Spendesk offers a spend management platform for companies. The purpose of these General Terms and Conditions is to govern the Services provided by Spendesk to its Customers. The Services include Payment Services.
As part of the Payment Services provided by SFS SAS, Spendesk acts as a PSP agent in the name and on behalf of SFS SAS. As such, Spendesk is registered with the ACPR and listed in the French financial firms register (accessible here: https://www.regafi.fr/) under number 74593.
Table of contents
- 1. Definitions and interpretation
- 2. Subscription to the Services
- 3. Access to the Services
- 4. Payment Services
- 5. Dematerialisation Service
- 6. Customer's undertakings and guarantees
- 7. Spendesk's undertakings and guarantees
- 8. Financial conditions
- 9. Processing of complaints
- 10. Amendment of the Contract
- 11. Intellectual property
- 12. Processing of Personal Data
- 13. Professional secrecy and confidentiality
- 14. Right of withdrawal in case of solicitation
- 15. Effective Date and duration of the Contract
- 16. Termination or term of the Contract
- 17. Third-party claims
- 18. Liability
- 19. Assignment
- 20. Miscellaneous
- 21. Applicable law and competent jurisdictions
Annexes:
Annex 1 - Contractual documentation applicable to Payment Services
Annex 2 - Withdrawal form in case of banking or financial solicitation
1. Definitions and interpretation
1.1. Definitions
In these General Terms and Conditions, capitalised terms not specifically defined in the body of the General Terms and Conditions have the meaning attributed to them below:
Term | Definition |
---|---|
Acceptance Point | means the payment page or payment terminal allowing a Customer to send a Card Payment Order to an Acceptor; |
Acceptor | means the acceptor of a Card Payment Order having an Acceptance Point; |
Account | means, depending on the context, a Euro SFS SAS Account, a USD Sutton Account and/or a GBP Adyen Account; |
ACPR | means the French supervisory authority, Autorité de contrôle prudentiel et de résolution located at 4, place de Budapest – 75436 Paris Cedex 09; |
Adyen | means Adyen N.V., a public company registered with the Dutch Chamber of Commerce under number 34259528, whose registered office is at Simon Carmiggeltstraat 6-50, 1011 DJ, Amsterdam - the Netherlands, licensed as a credit institution by the Netherlands Bank under number 34259528, acting, as the case may be, through its local affiliates and/or branches (including its branch in the United Kingdom authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority to provide Payment Services under number 779800); |
Affiliate | means, with respect to a Party, any company which holds that Party, or that is held by that Party (the term "hold" ("contrôle" in French) having the meaning given to it in article L. 233-3, I, 1° and 2° of the French Commercial Code); |
AML-CFT | means anti-money laundering and countering the financing of terrorism; |
Beneficiary | means any natural person or legal entity who is the intended recipient of funds that are the subject of a Payment Transaction; |
Business Day | means (i) for Spendesk, a calendar day, with the exception of Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays in metropolitan France, (ii) for the Partners, a business day as defined respectively in the different Partners’ Documents; |
Card | means, depending on the context, a Euro SFS SAS Card, a USD Sutton Card and/or a GBP Adyen Card; |
CMF | means the French Monetary and Financial Code (Code monétaire et financier); |
Contract | means the contractual framework governing the use of the Services, including (i) the current General Terms and Conditions, (ii) the Pricing Terms and (iii) the Partners' Documents; |
Customer | means a legal entity acting on its own behalf in the context of its professional activity, having accepted the Contract and wishing to use the Services provided by Spendesk; |
Dematerialisation Service | means the service described in article 5; |
Dwolla | means Dwolla, Inc., a company incorporated in the United States (Iowa), whose registered office is at 909 Locust Street, Suite 201, Des Moines, IA 50309 - United States, working with several financial institutions partners to provide Transfer services in the United States; |
EEA | means the European Economic Area; |
Effective Date | means the effective date of the Contract (i) agreed between the Parties in the Pricing Terms or (ii) failing that, corresponding to the date on which the Contract is signed by the Customer under the conditions of article 2.3; |
Euro SFS SAS Account | means a payment account denominated in euros (EUR) and opened in the name of the Customer registered in an EEA Member State in the books of SFS SAS, and which is governed by the contractual documentation available in Annex 1; |
Euro SFS SAS Card | means a physical or virtual debit card denominated in euros (EUR) which is made available to the Customer registered in an EEA Member State by SFS SAS, and which is governed by the contractual documentation available in Annex 1; |
External Account | means a bank or payment account held by the Customer with a PSP other than the Partners; |
Fees | means the fees due by the Customer in return for the provision of the Services, as defined in the Pricing Terms; |
Force Majeure Event | means a cause beyond the Parties’ control and/or which may be interpreted by a French court as a force majeure event. The Parties agree that a Force Majeure Event will include in particular the following events: adverse weather conditions, acts or omissions of a public authority, including changes to any regulations applicable to the Services, failures or constraints related to a means of telecommunications or a supplier, upheavals, insurrections and acts of a similar nature, declared or undeclared wars, strikes, sabotage, theft, vandalism, explosions, fires, lightning, natural disasters, or acts of third parties; |
GBP Adyen Account | means an electronic money account denominated in pounds sterling (GBP) and opened in the name of the Customer registered in the United Kingdom in the books of Adyen, and which is governed by the contractual documentation available in Annex 1; |
GBP Adyen Card | means a physical or virtual debit card denominated in pounds sterling (GBP) which is made available to the Customer registered in the United Kingdom by Adyen, and which is governed by the contractual documentation available in Annex 1; |
General Terms and Conditions | means the current general terms and conditions of use of Spendesk Services, including their annexes and the US Specific Terms, but excluding the Partners' Documents; |
Insurance Service | means the possibility for the Customer to subscribe to an insurance for Cards as described in Annex 4; |
Main User | means a natural person duly authorised by the Customer to (i) enter into the Contract on behalf of the Customer and (ii) perform the functions provided for in the General Terms and Conditions, in particular those indicated in article 3; |
Parties | means, within the framework of the General Terms and Conditions, together, (i) the Customer and (ii) Spendesk acting, as the case may be, either in its own name and on its own behalf, or as an agent of SFS SAS; |
