Legal
Terms of Use
Last Modified: October 25, 2024
ACCEPTANCE OF THE TERMS OF USE
These terms of use are entered into by and between You and Hatch Studios, LLC (the “Company,” “We,” or “Us”). The following terms and conditions, together with any documents they expressly incorporate by reference, including that certain Arbitration Agreement, that governs your use of and purchase of products from the Website (collectively, “Terms of Use”), govern your access to and use of https://www.hatchcollection.com (the “Website”), including any content, functionality, and services offered on or through the Website, whether as a guest or a registered user.
Please read the Terms of Use carefully before you start to use the Website. By using the Website, or by clicking to accept and/or agree to the Terms of Use when this option is made available to you, you accept and agree to be bound and abide by these Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy, which can be found at www.hatchcollection.com/pages/privacy-policy incorporated herein by reference. If you do not want to agree to these Terms of Use or the Privacy Policy, you must not access or use the Website.
This Website is offered and available to users who are thirteen (13) years of age or older and reside in the United States or any of its territories or possessions. By using this Website, you represent and warrant that you are of legal age to form a binding contract with the Company and meet all of the foregoing eligibility requirements. If you do not meet all of these requirements, you must not access or use the Website.
CHANGES TO THE TERMS OF USE
We may revise and update these Terms of Use, including but not limited to suspend or discontinue the Website or any service, feature, or product offered through the Website from time to time in our sole discretion and with or without notice. All changes are effective immediately when we post them, and apply to all access to and use of the Website thereafter. However, any changes to the dispute resolution provisions set out in Governing Law and Jurisdiction will not apply to any disputes for which the parties have actual notice on or before the date the change is posted on the Website.
Your continued use of the Website following the posting of revised Terms of Use means that you accept and agree to the changes. You are expected to check this page from time to time so you are aware of any changes, as they are binding on you. You further agree that we shall not be liable to you or to any third party for any modification, suspension or discontinuance of the Website, or any service, content, feature or product offered through the Website.
ELIGIBILITY
You must be at least thirteen (13) years old to use the Website. If you are under the age of majority in your state of residence, a minor, your parent or legal guardian must agree to this Agreement on your behalf, and you may only access and use the Website with permission from your parent or legal guardian.
ACCESSING THE WEBSITE AND ACCOUNT SECURITY
We reserve the right to withdraw or amend this Website, and any service or material we provide on the Website, in our sole discretion without notice. We will not be liable if for any reason all or any part of the Website is unavailable at any time or for any period. From time to time, we may restrict access to some parts of the Website, or the entire Website, to users, including registered users.
You are responsible for both:
To access the Website or some of the resources it offers, you may be asked to provide certain registration details or other information. It is a condition of your use of the Website that all the information you provide on the Website is correct, current, and complete. You agree that all information you provide to register with this Website or otherwise, including, but not limited to, through the use of any interactive features on the Website, is governed by our Privacy Policy, and you consent to all actions we take with respect to your information consistent with our Privacy Policy.
If you choose, or are provided with, a user name, password, or any other piece of information as part of our security procedures, you must treat such information as confidential, and you must not disclose it to any other person or entity. You also acknowledge that your account is personal to you and agree not to provide any other person with access to this Website or portions of it using your user name, password, or other security information. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your user name or password or any other breach of security. You also agree to ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. You should use particular caution when accessing your account from a public or shared computer so that others are not able to view or record your password or other personal information.
We have the right to disable any user name, password, or other identifier, whether chosen by you or provided by us, at any time in our sole discretion for any or no reason, including if, in our opinion, you have violated any provision of these Terms of Use.
SITE CONTENTS
The Website and its entire contents, features, and functionality (including but not limited to all information, software, text, displays, images, video, and audio, and the design, selection, and arrangement thereof) are owned by the Company, its licensors, or other providers of such material and are protected by United States and international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property or proprietary rights laws.
The Company name, the terms, the Company logo, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks of the Company or its affiliates or licensors. You must not use such marks without the prior written permission of the Company. All other names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans on this Website are the trademarks of their respective owners.
These Terms of Use permit you to use the Website for your personal, non-commercial use only. You must not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, or transmit any of the material on our Website, except as follows:
You must not:
You must not access or use for any commercial purposes any part of the Website or any services or materials available through the Website.
If you wish to make any use of material on the Website other than that set out in this section, please address your request to: help@hatchcollection.com.
