Terms and Conditions/Terms of Use

The Metropolitan Museum of Art (the "Museum") provides this website and the online Met Store in support of the Museum's mission to collect, preserve, study, exhibit, and stimulate appreciation for and advance knowledge of works of art. By accessing this website, www.metmuseum.org (the"Site"), users agree to be bound by the following terms and conditions, which the Museum may revise at any time. Users are encouraged to visit this page from time to time to review current terms and conditions.

1. Copyright and Proprietary Rights. The text, images, trademarks, data, audio files, video files and clips, software, documentation or other information contained in these files, and other content on the Site (collectively, the "Materials") are proprietary to the Museum or its licensors. The Museum retains all rights, including copyright, in the Materials. Copyright and other proprietary rights may be held by individuals or entities other than, or in addition to, the Museum.

2. Trademarks. Many of the trademarks, service marks, and logos (collectively, the "Trademarks") displayed on the Site, including THE METROPOLITAN MUSEUM OF ART, MMA, the RENAISSANCE M logo, WILLIAM, and the HIPPO DESIGN, are registered and/or unregistered marks of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Trademarks of third parties may also be displayed on this Site. Nothing contained in this Site should be construed as granting, by implication, estoppel, or otherwise, any license or right to use any Trademarks displayed on the Site without the express written permission of the Museum or any third party that may own the Trademarks displayed on the Site. Any unauthorized use of the Trademarks or any other Materials, except as authorized in these Terms and Conditions, is strictly prohibited.

3. Authorized Uses. The Materials are made available for limited non-commercial, educational, and personal use only, or for fair use as defined in the United States copyright laws. Users may download these files for their own use, subject to any additional terms or restrictions which may be applicable to the individual file or program. Users must, however, cite the author and source of the Materials as they would material from any printed work, and the citations should include the URL "www.metmuseum.org." By downloading, printing, or otherwise using Materials, whether accessed directly from this website or via other sites or mechanisms, users agree that they will limit their use of such files to non-commercial, educational, personal or for fair use, and will not violate the Museum's or any other party's proprietary rights. Users may not remove any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices, including without limitation attribution information, credits, and copyright notices that have been placed on or near the Materials by the Museum. Downloading, printing, copying, distributing or otherwise using Materials for commercial purposes, including commercial publication or personal gain, is expressly prohibited. Users may not modify Materials on the Site.

   All rights not expressly granted herein by the Museum are specifically and completely reserved.

   The Museum does not warrant that use of the Materials displayed on the Site will not infringe the rights of third parties not owned by or affiliated with the Museum. For example, some works may be under copyright by the artist or the artist's heirs holding rights to these works. In many instances the caption may offer more information about the copyright status. Such works may not be used in any form; they may not be copied or downloaded without prior permission from the holder of the underlying copyright. For permission to reproduce images that include "© ARS" in their credit line, please contact the Artists Rights Society (ARS), at tel 212-420-9160 email info@arsny.com or www.arsny.com.

   The Frequently Asked Questions answered below may assist you in interpreting permitted uses in these Terms and Conditions.

4. Postings on the Site. The Museum Site may provide an opportunity for users to post comments and exchange ideas. By posting comments on the Site users agree to comply with all requirements and procedures for posting, and avoid abusive and offensive language and to refrain from posting any content that is commercial in nature, advocates for a political cause or legislation, or infringes upon any third party's rights, including privacy, copyright, trademark, or patent. The Museum does not endorse any opinions or recommendations posted by users or third parties. The Museum requires users to obtain all necessary permissions, such as a copyrighted work by an artist or a copyrighted story or a news article written by another person, before posting or distributing any content on the Site.

   It is strictly prohibited to post or transmit any unlawful, threatening, or infringing material that could constitute conduct that would be considered a criminal offense, give rise to civil liability, a violation of privacy or publicity, or otherwise violate law. The Museum shall have the right, but not the obligation, to inspect, monitor, review, remove, refuse or delete any content for any reason whatsoever. Access and accounts of repeat infringers will, in appropriate circumstances, be terminated. The Museum does not warrant that the use of the materials on the Site will not infringe the rights of any third party, and assumes no responsibility or liability arising from such content or materials or for any error, defamation, libel, slander, omission, falsehood, obscenity, pornography, danger, or inaccuracy contained in information within such locations of the Site.

   Please note: the Museum may discontinue any portion of the Site at any time. It will not remove comments upon a user's request. By submitting comments, users acknowledge that they will be posted on the World Wide Web. Users grant the Museum the right to quote from comments in all media now known and hereinafter devised. By posting or distributing information or material on the Site, users expressly abandon any proprietary rights in their comments, and such information or material may be freely copied and distributed by others without your permission.

5. User Generated Content. From time to time the Museum may invite people to share content. Please know that content will be reviewed by Museum staff and may be reproduced by the Museum in all media now known or hereinafter devised.

6. Privacy. The Museum is committed to protecting the privacy of its website visitors in accordance with applicable laws and regulations. All information gathered from you in connection with use of the Site is governed by the Museum's Privacy Policy. Please note that the Site is not specifically dedicated to children and the Museum does not actively solicit information from children. Children under the age of thirteen are required to obtain permission from an adult before submitting personally identifiable information or other content to the Site.

7. Links to Third Party Sites. The Museum has not reviewed all of the sites linked to or from the Site and is not responsible for the content or privacy policies of any off-site pages or other sites linked to or from the Site. The Museum provides these links as a convenience, and linking to any off-site pages or other sites is at the user's own risk. A link does not imply endorsement or affiliation with the linked site by the Museum.