Partners' Documents | means, together, the contractual documentation relating to the Payment Services provided by the Partners, available in Annex 1; |
Partner | means, depending on the context, SFS SAS, Sutton Bank, Dwolla and/or Adyen; |
Payer | means any natural person or legal entity giving or authorising a Payment Order; |
Payment Order | means an instruction by a Payer or Beneficiary to its PSP requesting the execution of a Payment Transaction; |
Payment Services | means the payment services provided by SFS SAS, Sutton Bank, Dwolla and/or Adyen (including the issuance, management, and provision of electronic money by Adyen) as part of the provision of Euro SFS SAS Accounts, Euro SFS SAS Cards, USD Sutton Accounts, USD Sutton Cards, GBP Adyen Accounts, and GBP Adyen Cards; |
Payment Transaction | means an act of placing, transferring, or withdrawing funds from or to an Account, irrespective of any underlying obligations between the Payer and the Beneficiary; |
Personal Data | means personal data within the meaning of Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 27 April 2016 on the protection of natural persons with regard to the processing of personal data and on the free movement of such data; |
Personalised Security Credentials | means the personalised data provided to a User by Spendesk or, as the case may be, chosen by a User, which must be used by that User in order to log in to access the Platform and/or perform an action on the Platform, including to request the execution of a Payment Transaction (including the PIN Code associated with a Card); |
PIN Code | means the four (4) digit code associated with a Card; |
Platform | means the SaaS solution provided by Spendesk which allows Customers to use the Services, and which includes in particular the website available at https://www.spendesk.com (and/or any other website of which the Customer may subsequently be informed) and/or any mobile application that Spendesk may make available to the Customer; |
Pricing Terms | means the following elements which together define the Fees due by the Customer under the Contract: (i) the pricing agreement agreed between the Parties for accessing the Platform and the Services, and (ii) the pricing terms set out in Annex 1 for the additional Fees due to Spendesk and/or the Partners in respect of the Payment Services; |
PSP | means a payment service provider; |
Services | means the access to the Platform and related services, including the Payment Services and the Dematerialisation Service but excluding the Insurance Service, which will be addressed only in Annex 4; |
SFS SAS | means Spendesk Financial Services, a simplified joint-stock company registered with the Paris trade and companies Register under number 900 518 101, whose registered office is at 51 rue de Londres, 75008 Paris – France. SFS SAS is licensed as a payment institution by the ACPR under number 17518 and is subject to the ACPR's supervision; |
Spendesk | means (i) Spendesk SAS, a simplified joint-stock company registered with the Paris trade and companies Register under number 821 893 286, whose registered office is at 51 rue de Londres, 75008 Paris – France, if the Customer is registered in any country outside of the United States; or (ii) Spendesk Inc., a corporation registered in California under number C4307073, whose registered office is at c/o Jade Fiducial 490 Post Street, Suite 640, San Francisco, CA 94102, United States, if the Customer is registered in the United States. For the application of the provisions of these General Terms and Conditions relating to Payment Services provided by SFS SAS, any reference to Spendesk will be construed as a reference to Spendesk SAS acting as an agent of SFS SAS. For the application of the provisions of these General Terms and Conditions relating to the other Services, any reference to Spendesk will be construed as referring to Spendesk SAS or Spendesk Inc.; |
Sutton Bank | means Sutton Bank, a company registered in the United States (Ohio), whose registered office is at 1 South Main Street, PO Box 505, Attica, OH 44807 – United States, licensed as a state-chartered bank, not member of the Federal Reserve System (FRS), member of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) under number 5962; |
Transfer | means a Payment Transaction whereby the PSP which holds the Payer's account transfers, on the instruction of the Payer, a sum of money from the Payer's account to another account opened in the name of the Beneficiary; |
USD Sutton Account | means a payment account denominated in United States dollars (USD) and opened in the name of the Customer registered in the United States in the books of Sutton Bank, and which is governed by the contractual documentation available in Annex 1; |
USD Sutton Card | means a physical or virtual debit card denominated in United States dollars (USD) which is made available to the Customer registered in the United States by Sutton Bank, and which is governed by the contractual documentation available in Annex 1; |
US Specific Terms | means the additional terms applicable only to Customers registered in the United States and available at this link: https://www.spendesk.com/en/legals/terms/us-specific-terms; |
User | means, depending on the context, (i) the Main User and/or (ii) any other natural person acting in the name and on behalf of the Customer in the context of their professional activity and who is authorised to use the Services in the name and on behalf of the Customer, within the limits of the authorisations issued to them by the Main User. |
1.2. Interpretation
Unless otherwise stated in these General Terms and Conditions, (i) words of one gender imply the other gender, (ii) words in the singular also imply the plural and vice versa, and (iii) the expressions "these General Terms and Conditions", "herein" and their derivative forms or similar expressions refer to the General Terms and Conditions in their entirety.
Unless otherwise stated in these General Terms and Conditions, in case of contradiction between the General Terms and Conditions and the Partners' Documents, the latter will prevail over the General Terms and Conditions.
In the absence of use of the term "Business Day" as defined in article 1.1, the term "day" means a calendar day.
2. Subscription to the Services
2.1. Registration
If the Customer meets all the criteria indicated on the Platform at the time of registration, it can subscribe to the Services by following the steps indicated on the Platform.
The Customer may only be a legal entity acting for business purposes. The Services are intended exclusively for professional customers and are not intended for consumers.
In any event, the Customer's registration implies in particular (i) the acceptance of the entire Contract and (ii) the payment of the Fees.
Spendesk may, at its sole discretion, refuse to allow any person to register for the Services, without having to explain its refusal.
2.2. US Specific Terms
Customers registered in the United States must accept the US Specific Terms.
2.3. Acceptance of the Contract
The acceptance of the Contract by the Customer is evidenced, during the registration process detailed in article 2.1, by the electronic signature of the Contract by an authorised representative of the Customer.
