Terms of Service – Versant
Effective date September 30, 2025
IMPORTANT NOTE: PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF SERVICE AND THE TERMS OF SERVICE FOR SPECIFIC VERSANT SERVICES LINKED BELOW CAREFULLY AS THEY MAY IMPACT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS IN THE EVENT OF A DISPUTE BETWEEN US. SPECIFICALLY, PLEASE REFER TO THE SECTION TITLED “RESOLVING DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND VERSANT” OR, AS APPLICABLE “RESOLVING DISPUTES BETWEEN YOU AND” THE APPLICABLE VERSANT SERVICE, WHICH REQUIRES THAT CERTAIN DISPUTES BE RESOLVED THROUGH MANDATORY BINDING ARBITRATION AND PRECLUDE YOU FROM LEADING OR PARTICIPATING IN A CLASS ACTION, AS WELL AS THE SECTIONS TITLED “CLASS ACTION WAIVER” AND “JURY TRIAL WAIVER” WHICH CONTAIN A CLASS ACTION WAIVER AND JURY TRIAL WAIVER FOR NON-ARBITRABLE DISPUTES.
Welcome to the Terms of Service (the “TOS”) for our websites, software, mobile applications, user interfaces, features, functionalities, recommendations and reviews, content, games, interactive TV, or other products and online services (including all Content therein, the “Versant Services”). The Versant Services are made available to you by Versant Media, LLC, and its affiliated companies (including successors & assigns, “Versant,” “we,” “us” or “our”).
These TOS set out the agreement between you and Versant regarding how you can use the Versant Services, and what responsibilities you and Versant have to each other. These TOS contain important information regarding your legal rights.
These TOS replace and supersede any prior terms of use or similar agreements applicable to the Services, including those previously provided by NBCUniversal Media, LLC. By continuing to access or use the Versant Services after September 30, 2025, you agree to be bound by these TOS. If you previously agreed to terms of use with NBCU you are hereby notified that those terms are no longer in effect, and your use of the Services is now governed exclusively by these TOS.
BY USING THE VERSANT SERVICES, YOU ACCEPT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND AND ABIDE BY THESE TOS AND OUR PRIVACY POLICY, which describes our privacy practices in detail and is incorporated herein by reference. Please read them carefully.
IN ADDITION, YOUR USE OF CERTAIN VERSANT SERVICES WILL BE GOVERNED BY THE TERMS OF SERVICE SPECIFIC TO THOSE VERSANT SERVICES, including:
BY USING ANY OF THE ABOVE VERSANT SERVICES, YOU ACCEPT AND AGREE TO BE BOUND AND ABIDE BY THE RELEVANT TERMS OF SERVICE LINKED ABOVE FOR SUCH SERVICE AND OUR PRIVACY POLICY, which describes our privacy practices in detail and is incorporated into such Terms of Service by reference. Please read the applicable Terms of Service carefully.
Table of Contents
Indemnification. To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless the Versant Parties from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, suits or proceedings, as well as any and all losses, liabilities, damages, costs and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and costs) arising out of or related to (i) any breach of these TOS, violation of applicable law, or infringement of a third party’s rights; (ii) User-Generated Content; and/or (iii) your use of the Versant Services or any use of your account via the Versant Services. We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of such disputes, and in any event you will cooperate with us in asserting any available defenses.
If you are a California resident, you waive California Civil Code Section 1542, which provides: A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release, and that if known by him or her would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party.
If you are not a California resident, you waive your rights under any statute or common law principle similar to Section 1542 that governs your rights in the jurisdiction of your residence.
Resolving Disputes Between You and Versant
PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY. IT MAY SIGNIFICANTLY AFFECT YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS—INCLUDING YOUR RIGHT TO FILE A LAWSUIT IN COURT (BY REQUIRING YOUR DISPUTE TO BE SUBMITTED TO ARBITRATION) AND LIMITING YOUR RIGHTS TO RESOLVE YOUR DISPUTE AS PART OF A CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION.
