1. Acceptance
These Terms and Conditions establish the rights, obligations and
remedies between Earlybyte GmbH, with registered offices at
Technoparkstrasse 2, 8406 Winterthur, and its affiliated companies,
hereinafter Earlybyte, and the Customer which apply to any offer by
Earlybyte and/or order issued by the Customer for the purchase of the
Earlybyte’s products, software and/or services (“Products”). Unless
otherwise stated in a written purchase agreement signed by duly
authorized representatives of Earlybyte and the Customer and covering
the specific Products that are the subject of any of Customer’s
Purchase Order, Earlybyte’s acceptance thereof is made on the express
condition that the Customer assents with these Terms and Conditions.
No additional or different terms or conditions, whether contained in
the Customer’s Purchase Order or any other document or communication
pertaining to the Customer’s order will be binding unless accepted in
writing, and Earlybyte hereby expressly objects to any such terms and
conditions which shall be deemed ineffective, and are herewith
rejected.
2. Contractual Relationship
No contractual relationship between Earlybyte and the Customer shall
arise until Earlybyte has accepted the Customer’s Purchase Order
through a valid order acknowledgement. The simple remittance of a
Purchase Order or acceptance of a Earlybyte offer of sale by the
Customer implies the Customer accepts these Terms and Conditions and,
by the same, waives its own General Terms and Conditions of Purchase,
if any, even if such acceptance or Purchase order explicitly states
otherwise. Offers will expire thirty (30) days from the date issued.
3. Disclaimer of partnership
Nothing in these Terms and Conditions will be construed to place the
Parties in an agency, employment, franchise, joint-venture, or
partnership relationship. No party has the authority to obligate or
bind the other in any manner. Nothing in these Terms and Conditions
gives rise or is intended to give rise to rights of any kind to any
third parties. Neither party will make any representation to the
contrary. The parties agree that they will perform their obligations
as independent contractors.
4. Quality and Nature of the Products
Earlybyte and the Customer will mutually determine the specifications
for the Products including but not limited to special Product and
process characteristics as well all relevant technical standards or
its derivations, and the Control Plan to finally define the quality
and nature of the Products.
Customer with his expertise has the sole responsibility to provide in
its sole discretion all relevant information and requirements for
Products. No other sources for information to be provide by Customer
but those provided in pursue of the foregoing shall be relevant for
any performance of Earlybyte. Earlybyte and the Customer will update
the specifications and related processes upon mutual consent of the
scope and the cost of changes of the Products or processes related to
the development and/or manufacturing of the Products which constitutes
the relevant revision of the specifications at the date of delivery.
Special characteristics or critical characteristics of the Products
must expressly be identified as such by the Customer. They do not
constitute any extended liability or guarantee of Earlybyte unless
otherwise expressly stipulated and covered by amendments to the
Control plan.
5. Title
Earlybyte reserves retention of title to the Products delivered or in
use until payment of all account receivables due and future account
receivable already constituted by purchase order or agreement within
the total business relationship to the Customer. The Customer may not
give Earlybyte’s Products in pledge to a third party for his
collateralization purposes. Any kind of work to the products or the
mixture with other Products will be deemed to the benefit of Earlybyte
without any obligation for Earlybyte and without loss of its
ownership. In the event of implementation of the products in
components Earlybyte receives the coownership of the Customer and is
entitled to notify this.
The Customer shall give immediate written notice in any event of a
pledge or any other encumbrance of third parties on our Products. The
Customer must undertake any action to extinguish the pledge or the
encumbrance and must support us in the defence of our rights in any
kind, upon our request also on our behalf.
6. Delivery Schedule
The Customer acknowledges that any delivery schedule provided by
Earlybyte is only an estimation. Earlybyte will use commercially
reasonable efforts to initiate shipment and schedule delivery as close
as possible to Customer’s requested delivery schedule but shall not be
liable to Customer for failure to meet any delivery schedule or for
the costs to procure or design substitute Products.
Earlybyte reserves the right to make deliveries in instalments.