By accepting the Contract, the Customer expressly acknowledges that it has carefully read the General Terms and Conditions, the Partners' Documents, and the Pricing Terms in force on the day of its acceptance, that it has understood them and that it accepts them in their entirety and without reservation.
The Customer undertakes to bring the Contract to the attention of any User and, to ensure compliance with the provisions of the Contract by any User.
The Customer accepts the transmission and signature of any document by electronic means and acknowledges their enforceability in the event of a dispute.
2.4. AML-CFT checks
In accordance with applicable regulations, the Partners are required to collect certain documents and information about the Customer (including its legal representatives and its Main User), as well as its beneficial owner(s), (i) before entering into a relationship with the Customer and providing Payment Services, and then (ii) during the course of the business relationship with the Customer.
In this context, the Customer undertakes to provide Spendesk, at any time during the relationship, with any document and/or any information necessary to enable the Partners to comply with their AML-CFT obligations (the "KYC Information"). Verification and certification measures of the documents communicated by the Customer may be requested or carried out, if necessary. The Customer undertakes to promptly provide all the information requested; failing to do so will result in the suspension of its access to the Services.
The Customer acknowledges that, in the event that it does not provide the requested documents and information, Spendesk will be unable to provide the Services and, if necessary, will be obliged to terminate the Contract.
In case of any change affecting the KYC Information, the Customer must inform Spendesk as soon as possible.
The Customer agrees that the KYC Information is kept by the Partners, as the case may be, for the duration and under the conditions provided for by the applicable regulations.
3. Access to the Services
In these General Terms and Conditions, the term "Customer" must be interpreted as referring to the Customer acting through a User (either the Main User or a User with the necessary powers and authorisations).
When the Main User is not the Customer or a legal representative of the Customer, it must be a natural person (employee or third party) specially authorised to act in the name and on behalf of the Customer (including to enter into the Contract on behalf of the Customer) through a power of attorney or delegation of powers granted by a legal representative of the Customer. The Customer undertakes to provide Spendesk, upon request, with proof of the Main User's powers.
Any act, decision, instruction, or request entered by a User on the Platform will be considered as an act, decision, instruction, or request of the Customer.
Access to the Services by Users requires their registration on the Platform. The Customer undertakes to have the Users register on the Platform and use the Services in compliance with the provisions of the Contract.
The Main User may carry out via the Platform any act to manage the Services (including the Payment Services), including:
(i) inviting others to become Users and empower them to perform certain actions on the Platform (including actions listed below);
(ii) requesting the issuance of Cards;
(iii) allocating a spending or withdrawal limit to each Card, within the maximum amounts authorised by Spendesk and the Partners;
(iv) requesting the execution of outgoing Transfers, including to an External Account; and/or
(v) crediting an Account.
The Main User may delegate powers to a User by assigning such User a profile on the Platform. When assigning powers to a User, the Main User may be required to select one of the predefined profiles offered by Spendesk, without being able to choose the combination of delegated powers/authorisations, or the terminology assigned to each profile ("Administrator", "Requester", "Controller", etc.).
4. Payment Services
The provisions included in the various contractual documents in Annex 1 apply alternatively according to (i) the Customer’s country of registration and (ii) the Payment Services requested during its registration.
The Payment Services are accessible only to Customers registered in an EEA Member State, in the United Kingdom or in the United States. Customers located outside of these territories will not be entitled to access any Payment Services through the Platform.
When using the Platform, the Customer gives Spendesk the right to transfer to the relevant Partner, in its name and on its behalf, its instructions relating to Accounts and Cards.
5. Dematerialisation Service
5.1. Operation of the Dematerialisation Service
Spendesk proceeds on behalf of the Customer to the dematerialisation of scans or photographs of invoices, estimates, expense reports and other similar documents (the "Content") uploaded by the Users on the Platform.
The Customer accepts and acknowledges that the dematerialisation of the Content uploaded by the User is carried out by Spendesk on behalf of the Customer.
The Content uploaded on the Platform is converted if necessary to PDF format. Each PDF file is then sealed and time-stamped via an electronic seal with a unique number provided by a third-party service provider. The seal complies with the eIDAS regulation providing proof of integrity of each Content, which is kept on a secure server (ISO 27001 certified) based in the European Union. Each Content is stored securely during the retention period mentioned in Spendesk's Personal Data privacy policy.
5.2. Download of dematerialised Content
The Customer, subject to acting as the Main User or another User with corresponding rights, may download and export at any time the raw version of the Content uploaded on the Platform by its Users (i.e., the unconverted, unsealed, and non-timestamped version of the document).
The Customer may also at any time, during the term of the Contract and until its effective termination date, ask Spendesk to download and transmit to it the Content that has been subject to the Dematerialisation Service described in article 5.1 (i.e., the version of the document converted (if necessary), sealed and timestamped via an electronic seal).
The download is not instantaneous insofar as the Content subject to the Dematerialisation Service is stored on servers dedicated to long-term storage that imply a recovery period of several hours.
Notwithstanding the above provisions, Spendesk may retain a copy of the Customer’s Content, in particular for statistical and/or probative purposes, within the limits and periods permitted by law.
5.3. Liability for Contents
The Customer is solely liable for the Content it uploads on the Platform.
The timestamping service compliant with the eIDAS regulation does not constitute an electronic signature procedure. As such, the Dematerialisation Service does not have the objective or effect of certifying the authenticity of an invoice (within the meaning of the provisions of article 96 F bis of annex 3 and/or article 289, VII, 1° or 2° of the French General Tax Code), but only to guarantee the integrity of dematerialised Content. Spendesk cannot be held liable in this respect.
6. Customer's undertakings and guarantees
6.1. Supply and update of information
The Customer undertakes to supply Spendesk with all the information and/or documents necessary for the proper execution of the Contract and the provision of the Services and, more generally, to actively cooperate with Spendesk for the proper performance hereof. If the Customer does not comply with this obligation, Spendesk reserves the right to suspend the Services until the required information or documents are obtained.
