As a provider of web site hosting, and other Internet-related services, Centric Web®, Inc. offers its customers (also known as clients), and their customers and users, the means to acquire and disseminate a wealth of public, private, commercial, and non-commercial information. Centric Web®, Inc. respects that the Internet provides a forum for free and open discussion and dissemination of information, however, when there are competing interests at issue, Centric Web®, Inc. reserves the right to take certain preventative or corrective actions. In order to protect these competing interests, Centric Web®, Inc. has developed a Tolerable Use Policy ("TUP"), which supplements and explains certain terms of each customer's respective service agreement and is intended as a guide to the customer's rights and obligations when utilizing Centric Web®, Inc.'s services. This TUP will be revised from time to time. A customer's use of Centric Web®, Inc.'s services after changes to the TUP are posted on Centric Web®, Inc.'s web site, www.centricweb.com, will constitute the customer's acceptance of any new or additional terms of the TUP that result from those changes.
One important aspect of the Internet is that no one party owns or controls it. This fact accounts for much of the Internet's openness and value, but it also places a high premium on the judgment and responsibility of those who use the Internet, both in the information they acquire and in the information they disseminate to others. When clients obtain information through the Internet, they must keep in mind that Centric Web®, Inc. cannot monitor, verify, warrant, or vouch for the accuracy and quality of the information that clients may acquire. For this reason, the subscriber must exercise his or her best judgment in relying on information obtained from the Internet, and also should be aware that some material posted to the Internet is sexually explicit or otherwise offensive. Because Centric Web®, Inc. cannot monitor or censor the Internet, and will not attempt to do so, Centric Web®, Inc. cannot accept any responsibility for injury to its clients that results from inaccurate, unsuitable, offensive, or illegal Internet communications.
When clients disseminate information through the Internet, they also must keep in mind that Centric Web®, Inc. does not review, edit, censor, or take responsibility for any information its clients may create. When users place information on the Internet, they have the same liability as other authors for copyright infringement, defamation, and other harmful speech. Also, because the information they create is carried over Centric Web®, Inc.'s network and may reach a large number of people, including both clients and non-clients of Centric Web®, Inc., clients' postings to the Internet may affect other clients and may harm Centric Web®, Inc.'s goodwill, business reputation, and operations. For these reasons, clients violate Centric Web®, Inc. policy and the service agreement when they, their customers, affiliates, or subsidiaries engage in the following prohibited activities:
Spamming: Sending unsolicited bulk and/or commercial messages over the Internet (known as "spamming") is not only harmful because of its negative impact on consumer attitudes toward Centric Web®, Inc., but also because it can overload Centric Web®, Inc.'s network and disrupt services to Centric Web®, Inc. clients. Also, maintaining an open SMTP relay is prohibited. When a complaint is received, Centric Web®, Inc. has the discretion to determine from all of the evidence whether the email recipients were from an "opt-in" email list.
Intellectual Property Violations: Engaging in any activity that infringes, or misappropriates the intellectual property rights of others, including copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade secrets, software piracy, and patents held by individuals, corporations, or other entities. Also, engaging in activity that violates privacy, publicity, or other personal rights of others. Centric Web®, Inc. is required by law to remove or block access to customer content upon receipt of a proper notice of copyright infringement. It is also Centric Web®, Inc.'s policy to terminate the privileges of customers who commit repeat violations of copyright laws.
Obscene Speech or Material: Using Centric Web®, Inc.'s network to advertise, transmit, store, post, display, or otherwise make available child pornography or obscene speech or material. Centric Web®, Inc. is required by law to notify law enforcement agencies when it becomes aware of the presence of child pornography on or being transmitted through Centric Web®, Inc.'s network.
Defamatory or Abusive Language: Using Centric Web®, Inc.'s network as a means to transmit or post defamatory, harassing, abusive, or threatening language.
Forging of Headers: Forging or misrepresenting message headers, whether in whole or in part, to mask the originator of the message.
Illegal or Unauthorized Access to Other Computers or Networks: Accessing illegally or without authorization computers, accounts, or networks belonging to another party, or attempting to penetrate security measures of another individual's system (often known as "hacking"). It also includes any activity that might be used as a precursor to an attempted system penetration (i.e. port scan, stealth scan, or other information gathering activity).
Distribution of Internet Viruses, Worms, Trojan Horses, or Other Destructive Activities: Distributing information regarding the creation of and sending Internet viruses, worms, Trojan horses, pinging, flooding, mass mailing, or denial of service attacks. Also, activities that disrupt the use of or interfere with the ability of others to effectively use the network or any connected network, system, service, or equipment.
