Terms & Conditions

Introduction

Welcome to The Patna Times (thepatnatimes.com). These Terms & Conditions (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of our website, services, and content. By accessing or using The Patna Times, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

Please read these Terms carefully before using our website. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use our website.

Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using The Patna Times, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time, and continued use of the website after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

User-Generated Content: Submitting Material for Publication

The Patna Times publishes material submitted by registered users and contributors. We accept no liability in respect of any material submitted by users and published by us, and we are not responsible for its content and accuracy.

The views expressed in articles are the personal opinions of the individual authors. They do not necessarily represent the views of The Patna Times, its owners, editors, or staff unless specifically stated. The Patna Times strives to provide diverse perspectives and evidence-based reporting.

Terms for Content Submission

Users and contributors may submit material for publication under the following terms and conditions:

  1. Editorial Discretion: Publication of any material you submit to us will be at our sole discretion. We reserve the right to make additions, deletions, or modifications to the text, headlines, images, or graphics prior to publication, or to refuse publication without providing reasons.
  2. License Grant: You grant The Patna Times a non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide license to publish, reproduce, distribute, and communicate to the public any material you submit to us in any format, including without limitation print, electronic, social media, and any future media formats. You also agree that we may permit other parties to republish and communicate to the public any material you submit to us.
  3. Ownership and Copyright: You warrant that any material you submit is your own original work and that you own the copyright and any other relevant intellectual property rights. If you wish to submit material that includes third-party content, you must inform us and provide details of the copyright owner so we can obtain proper permissions.
  4. Lawful Content: You warrant that the material you submit is not obscene, offensive, defamatory, threatening, hateful, discriminatory, or otherwise illegal under applicable laws.
  5. Respectful Conduct: You agree not to submit material that is deliberately intended to harass, upset, provoke, or mislead other users or any individuals.
  6. Defamation: You will take reasonable steps to ensure that any material you submit is not defamatory of any person or entity. If you suspect that material may be defamatory or potentially problematic (or if you are not sure), you must inform us at the time you submit the material.
  7. Indemnification: You acknowledge that any breach of these conditions may cause us damage or loss. You agree to indemnify us in full and permanently against any third-party liabilities, claims, costs, loss, or damage we incur as a result of your breach of conditions (2) to (6) above. You must act honestly and in good faith in your dealings with us and (if requested) you must provide us with reasonable assistance to settle, defend, or investigate any third-party claims arising as a result of our publication of material you submit to us.
  8. Service Suspension: We reserve the right to remove your access to individual services or suspend your account completely if we believe you are abusing the services in any way or violating these Terms.

Author Rights and Republication

Republication by Authors

Authors retain the right to republish their own work elsewhere after it has been published on The Patna Times, subject to the following conditions:

  1. The author must obtain prior written permission from The Patna Times before republishing
  2. The republished content must include a clear citation: “This article was first published on The Patna Times (thepatnatimes.com) on [date]”
  3. A hyperlink back to the original article on The Patna Times must be included where technologically possible
  4. The author should notify us of where the content will be republished
  5. The content must be republished in substantially the same form as originally published

We encourage open communication with our authors and are generally supportive of republication requests that maintain proper attribution and promote wider dissemination of quality journalism.

General Principles for Authors and Editorial Standards

The Patna Times is committed to the highest standards of integrity, accuracy, and professional conduct. Authors have a duty to ensure that their work maintains the good reputation of The Patna Times and the journalistic community.

Disclosure Requirements

The Patna Times requires authors to disclose any potential conflicts of interest. A conflict exists where an individual’s interests may diverge from their professional responsibilities such that an independent observer might reasonably question whether the author has been unduly influenced.

Publication must include information on:

  • Sources of financial support for research or reporting
  • Organizational affiliations that may present conflicts
  • Personal, financial, or professional relationships relevant to the content
  • Any other actual or potential conflicts of interest

Evidence-Based Reporting

Authors are expected to:

  • Base their work on credible sources and verifiable evidence
  • Properly cite and attribute sources
  • Distinguish between facts, opinions, and analysis
  • Correct errors promptly when brought to their attention
  • Maintain professional journalistic standards

Peer Review and Verification

Where applicable, research-based content should be subjected to appropriate peer review or editorial verification processes before publication.