Informal Dispute Resolution. Most disputes between you and Versant arising from or relating to the Versant Services or these TOS (“Disputes”) can be resolved informally, so if you have an issue with the services, you agree to reach out to us before initiating a lawsuit or arbitration, except as set forth in in the Exceptions paragraph below (“Informal Dispute Resolution”). This requires emailing [email protected] a written notice (“Written Notice”), which must include: (1) your name; (2) the email address(es) associated with your relationship with Versant; (3) a detailed description of the issue; and (4) how you’d like to resolve it. You must engage in this informal resolution process before starting any formal dispute resolution unless exempted by law. Applicable statutes of limitations and due dates for arbitration filing fees or other deadlines will be tolled upon receipt of the Written Notice to [email protected], while the parties attempt informal resolution.
The Written Notice must be provided on an individualized basis and you and Versant agree to personally meet and confer, via telephone or videoconference, to attempt to resolve the Dispute, with that meet and confer being individualized unless all parties agree otherwise. If either party is represented by counsel, that party’s counsel may participate in the conference, but the party shall also personally attend the conference, unless one party states in writing that the other party is not required to personally attend.
If the dispute is not resolved within sixty (60) days after receipt of the Written Notice, you and Versant agree to resolve any remaining dispute through further informal discussions or one of the formal dispute resolution provisions below.
Agreement to Arbitrate. If Informal Dispute Resolution fails, then either party may initiate binding arbitration as the sole means to resolve Disputes, subject to the provisions following this header through and including the paragraph titled “Changes to this Arbitration Agreement” (collectively, the “Arbitration Agreement”).
The parties agree that this Arbitration Agreement is made pursuant to a transaction in interstate commerce and is governed by the Federal Arbitration Act (“FAA”). The arbitration will be administered by National Arbitration and Mediation (“NAM”). If NAM is not available to arbitrate, the parties will mutually agree on an alternative arbitration provider.
In accordance with the notice and opt-out provisions set forth herein, this Arbitration Agreement is intended to be interpreted broadly and it applies to all Disputes between you and Versant, including but not limited to (1) claims that arose, were asserted, or involve facts occurring before the existence of this Arbitration Agreement, or any prior agreement; and (2) claims that may arise after the termination of this Arbitration Agreement.
Except as set forth in the paragraph below titled “Exceptions to Informal Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement,” the arbitrator, and not any federal, state, or local court or agency, shall have exclusive authority to resolve all Disputes. You and Versant further agree that arbitrable Disputes include but are not limited to issues arising out of or relating to the interpretation, applicability, enforceability, formation, or performance of this Arbitration Agreement, including, but not limited to, any claim that all or any part of these terms are void or voidable, whether a claim is subject to arbitration, and any dispute regarding the payment, non-payment, or timing of any administrative or arbitrator fees.
WAIVER OF RIGHTS INCLUDING JURY TRIAL.
THE PARTIES UNDERSTAND THAT ARBITRATION MEANS THAT AN ARBITRATOR AND NOT A JUDGE OR JURY WILL DECIDE ANY DISPUTE, AND THAT RIGHTS TO DISCOVERY AND APPEALS MAY BE LIMITED IN ARBITRATION. THE PARTIES FURTHER UNDERSTAND THAT THE COSTS OF ARBITRATION COULD EXCEED THE COST OF LITIGATION IN SOME INSTANCES.
YOU HEREBY ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT BY AGREEING TO THESE TOS AND ARBITRATION AGREEMENT, YOU AND VERSANT ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.
CLASS ARBITRATION AND COLLECTIVE RELIEF WAIVER.