If you print, copy, modify, download, or otherwise use or provide any other person with access to any part of the Website in breach of the Terms of Use, your right to use the Website will stop immediately and you must, at our option, return or destroy any copies of the materials you have made. No right, title, or interest in or to the Website or any content on the Website is transferred to you, and all rights not expressly granted are reserved by the Company. Any use of the Website not expressly permitted by these Terms of Use is a breach of these Terms of Use and may violate copyright, trademark, and other laws.
PROHIBITED USES
You may use the Website only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms of Use. You agree not to use the Website:
Additionally, you agree not to:
USER COMMENTS, FEEDBACK, AND OTHER SUBMISSIONS
The Company is pleased to hear from users and welcomes your comments regarding our products and services. Our policy does not allow us to accept or to consider creative ideas, suggestions, proposals, plans, or other materials other than those we have specifically requested. We hope that you will understand that the intent of this policy is to avoid the possibility of future misunderstandings when projects developed by our employees and agents might seem to be similar to creative works submitted by users. Accordingly, while we value your feedback, we must ask that you do not send creative ideas, suggestions, proposals, plans, or other materials for our business. If, at our request, you send certain specific submissions (for example, contest entries, customer reviews or photographs) or, without a request from us, you send creative ideas, suggestions, customer reviews, photographs, proposals, plans, or other materials, whether online, by email, by postal mail, or otherwise (collectively, “Comments”), you agree that we may, at any time, without restriction, edit, copy, publish, distribute, translate, and otherwise use in any medium any Comments that you forward to us. Any Comment will be considered non-confidential and non-proprietary. By providing a Comment, you grant us and our affiliates and service providers, and each of their and our respective licensees, successors, and assigns the right to use, reproduce, modify, perform, display, distribute, and otherwise disclose to third parties any such material for any purpose.
You further represent and warrant that:
You understand and acknowledge that you are responsible for any Comments you submit or contribute, and you, not the Company, have full responsibility for such content, including its legality, reliability, accuracy, and appropriateness.
We are not responsible or liable to any third party for the content or accuracy of any Comment posted by you or any other user of the Website.
SOCIAL MEDIA CODE OF CONDUCT
The Company social media pages (including but not limited to our Facebook page and Instagram account) are intended to be online communities where customers can learn about new arrivals, promotions, events, contests, and more. We want to maintain a positive and supportive community so that everyone who visits the page feels comfortable. Please keep conversation respectful. We ask that all posted material including comments, questions, links, images and videos be both appropriate and relevant to the Company and our products. We are not responsible for the opinions or claims of other platform users posted to the Company social media pages; other users’ posts are not representative of the opinions of the Company. We do not typically confirm the accuracy of postings.
We require that all users comply with the platforms’ Statement of Rights and Responsibilities or other community and acceptable use guidelines. Accordingly, please do not post anything that would violate any of those terms, or any material that may be spam, abusive, profane, hurtful, or defamatory toward a person, entity, belief, or symbol. Additionally, please avoid posting personal information such as an email address, phone number, or mailing address. We reserve the right to delete content, block you from accessing our profile, posts and stories and/or commenting on our posts and stories at our sole discretion.
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact customer service. If you are an employee of the Company and have questions on how to appropriately participate on our social media pages and accounts, please contact an HR Business Partner.
PRODUCT AVAILABILITY & PRICING
Most of our products displayed on our Website are available through the Website, and in select stores in the United States, while supplies last. In some cases, merchandise displayed for sale on our Site may not be available in all sizes and colors, including when the merchandise has been marked down. Product availability, styles, promotions, and prices may vary from store to store and between stores and the Website. The prices displayed on the Website are quoted in U.S. Dollars and can only be paid in U.S. Dollars. Certain products may only be available exclusively online through the Site. These products may have limited quantities and are subject to return or exchange only through the Site according to the applicable return policy.
The strikethrough or listed price represents a price at which we previously offered the product, or a comparable product, in our stores or online, recently or in a past season or year, or the value of a similar item in the market. It may not represent the price in effect in our stores or online or elsewhere in the market on any particular day or in every location.
In the event a product is listed at an incorrect price due to typographical error or error in pricing information received from our suppliers, the Company shall have the right to refuse or cancel any orders placed for the product listed at the incorrect price. The Company shall have the right to refuse or cancel any such orders whether or not the order has been confirmed and your credit card charged. If your credit card has already been charged for the purchase and your order is cancelled, the Company shall immediately issue a credit to your credit card account in the amount of the incorrect price.
PRODUCT DISPLAY
We have made every effort to display as accurately as possible the colors of our products that appear on our Site. However, as the actual colors you see will depend on your computer monitor, we cannot guarantee that your monitor’s display of any color or texture or detail of actual merchandise will be accurate.