Registration and Account Management

When you register on The Patna Times, you are creating a personal user account for thepatnatimes.com. Access to registration areas is controlled by your email address and password.

Registration Requirements

By registering, you agree that:

  1. Your email address and password are personal to you and may not be shared with or used by anyone else to access thepatnatimes.com
  2. You will not assist anyone who is not a registered user to gain unauthorized access to any registration area of thepatnatimes.com
  3. You will not create multiple registration accounts for the purpose of abusing the site, manipulating content, or deceiving other users
  4. You will not impersonate another user or misrepresent your identity
  5. You will provide accurate and complete registration information
  6. You will keep your password secure and notify us immediately of any unauthorized use
  7. You comply with these Terms and Conditions and our Community Standards

Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. We are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to maintain account security.

Account Termination

If, for any reason, we believe you have not complied with these requirements or have violated these Terms, we may, at our sole discretion, suspend or cancel your access to thepatnatimes.com immediately and without prior notice.

We may also terminate your account by emailing you at the registered address, stating that the agreement has terminated. Upon termination, your access will become invalid immediately.

Community Standards and Comment Policy

Interactions with our site are governed by our Community Standards, which are incorporated into these Terms of Service. By posting any content or comments to the site, you consent to these guidelines.

Our Philosophy

When commenting on The Patna Times, you are a guest in our community. We ask that you behave with respect and courtesy to help us create a positive, fact-based discussion environment.

Comment Management

  1. Curated Streams: We treat our comments sections as curated editorial products. We reserve the right to publish or remove comments to improve the quality of discussion.
  2. Real Names Policy: We require commenters to use their real names. We reserve the right to delete comments made under aliases or pseudonyms. If you’ve signed in via social media, please update your profile to show your real name.
  3. Comment Availability: Comments are only open on selected articles and are typically open for 72 hours from publication.
  4. Stay On-Topic: Comments should be relevant to the article. Replies should be relevant to the comment being addressed. We reserve the right to delete off-topic comments.

Prohibited Content

We reserve the right to delete comments that include:

  • Personal attacks, insults, or harassment
  • Any form of discrimination, hate speech, or bigotry
  • Doxxing or sharing personal information of others (including minors)
  • Commercial content or spam
  • Repeatedly-shared external links
  • Defamatory statements or copyright violations
  • Content that puts us in legal jeopardy
  • Deliberate misinformation or attempts to distort facts
  • Misrepresentation of others’ opinions
  • Threats of violence or illegal activity
  • Other content deemed inappropriate at editorial discretion

Consequences

  • We may delete individual comments that violate these standards
  • When a parent comment is deleted, subsequent replies may also be removed to maintain conversation flow
  • We reserve the right to lock or suspend accounts where commenters repeatedly breach standards
  • Participants who seriously, persistently, or willfully ignore community standards will lose posting privileges

Author Control

Authors have no moderation control over comments on their own or others’ articles. If an author wants a comment removed, they should use the “report abuse” function like any other user.

Moderation and Reporting

Our Approach

All community interaction is subject to moderation to ensure community standards are upheld. We primarily rely on post-moderation and community reporting.

Reporting Abuse

We rely on users to report abusive, offensive, or inappropriate comments by clicking the “report abuse” link next to each comment. This helps us identify problems and improve the community experience for everyone.

Moderation Decisions

  • Moderators may contact you by email regarding your participation
  • Advice or requests from moderators should be followed, as they enforce community standards
  • We may remove user postings or comments that breach guidelines
  • We will not edit posts to change meaning or content – we will remove them entirely if they violate standards
  • All moderation decisions are final
  • We cannot enter into correspondence regarding specific moderation actions due to volume

Community Reporting

  • All readers can log in and comment
  • Commenters must use real names (anonymity only in exceptional circumstances)
  • We may ask users to verify identity through trusted third-party services
  • Readers can report comments for editorial review

How to Complain and Request Corrections

The Patna Times strives to maintain the highest editorial standards at all times. However, we acknowledge that errors can occur.