YOU AND VERSANT ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT, TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT ALLOWED BY LAW, AND EXCEPT AS PROVIDED HEREIN BELOW, ANY ARBITRATION SHALL BE CONDUCTED IN AN INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY ONLY AND NOT AS A CLASS OR OTHER REPRESENTATIVE ACTION (INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY PRIVATE ATTORNEY GENERAL ACTION), AND THE ARBITRATOR MAY AWARD RELIEF ONLY IN FAVOR OF THE INDIVIDUAL PARTY SEEKING RELIEF AND ONLY TO THE EXTENT NECESSARY TO RESOLVE AN INDIVIDUAL PARTY’S CLAIM; NOTWITHSTANDING THIS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT, YOU AGREE THAT ANY ARBITRATION INVOLVING YOU MAY PROCEED ON A CONSOLIDATED BASIS IF AND ONLY IF VERSANT PROVIDES ITS CONSENT TO CONSOLIDATE IT IN WRITING.
With the exception of the paragraph titled “Class Arbitration and Collective Relief Waiver” and the paragraph titled “Mass Filings,” if any part of this Arbitration Agreement is deemed to be invalid, unenforceable, or illegal, then the balance of this Arbitration Agreement shall remain in effect and shall be construed in accordance with its terms as if the invalid, unenforceable, or illegal provision(s) were not contained herein. If, however, the paragraph titled “Class Arbitration and Collective Relief Waiver” or the paragraph titled “Mass Filings,” are found to be invalid, unenforceable, or illegal, then the entirety of this Arbitration Agreement shall be null and void, and neither you nor Versant shall be entitled to arbitrate the dispute in question.
This provision does not prevent you or Versant from participating in a class-wide settlement of claims.
Arbitration Rules. Except as modified by this Arbitration Agreement, NAM will administer any arbitration in accordance with the NAM “Comprehensive Dispute Resolution Rules and Procedures,” “Fees For Disputes When One of the Parties is a Consumer,” and the “Mass Filing Supplemental Dispute Resolution Rules and Procedures” in effect at the time any demand for arbitration is filed with NAM, excluding any rules or procedures permitting class or representative actions (“NAM Rules”). The applicable NAM rules and procedures are available at www.namadr.com or by emailing National Arbitration and Mediation’s Commercial Department at [email protected].
Except where prohibited by applicable law, the arbitrator shall apply the law of the state of New York without giving effect to any law that would result in the applicable of the law of any other jurisdiction. You and Versant agree that dispositive motions will be allowed in the arbitration.
If the amount in controversy is less than $10,000, then the arbitration will be conducted solely on the basis of written materials that you and Versant submit to the arbitrator, unless (i) the arbitrator determines that a hearing is necessary; (ii) applicable law requires otherwise; or (iii) the parties agree otherwise. If the amount in controversy exceeds $10,000, either party may request (or the arbitrator may determine) to hold a hearing.
Arbitration Demand. Any arbitration demand or counterclaim asserted by either party must contain sufficient information to provide fair notice to the other party of the asserting party’s identity, the claims being asserted, and the factual allegations on which they are based, and must include proof that the claimant is party to this Arbitration Agreement and to these TOS. The arbitrator and/or NAM may require amendment of any demand or counterclaim that does not satisfy these requirements.
Arbitration Fees. Each party is responsible for its own attorneys’ fees unless the arbitration rules and/or applicable law provide otherwise.
The parties agree that NAM has discretion to reduce the amount or modify the timing of any administrative or arbitration fees due under NAM Rules where it deems appropriate, provided that such modification does not increase the costs to you, and you further agree that you waive any objection to such fee modification. The parties also agree that a good-faith challenge by either party to the fees imposed by NAM does not constitute a default, waiver, or breach of this Arbitration Agreement while such challenge remains pending before NAM, the arbitrator, and/or a court of competent jurisdiction, and that any and all due dates for those fees shall be tolled during the pendency of such challenge.
