Reports, whether true or not, of food-borne illnesses (such as E. Coli, avian flu, bovine spongiform encephalopathy, hepatitis A, trichinosis, or salmonella) and injuries caused by food tampering or inappropriate or unsanitary food preparation, handling, or delivery, or other food safety incidents have led to potential legal claims against, and severely injured the reputations of, participants in the food business and could do so in the future as well. Further, if any such report were to affect one or more of the merchants on our platform that generate a significant percentage of our overall Marketplace GOV, it could seriously harm our business. The potential for acts of terrorism on the U.S. or international food supply also exists and, if such an event occurs, it could harm our business and results of operations. Further, food that is ordered through our platform could be subject to a recall, but we may have limited ability, if any, to ensure compliance with a food recall. In addition, reports of food-borne illnesses, food recalls, food tampering, or inappropriate or unsanitary food preparation, handling, or delivery, even those occurring solely at merchants that are not on our platform, could, as a result of negative publicity about the restaurant or grocery industry, adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations.
We also face potential liability and expense for claims, including class, collective, and other representative actions, by or relating to Dashers regarding, among other things, the classification of Dashers that utilize our platform as well as our Dasher pay model, including claims regarding disclosures we make with respect to sales tax, service fees, delivery fees, and gratuities, the process of signing up to become a Dasher, including the background check process, and the nature and frequency of our communications to Dashers via email, text, or telephone. In addition, we also face potential liability and expense for claims, including class actions, by consumers relating to, among other things, our Dasher pay model, including claims regarding disclosures we make with respect to sales tax, service fees, delivery fees, and gratuities, the local food delivery logistics services we facilitate, discrepancies between the menus on our website and consumer mobile application and the menus at the restaurant from which the food is delivered, including discrepancies in menu items and the prices of such items and taxes on such items, and the nature and frequency of our marketing communications to consumers via email, text, or telephone. See the section titled “Business—Legal Proceedings” for additional information about these types of legal proceedings.
In addition, we also face potential liability and expense for claims relating to the information that we publish on our website and mobile applications, including claims for trademark and copyright infringement, defamation, libel, and negligence, among others.
The results of any such claims, lawsuits, arbitration proceedings, government investigations, or other legal or regulatory proceedings cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. Any claims against us, whether meritorious or not, could be time-consuming, result in costly litigation, be harmful to our reputation, require significant management attention, and divert significant resources. Determining reserves for our pending litigation is a complex and fact-intensive process that requires significant subjective judgment and speculation. It is possible that a resolution of one or more such proceedings could result in substantial damages, settlement costs, fines, and penalties that could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. These proceedings could also result in harm to our reputation and brand, sanctions, consent decrees, injunctions, or other orders requiring a change in our business practices. Any of these consequences could adversely affect our business, financial condition, and results of operations. Further, under certain circumstances, we have contractual and other legal obligations to indemnify and to incur legal expenses on behalf of our business and commercial partners and current and former directors and officers.
In addition, we include arbitration and class action waiver provisions in our terms of service with the merchants, consumers, and Dashers that utilize our platform. These provisions are intended to streamline the litigation process for all parties involved, as they can in some cases be faster and less costly than litigating disputes in state or federal court. However, arbitration can be costly and
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