Occasionally there may be information on our Site that contains typographical errors, inaccuracies, or omissions that may relate to product descriptions, pricing, promotions, offers, and availability. We reserve the right to correct any errors, inaccuracies or omissions and to change or update information or cancel orders if any information on the Website is inaccurate at any time without prior notice (including after you have submitted your order).
LIMITS ON PURCHASES
We reserve the right to refuse any order you place with us. We may, in our sole discretion, limit or cancel quantities purchased per person, per household or per order. These restrictions may include orders placed by or under the same customer account, the same credit card, and/or orders that use the same billing and/or shipping address. We do not authorize the purchase of our merchandise for resale purposes. To enforce this policy, we reserve the right to limit purchases to five (5) items per style, per color, per customer and/or address (excluding “stock accessories”), regardless of size of the merchandise. Stock accessories include all hair accessories, jewelry, basic socks, sunglasses, basic tights and underwear; stock accessories do not include fashion tights, fashion socks and handbags. We also reserve the right to cancel multiple orders of merchandise purchased in violation of this policy. We may modify this policy at any time for any reason and we may make exceptions to this policy, as we deem appropriate.
This Limits on Purchases Policy applies to purchases made at our stores and on the Website.
In addition, orders on the Website are limited to U.S. $2,500.
TAX FREE PURCHASES
If you have questions about how to make a tax-free purchase, please contact our Customer Service at 2123431685 or by email to help@hatchcollection.com.
PRIVACY
Your privacy is very important to us. Our Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, protect, and when we share personal information and other data with others. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account information, including your username and password. You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account and you agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your account. We are not responsible or liable for any damage or loss related to any unauthorized access or use of your account. This Agreement incorporates by reference the terms and conditions of the Privacy Policy which can be reached by clicking on the “Your Privacy” link located in the footer section of the Website.
Linking to the Website and Social Media Features
You may link to our homepage, provided you do so in a way that is fair and legal and does not damage our reputation or take advantage of it, but you must not establish a link in such a way as to suggest any form of association, approval, or endorsement on our part without our express written consent.
This Website may provide certain social media features that enable you to:
You may use these features solely as they are provided by us, solely with respect to the content they are displayed with, and otherwise in accordance with any additional terms and conditions we provide with respect to such features. Subject to the foregoing, you must not:
The website from which you are linking, or on which you make certain content accessible, must comply in all respects with the Content Standards set out in these Terms of Use.
You agree to cooperate with us in causing any unauthorized framing or linking immediately to stop. We reserve the right to withdraw linking permission without notice.
We may disable all or any social media features and any links at any time without notice in our discretion.
LINKS TO OTHER WEBSITES AND SERVICES
If the Website contains links to other websites and resources provided by third parties, these links are provided for your convenience only. This includes links contained in advertisements, including banner advertisements and sponsored links. We have no control over the contents of those websites or resources, and accept no responsibility for them or for any loss or damage that may arise from your use of them. If you decide to access any of the third-party websites linked to this Website, you do so entirely at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of use for such websites.
GEOGRAPHIC RESTRICTIONS
The owner of the Website is based in the State of Delaware in the United States. We provide this Website for use only by persons located in the United States. We make no claims that the Website or any of its content is accessible or appropriate outside of the United States. Access to the Website may not be legal by certain persons or in certain countries. If you access the Website from outside the United States, you do so on your own initiative and are responsible for compliance with local laws.
NOTICE AND PROCEDURE FOR MAKING CLAIMS OF COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT
The Company respects the intellectual property of others. If you believe that your work has been copied in any way that constitutes copyright infringement, please provide our Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”) designated agent the written information specified below:
Our DMCA Agent for notice of claims of copyright infringement on the Website can be reached at 2123431685 or by email to help@hatchcollection.com.
DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES
You understand that we cannot and do not guarantee or warrant that files available for downloading from the internet or the Website will be free of viruses or other destructive code. You are responsible for implementing sufficient procedures and checkpoints to satisfy your particular requirements for anti-virus protection and accuracy of data input and output, and for maintaining a means external to our site for any reconstruction of any lost data. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, WE WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OR DAMAGE CAUSED BY A DISTRIBUTED DENIAL-OF-SERVICE ATTACK, VIRUSES, OR OTHER TECHNOLOGICALLY HARMFUL MATERIAL THAT MAY INFECT YOUR COMPUTER EQUIPMENT, COMPUTER PROGRAMS, DATA, OR OTHER PROPRIETARY MATERIAL DUE TO YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE OR TO YOUR DOWNLOADING OF ANY MATERIAL POSTED ON IT, OR ON ANY WEBSITE LINKED TO IT.