Delivery of a quantity that varies from the quantity specified in
Customer’s order shall not relieve Customer of its obligation to
accept delivery and pay for the Products delivered. Customer shall not
refuse to accept delivery or any consignment or instalment on account
of any shortage or defect in any other delivery.
7. Customer Caused Delay
Earlybyte will not be liable for any delays or increased costs caused
by a failure of the Customer, such as delays in providing necessary
information or other Customer deliverables or delays by the Customer
designated suppliers in providing Products or Services. In the event
of a non-force majeure Customer caused delay, the price and other
affected terms will be adjusted accordingly to reflect Earlybyte’s
increased costs and other adverse impacts associated with such delay.
8. Excusable Delay (“Force Majeure”)
Except for payment obligations, neither party will be liable to the
other for any failure to meet its obligations due to any cause beyond
the non-performing party’s reasonable control. If the inability to
perform continues for longer than ninety (90) days, either party may
terminate the Purchase Orders which are affected by the Force Majeure
by providing written notice to the other party and the Customer will
pay Earlybyte for Products delivered and services performed prior to
termination.
Force majeure events may include but are not limited to:
a) delays or refusals to grant an export license or the suspension or
revocation thereof;
b) any other acts of any government that would limit the ability for
its performance;
c) fires, earthquakes, floods, severe weather conditions, or any other
acts of God;
d) quarantines or regional medical crisis;
e) labour strikes or lockouts;
f) riots, strife, insurrection, civil disobedience, armed conflict,
terrorism or war, declared or not (or impending threat of any of
the foregoing, if such threat might reasonably be expected to cause
injury to people or property);
g) shortages or inability to obtain materials or components, and;
h) Inability or refusal by the Customer’s directed third party
suppliers to provide Earlybyte with parts, services, manuals, or other
information necessary to the Products or services to be provided by
Earlybyte.
If a force majeure event causes a delay, the date of performance will
be extended by the period of time that the non-performing party is
actually delayed or for any other period as the parties may agree in
writing.
9. Cancellations
Any and all changes to Buyer’s Purchase Orders must be provided by
written (paper-based or electronically transmitted) notice from Buyer.
Any amount expensed or engaged by Earlybyte to fulfill customers
purchase order will be due by the customer and paid before such
cancelation is subject to acceptance. Any change order increasing the
purchase quantity is subject to acceptance by Earlybyte.
10. Inspection and Suitability
The Customer will inspect and test the Products within a reasonable
period after delivery not to exceed twenty (20) calendar days,
promptly notifying Earlybyte in writing upon receipt of the Products
of all discoverable defects, including, but not limited to, quantity
shortages, visible defects and performance discrempancies.
The Products are presumed accepted unless Earlybyte receives written
notice of rejection explaining the basis for proper rejection within
the same timeframe.
11. Trademarks and Other Labels
The Customer agrees not to remove or alter any indicia of origin on or
within the Products including but nolimiting to software source code,
UI and delivered hardware.
12. Product Change
Earlybyte reserves the right to change the specifications of Products,
including all statements and data appearing in Earlybyte’s catalogues,
data sheets and advertisements, without notice. Earlybyte will publish
the modified specifications on its website and will notify the
Customer. If such changes to specifications are made, Earlybyte shall
have no obligation to provide the change on Products previously
purchased.
13. Prices, Taxes, Duties, Order Sizes and Hardship
Earlybyte’s pricing excludes all taxes (including but not limited to,
sales, use, excise, value-added, and other similar taxes), duties and
charges. The Customer is responsible for all such taxes, duties and
charges as a result of Earlybyte’s performance hereunder, whether now
or hereafter imposed, levied, collected, withheld, or assessed. If
Earlybyte is required to impose, levy, collect, withhold or assess any
such taxes, duties or charges on any transaction, then in addition to
the purchase price, Earlybyte will invoice the Customer for such
taxes, duties, and charges unless at the time of order placement the
Customer furnishes Earlybyte with an exemption certificate or other
documentation sufficient to verify exemption from such taxes, duties
or charges.Earlybyte reserves the right to change its prices if from
the time of quotation material, hardware and/or software prices
required for the Products have changed, or if there is any significant
change in economic circumstances.If for any reason Earlybyte’s
production or purchase costs for the Products (including without
limitation costs of energy, equipment, labour, regulation,
transportation, licences or Product) increases over Earlybyte’s
production, purchase or operation costs for the Products on the date
of entering into the contractual relationship with the Customer, then
Earlybyte may, by written notice to the Customer of such increased
costs, request a renegotiation of the price of the Product. In the
event the Parties are not able to agree on a revised Products price
within twenty (20) days after a request for renegotiation is given,
then Earlybyte may terminate the remaining Purchase Orders on a
sixteen (16) weeks written notice to the Customer.
