Terms and Conditions

Terms and Conditions of Use

Introduction

Welcome to www.bd.com/za/ (“the Site”). This Site is operated by Becton Dickinson (Pty) Ltd (referred to as "BDSA", “we”, “us” or “our”, as applicable). BDSA is a South African affiliate of Becton, Dickinson and Company, a United States corporation, which is the ultimate parent company of an international group of companies (collectively “BD”).  BDSA provides you with access to the Site subject to the terms and conditions contained in this Terms and Conditions of Use Agreement (the “Agreement’). Please read this Agreement carefully.  By accessing or using this Site, you agree without restriction to be bound by this Agreement. If you do not agree to follow and be bound by this Agreement, you may not access, use or download materials from this Site.

Please also note that if you are an existing customer or supplier of BDSA or any of its affiliates, these terms are not intended to replace or modify those contained in your customer or supplier agreement.  In case of an inconsistency, the terms and conditions of your written agreement will prevail over those contained herein.  All BD products and services may also be subject to separate terms and conditions which govern their use.

BDSA reserves the right to update or modify this Agreement at any time without prior notice. Your use of this Site following any such change constitutes your agreement to follow and be bound by this Agreement as revised. For this reason, we encourage you to review this Agreement each time you use this Site.  This Agreement was last revised on March 4, 2009.

The Availability of the Site and International Users

The Site is administered by BDSA from South Africa. This Site and its contents (the “Content”) are designed to comply with South African laws and regulations and are intended for use by South African residents only. If you access this Site from outside South Africa, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with the laws of your jurisdiction. Materials published on this Site may refer to products or services that are not available in your country.  Consult your local BD office for more information.  Furthermore, BDSA makes no representation that the materials on the Site are appropriate or available for use at other locations outside South Africa and access to them from countries where their contents are unlawful is prohibited.  You should not construe anything on the Site as a promotion or solicitation for any product or for the use of any product that is not authorised by the laws and regulations of the country in which you are located.

This Site is Not a Source of Medical Advice

The Content of this Site is presented in summary form, is general in nature, and is provided for informational purposes only; it is not intended nor recommended as a substitute for professional medical advice. You should not use the Content of this Site for diagnosing a health or fitness problem or disease.  Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider regarding any medical condition or treatment. Nothing contained on this Site is intended to be for medical diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read on this Site.

Copyright Notice and Limitation on Use

No use should be made of materials on this Site, except as expressly authorised by this Agreement.  All Site Content, including the selection, arrangement and design of the Content is owned either by BDSA or its licensors and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws including the sui generis rights relating to the protection of databases.  You may not modify, copy, reproduce, republish, upload, post, transmit or distribute in any way any Content, in whole or in part, including any code and software. You may download Content from the Site for your own personal, non-commercial use only, provided that the Content is not modified in any way, that you keep intact all copyright and other proprietary notices, and that you include the phrase “Used with permission of Becton Dickinson (Pty) Ltd” when you display or otherwise use the Content.

Procedures for Claimed Copyright Infringement

We respect the intellectual property rights of others and we ask that you do the same. If you believe that your work has been copied in a way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide Becton, Dickinson and Company’s Vice President and Chief Intellectual Property Counsel, 1 Becton Drive, Franklin Lakes, New Jersey 07417 USA, Email: copyrightagent@bd.com with the following information:

• an electronic or physical signature of the person authorised to act on behalf or the owner of  the copyright interest;
• a description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed;
• a description of where the material that you claim is infringing is located on the Site;
• your address, telephone number and email address;
• a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the disputed use is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
• a statement by you, made under penalty of perjury, that the above information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or duly authorised to act on the copyright owner’s behalf.

Trademark Notice

All of the trademarks, service marks and logos displayed on this Site (the "Trademarks") are registered and unregistered trademarks of BDSA, its affiliates, or third parties. Nothing contained in this Site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any licence or right in and to the Trademarks without the express written permission of BDSA or the applicable third party. Except as expressly provided in this Agreement, any use of the Trademarks found on the Site is strictly prohibited.  Please note that the names of the companies and products mentioned on this site may be trademarks of their respective owners.  A complete list of BD's trademarks for each operating segment is contained at BD Brand List (Alphabetically listed).

Public and Unsolicited Information

This Site may provide opportunities to provide BDSA feedback regarding this Site and BD products and other unsolicited submissions (collectively, “Unsolicited Information”).  You may only provide Unsolicited Information which meets the requirements of these Terms and Conditions.

Subject to the conditions provided herein, BD accepts innovative ideas for new products and technologies by individuals and organisations not employed by or affiliated with BD so long as such inventions are covered by existing patents or are those for which patents have been applied for by the submitter.  If you wish to submit any such ideas click here for a copy of BD’s submission information and procedure.