Arbitration Location. The arbitration proceedings will presumptively be held via video- or telephone-conference unless (A) the arbitrator determines there is good cause to hold an in-person hearing or (B) the parties agree otherwise. Except as otherwise provided in the paragraph titled “Mass Filings” or unless you and Versant agree otherwise, in the event there is an in-person proceeding:
Mass Filings. To increase the efficiency of administration and resolution of arbitrations, in the event 100 or more similar arbitration demands (those asserting the same or substantially similar facts or claims, and seeking the same or substantially similar relief) presented by or with the assistance or coordination of the same law firm(s) or organization(s) are submitted to NAM (or another arbitration provider selected in accordance with the provisions set forth herein if NAM is unavailable) against Versant within reasonably close temporal proximity (“Mass Filing”), the parties agree, subject to the provisions of this “Mass Filings” paragraph: (A) to administer the Mass Filing in batches of 100 demands per batch (to the extent there are fewer than 100 arbitration demands left over after the batching described above, a final batch will consist of the remaining demands); (B) to designate one arbitrator for all demands in each batch; (C) to accept applicable fees, including, without limitation, any related fee reduction determined by NAM (or another arbitration provider selected in accordance with the provisions set forth herein if NAM is unavailable if NAM is unavailable) in its discretion; (D) that fees associated with a demand for arbitration included in a Mass Filing, including, without limitation, fees owed by Versant and the claimants, shall only be due after your demand for arbitration is included in a set of batch proceedings and that batch is properly designated for filing, processing, and adjudication; and (E) that this process of batched proceedings shall continue until each demand (including your demand) is adjudicated or otherwise resolved. If your demand for arbitration is included in the Mass Filing, any statute of limitation applicable to your claims will remain tolled until your demand for arbitration is decided, withdrawn, or settled.
Arbitrator selection for each batch shall be conducted to the greatest extent possible in accordance with the applicable NAM rules and procedures for such selection and shall be subject to any rights to strike an arbitrator provided under applicable state law if the rights granted by law exceed those provided for in the NAM rules. In accordance with applicable law and to the extent an in-person proceeding is deemed necessary by the arbitrator or mutual party agreement, the arbitrator will determine the location where the proceedings will be conducted.
You agree to cooperate in good faith with Versant and the arbitration provider to implement such a “batch approach” or other similar approach to provide for an efficient resolution of claims, including, without limitation, the payment of combined reduced fees, set by NAM in its discretion, for each batch of claims. The parties further agree to cooperate with each other and the arbitration provider or arbitrator to establish any other processes or procedures that the arbitration provider or arbitrator believe will provide for an efficient resolution of claims. For example, if the number of cases filed makes batches of 100 cases too small for the efficient resolution of all filed claims, you and Versant agree that NAM may increase the batch size or transfer cases between batches as determined in the reasoned discretion of the NAM procedural arbitrator, following the input of the parties. Any and all disagreements between the parties as to whether this provision applies or as to the process or procedure for batching shall be resolved by a NAM procedural arbitrator.
This “Batching” provision shall in no way be interpreted as increasing the number of claims necessary to trigger the applicability of NAM’s Mass Filing Supplemental Dispute Resolution Rules and Procedures or authorizing class arbitration of any kind.
Arbitrator’s Authority and Arbitration Award. The arbitrator shall be empowered under this Arbitration Agreement to grant whatever relief would be available in a court under law or in equity. The arbitrator has the right to impose sanctions in accordance with the arbitration provider’s rules and procedures for any frivolous claims or submissions the arbitrator determines have not been filed in good faith, as well as for a party’s failure to comply with this Arbitration Agreement or the Informal Dispute Resolution Process.
The arbitrator’s decision will include the essential findings and conclusions upon which the arbitrator based the award. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction thereof. The arbitrator will have the authority to award monetary damages on an individual basis and to grant, on an individual basis, any non-monetary remedy or relief available to an individual to the extent available under applicable law, the arbitral forum’s rules, and this Arbitration Agreement. The parties agree that the damages and/or other relief must be consistent with these TOS, including but not limited to the paragraphs titled “Class Arbitration and Collective Relief Waiver” and “Limitation of Liability” as to the types and the amount of damages or other relief for which a party may be held liable.