The Customer guarantees to Spendesk that all information and documents it supplies to Spendesk, including those supplied on the Platform and those concerning each User, are accurate, up-to-date, and truthful on the day they are communicated to Spendesk, and are not vitiated by any information of a false or misleading nature.
If the information and/or documents supplied become inaccurate or obsolete during the term of the Contract, the Customer undertakes to update them and/or to transmit an updated version of the relevant documents on the Platform as soon as possible.
More generally, it is up to the Customer to formally notify Spendesk of any change in the relevant information. Spendesk will under no circumstances be liable for any damage suffered by the Customer resulting from any inaccuracy or change of which Spendesk has not been notified.
6.2. Compliance with regulations
The Customer undertakes, for itself and each of the Users, to (i) comply, in the context of its use of the Services, with the laws and regulations in force and not to infringe the rights of third parties or public order and (ii) only carry out activities that comply with applicable regulations.
The Customer will bear any fine, financial penalty or damages incurred by Spendesk resulting from an activity of the Customer that is illegal, unlawful, or contrary to common decency.
6.3. Use of the Platform and the Services
The Customer undertakes, for itself and for each of the Users:
(i) not to breach or attempt to breach, scan, or test the vulnerability of the security system and related systems of the Platform;
(ii) not to access or attempt to access any data that is not intended for the Customer;
(iii) to refrain from interfering with the normal operation of the Platform and from performing any action that could cause the interruption or degradation of one or more Service(s);
(iv) not to upload on the Platform, display, send by email or otherwise transmit any material containing software viruses or other computer codes, files or programs designed to interrupt, destroy, or limit the operation of the Platform;
(v) not to attempt to interfere with the Services provided to any other customer, user, host, or network, including but not limited to exposing the Services to a virus, creating server overload, flooding the server, or flooding the messaging services; and
(vi) not to use the Services in a manner that: (a) violates or infringes the rights of a third party, including those relating to a contract, intellectual property, privacy, or advertising; or (b) makes or facilitates the storage or transmission of defamatory, tortious, or otherwise illegal content, including, but not limited to, harassing, threatening or obscene content.
The Customer acknowledges having read the characteristics and constraints, in particular technical, of all Services. The Customer is solely responsible for its use of the Services.
The Customer is informed and accepts that the use of the Services requires an Internet connection, and that the quality of the Services depends directly on this connection, as well as on computer equipment and/or third-party software, for which the Customer is solely responsible.
6.4. Security and confidentiality obligations
The Customer is solely responsible for Users maintaining the confidentiality of their Personalised Security Credentials, as well as any other data or information necessary to access the Platform and/or use the Services.
Users must not disclose to third parties their Personalised Security Credentials, as well as any other data or information necessary to access the Platform and/or use the Services. The Customer undertakes that the Users comply with this obligation of confidentiality.
6.5. Use of the Services solely for the account of the Customer
The Customer undertakes to use the Platform and the Services only on its own behalf, and not to allow any third party to use them in its place or on its behalf, without bearing full liability. Users may only use the Platform and the Services in the name and on behalf of the Customer.
6.6. Testing of new features
Spendesk may occasionally make new features available to some Customers prior to their official release date to all Customers (the "Beta Tests"). These features are referred to by Spendesk as "beta", "test" or another similar name.
The Customer is free to register to participate in the Beta Tests at its sole discretion. All restrictions on the use of the Services and Customer's undertakings under the Contract will apply to access and use of the Beta Tests. Spendesk may disable, modify, or discontinue the Beta Tests at any time, at its sole discretion and without notice. By participating in the Beta Tests, the Customer acknowledges and agrees that:
(i) Beta Tests must only be used for evaluation and testing purposes;
(ii) Spendesk provides the Beta Tests as is and without any guarantee;
(iii) Spendesk cannot be liable for any damages arising from or in connection with the Beta Tests, including those arising from the Customer's use of or inability to use the Beta Tests; and
(iv) Any Feedback of the Customer relating to the Beta Tests will be subject to the provisions of article 11.
7. Spendesk's undertakings and guarantees
Spendesk undertakes to provide the Services with diligence and according to best practices, it being specified that it is bound by an obligation of means, to the exclusion of any obligation of result, which the Customer expressly acknowledges and accepts.
Spendesk does not guarantee to the Customer that the Services will be completely free from errors, faults, or defects, or that they will be continuously available. In addition, the Services are standard and are therefore not offered for the sole purpose of a given Customer, according to its own individual constraints, nor to specifically meet its needs and expectations.
Spendesk undertakes to:
(i) make its best efforts to ensure the security of the Platform;
(ii) inform the Customer of any reasonably foreseeable difficulty, in particular regarding the provision of the Services or the proper operation of the Platform; and
(iii) carry out regular checks to verify the proper operation and accessibility of the Platform.
Spendesk reserves the right to modify at any time the technical arrangements for access to the Services and/or the Platform depending, in particular, on the evolution of the technology, the regulations, or its offer of Services, it being understood that such a modification cannot have the effect of reducing the general level of security of the Platform. It is the Customer's responsibility to ensure that the IT or telecommunications tools or equipment at its disposal are adapted to these evolutions.
8. Financial conditions
8.1. Pricing Terms
The prices of the Services are indicated in the Pricing Terms. The Pricing Terms may be provided free of charge to the Customer, upon request, on a durable medium.
8.2. Provision of invoices
Invoices are provided to the Customer on the Platform.
If the Customer wishes to dispute an invoice, it must inform Spendesk within sixty (60) days after the date of the invoice. After this period, the invoice can no longer be disputed.
8.3. Fees payment terms
The Fees due by the Customer to Spendesk or to a Partner in return for the provision of the Services are debited directly from the Account.
If the Customer has several Accounts and its debt is not inherent to a particular Account, Spendesk may decide at its sole discretion to debit all or part of the Fees from one of the Customer's Accounts.
The Customer expressly authorises Spendesk to debit from the Customer's Account(s) the Fees payable under the Contract.