BDSA and its employees do not accept or consider other unsolicited ideas, including ideas for new advertising campaigns, new promotions, new products or technologies, processes, materials, marketing plans or new product names.  Please do not send any original creative artwork, samples, demos, or other works.  The sole purpose of this policy is to avoid potential misunderstandings or disputes when BD's products or marketing strategies might seem similar to ideas submitted to BDSA.  So, except under the circumstances described above relating to patented ideas or those for which you have filed a patent application, please do not send your unsolicited ideas to BDSA or anyone at BDSA. 

If, despite our request that you not send us your ideas and materials, you still send them, and in the event you post Public Information on our Site, all such Public Information and all such Unsolicited Information will be considered NON-CONFIDENTIAL and NON-PROPRIETARY and BDSA and its affiliates are free to use such information for any purpose and in any manner whatsoever.

This Site may present opportunities to post information to public areas of the Site, such as bulletin boards (collectively, “Public Areas”), or to send along comments and feedback (any such information provided, “Public Information”).   Although BDSA may, from time to time, monitor or review the information posted to the Public Areas of the Site to the extent required by applicable law, it assumes no responsibility or liability arising from the Content of such Public Areas or for any error, defamation, libel, slander, omission, falsehood, obscenity, pornography, profanity, danger, or inaccuracy contained in such Public Areas, unless mandatory provisions of the applicable law require otherwise.

You are prohibited from posting or transmitting any unlawful, threatening, libellous, defamatory, obscene, inflammatory, pornographic, or profane material or any material that could constitute or encourage conduct that would be considered a criminal offence, give rise to civil liability, or otherwise violate the law. BDSA will fully cooperate with any law enforcement authorities or court order requesting or directing BDSA to disclose the identity of anyone posting any such material.

Children under the age of eighteen should not submit any Public Information or Unsolicited Information containing personally identifiable data.

Links to Other Websites

This Agreement applies only to this Site.  This Site may frame or contain references or links to other BD Web sites as well as other Web sites that are not operated by BDSA or its affiliates (the “Third Party Sites”). These references or links to the Third Party Sites are provided for your reference and convenience only, and do not imply any review or endorsement of the material on these Third Party Sites or any association with their operators. BDSA does not control these Third Party Sites and is not responsible for their content. The Third Party Sites (and any Web sites to which they link) may contain information about uses of products that have not been approved or cleared by appropriate authorities. BDSA does not endorse any "off-label" uses. The Third Party Sites (and the Web sites to which they link) may contain information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or outdated. Your access and use of the Third Party Sites (and any Web sites to which they link) is solely at your own risk.

Please note that other BD sites are governed by their specific Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policies.  We recommend that you carefully read those documents upon your entry to those other BD sites.

No Framing Allowed

Elements of this Site are protected by copyright, trade dress, trademark, unfair competition, and other laws and may not be copied or imitated in whole or in part by any means, including but not limited to, the use of framing, deep linking or mirrors.  None of the Content for our Site may be retransmitted without the express written consent of BDSA.  If you are interested in linking to our Site, Contact Us for more information.

Dealings with Advertisers

Your correspondence or business dealings with, or participation in promotions of, advertisers found on or through the Site, including payment and delivery of related goods or services, and any other terms, conditions, warranties or representations associated with such dealings are solely between you and such advertiser. You agree that we are not responsible nor shall we be liable for loss or damage of any sort incurred as a result of any such dealings or as the result of the presence of such advertiser on the Site.

Account Registration

Some of the functions of this Site may require creation of an account with us.  As part of the registration process, visitors will select a User Name and Password, along with registration information, which must be accurate and updated.  You may not select or use a User Name of another person with the intent to impersonate that person or use a User Name in which another person has rights without such person's authorisation.  Failure to comply with the above shall constitute a breach of this Agreement, which may result in immediate termination of your account.  You agree to take reasonable measures to protect the security of your password.

You are responsible for all usage or activity on your account, including use of the account by any third party authorised by you to use your User Name and Password.  You shall notify BDSA of any known or suspected unauthorised use(s) of your account, or any known or suspected breach of security, including loss, theft, or unauthorised disclosure of your password or any other relevant registration details provided.

Site Privacy Policy

Our Privacy Statement and Consent to Use of Data is available on this Site and by accessing the Site, you are agreeing to be legally bound by the Privacy Statement and Consent to Use of Data. The Privacy Statement and Consent to Use of Data in its entirety is hereby incorporated into this Agreement by reference.  To read our Privacy Statement and Consent to Use of Data please click here.

Disclaimer of Warranties

This Site contains information concerning BDSA and BD that may be useful to our customers, employees, and shareholders as well as to the general public. The Site and the Content are provided on an "AS IS," "AS AVAILABLE" basis, without warranties of any kind.

BDSA takes reasonable steps in order to control and update the information of this Site. In consequence, the Content of this Site may be subject to modifications and updates. Nevertheless, BDSA makes no representations or warranties as to the adequacy, precision, timeliness, merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose or accuracy of the information on the Site, nor as to the fact that the Content will be at all times complete and updated regarding all aspects.