14. Payment Terms
Payment is due thirty (30) calendar days from the date of invoice. For
new customers the payment terms are prepayment, 30 days net only after
approval by Finance Department.Payments must be made in the applicable
currency quoted.The Customer may not claim any dispute or breach of
warranty in order to suspend payment for the Products.If the Customer
is delinquent in its payment obligation to Earlybyte, Earlybyte may
upon written notice to the Customer stop work and withhold any future
shipments or ongoing Products until all delinquent amounts and late
interest, if any, are paid. Additionally, Earlybyte may at its option:
a) repossess Products for which payment has not been made, or;
b) charge interest on delinquent amounts at a rate of 1.5% per months
for each full or partial month, or;
c) recover all costs of collection, including but not limited to
reasonable attorneys‘ fees, or;
d) Combine any of the above rights and remedies.
These remedies are in addition to all other remedies available at law
or in equity.
15. Set Off
Neither Party will set off or recoup invoiced amounts or any portion
thereof against sums that are due or may become due from the other
Party, its parent, affiliates, subsidiaries or other divisions or
units unless agreed in written between parties.
16. Acceptance of Services
Acceptance of services shall occur immediately upon completion unless
buyer provides written notification of non-conformity within 20
calendar days of completion.
17. Warranty
Earlybyte warrants for a period of twelve (12) months from the date of
delivery that:a) the Products delivered hereunder meet the
specifications stipulated in writing between parties, and;b) the
Products shall be free from defects in material and workmanship,
and;c) Earlybyte at its options shall either repair or replace
rejected Products or refund the purchase price.
The removal of defects shall take place at the discretion of the
company by rectification or delivery, rebuilding or delivery or by any
other suitable measure. The work is usually carried out by remote
maintenance. If exceptionally direct access to the Customer facilities
or hardware for example but not limiting the data processing systems
on which the program is installed, the Customer should perform such
physical interventions at its own cost, Earlybyte will contact the
Customer to clarify all the necessary details.If the repair or
replacement fails or if it is refused or if it is unreasonable for a
party, the customer is entitled either to claim a price reduction or
to withdraw from the contract. The rectification of defects that do
not or only insignificantly affect the value or serviceability of the
product or service can be made dependent request of the Customer
dependent on the payment of a reasonable remuneration.IN ADDITION TO
THE FOREGOING EARLYBYTE DOES NOT, NEITHER EXPRESSLY NOR IMPLIED,
ASSUME ANY WARRANTY, GUARANTEE, RESPONSIBILITY OR LIABILITY IN
PARTICULAR DERIVING FROM OR ATTRIBUTED TO EXPECTATIONS, ASSUMPTIONS OR
INTENDED PURPOSES OR FUNCTION OF THE CUSTOMER NOT EXPRESSLY SPECIFIED
IN WRITING IN THE DOCUMENTS OF THE SPECIFICATIONS ATTRIBUTED TO THE
QUALITY AND NATURE OF THE PRODUCT AS STIPULATED. THE CUSTOMER ASSUMES
ALL RISK AND LIABILITY RESULTING FROM THE USE OF THE PRODUCTS AND ITS
APPLICATIONS, WHETHER USED SINGLY OR IN COMBINATION WITH OTHER
PRODUCTS.Warranty claims against Earlybyte set forth in this article
shall not apply in the event of any violation of any contractual
provision stipulated in these Terms and Conditions, if any, or in the
event defects or damages caused by:a) any defect caused by the
Customer, misuse, wear and tear, or;b) Alterations, modifications,
additions, or repairs made during the applicable warranty period by
anyone other than Earlybyte, its employees, agents or
subcontractors.c) Third party modifications and discontinuation of
hardware and/or software inheritant from Customer’s choices or direct
requirements.