YOUR USE OF THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT, AND ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT, AND ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR ANY PERSON ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY MAKES ANY WARRANTY OR REPRESENTATION WITH RESPECT TO THE COMPLETENESS, SECURITY, RELIABILITY, QUALITY, ACCURACY, OR AVAILABILITY OF THE WEBSITE. WITHOUT LIMITING THE FOREGOING, NEITHER THE COMPANY NOR ANYONE ASSOCIATED WITH THE COMPANY REPRESENTS OR WARRANTS THAT THE WEBSITE, ITS CONTENT, OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL BE ACCURATE, RELIABLE, ERROR-FREE, OR UNINTERRUPTED, THAT DEFECTS WILL BE CORRECTED, THAT OUR SITE OR THE SERVER THAT MAKES IT AVAILABLE ARE FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, OR THAT THE WEBSITE OR ANY SERVICES OR ITEMS OBTAINED THROUGH THE WEBSITE WILL OTHERWISE MEET YOUR NEEDS OR EXPECTATIONS.
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, THE COMPANY HEREBY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND FITNESS FOR PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY WARRANTIES THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
LIMITATION ON LIABILITY
TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PROVIDED BY LAW, IN NO EVENT WILL THE COMPANY, ITS AFFILIATES, OR THEIR LICENSORS, SERVICE PROVIDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OFFICERS, OR DIRECTORS BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES OF ANY KIND, UNDER ANY LEGAL THEORY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE, OR INABILITY TO USE, THE WEBSITE, ANY WEBSITES LINKED TO IT, ANY CONTENT ON THE WEBSITE OR SUCH OTHER WEBSITES, INCLUDING ANY DIRECT, INDIRECT, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, PERSONAL INJURY, PAIN AND SUFFERING, EMOTIONAL DISTRESS, LOSS OF REVENUE, LOSS OF PROFITS, LOSS OF BUSINESS OR ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, LOSS OF USE, LOSS OF GOODWILL, LOSS OF DATA, AND WHETHER CAUSED BY TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), BREACH OF CONTRACT, OR OTHERWISE, EVEN IF FORESEEABLE.
The limitation of liability set out above does not apply to liability resulting from our gross negligence or willful misconduct or death or bodily injury caused by products you purchase through the site.
THE FOREGOING DOES NOT AFFECT ANY LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE EXCLUDED OR LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
INDEMNIFICATION
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the Company, its affiliates, licensors, and service providers, and its and their respective officers, directors, employees, contractors, agents, licensors, suppliers, successors, and assigns from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to your violation of these Terms of Use or your use of the Website, including, but not limited to, your Comments, any use of the Website’s content, services, and products other than as expressly authorized in these Terms of Use, or your use of any information obtained from the Website.
GOVERNING LAW & VENUE
All matters relating to the Website and these Terms of Use, and any dispute or claim arising therefrom or related thereto (in each case, including non-contractual disputes or claims), shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the internal laws of the State of Delaware without giving effect to any choice or conflict of law provision or rule (whether of the State of Delaware or any other jurisdiction).
Subject to the agreement to arbitrate below, any legal suit, action, or proceeding arising out of, or related to, these Terms of Use or the Website shall be instituted exclusively in the federal courts of the United States or the courts of the State of Delaware, in each case located in the County of San Francisco, although we retain the right to bring any suit, action, or proceeding against you for breach of these Terms of Use in your country of residence or any other relevant country. You waive any and all objections to the exercise of jurisdiction over you by such courts and to venue in such courts.
DISPUTE RESOLUTION
Mindful of the high cost of legal disputes, not only in dollars but also in time and energy, both you and the Company agree to the following dispute resolution procedure: In the event of any controversy, claim, action or dispute arising out of or related to any transaction conducted on the Website, or the breach, enforcement, interpretation, or validity of this Agreement or any part of it (“Dispute”), the party asserting the Dispute shall first try in good faith to settle such Dispute by providing written notice to the other party (by first class or registered mail) describing the facts and circumstances (including any relevant documentation) of the Dispute and allowing the receiving party thirty (30) days in which to respond to or settle the Dispute. Notice shall be sent (a) to the Company at: 225 Bush Street, Ste 1300, San Francisco, California 94104, and (b) to you at: your last-used billing address or the billing and/or shipping address in your online profile.
Both you and the Company agree that this dispute resolution procedure is a condition precedent which must be satisfied prior to initiating any arbitration or filing any claim against the other party.