8.4. Late payment
In the event that the credit balance of an Account proves insufficient to allow the debiting of all Fees, the Customer undertakes to immediately credit the Account up to the amount due.
In the event of any late payment or non-payment, in whole or in part, of any invoiced Fees not subject to a good faith dispute, Spendesk may charge late interest fees equal to the interest rate applied by the European Central Bank to its most recent refinancing operation, increased by 10%. Spendesk may also charge an additional lump sum of forty euros (€40) as a compensation for collection costs.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing and in addition, in the event of late payment, Spendesk may, at its sole discretion, suspend the Customer’s access to the Services (including all Payment Services) until full payment of the Fees due and/or terminate the Contract in whole or in part, in accordance with article 16.2, without any liability whatsoever and without prejudice to its right to claim all Fees due by the Customer to Spendesk or a Partner.
8.5. Fees payment frequency
Fees relating to the use of the Platform are invoiced and debited:
(i) monthly, if the Contract is for an indefinite term; or
(ii) according to the frequency provided for in the Pricing Terms, if the Contract is for a fixed term (as agreed between the Parties if applicable, under the conditions provided for in article 15).
The amount of the first invoice relating to the use of the Platform is debited by Spendesk one (1) month after the date of subscription to the Services by the Customer.
The Fees relating to the Payment Services provided for in Annex 1 are also debited directly by the Partners or by Spendesk on the date of the relevant Payment Transaction and in the manner provided for in the Partners' Documents.
9. Processing of complaints
Any complaint related to the provision of the Services must be addressed by the Customer to Spendesk customer service:
by email to the following address: support@spendesk.com;
by using the "chat" function available on the Platform; or
by post to the customer service address, at the registered office of Spendesk: 51 rue de Londres, 75008 Paris – France.
In the event of a complaint relating to the Payment Services, the time limits for processing complaints are specified in the Partners' Documents.
10. Amendment of the Contract
Spendesk reserves the right to amend, at any time, all or part of the Contract between Spendesk and the Customer. Any proposed amendment of the Contract will be sent by Spendesk to the Customer, on the Platform and/or by email, no later than two (2) months before the date proposed for its entry into force. The Customer will be deemed to have accepted the proposed amendments if it has not notified Spendesk, before the proposed effective date of these amendments, that it does not accept them. If the Customer refuses the amendments, it may terminate the Contract, without charge, before the proposed effective date of the amendments, under the conditions provided for in article 16. Spendesk may exceptionally reduce this prior notice period if the amendment of the Contract is necessary to comply with its legal and regulatory obligations or instructions from a competent supervisory authority.
As an exception to the above, under a fixed-term Contract, if the Customer refuses the amendments, the previous version of the Contract will continue to apply (excluding technical modification related to the evolution of the Platform or modification necessary under the applicable regulations, which will apply in any case), and the termination will be effective at the end of the current contractual term, as defined in the Pricing Terms.
The Partners' Documents may be amended at any time under the conditions and according to the time periods provided for in the Partners' Documents.
Spendesk cannot under any circumstances be held liable for any damage, in any capacity whatsoever, in connection with the amendment of the Contract, if the Customer refrains from terminating the Contract and continues to use the Services after the effective date of the amendments.
11. Intellectual property
The Parties expressly agree that no intellectual property rights are transferred to the Customer over any of the elements of the Services and the Platform made available to it under the Contract, including software, structures, infrastructures, source codes, databases, know-how, user interfaces, photos, brands, interactive elements or any content of any kind (texts, images, visuals, music, logos, brands, database, etc.) operated by Spendesk, and any technical documentation that may be provided by Spendesk to the Customer.
Subject to the payment of the Fees due to Spendesk and the provisions and limitations specified in the Contract, Spendesk grants the Customer a personal, non-exclusive, and non-transferable licence to use the Platform and the Services for its own purposes only. This right is granted for the term of the Contract.
The Customer is prohibited from carrying out:
any adaptation, modification, duplication, decompilation, disassembly, reverse engineering or reproduction of the Services and the Platform, regardless of their nature, any total or partial extraction (including the source code or other trade secrets) and, in general, any act that may violate the rights of Spendesk and/or its suppliers;
any reproduction, by any means and on any medium whatsoever, of the Platform;
any form of use of the Platform and associated documentation in any manner whatsoever for the purpose of designing, producing, distributing, or marketing similar, equivalent or substitute software;
any adaptation, modification, transformation, translation, arrangement of the Platform for any reason whatsoever, in particular for the creation of derivative or entirely new software, including to correct errors;
any direct or indirect transcription, or translation into other languages of the Platform;
any modification or circumvention of the protection code such as, in particular, Personalised Security Credentials; and/or
any deletion, partial or total modification of the existing notices relating to copyright, trademarks and, more generally, to intellectual property rights, attached to the Platform.
Spendesk encourages the Customer to provide suggestions, proposals, ideas, recommendations, or other feedback to improve the Services and the Platform (the "Feedback"). To the extent that the provided Feedback does not identify the Customer, its Affiliates or Users and does not include any confidential data specific to the Customer, the Customer grants Spendesk a royalty-free, fully-paid, sub-licensable, transferable, non-exclusive, irrevocable, worldwide licence to produce, use, sell, offer for sale, import and otherwise exploit the Feedback (including by integrating the Feedback into the Services) without restriction, for the duration of the intellectual property rights applicable to such Feedback.
12. Processing of Personal Data
12.1. Spendesk as the Customer's data processor
As part of the processing carried out for (i) the provision of the Platform, (ii) the provision of Payment Services to the Customer and Users and (iii) the provision of anonymised data on industry trends in business expenses according to predetermined criteria depending on the Customer's area of work, Spendesk acts as a data processor in accordance with the terms of Annex 3 (Data Processing Agreement).