Any warranty claim against Earlybyte is subject to the written
information of the Customer without undue delay, latest within five
(5) working days after knowledge or detection of the alleged defect,
and the return of such rejected Products to Earlybyte.The return of
material and its reception is under no circumstances an
acknowledgement of Earlybyte with regards to the reasons of the
alleged defects or Earlybyte’s responsibility. Customer shall provide
to Earlybyte any information and document Earlybyte deems necessary or
appropriate to enable Earlybyte to investigate the root cause of the
alleged defect including but not limited to the information provided
to the Customer by its customers or third parties or authorities
within the supply chain after delivery to the Customer and to granting
Earlybyte access to the entire environment in which the alleged defect
has occurred. Earlybyte’s assent to investigate the root cause or to
collect information related to the alleged defect under no
circumstances shall constitute or be deemed any kind of
acknowledgement of the defect or Earlybyte’s responsibility or
liability or any waiver of Earlybyte for any objections.If the
Customer requests any intermediary report relating to the findings
during the investigations for the root cause Customer acknowledges
that such reports were only based on preliminary findings and do not
constitute any acknowledgement of Earlybyte for any responsibility and
has no legal relevance to determine contractual or statutory
liabilities.If Earlybyte is not responsible for the defect Customer
shall reimburse to Earlybyte the reasonable costs Earlybyte has
incurred in the course of the investigations of the root cause.
18. Limitation of Liability
IN NO EVENT WILL EARLYBYTE BE LIABLE NEITHER ON THE MERITS NOR IN
TERMS OF THE AMOUNT FOR ANY INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES,
SPECIAL DAMAGES, PUNITIVE DAMAGES, STATUTORY DAMAGES, INDIRECT
DAMAGES, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF REVENUES, OR LOSS OF USE, EVEN IF
INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.IN ANY CASE, EARLYBYTE’S
LIABILITY FOR DAMAGES SHALL NOT EXCEED A SUM EQUAL TO TWICE THE AMOUNT
ACTUALLY PAID TO EARLYBYTE FOR THE PRODUCTS OR RELATED SERVICES FROM
WHICH THE CLAIM AROSE, WITH AN ABSOLUTE AGGREGATED MAXIMUM OF FOURTY
(40) THOUSAND CHF PER CUSTOMER PER YEAR, FOR ALL CLAIMS, EVEN IF THESE
CLAIMS AROSE FROM DIFFERENT PRODUCTS AND/OR SERVICES.TO THE EXTENT
PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THESE LIMITATIONS AND EXCLUSIONS WILL
APPLY REGARDLESS OF WHETHER LIABILITY ARISES FROM BREACH OF CONTRACT,
WARRANTY, TORT (INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO NEGLIGENCE), BY OPERATION
OF LAW, OR OTHERWISE. INCLUDED BUT NOT LIMITED EARLYBYTE’s LIABILITY
FOR PERSONAL INJURY OR DEATH CAUSED BY DEFECTIVE PRODUCTS TO THE
EXTENT SUCH LIABILITY IS NOT MANDATED BY APPLICABLE LAW.EARLYBYTE
SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS, DAMAGE, OR INJURY RESULTING FROM
DELAY IN DELIVERY OR INSTALLATION OF THE GOODS OR FOR ANY FAILURE TO
PERFORM WHICH IS DUE TO CIRCUMSTANCES BEYOND ITS CONTROL. CUSTOMER
EXPRESSLY ACKNOWLEDGES THIS DISCLAIMER.NOTWITHSTANDING ANYTHING TO THE
CONTRARY IN THE CONTRACT, EARLYBYTE SHALL NOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, AND
SHALL INCUR NO LIABILITY WITH RESPECT TO, ANY INFORMATION SUPPLIED BY
CUSTOMER OR ANY OF ITS SUBCONTRACTORS AND ANY DESIGN OR ENGINEERING
DRAWINGS, REGARDLESS OF WHETHER SUCH DRAWINGS ARE REVIEWED BY
CUSTOMER.