ARBITRATION AGREEMENT
To the extent you cannot resolve any Dispute through the informal dispute resolution procedure described above, a Dispute shall be resolved through binding individual arbitration. You agree to give up your right to go to court to assert or defend your rights under this Agreement and with respect to any Dispute. You and Gap Inc. expressly delegate to the arbitrator the authority to determine the arbitrability of any Dispute, including the scope, applicability, validity, and enforceability of this arbitration provision.
You may begin an arbitration proceeding by sending a letter requesting arbitration to the. You agree that the arbitration shall be conducted by the American Arbitration Association (“AAA”) pursuant to its Consumer Arbitration Rules (“AAA Rules”), as modified by this Arbitration Agreement. The AAA Rules are available on the AAA’s website www.adr.org, or by calling the AAA at (800) 778-7879. In the event the AAA is unavailable or unwilling to hear the Dispute, the parties shall agree to another arbitration provider. Payment of all filing, administration and arbitrator fees will be governed by the AAA’s applicable rules. The Company will reimburse those fees for claims totaling less than $10,000 if the arbitrator rules in your favor on any material aspect of your claim. The Company waives its right to seek attorneys’ fees and costs in arbitration. However, if your claim is deemed by the arbitrator to be frivolous or brought in bad faith or with an improper purpose, as measured by the standards of Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 11, then the arbitrator may award the Company the reimbursement of its costs and arbitration fees against you and/or your counsel. You may choose to have the arbitration conducted by telephone, based on written submissions, or in person in the county where you live or at another mutually agreed location. You further agree that if your arbitration claim is filed at or around the time of other similar claims by the same or related counsel, you agree that your claim may be temporarily stayed or phased to allow the AAA to establish efficient and fair adjudication procedures.
In lieu of arbitration, either you or the Company may bring any individual claim in small claims court consistent with the jurisdictional and dollar limits that may apply, as long as it is brought and maintained as an individual claim. You further agree that if your arbitration claim is filed at or around the time of other similar claims by the same or related counsel, you agree that your claim may be temporarily stayed or phased to allow the AAA to establish efficient and fair adjudication procedures.
This Arbitration Agreement shall be governed by, and interpreted, construed, and enforced in accordance with, the Federal Arbitration Act. The terms of the Arbitration Agreement provisions shall survive after this Agreement terminates or your use of the Website ends. Except as set forth above, if any portion of this Arbitration Agreement is deemed invalid or unenforceable, it will not invalidate the remaining portions of the Arbitration Agreement.
WAIVER OF RIGHT TO BRING CLASS ACTIONS AND REPRESENTATIVE CLAIMS.
All arbitrations shall proceed on an individual basis. The arbitrator is empowered to resolve the Dispute with the same remedies available in court, however, any relief must be individualized to you and shall not affect any other customer. You and the Company agree that each may bring claims against the other in arbitration only in your or their respective individual capacities and in so doing you and the Company hereby waive the right to a trial by jury, to assert or participate in a class action lawsuit or class action arbitration (either as a named-plaintiff or class member), and to assert or participate in any joint or consolidated lawsuit or joint or consolidated arbitration of any kind. If a court decides that applicable law precludes enforcement of any of this paragraph’s limitations as to a particular cause of action, then that cause of action (and only that cause of action) must remain in court and be severed from any arbitration.
TERMINATION
With the exception of the Arbitration Agreement, which shall survive the termination of these terms, these terms are effective unless and until terminated. The Company also may terminate this Agreement at any time without notice, and accordingly may deny you access to the Website, if in our sole judgment you fail to comply with any term or provision of the Agreement. The obligations and liabilities of the parties incurred prior to the termination date shall survive the termination of this Agreement for all purposes.
MISCELLANEOUS
No waiver by the Company of any term or condition set out in these Terms of Use shall be deemed a further or continuing waiver of such term or condition or a waiver of any other term or condition, and any failure of the Company to assert a right or provision under these Terms of Use shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision.
If any provision of these Terms of Use is held by a court or other tribunal of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable for any reason, such provision shall be eliminated or limited to the minimum extent such that the remaining provisions of the Terms of Use will continue in full force and effect.
The Terms of Use and our Privacy Policy constitute the sole and entire agreement between you and the Company regarding the Website and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, regarding the Website.
Under no circumstances will we be held liable for any delay or failure in performance due in whole or in part to any acts of nature or other causes beyond our reasonable control.
We may assign our rights and obligations under this Agreement, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, sale of assets or equity, or by operation of law.