12.2. Spendesk as data controller
In addition, Spendesk carries out the following processing operations in its capacity as a data controller:
commercial and contractual management with the Customer;
research and development concerning the Platform;
video and audio recording of calls for the purpose of improving the Services and training Spendesk personnel; and
supervision of Users' account on the Platform for the provision of technical support to the Customer, and for training purposes of Spendesk personnel authorised to process the Customer’s information.
For these purposes, Spendesk undertakes to comply with the obligations related to its capacity as a data controller, in accordance with the applicable regulations.
12.3. Spendesk and SFS SAS as joint data controllers
For the provision of Payment Services and in accordance with applicable regulations, Spendesk and SFS SAS also process Personal Data as joint data controllers. The respective roles of each of the joint data controllers are defined in a joint controllership agreement in accordance with the applicable regulations, which useful information for the Customer is provided in the information note available on Spendesk website.
13. Professional secrecy and confidentiality
13.1. Professional secrecy
In accordance with the regulations, Spendesk (as PSP agent) and SFS SAS (as PSP) as well as their officers and employees are bound by professional secrecy regarding their Customers' data.
However, professional secrecy may not be held against the competent supervisory authority or against the judicial authority acting in the context of criminal proceedings.
In addition, Spendesk and SFS SAS may disclose information covered by professional secrecy to third parties, either when permitted by law or, on a case-by-case basis, with the express authorisation of the Customer.
13.2. Confidentiality
In addition to Spendesk’s professional secrecy, each of the Parties undertakes to keep strictly confidential all documents and information of a legal, commercial, industrial, strategic, technical, or financial nature relating to the other Party of which it may become aware in the context of the Contract acceptance and performance, and not to disclose them without the prior written consent of the other Party.
This obligation does not extend to documents and information for which it can be demonstrated:
(i) that they were already known by the receiving Party;
(ii) that they were already public at the time of their disclosure, or have become public without breach of the Contract;
(iii) that they have been lawfully received from a third party; or
(iv) that their disclosure is required by the judicial authorities, pursuant to applicable laws and regulations, or with a view to establishing the rights of a Party under the Contract.
This obligation of confidentiality extends to all employees, contractors, interns, officers, and directors of the Parties, as well as their advisers and Affiliates, to whom confidential documents or information may only be transmitted if they are bound by the same obligation of confidentiality as that provided for herein.
This will continue to have effect for three (3) years following the end of the Contract, or any longer period provided for by the applicable law or regulation.
Each Party will, at its own expense, at the end of the Contract or at any other time, upon receipt of a written request from the other Party, (i) return or destroy all written confidential information provided to it directly or to its advisers and which is in the possession of that Party or in its custody and control, without retaining copies thereof; and (ii) provide a certificate signed by a legal representative confirming that, to its knowledge, and after conducting all appropriate investigations, the requirements of this article have been fully complied with.
However, the receiving Party may retain the confidential information to the extent that it is required to do so by applicable law or regulation, or if such confidential information has been created in accordance with automatic electronic archiving procedures. Any confidential information that is retained by the receiving Party in accordance with the above will continue to be subject to the confidentiality obligations of the Contract until such confidential information is returned or destroyed.
14. Right of withdrawal in case of solicitation
If the Customer has been solicited by Spendesk within the meaning of article L. 341-1 of the CMF, and subject to the exceptions provided for by the regulations, the Customer has, in accordance with article L. 341-16 of the CMF, a right of withdrawal that it can exercise within a maximum period of fourteen (14) full calendar days from the date of acceptance of the Contract, without having to justify reasons or incur any penalties.
The exercise of the right of withdrawal within the period referred to above entails the automatic termination of the Contract.
The Customer may exercise its right of withdrawal by using the form in Annex 2 of the General Terms and Conditions, or by any other notification of its choice. In the latter case, its statement must be unambiguous and clearly express the Customer's desire to withdraw.
If the Customer exercises its right of withdrawal, it is only required to pay the price corresponding to the use of the Services actually provided between the Effective Date of the Contract and that on which the right of withdrawal is exercised, excluding any penalty.
The Customer expressly consents to Spendesk providing the Services (including Payment Services) to the Customer before the end of the withdrawal period.
15. Effective Date and duration of the Contract
Unless otherwise stated in the Pricing Terms, the Contract takes effect for an indefinite period from its Effective Date until its termination under the conditions provided for in article 16.
By way of exception, the Parties can agree in the Pricing Terms specific to the Customer that the Contract is entered into for a fixed term, and from a specific Effective Date. The Contract is then tacitly renewed at its end, for new successive periods whose duration is defined in the Pricing Terms, unless one of the Parties refuses the renewal at the end of the initial term or the renewed term, by written notification with a prior notice period of one (1) month (or any other notice period specifically defined in the Pricing Terms, which will prevail where applicable).
16. Termination or term of the Contract
16.1. Termination at the Customer’s initiative
Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in the Partners' Documents, and in the case of an indefinite term Contract, the Customer may terminate the Contract at any time by giving two (2) months' notice, notifying Spendesk in the manner provided for in article 9.
Only in the case of an indefinite term Contract signed with a new Customer, no fee will be charged to the Customer for the termination notice period if the request for termination is notified by the Customer within ninety (90) days following the Effective Date of the Contract.
16.2. Termination at Spendesk’s initiative
Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary contained in the Partners' Documents, and in the case of an indefinite term Contract, Spendesk may terminate the Contract at any time by giving two (2) months' notice by notifying the Customer by any written means, and in particular by email or by message on the Platform.
By way of exception, and regardless of the Contract duration, Spendesk reserves the right to stop providing the Services to the Customer and to terminate the Contract as of right and without notice:
(i) in the event of a serious breach by the Customer and/or a User of the obligations provided for in the Contract, including, but not limited to, in case of communication of false information, exercise by the Customer of an activity that is illegal or contrary to common decency, threats against Spendesk's employees or a failure to pay;
(ii) in the event of fraudulent or abusive use of the Services by the Customer and/or a User;
(iii) in the event of a change in the applicable regulations and/or the interpretation thereof by the competent authorities which would affect the ability of Spendesk, the Partners or their service providers to provide the Services; or
(iv) in the event of termination by the Partners of one of the Partners' Documents.