BDSA does not represent or warrant that the Content of this Site is free of viruses, worms or other code that may manifest contaminating or destructive properties. Because some jurisdictions do not permit the exclusion of certain warranties, these exclusions may not apply to you.

Limitation of Liability

Your use of this Site is at your sole risk. Under no circumstances shall BDSA, its affiliates or any of their respective directors, officers, employees, or agents, be liable for any direct or indirect loss or damage arising out or in connection with:
a) making, or omitting to make, any modifications, updates, corrections, adaptations to the Content of the Site (“Changes”) or for making, or omitting to make, such Changes in a timely manner, with the exception of intentional misconduct;
b) the use or interpretation of the Content of this Site by any person accessing the Site;
c) the ability of any person accessing this Site to understand the Content, use or interpret it in the way intended by BDSA;
d) your inability to use the Site due to network unavailability, network disruptions or other security incidents that may affect the Site in any way whatever or its Content.

This limitation of liability applies to all loss and damage of any kind whatsoever, whether direct or indirect, general, special, incidental, consequential, exemplary or otherwise, including without limitation, loss of data, revenue or profits. This limitation of liability applies whether the alleged liability is based on contract, negligence, delict, strict liability or any other basis and even if an authorised representative of BDSA or any of its affiliates has been advised of or should have known of the possibility of such damages.

Some countries do not allow the exclusion of damages or limitation of liability set forth above, so this limitation of liability may not apply to you. If any part of this limitation of liability is found to be invalid or unenforceable for any reason, then the aggregate liability of BD and its affiliates under such circumstances shall not exceed one thousand rand (ZAR1,000.00)  in the aggregate. If any remedy hereunder is determined to have failed of its essential purpose, all limitations of liability, disclaimers and exclusions of warranties and damages set forth in this Agreement shall remain in effect.

Forward-looking Statements

This site may from time to time contain certain forward-looking statements regarding BD’s and/or BDSA's performance, including future revenues, products and income, or events or developments that BD and/or BDSA expects to occur or anticipates occurring in the future.  All such statements are based upon current expectations of BD and/or BDSA and involve a number of business risks and uncertainties.  Actual results could vary materially from anticipated results described, implied or projected in any forward-looking statement.  Factors that could cause actual results to vary materially from any forward-looking statement include, but are not limited to: competitive factors; pricing and market share pressures; uncertainties of litigation; BD’s and/or BDSA's ability to achieve sales and earnings forecasts, which are based on sales volume and product mix assumptions, to achieve cost savings objectives, and to achieve anticipated synergies and other cost savings in connection with acquisitions; changes in regional, national or foreign economic conditions; increases in energy costs: fluctuations in costs and availability of raw materials and in BD’s and/or BDSA's ability to maintain favourable supplier arrangements and relationships; changes in interest or foreign currency exchange rates; delays in product introductions; and changes in health care or other governmental regulation, as well as other factors discussed in this Site. We do not intend to update any forward-looking statements.

Indemnification

In the event that any legal action is taken resulting from (i) your use of the Content or Site, including your breach of the terms of this Agreement, or (ii) any Unsolicited Information provided by you, you agree to defend, indemnify, hold harmless and pay any reasonable legal and accounting fees without limitation incurred by BDSA its affiliates, its and their directors, officers, employees, agents, investors and licensors (collectively, “the indemnified parties”) in connection therewith.  BDSA shall provide notice to you promptly of any such claim, suit or proceeding. BDSA shall have the right, at its option and expense, to participate in the defence and/or settlement of any such claim, suit or proceeding, or to assume the exclusive defence and control of any such matter without relieving you of your indemnification obligations aforesaid. In no event shall you settle any suit or claim imposing any liability or other obligations on BDSA or any of the other indemnified parties without BDSA’s prior written consent.

General

You are responsible for obtaining and maintaining all telephone, computer hardware and other equipment needed for access to and use of the Site and all charges related thereto. BDSA reserves the right to alter or delete material from this Site at any time. This Site is controlled and operated by BDSA from its offices within South Africa. Any claim relating to, and the use of, this Site are governed by the laws of South Africa. By using this Site, you consent to personal jurisdiction in the courts located in South Africa, for any action arising out of or relating to this Site or your use of this Site. Such courts shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all such actions. The United Nations Convention on Contacts for the International Sale of Goods does not apply to this Agreement.

This Agreement constitutes the entire agreement between you and BDSA with respect to your access to and/or use of this Site. Any claims arising in connection with your use of the Site or any Content must be brought within one (1) year of the date of the event giving rise to such action occurred, save mandatory provisions of the applicable law.  All provisions of this Agreement pertaining to indemnification, disclaimer or warranties, limitation of liability and proprietary rights shall survive the termination of this Agreement for any reason. If any provision of this Agreement is invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect, and the invalid or unenforceable provision will be deemed superseded by a valid enforceable provision that closely matches the intent of the original provision. The failure by us to exercise or enforce any right or provision under this Agreement shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. All rights not expressly granted herein are hereby reserved.