1. Acceptance of these Terms
By accessing or using rootedandrouted.com (the "Site"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). These Terms constitute a binding electronic agreement between you and Rooted and Routed Podcast ("we", "our", "us") under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 and Section 10A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, please do not use the Site.
2. About the Service
The Site is the official online presence of Rooted and Routed Podcast, a show on identity, belonging, and the human side of global mobility, hosted by Sabiya Pathan Withoeck. It offers episodes, guest profiles, blog articles, and a contact channel. The service is provided free of charge for personal, non-commercial use.
3. Eligibility
You may use the Site only if you are at least 18 years of age, or have the verifiable consent of a parent or lawful guardian as required by Section 9 of the Digital Personal Data Protection Act, 2023. By using the Site, you confirm that you meet this requirement.
4. Use of the Site
You agree to use the Site only for lawful purposes. In particular, you must not:
- Use the Site in any way that violates Indian law, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Indian Penal Code, or the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Site, its servers, or databases — including conduct contrary to Section 43 and Section 66 of the IT Act.
- Transmit malware, scrape content systematically, or interfere with the Site's operation or security.
- Use automated means (bots, crawlers) to access the Site without our written permission, except for compliant search-engine and AI crawlers that respect our robots.txt and llms.txt.
- Impersonate any person or entity, or submit false information through any form.
- Use the Site to harass, threaten, defame, or harm any individual or community.
5. Intellectual Property
All content on the Site — including episode audio and video, transcripts, blog articles, host and guest names, photographs, the "Rooted and Routed" name and logo, podcast cover art, and all other editorial materials — is the property of Rooted and Routed Podcast or its licensors, and is protected by the Copyright Act, 1957 and the Trade Marks Act, 1999.
You are granted a limited, revocable, non-exclusive licence to:
- Listen to and view content for personal, non-commercial use.
- Share links to Site pages on social media or in private messages, with attribution.
- Quote short excerpts (under 100 words) in commentary, criticism, or reviews, provided you attribute the source and link back to the original page — falling within the "fair dealing" exception in Section 52 of the Copyright Act, 1957.
You may not, without our prior written permission:
- Reproduce, republish, or redistribute episode audio, video, or transcripts.
- Use Site content for commercial purposes, including training AI models.
- Remove or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notice.
6. User-submitted content
When you contact us through the Site (via the contact form, newsletter sign-up, or email), you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual right to use the content of your communication for the purpose of responding to you, improving the Site, and operating the show. We will treat any personal data in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
You confirm that any content you submit is your own original work or that you have the rights to share it, and that it does not violate any third-party rights or Indian law.
7. Third-party links and embeds
The Site embeds and links to third-party platforms — including YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Buzzsprout, and our guests' own websites and social channels. We do not control these platforms and are not responsible for their content, availability, privacy practices, or terms of service. Your use of those platforms is governed by their own terms.
8. Disclaimer of warranties
The Site and its content are provided "as is" and "as available". To the maximum extent permitted by Indian law, we make no warranties, express or implied, regarding the accuracy, reliability, completeness, or availability of the Site. The views expressed by guests are their own and do not necessarily reflect our views.
Content on the Site is for general information and storytelling purposes only. It does not constitute legal, immigration, financial, medical, mental health, or relocation advice. Always consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on anything discussed on the show or this Site.
9. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by Indian law — including Section 79 of the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 — we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages arising from your use of the Site. Our total aggregate liability for any direct damages shall not exceed ₹1,000 (Indian Rupees One Thousand only).
10. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Rooted and Routed Podcast, its host, and its contributors from any claim, loss, or damage (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of your breach of these Terms or your unlawful use of the Site.
11. Termination
We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site, without notice, if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms or applicable Indian law. These Terms continue to govern any prior use of the Site even after termination.
12. Governing law and jurisdiction
These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, the Site, or its content shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts at Pune, Maharashtra, India, save that we may seek interim or injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect our intellectual property or confidential information.
13. Grievance Officer
In compliance with Rule 3(2) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, complaints about content on the Site or about these Terms can be sent to:
Grievance Officer: Sabiya Pathan Withoeck
Email: info@rootedandrouted.com
Response time: We will acknowledge complaints within 24 hours and resolve them within 15 days as required by the 2021 Rules.
14. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. The "Last updated" date at the top reflects the current version. Continued use of the Site after changes means you accept the revised Terms.
15. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is held to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
16. Contact
Questions about these Terms can be sent to info@rootedandrouted.com.