In the event of immediate termination of the Contract, Spendesk will inform the Customer by any written means, and in particular by email.
16.3. Early termination of a fixed-term Contract
This article applies only to the case of a fixed-term Contract.
A fixed-term Contract may be terminated prior to its term, without associated cost for the Party terminating the Contract, only under the following conditions:
(i) termination by Spendesk in the cases provided for in article 16.2; or
(ii) termination by either Party in case of a material breach or non-performance by the other Party of any of its obligations under the Contract, after written notice of the breach or non-performance by the non-defaulting Party, and in the absence of remedy by the defaulting Party within thirty (30) days of receipt of the written notice.
The Customer can notify the early termination of the Contract in the absence of fault from Spendesk, subject to the immediate payment by the Customer of a break-up fee amounting to the total monthly payments remaining due until the term of the Contract. The Customer authorises Spendesk to debit its Account for the Fees due in this respect, under the conditions provided for in article 8.3.
In case of notice of early termination of the Contract by Spendesk for fault of the Customer under the terms of this article, the Customer will be immediately liable for all the monthly payments remaining due until the term of the Contract. The Customer authorises Spendesk to debit its Account for the Fees due in this respect, under the conditions provided for in article 8.3.
In case of notice of early termination of the Contract (a) by the Customer for Spendesk's fault under the terms of this article or (b) by Spendesk pursuant to article 16.2.(iii) or 16.2.(iv), Spendesk will promptly provide a refund proportional to the remaining contractual period of any Fees prepaid by the Customer for the Services.
16.4. Effects of termination or term
The non-renewal or termination of the Contract by the Customer or by Spendesk will result in the termination of all Services provided under the Contract, including termination of all Payment Services described in the Partners' Documents, in accordance with the termination conditions set forth therein.
Likewise, the termination by the Customer or by the Partners of all Payment Services will entail termination of the Contract on the effective termination date of the last Payment Service provided to the Customer.
The end of the Services, regardless of the cause, will automatically and as of right result in the deactivation of all Users' access to the Platform. It is the Customer’s responsibility, prior to this deactivation, to retrieve the documents, elements, data, and information that it has stored on the Platform as part of its use of the Services.
17. Third-party claims
17.1. Indemnification by Spendesk
Spendesk undertakes to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Customer and its officers, directors, employees, Affiliates and Users against any claim, action or proceeding of third parties, insofar as it is caused by the Services breaching the intellectual property rights of a third party.
Notwithstanding the terms contained in this article and article 17.4, Spendesk will not be liable for third-party claims if the alleged infringement is based on or arises from (a) the combination or use of the Services with software or other materials not provided or approved for use by Spendesk, (b) the modification of the Services by any person other than Spendesk or its employees, or (c) the use of the Services non-compliant with the documentation provided or the Contract.
17.2. Indemnification by the Customer
The Customer undertakes to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Spendesk and its officers, directors, employees and Affiliates against any claim, action or proceeding of third parties, insofar as it is caused by a breach by the Customer of its obligations under the Contract. The Customer undertakes to indemnify Spendesk for any damage that the latter may suffer, and to pay it all fees, charges and/or penalties that it may incur as a result.
17.3. Indemnification procedure
Any Party entitled to indemnification under this article (the "Indemnified Party") will comply with the following conditions in order to benefit from said indemnification:
(i) a prompt written notice by the Indemnified Party to the indemnifying Party (the "Indemnifying Party") of any third-party claim for which indemnification may be requested under this article (provided, however, that any failure or delay in providing such notice will not relieve the Indemnifying Party of its obligations, except to the extent that the failure or delay prejudices the defence of the Indemnifying Party);
(ii) a transfer to the Indemnifying Party of full control of the defence and settlement of the claim; and
(iii) a reasonable cooperation of the Indemnified Party, at the expense of the Indemnifying Party, to facilitate such defence or settlement.
Notwithstanding the above, the Indemnifying Party will not consent to the recording of a judgment or enter into any compromise or settlement agreement with respect to any third-party claim for which it defends the Indemnified Party under this article without the prior written consent of said Indemnified Party, unless such judgment, compromise, or settlement agreement:
(i) provides for the payment by the Indemnifying Party of money as sole remedy for the third party making a claim;
(ii) results in the Indemnified Party's full and general release from all liability arising from, relating to, or in connection with, the third-party claim; and
(iii) does not imply any finding or admission of a breach of law, regulation, or the rights of a third party by the Indemnified Party, and has no effect on other claims.
17.4. Other remedies of the Customer in the event of a claim from third parties
If the Services are, or, according to Spendesk, are likely to be, the subject of a third-party claim for infringement preventing the Customer's use of the Services, Spendesk may, at its sole discretion: (i) obtain for the Customer the right to continue to use the Services, (ii) replace or modify the relevant Services so that they are no longer in breach while providing substantially equivalent features, or (iii) if such solutions are not achievable on commercially reasonable terms, as determined by Spendesk, terminate the licence to use the relevant part of the Services, and promptly provide a pro rata refund of any Fees prepaid by Customer for the relevant part of the Services.
Without limiting Spendesk's obligation to indemnify the Customer in accordance with the provisions of article 17.1, the remedies provided for in this article will be the Customer's exclusive remedies with respect to third-party claims for any actual or alleged infringement by Spendesk of any third-party intellectual property right.
18. Liability
18.1. Liability limited to direct damages
Each Party’s liability under the Contract is limited to the direct damages suffered by the other Party, excluding any indirect damages.
18.2. Liability of the Customer
The Customer, acknowledging having read the characteristics and constraints, in particular technical, of all Services, is solely liable for the use of the Services by the Users.
The Customer is solely liable for the acts performed by the Users in connection with the use of the Services, including in the event of non-compliance with regulations, fraud, negligence, or abusive use of the Services. Spendesk cannot be held liable to the Customer or any third party for any fraudulent or abusive use of the Services by one or more User(s).