Facilitating a Violation of this TUP: Advertising, transmitting, or otherwise making available any software, program, product, or service that is designed to violate this TUP, which includes the facilitation of the means to spam, initiation of pinging, flooding, mass mailing, denial of service attacks, and piracy of software.
Export Control Violations: Exporting encryption software over the Internet or otherwise, to points outside the United States.
Usenet Groups: Centric Web®, Inc. reserves the right not to accept postings from newsgroups where we have actual knowledge that the content of the newsgroup violates the TUP.
Other Illegal Activities: Engaging in activities that are determined to be illegal, including advertising, transmitting, or otherwise making available Ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, fraudulently charging credit cards, and pirating software.
Other Activities: Engaging in activities, whether lawful or unlawful, that Centric Web®, Inc. determines to be harmful to its clients, operations, reputation, goodwill, or customer relations.
As we have pointed out, the responsibility for avoiding the harmful activities just described rests primarily with the clients. Centric Web®, Inc. will not, as an ordinary practice, monitor the communications of its clients to ensure that they comply with Centric Web®, Inc. policy or applicable law. When Centric Web®, Inc. becomes aware of harmful activities, however, it may take any action to stop the harmful activity, including but not limited to, removing information, shutting down a web site, implementing screening software designed to block offending transmissions, denying access to the Internet, or take any other action it deems appropriate.
Centric Web®, Inc. also is aware that many of its clients are, themselves, providers of Internet services, and that information reaching Centric Web®, Inc.'s facilities from those clients may have originated from a customer of the subscriber or from another third-party. Centric Web®, Inc. does not require its clients who offer Internet services to monitor or censor transmissions or web sites created by customers of its clients. Centric Web®, Inc. has the right to directly take action against a customer of a subscriber. Also, Centric Web®, Inc. may take action against the Centric Web®, Inc. subscriber because of activities of a customer of the subscriber, even though the action may effect other customers of the subscriber. Similarly, Centric Web®, Inc. anticipates that clients who offer Internet services will cooperate with Centric Web®, Inc. in any corrective or preventive action that Centric Web®, Inc. deems necessary. Failure to cooperate with such corrective or preventive measures is a violation of Centric Web®, Inc. policy.
Centric Web®, Inc. also is concerned with the privacy of on-line communications and web sites. In general, the Internet is neither more nor less secure than other means of communication, including mail, facsimile, and voice telephone service, all of which can be intercepted and otherwise compromised. As a matter of prudence, however, Centric Web®, Inc. urges its clients to assume that all of their on-line communications are insecure. Centric Web®, Inc. cannot take any responsibility for the security of information transmitted over Centric Web®, Inc.'s facilities.
Centric Web®, Inc. will not intentionally monitor private electronic mail messages sent or received by its clients unless required to do so by law, governmental authority, or when public safety is at stake. Centric Web®, Inc. may, however, monitor its service electronically to determine that its facilities are operating satisfactorily. Also, Centric Web®, Inc. may disclose information, including but not limited to, information concerning a subscriber, a transmission made using our network, or a web site, in order to comply with a court order, subpoena, summons, discovery request, warrant, statute, regulation, or governmental request. Centric Web®, Inc. assumes no obligation to inform the subscriber that subscriber information has been provided and in some cases may be prohibited by law from giving such notice. Finally, Centric Web®, Inc. may disclose subscriber information or information transmitted over its network where necessary to protect Centric Web®, Inc. and others from harm, or where such disclosure is necessary to the proper operation of the system.
Centric Web®, Inc. expects that its clients who provide Internet services to others will comply fully with all applicable laws concerning the privacy of on-line communications. A subscriber's failure to comply with those laws will violate Centric Web®, Inc. policy. Finally, Centric Web®, Inc. wishes to emphasize that in signing the service agreement, clients indemnify Centric Web®, Inc. for any violation of the service agreement, law, or Centric Web®, Inc. policy, that results in loss to Centric Web®, Inc. or the bringing of any claim against Centric Web®, Inc. by any third-party. This means that if Centric Web®, Inc. is sued because of a subscriber's or customer of a subscriber's activity, the subscriber will pay any damages awarded against Centric Web®, Inc., plus costs and reasonable attorneys' fees.
We hope this TUP is helpful in clarifying the obligations of Internet users, including Centric Web®, Inc. and its clients, as responsible members of the Internet. Any complaints about a subscriber's violation of this TUP should be sent to info@centricweb.com.