Except for decisions in arbitrations that are joined together in a single batch, no arbitration award or decision will have any preclusive effect, except to preclude the same or similar claims and issues addressed by the award from being re-arbitrated between the same parties. Attorneys’ fees will be available to the prevailing party in the arbitration only if authorized under applicable substantive law governing the claims in the arbitration.
Exceptions to Informal Dispute Resolution and Arbitration Agreement. Notwithstanding the parties’ agreement to resolve all disputes through the Informal Dispute Resolution process and, if necessary, binding arbitration:
Either party’s claims of infringement or misappropriation of the other party’s patent, copyright, trademark, or trade secret (and any motions to enforce such proceedings) shall be exclusively brought in the state and federal courts located in the City and County of New York, New York.
Either party may elect to have disputes or claims resolved in a small claims court regardless of what forum the filing party initially chose, provided the disputes or claims are within the scope of that court’s jurisdiction. Judgments of small claims courts may be enforced as set forth in the rules of such court.
Either party may apply to any court of competent jurisdiction for a provisional remedy in connection with an arbitrable controversy, including without limitation injunctive relief.
Either party may elect to have disputes regarding whether a complaining party has satisfied the Informal Dispute Resolution procedures resolved by a court as a precursor to arbitration.
30-Day Right to Opt Out. You have the right to opt out and not be bound by the Arbitration Agreement by sending written notice, signed by you, of your decision to opt out to the following address: [email protected]. The notice must be sent within 30 days of September 30, 2025 or your first use of the Versant Services, whichever is later; otherwise, you shall be bound to arbitrate disputes in accordance with the terms of the Arbitration Agreement. If you opt out of the arbitration provisions, Versant also will not be bound by them.
If you opt out of the Arbitration Agreement, you may exercise your right to a trial by judge, as permitted by applicable law, but any prior existing agreement to arbitrate disputes under a prior version of the Arbitration Agreement will not apply to claims not yet filed. If you opt out of the Arbitration Agreement, you will not be opting out of any other provisions of these TOS and you agree to be bound by all other provisions of these terms, which shall remain in effect as allowable by law.
Changes to this Arbitration Agreement. Versant will provide 30 days’ notice of the date of any material changes to this Arbitration Agreement. Changes will become effective on the 30th day and apply to all claims not yet filed, regardless of when they accrued. If you consent to these terms on or before the 30th day or continue to use the Versant Services after the 30th day, you agree that any unfiled claims are subject to the revised clause. If Versant changes this Arbitration Agreement after the date you first accepted it (or accepted any subsequent changes to the agreement), you agree that your continued use of the Versant Services 30 days after such change will be deemed acceptance of those changes. If you do not agree to such change, you may opt out of this Arbitration Agreement by emailing an opt-out notice to [email protected] before the 30-day period expires.
Class Action Waiver
YOU AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE BETWEEN YOU AND VERSANT THAT IS NOT SUBJECT TO ARBITRATION FOR ANY REASON MAY ONLY BE PURSUED BY YOU ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS, AND YOU MAY NOT BRING A CLAIM AS A PLAINTIFF OR A CLASS MEMBER IN A CLASS, COLLECTIVE, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION.
Jury Trial Waiver
IF FOR ANY REASON A DISPUTE PROCEEDS IN COURT RATHER THAN THROUGH ARBITRATION, YOU AND VERSANT AGREE THAT THERE WILL NOT BE A JURY TRIAL. YOU AND VERSANT UNCONDITIONALLY WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO TRIAL BY JURY IN ANY ACTION, PROCEEDING OR COUNTERCLAIM IN ANY WAY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TOS OR USE OF THE VERSANT SERVICES.