18.3. Liability of Spendesk
Spendesk cannot be held liable in the event of:
(i) misappropriation of Personalised Security Credentials and, more generally, any information of a sensitive nature for the Customer of which, for example, a third party might make a fraudulent use, if this misappropriation results from an action or omission of the Customer;
(ii) litigation related to the underlying relationship existing between (a) the Customer and (b) as the case may be, the Payer, the Beneficiary and/or the Acceptor, in particular in the event of breach by the Customer of its obligations towards the persons referred to in (b); or
(iii) damage suffered by the Customer resulting from an act or omission of a third party, including in the event of suspension of the Services or termination of the Contract at the request of a supervisory authority such as the ACPR.
In addition, the liability of Spendesk is limited, for all damages, to the amount of the Fees paid by the Customer during the twelve (12) calendar months preceding the event giving rise to the liability of Spendesk; it being specified that this limitation of liability does not apply (a) in the event of gross negligence or fraudulent misconduct by Spendesk and (b) in the context of the indemnification procedure provided for in article 17.1.
18.4. Force majeure
The Parties will not be liable for any damage, delay, non-performance, or partial performance of their respective obligations under the Contract resulting from a Force Majeure Event.
The obligations of the Party affected by the Force Majeure Event will be suspended without incurring any liability whatsoever.
If a Force Majeure Event prevents either Party from performing an essential obligation under the Contract for a period of more than five (5) consecutive Business Days, the Parties will consult with a view to reaching a satisfactory solution. In the absence of agreement on such a solution within fifteen (15) Business Days following the expiry of the period of five (5) Business Days, either Party may terminate the Contract without compensation for the other Party in accordance with the provisions of article 16.
18.5. Liability of the Partners
The liability of the Partners as part of the provision of the Payment Services is provided for in the Partners’ Documents.
18.6. Third-Party Services
The Customer may choose at its discretion to integrate the Services provided by Spendesk with third-party products and services (the "Third-Party Services"). Any acquisition by the Customer of Third-Party Services is solely between the Customer and the relevant Third-Party Service provider, and Spendesk does not guarantee, support, or assume any liability or other obligation with respect to such Third-Party Services unless expressly provided otherwise in the Contract.
In the event that the Customer elects to integrate or interoperate Third-Party Services with the Services provided by Spendesk in a manner that requires Spendesk or the Platform to exchange the Customer’s data with such Third-Party Services or Third-Party Service provider, the Customer will: (a) grant Spendesk permission to allow the Third-Party Services and Third-Party Service provider to access the Customer’s data and information relating to the Customer’s use of the Services in an appropriate and necessary manner to enable the interoperability of such Third-Party Services with the Services provided by Spendesk; (b) acknowledge that any exchange of data between the Customer and any Third-Party Services is solely between the Customer and the Third-Party Service provider and is subject to the Third-Party Service provider's terms and conditions governing the use and provision of such Third-Party Services; and (c) release Spendesk from any liability for any disclosure, modification or deletion of the Customer’s data resulting from access to such data by the Third-Party Services and the Third-Party Service provider.
19. Assignment
The Customer may not assign or transfer all or part of its rights or obligations under the Contract to a third party, in any manner whatsoever.
Notwithstanding any contrary provision contained in the Partners' Documents, the Customer expressly authorises Spendesk and/or the Partners to assign to a third party all or part of their obligations under the Contract, subject to informing the Customer in advance.
20. Miscellaneous
20.1. Severability
If one or more provision(s) of the Contract are considered invalid or declared as such pursuant to a law, a regulation or following a final decision of a competent court, the other provisions will remain in full force and effect.
20.2. No waiver
Neither Party will be treated as having waived any rights by not exercising (or delaying the exercise of) any rights under the Contract.
20.3. Electronic communication
The Parties acknowledge that emails have the same probative force as written documents on paper. Consequently, emails and messages received electronically, including via the Platform, must be kept by the Parties under conditions that prevent any alteration of their form or content so as to constitute reliable copies.
20.4. Notifications
All notifications made by email in the context of executing the Contract will be sent:
with respect to the Customer: to the address of the Main User or the User concerned, as registered on the Platform; and
with respect to Spendesk: to the address support@spendesk.com.
20.5. Languages of the Contract
The Customer acknowledges and agrees that:
the language used in its pre-contractual and contractual relationship with Spendesk may be either English or French, or both, depending on the Partners' Documents applicable to the Services; and
to the extent permitted by law, (i) the French version of the General Terms and Conditions is deemed authentic for Customers registered in France and (ii) the English version of the General Terms and Conditions is deemed authentic for Customers registered outside of France; any other available translation of the General Terms and Conditions exists for information purposes only.
The Customer is informed that it can obtain at any time and free of charge from Spendesk a copy of the Contract on a durable medium.
20.6. Prior agreements
This Contract supersedes any prior oral or written agreement, and any other communications between the Customer and Spendesk relating to the subject matter of this Contract, including any confidentiality or non-disclosure agreements.
20.7. Commercial reference
The Parties are not authorised, except for any obligation imposed by applicable law or regulation, to publish or release any announcement, statement, press release or other publicity or marketing material relating to this Contract, or use the other Party's trademarks or logos without the other Party's prior written consent.
As an exception to the foregoing, Spendesk may include the Customer's name and logo as a commercial reference, including during events, in its commercial documents and on its website, in any form whatsoever, during the term of the Contract and beyond, for a period of six (6) months.
Spendesk agrees to cease such use of the Customer's name and logo as soon as possible upon receipt of a request from the Customer to logos@spendesk.com.
21. Applicable law and competent jurisdictions
21.1. Applicable law
The General Terms and Conditions are subject to French law.
The Partners' Documents are subject to the law specified in the Partners' Documents.
21.2. Competent jurisdictions
Any dispute relating in particular to the validity, interpretation, or execution of the General Terms and Conditions will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Commercial Court of Paris.
Any dispute relating in particular to the validity, interpretation, or execution of the Partners' Documents will be subject to the jurisdiction of the court(s) indicated in the Partners' Documents.