect thereof
must be made in writing to the Seller and the carrier within seven clear
days
of delivery (or, in the case of non-delivery, within 7 days of notification
of despatch). All other claims must be made in writing to the Seller within
15 days of delivery. The Seller shall not be liable in respect of any claim
unless the aforementioned requirements have been complied with except in
any particular case where the Buyer proves that (i) it was not possible to
comply with the requirements and (ii) the claim was made as soon as
reasonably possible.
b. If the Work is defective so that the Buyer may in law reject it, said
rejection must take place within 7 days of delivery of the goods, failing
which the Buyer will be deemed to have accepted the Work.
c. In the event of all or any claims or rejections the Seller reserves the
right to inspect the Work within seven days of the claim or rejection being
notified.
9.2 Liability
d. Insofar as is permitted by law where Work is defective for any reason,
including negligence, the Seller's liability (if any) shall be limited to
rectifying such defect or crediting its value against any invoice raised in
respect of the Work.
e. Where the Seller performs its obligations to rectify defective Work
under this condition the Seller shall not be liable for indirect loss,
consequential loss or third party claims occasioned by defective Work and
the Buyer shall not be entitled to any further claim in respect of the Work
nor shall the Buyer be entitled to repudiate the contract, refuse to pay
for the work or cancel further deliveries.
f. Defective Work must be returned to the Seller before replacement or
credits can be issued. If the subject Work is not available to the Seller
the Seller will hold that the Buyer has accepted the Work and no credits or
replacement Work will be provided.
g. The Seller shall not be liable for indirect loss, consequential loss or
third-party claims occasioned by delay in completing the work or for any
loss to the Buyer arising from delay in transit, whether as a result of the
Seller's negligence or otherwise.
h. Where the Seller offers to replace defective Work the Buyer must accept
such an offer unless he can show clear cause for refusing so to do. If the
Buyer opts to have the work re-done by any third party without reference to
the Seller the Buyer automatically revokes his right to any remedy from the
Seller, including but not exclusively the right to a credit in respect of
Work done by the Seller.
i. Where the Work will be forwarded by or on behalf of the Buyer to a third
party for further processing the Buyer will be deemed to have inspected and
approved the Work prior to forwarding and the Seller accepts no liability
for claims arising subsequent to the third party’s processing.
j. The Seller reserves the right to reject any work forwarded to him after
initial processing by a third party as soon as is reasonably practicable
without processing the work any further. Should the Buyer require the
Seller notwithstanding to continue, then the Seller is only obliged to do
so after confirmation from the Buyer in writing.
k. Nothing in these conditions shall exclude the Seller's liability for
death or personal injury as a result of its negligence.
10. Insolvency
Without prejudice to other remedies, if the Buyer becomes insolvent, the
Seller shall have the right not to
proceed further with the contract or any other work for the Buyer and be
entitled to charge for work already carried out (whether completed or not)
and materials purchased for the Buyer, such charge to be an immediate debt
due to him. Any unpaid invoices shall become immediately due for payment.
11. General Lien
Without prejudice to other remedies, in respect of all unpaid debts due
from the Buyer the Seller shall have a general lien on all goods and
property of or provided by the Buyer in his possession (whether worked on
or not) and shall be entitled on the expiration of 14 days' notice to
dispose of such goods or property as agent for the Buyer in such manner and
at such price as he thinks fit and to apply the proceeds towards such
debts, and shall when accounting to the Buyer for any balance remaining be
discharged from all liability in respect of such goods or property.
12. Illegal matter
a. The Seller shall not be required to print any matter which in his
opinion is or may be of an illegal or libellous nature or an infringement
of the proprietary or other rights of any third party.
b. The Seller shall be indemnified by the Buyer in respect of any claims,
costs and expenses arising out of the printing by the Seller for the Buyer
of any illegal or unlawful matter including matter which is libellous or
infringes copyright, patent, design or any other proprietary or personal
rights. The indemnity shall include (without limitation) any amounts
paid on a lawyer's advice in settlement of any claim that any matter is
libellous or such an infringement.
13. Periodical publications
A contract for the printing of a periodical publication may not be
terminated by either party unless 13 weeks’ notice in writing is given in
the case of periodicals produced monthly or more frequently or 26 weeks’
notice in writing is given in the case of other periodicals. Notice must be
given after completion of work on any one issue.
Nevertheless, the Seller may terminate any such contract forthwith should
any sum due thereunder remain unpaid.
14. Force majeure
The Seller shall be under no liability if he shall be unable to carry out
any provision of the contract for any reason beyond his reasonable control
including (without limiting the foregoing): Act of God; legislation; war;
fire; flood; drought; inadequacy or unsuitability of any instructions,
electronic file or other data or materials supplied by the Buyer; failure
of power supply; lock-out, strike or other action taken by employees in
contemplation or furtherance of a dispute; or owing to any inability to
procure materials required for the performance of the contract. During the
continuance of such a contingency the Buyer may by written notice to the
Seller elect to terminate the contract and pay for work done and materials
used, but subject thereto shall otherwise accept delivery when available.
15. Data Protection
The Buyer is hereby notified that the Seller may transfer personal
information about the Buyer to a Credit Agency pursuant to cl 2f above.
16. Law
These conditions and all other express and implied terms of the contract
shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of England and
the parties agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of England
and Wales.
17. Notices
All specifications and notices relied on by either party and all variations
to this agreement must be in writing and include a duly authorised
signature.
18. Consumers
Nothing in these Terms shall affect the rights of Consumers.
19. Severability
All clauses and sub-clauses of this Agreement are severable and if any
clause or identifiable part thereof is held to be unenforceable by any
court of competent jurisdiction then such enforceability shall not affect
the enforceability of the remaining provisions or identifiable parts
thereof in these Terms and Conditions.