Our Commitment

  • We strive for fairness and accuracy in all our reporting
  • We encourage users to advise us of any significant errors
  • We will promptly investigate complaints and concerns
  • We will issue corrections when errors are confirmed

Complaint Process

If you believe content on our site is inaccurate, unfair, or otherwise problematic:

  1. Contact Us First: Email us with specific details about your concern
  2. Provide Evidence: Include relevant documentation or evidence supporting your complaint
  3. Good Faith Review: We will review your complaint promptly and in good faith
  4. Communication: We will communicate our findings and proposed resolution
  5. Correction or Action: We will take appropriate action, which may include issuing corrections, updating content, or removing material

Dispute Resolution

Consistent with our commitment to avoiding legal disputes:

  • We prefer to resolve all matters through dialogue and mutual understanding
  • We commit to prompt, professional, and transparent communication
  • We are open to third-party mediation if direct communication does not resolve issues
  • We will act in good faith to find mutually acceptable solutions

Contact for complaints and corrections: [Insert Contact Email]

Intellectual Property Rights

Our Content

All content on The Patna Times, including but not limited to text, graphics, logos, images, audio clips, video, and software, is the property of The Patna Times or its content suppliers and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

Limited License

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to access and use the website for personal, non-commercial purposes. You may not:

  • Reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from our content without permission
  • Use our content for commercial purposes without authorization
  • Remove copyright or other proprietary notices
  • Frame or mirror any content without permission
  • Use automated systems to access the site without authorization

User Content

By submitting content to The Patna Times, you grant us the license described in the “User-Generated Content” section above, while retaining your underlying copyright ownership.

Third-Party Links and Content

The Patna Times may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for:

  • The content, accuracy, or opinions expressed on third-party websites
  • Privacy practices of third-party sites
  • Products or services offered by third parties

Links to third-party sites do not constitute endorsement by The Patna Times.

Disclaimer of Warranties

THE PATNA TIMES IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS. TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE MAKE NO WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

  • Warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
  • That the site will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
  • That content will be accurate, complete, or current
  • That defects will be corrected

You use the site at your own risk.

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE PATNA TIMES, ITS OWNERS, EDITORS, EMPLOYEES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND AFFILIATES SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

  • Any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages
  • Loss of profits, revenue, data, or use
  • Personal injury or property damage
  • Damages arising from use or inability to use the site
  • Errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in content
  • Unauthorized access to your data or communications
  • Third-party content or conduct

Our total liability to you for all claims shall not exceed the amount paid by you (if any) to access the site.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless The Patna Times, its owners, editors, employees, contributors, and affiliates from any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the site
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of any rights of another party
  • Content you submit to the site
  • Your violation of applicable laws or regulations

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the site shall preferably be resolved through:

  1. Direct negotiation and dialogue
  2. Mediation by a mutually agreed third party
  3. If necessary, the courts of Patna, Bihar, India shall have exclusive jurisdiction

We strongly encourage dispute resolution through communication before pursuing legal action.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Community Standards, constitute the entire agreement between you and The Patna Times regarding use of the site.

Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes by:

  • Posting the updated Terms on the site
  • Updating the “Last Updated” date
  • Sending email notifications to registered users (for significant changes)

Your continued use of the site after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

Contact Information

For questions, complaints, corrections, or concerns regarding these Terms or The Patna Times:

The Patna Times

Website: thepatnatimes.com
Contact Us

We are committed to addressing all inquiries promptly, professionally, and in good faith.

Final Notes

These Terms are designed to create a fair, transparent, and respectful environment for all users while protecting the integrity of The Patna Times. We believe in:

  • Open, evidence-based journalism
  • Respectful community discourse
  • Amicable dispute resolution
  • Professional editorial standards
  • Transparency in our operations

Thank you for being part of The Patna Times community. Together, we can create meaningful conversations and quality journalism.

By using The Patna Times, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms & Conditions.

Last updated: October 2025