19. Intellectual Property Rights
“Intellectual Property Rights” are, amongst others but not
exclusively, registered patent rights, registered or unregistered
model and design rights and registered or unregistered trademarks, as
well as applications for patents, model and design rights or
trademarks, copyright rights, database rights, rights on software,
hardware, copyrights and know-how rights anywhere in the world.Nothing
in these Terms and Conditions is intended to assign the intellectual
property rights in the Products to Customer or third parties. All
intellectual property rights in the Products are and remain vested
with Earlybyte. This applies even if these intellectual property
rights come into existence or are created pursuant to a specific
purchase order or request of the Customer.Upon full payment of all
charges, Customer shall obtain a non-transferable license that is
limited to the use of the Products sold hereunder solely for the
applications set forth in the purchase order. Such limited license to
use the Application-Specific Integrated Circuits shall include all
mandatory rights conferred to Customer by law. It shall however
exclude all other rights or uses.Customer agrees and acknowledges that
any intellectual property rights in an improvement in or modification
to specifications, technical information, tools, know-how, software,
methods and/or algorithms used by Earlybyte shall be irrevocably
transferred to and become the sole property of Earlybyte, regardless
of whether any such improvement or modification was developed by or
made on specific request of Customer.
20. License Agreements
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary herein, to the extent the
Services are delivered with a Customer or Third Party Product license
agreement(s) (the „License Agreement(s)“), the terms and conditions of
such License Agreement(s) shall apply in addition to the terms and
conditions set forth herein. To the extent there is a conflict between
the terms and conditions of such License Agreement(s) and those set
forth herein, the term or condition set forth in the License
Agreement(s) shall govern in all cases. Nothing herein shall be
construed to grant any rights or license to use any Product or other
intellectual property in any manner or for any purpose not expressly
permitted by the License Agreement.
21. Confidentiality
“Proprietary Information” means:
a) any information, technical data or know-how in whatever form,
including, but not limited to, documented information, machine
readable or interpreted information, information contained in physical
components, mask works and artwork, that is clearly identified as
being confidential, proprietary or a trade secret;
b) business related information including but not limited to pricing,
manufacturing, or marketing;
c) the terms and conditions of any proposed or actual agreement
between the parties;
d) either party’s business policies, or practices, and;
e) The information of others that is received by either party under an
obligation of confidentiality.
The receiving party will keep all Proprietary Information disclosed
hereunder confidential for a period of five (5) years following the
expiration or termination of the contractual relationship between
parties. Each party will retain ownership of its Proprietary
Information including, without limitation, all rights in patents,
copyrights, trademarks and trade secrets.
22. Compliance with laws
The Customer shall comply with all local laws and regulations
applicable to the installation, use, or import of all Products
delivered hereunder. As a condition of purchase, the Customer shall
comply with all applicable export control laws and regulations of the
European Union, the United States and any other country having proper
jurisdiction and shall obtain all necessary export licenses in
connection with any subsequent export, re-export, transfer and use of
all Products and technology delivered hereunder.
23. Export and Import Compliance
The Customer is responsible for compliance with all import and export
control laws and regulations. The Customer will obtain import, export,
and re-export approvals and licenses required for Products, transfers,
services and technical data delivered and will retain documentation
evidencing compliance with those laws and regulations.Earlybyte will
not be liable to Customer for any failure to provide Products,
services, transfers or technical data as a result of government
actions that impact Earlybyte’s ability to perform, including:
a) the failure to provide or the cancellation of export or re-export
licenses;
b) any subsequent interpretation of applicable import, transfer,
export or re-export law or regulation after the date of any order or
commitment that has a material adverse effect on Earlybyte’s
performance, or;
c) Delays due to the Customer’s failure to follow applicable import,
export, transfer, or re-export laws and regulations.
24. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction
The laws of the country in which Earlybyte GmbH has its registered
offices shall exclusively apply to these Terms and Conditions and the
implementation thereof. All disputes arising in connection with these
Terms and Conditions shall be settled by negotiations between the
parties. If an acceptable result cannot be so obtained, the dispute
shall be exclusively rules or settled by the Courts competent for the
jurisdiction in which Earlybyte GmbH has its registered offices.In the
event of any conflicting international private laws, Earlybyte
expressly reserves the right to determine the venue.
25. Attorney’s fees
In the event of Earlybyte’s enforcement of any term or condition in
the Contract, Customer shall be liable to Earlybyte for all costs,
including attorneys’ fees, incurred by Earlybyte in enforcing the
Contract and in collecting any sums owed by Customer to Earlybyte.
26. Assignment
Neither Party will assign any rights or obligations without prior
written consent of the other Party, which consent will not be
unreasonably withheld. Either Party may assign its obligations to any
affiliate of such party or in connection with the sale or transfer of
all or substantially all of the assets of the product line or business
to which it pertains. Any attempt to assign or delegate in violation
of this clause will be void.
27. Waiver
The failure of either Party to enforce at any time any of the
provisions of these Terms and Conditions shall not be construed to be
a continuing waiver of any provisions hereunder nor shall any such
failure prejudice the right of such party to take any action in the
future to enforce any provisions hereunder.
28. Interpretation and translation
The headings contained in these Terms and Conditions are included for
information only, and shall not be referred to for the purpose of
interpretation.
These Terms and Conditions are drawn up in English.
The English version is the only official version. If a translation of
these Terms and Conditions is made, such translation shall only be
made for the convenience of the parties. The parties agree that the
English version shall prevail in case of doubt or uncertainty due to
such a translation.
29. Notices and other communications
All notices and other communications related to these Terms and
Conditions shall only be validly communicated when delivered by in
person or sent by letter, e-mail or fax with acknowledgement of
receipt, or sent by registered mail or recorded delivery with advice
of receipt, or delivered by an approved courier service.
Notices and communications will be deemed to have been made on the
date of their receipt at the addressee’s office.
30. Severability
If any provision of these Terms and Conditions is determined to be
illegal, invalid, or unenforceable, the validity and enforceability of
the remaining provisions of these Terms and Conditions will not be
affected and, in lieu of such illegal, invalid, or unenforceable
provision, there will be added, as part of this Terms and Conditions,
one or more provisions as similar in terms as may be legal, valid and
enforceable under applicable law. In such case, Earlybyte will amend
these Terms and Conditions as soon as possible, in order to comply
with the applicable laws.
31. Modification
The Terms and Conditions can only be modified by mutual agreement of
both parties represented by duly authorized officers, expressed in
written form.
32. Termination
A Party may terminate any or all unperformed orders by giving written
notice to the other party upon the occurrence of any of the following
events:
a) the other Party materially breaches these Terms and Conditions and
fails to remedy the breach within thirty (30) calendar days after
receipt of written notice that specifies the grounds for the material
breach, or;
b) the other Party fails to make any payment required to be made when
due, and fails to remedy the breach within seven (7) calendar days
after receipt of written notice of non-payment, or;
c) Any insolvency or suspension of the other Party’s operations or any
petition filed or proceeding made by or against the other Party under
any state, federal or other applicable law relating to bankruptcy,
arrangement, reorganization, receivership or assignment for the
benefit of creditors or other similar proceedings.
Termination does not affect any debt, claim or cause of action
accruing to any party against the other before the termination. The
rights of termination provided in this clause are not exclusive of
other remedies that either party may be entitled to in law or equity.
In any event of termination or cancellation of a contract the
provisions protecting Earlybyte’s industrial property rights, the
provisions for providing information in a warranty or product
liability case, provisions for confidentiality and the governing shall
survive.
33. Entire Agreement
These Terms and Conditions set forth the entire intent and
understanding between the Parties, relating to the subject matter
hereof, and supersedes all prior negotiations and discussions between
them. No Party shall be bound by any conditions, representations or
warranty other than as expressly set forth.