8. Disclaimer of Warranties. Without limiting the foregoing, all Materials on the Site are provided "AS IS" WITHOUT A WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR USE, COPYRIGHT OWNERSHIP AND/OR NON-INFRINGEMENT OR OTHER THIRD PARTY PROPRIETARY RIGHTS. The Museum makes reasonable, ongoing efforts to revise and update the Site, but does not warrant that the Site will provide continuous, prompt, secure, or error-free service, and assumes no responsibility for any errors or omissions, including the inaccuracy of content, or for any damages or losses that users or any third party may incur as a result of the unavailability of the Site. The Museum assumes no responsibility, and shall not be liable for, any damages to or viruses that may infect a user's computer equipment or other property resulting from use of the Site or downloading of any Materials from the Site. At its discretion the Museum may discontinue or take down the Site or any section or Material within the Site at any time.

9. Limitation of Liability. NEITHER THE MUSEUM, ITS AFFILIATES, TRUSTEES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, OR AGENTS SHALL HAVE ANY LIABILITY FOR ANY DAMAGES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION, ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, COMPENSATORY, PUNITIVE, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (EVEN IF THE MUSEUM HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES) ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO USE OF THE SITE, CONTENT, AND/OR COMPILATION.

10. Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA). The Museum is committed to complying with U.S. copyright and related laws, and requires all users of the Site to comply with these laws. Owners of copyrighted works who believe that their rights under U.S. copyright law have been infringed may take advantage of certain provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA") to report alleged infringements. A copyright owner of any content should contact the Museum immediately to report any concerns of infringement by providing notice to the Museum's Designated Agent as required by the DMCA, Title 17 U.S.C. § 512. If such notice is provided by email please address it to: web.site@metmuseum.org; if such notice is by mail, please address it to: Designated Copyright Agent, Office of the General Counsel, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 1000 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10028.

11. Indemnity. The user agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold the Museum and its respective supervisors, trustees, officers, agents, and employees harmless from all claims, causes, allegations, costs, expenses, fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees), judgments, liabilities, losses, and damages arising from or relating to your use of or operation of the Site or any of its Materials.

12. Entire Agreement; Severance; Waiver. These Terms and Conditions incorporate by reference any notices on the Site and, together with the Privacy Policy and any end-user license agreements, constitute the entire agreement regarding user access to the Site. If any provision of the terms and conditions or the Privacy Policy is deemed unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision will be severable from the remaining provisions and will not affect their validity and enforceability. The Museum's failure to enforce a provision on any occasion shall not be construed as a waiver of such provision.

13. Applicable Law and Jurisdiction. These Terms and Conditions and any amendments thereto shall be governed and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, without regard to principles of conflicts of laws. Any dispute arising out of, in connection with, or related to this Agreement shall be brought in any Federal or State court located in New York County and the State of New York, and the parties hereby waive any objection that they may have to personal jurisdiction in these courts.

Frequently Asked Questions

May I put images or text from www.metmuseum.org on a file server at my school or museum?
Yes, except for works under copyright including those represented by the Artists Rights Society ("ARS"), but only if there is no charge for the user and if electronic distribution is of limited term to your school or museum only. The images must remain unaltered and all of the accompanying caption information must be included without alteration, and the citation should include the URL www.metmuseum.org.

May I put images or text from www.metmuseum.org on my personal website?
Yes, except for those under copyright including those represented by ARS, but only if your website takes in no advertisements or sponsors, does not charge a fee for services, and does not offer any product or service for sale. The images must remain unaltered. All of the accompanying caption information must be included without alteration, and the citation should include the URL www.metmuseum.org.

May I print selected images or text excerpts from www.metmuseum.org for a school report?
Yes, but only if it is a personal or academic work, and not for publication in any medium. The images must remain unaltered. All of the accompanying caption information must be included without alteration. You should cite the source as you would any printed work; the citation should include the URL "www.metmuseum.org." All other forms of publication are expressly prohibited.

How do I obtain permission for other forms of publication?
Anyone wishing to use the Materials from this Site for purposes other than as authorized herein must obtain prior written approval. Permission for such use is granted on a case-by-case basis at the sole discretion of the Museum. A usage fee may be charged depending on the nature of the proposed use. For works of art from the Metropolitan Museum's collection reproduced on this site, in their entirety or as details, contact the Museum's Digital Media Department at image.licensing@metmuseum.org. For works of art from other museums or institutions reproduced on www.metmuseum.org, contact the institution credited in the work's caption directly. For all other images on the site, and for any text excerpts, contact the Museum's website at web.site@metmuseum.org.

What is Print on Demand (POD)?
Certain out of print books in the MetPublications section of the Site are available to print on demand. Print on demand (POD) is a printing technology in which new copies of a book are printed one copy at a time from a digital file of the book's contents. When an order is placed for a POD copy, the information is sent to a printer who prints the copy and ships it to the recipient. The POD copy is in color or black-and-white, as in the original publication, but the paper and inks are different, and the binding is paperbound. While the Museum seeks to ensure the quality of the POD printing by identifying a reputable printer, there will be some variation between the original book and the POD version. The POD option is offered through a third-party vendor as a service to users who may want a print version of an out-of-print publication. The Museum is not responsible for the POD's print quality or purchase transaction. Any additional questions about the POD can be addressed to yaleart.pod@yale.edu.

Why can't I read, download, or print the full text of all out-of-print publications on the MetPublications section of the Site?
For certain publications, copyright law or other restrictions limit the Museum's ability to provide online access to the complete texts and images. The Museum has made every effort to respect the interests of rights' holders while still providing broad public access to Museum scholarship and publications, and has endeavored to provide users with links to locate publications in libraries and bookstores. As the law or rights' holders allow, or as works move into the public domain, more Material may become available on the Site.