Acceptable Use Policy

Please read the terms of this Acceptable Use Policy carefully before using the site.

(Last amended on 13th March 2019.)

What’s in these terms?

This Acceptable Use Policy sets out the standards that apply when you access content on our website, initiate or join discussion threads, post content from third-party sources, or interact with our site in any other way.

This Acceptable Use Policy is provided in a layered format so you can click through to the specific areas set out below:

Who we are and how to contact us

www.thearticle.com is a site operated by The Quad Journal Ltd (collectively referred to as “we”, “us” and “our” in this Acceptable Use Policy). We are registered in England and Wales under company number 10915953 and have our registered office at 40 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NE. Our main trading address is 40 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NE. Our VAT number is 286 8108 68. We are a limited company.

To contact us, please email info@thearticle.com or write to us at The Quad Journal Ltd (TheArticle), 40 Bowling Green Lane, London EC1R 0NE

By using our site you accept these terms

By using our site, you confirm that you accept the terms of this Acceptable Use Policy and that you agree to comply with them.

If you do not agree to these terms, you must not use our site.

We recommend that you print a copy of these terms for future reference.

There are other terms that may apply to you

Our Terms and Conditions also apply to your use of our site.

We may make changes to the terms of this policy

We amend these terms from time to time.  It is your responsibility to ensure that you understand the terms that apply whenever you use our site.

Prohibited uses

Our website is designed to stimulate and facilitate lively discussion around topics covered in the articles we publish, or published elsewhere.  We want users to engage with our content freely, but we must ensure that acceptable standards are maintained.  You may not use our site:

  • In any way that breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation.
  • In any way that is unlawful or fraudulent, or has any unlawful or fraudulent purpose or effect.
  • For the purpose of harming or attempting to harm minors in any way.
  • To send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use or re-use any material which does not comply with our content standards.
  • To transmit, or procure the sending of, any unsolicited or unauthorised advertising or promotional material or any other form of similar solicitation (spam).
  • To knowingly transmit any data, send or upload any material that contains viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time-bombs, keystroke loggers, spyware, adware or any other harmful programs or similar computer code designed to adversely affect the operation of any computer software or hardware.

You also agree:

  • Not to reproduce, duplicate, copy or re-sell any part of our site in contravention of the provisions of our site Terms and Conditions.
  • Not to access without authority, interfere with, damage or disrupt:
    • any part of our site;
    • any equipment or network on which our site is stored;
    • any software used in the provision of our site; or
    • any equipment or network or software owned or used by any third party.

Interactive services

We may from time to time provide interactive services on our site, including, without limitation:

  • Public profiles
  • Direct messages
  • Bulletin boards
  • Personal Accounts
  • E-mail newsletters

We do not actively moderate discussion threads.  Instead, we provide “report abuse” functions to enable anyone who feels acceptable standards have been breached in any way by users of our website to raise their concerns.  We will then investigate and take whatever steps we consider are appropriate.

We expressly exclude our liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of any interactive service by a user in contravention of our content standards.

Content standards

These Content Standards apply to any and all material that you contribute to our website, including comments on material contributed by others, and to any interactive services associated with it (Contributions).

The Content Standards must be complied with in spirit as well as to the letter. The standards apply to each part of any Contribution as well as to its whole.

We will determine, at our discretion, whether a Contribution breaches the Content Standards.

A Contribution must:

  • Be accurate (where it states facts).
  • Be genuinely held (where it states opinions).
  • Comply with the law applicable in England and Wales and in any country from which it is posted.

A Contribution must not:

  • Be defamatory of any person.
  • Be obscene, offensive, threatening, abusive, hateful or inflammatory, or involve any behaviour known as “trolling”.
  • Promote sexually explicit material.
  • Promote violence.
  • Promote discrimination based on race, sex (including where a person identifies as, or has transitioned or is in the process of transitioning from one sex to another), religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.
  • Infringe any copyright, database right or trade mark of any other person.
  • Be likely to deceive any person.
  • Breach any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
  • Promote any illegal activity.
  • Be in contempt of court.
  • Be threatening, abuse or invade another’s privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
  • Be likely to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm or annoy any other person.
  • Impersonate any person, or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person.
  • Give the impression that the Contribution emanates from The Quad Journal Ltd, if this is not the case.
  • Advocate, promote, incite any party to commit, or assist any unlawful or criminal act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse.
  • Contain a statement which you know or believe, or have reasonable grounds for believing, that members of the public to whom the statement is, or is to be, published are likely to understand as a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
  • Contain any advertising or promote any services
  • Contain links to any non-published articles

Breach of this policy

When we consider that a breach of this Acceptable Use Policy has occurred, we may take such action as we deem appropriate.

Failure to comply with this Acceptable Use Policy constitutes a material breach of the Terms and Conditions upon which you are permitted to use our site, and may result in our taking all or any of the following actions:

  • Immediate, temporary or permanent withdrawal of your right to use our site.
  • Immediate, temporary or permanent removal of any Contribution uploaded by you to our site.
  • Issue of a warning to you.
  • Legal proceedings against you for reimbursement of all costs on an indemnity basis (including, but not limited to, reasonable administrative and legal costs) resulting from the breach.
  • Further legal action against you.
  • Disclosure of such information to law enforcement authorities as we reasonably feel is necessary or as required by law.

We exclude our liability for all action we may take in response to breaches of this Acceptable Use Policy. The actions we may take are not limited to those described above, and we may take any other action we reasonably deem appropriate.

Which country’s laws apply to any disputes?

If you are a consumer, please note that the terms of this Acceptable Use Policy, its subject matter and its formation are governed by English law. You and we both agree that the courts of England and Wales will have exclusive jurisdiction except that if you are a resident of Northern Ireland you may also bring proceedings in Northern Ireland, and if you are resident of Scotland, you may also bring proceedings in Scotland.

If you are a business, the terms of this Acceptable Use Policy, its subject matter and its formation (and any non-contractual disputes or claims) are governed by English law. We both agree to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.