In this Community Guidelines Agreement (“Agreement” or “Guidelines”), “ATUS”, “we”, “us”, or “our” refers to Audio-Technica U.S., Inc. and its affiliates. ATUS provides certain services and access to our Creator Community (or the “Community”) to you subject to our Terms and Conditions of Use, Privacy Policy and the following Community Guidelines.
PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY GUIDELINES CAREFULLY BEFORE YOU CONTINUE. BY ACCESSING THE CREATOR COMMUNITY OR USING ANY OF ITS FEATURES, YOU AGREE TO ABIDE BY THESE GUIDELINES AND ARE DEEMED TO HAVE ACCEPTED THE GUIDELINES IN THEIR ENTIRETY.
- Purpose
Our mission is to provide a space that acknowledges the growing group of creators who choose to trust Audio-Technica to help their create, provide, and deliver quality content to their followings. If you use Audio-Technica products to help you bring your visions to life, whether that be through the use of our microphones or award-winning headphones, this Community was made for you. We hope that this Community will allow A-T creators to connect with each other while building a meaningful relationship with ATUS in order to create exceptional content. That being said, not all content is equally exceptional, so we have these Community Guidelines to outline what we do and do not allow within our Creator Community. These guidelines operate as our acceptable use policy, so if you find content or activity that shouldn’t be in our Community, please report it to us. We use your reports to learn and evolve our standards, and work with subject matter experts to inform and update our guidelines accordingly.
- Content Limits
Our Creator Community is not the place for antagonistic, explicit, false or misleading, harmful, hateful, or violent content or behavior. We may remove, limit, suspend, or block the distribution of such content and the account, individuals, groups and domains that create or spread it based on how much harm it causes or may cause.
We’re committed to presenting you with clear and transparent expectations that are easy to understand. If you have questions or encounter any problems within our Community, please contact us.
Adult Content
Our Creator Community is not the place for pornography of any kind. We limit the distribution of and reserve the right to remove mature and explicit content, including but not limited to:
- Fetish imagery;
- Vivid sexual descriptions;
- Graphic depictions of sexual activity; and
- Images of nudity where the poses, camera angles, or props suggest pornographic intent.
We do our best to differentiate between pornography and appropriate mature content. For example, you may share content about sexual health, breastfeeding, mastectomies, art, education and well-being with adult nudity given the non-pornographic context, but we may limit its distribution, if possible, so people don’t run into it accidentally.
Exploitation
Our community is not the place for exploitation of people or animals. We will remove or limit the distribution of content and accounts involved in practices that risk harm to people or animals, including sexual, physical, or financial exploitation. That includes:
- Sexualization or sexual exploitation of minors in any instance, including grooming, sexual remarks, or inappropriate imagery. If we find or are made aware of any such content, we will report it to the relevant authorities such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
- Non-consensual images, meaning images of a private or sexual nature obtained or published without consent. This includes revenge porn and up-skirt images.
- Adult sexual services that may involve sexual or physical exploitation or trafficking, like sex cams and escort services.
- Human trafficking, slavery, servitude and forced or compulsory labor.
- Other illegal commercial exploitation, like trading in organs or products made from human remains or body parts.
- The sale of wild animals or protected and endangered wildlife.
- Corpses, animal parts or products derived from domesticated animals, or protected and endangered wildlife, including ivory.
- Irresponsible and harmful animal tourism or otherwise exploitative practices like organized animal fighting.
Hateful Activities
Our Community is not the place for hateful content or the people and groups that promote or influence hateful activities. We limit the distribution of or remove such content and accounts, including:
- Slurs or negative stereotypes, caricatures and generalizations;
- Support for hate groups and people promoting hateful activities, prejudice and conspiracy theories;
- Condoning or trivializing violence because of a victim’s membership in a vulnerable or protected group;
- Support for white supremacy, limiting women’s rights and other discriminatory ideas;
- Hate-based conspiracy theories and misinformation, like Holocaust denial;
- Denial of an individual’s gender identity or sexual orientation, and support for conversion therapy and related programs;
- Attacks on individuals including public figures based on their membership in a vulnerable or protected group; and
- Mocking or attacking beliefs, sacred symbols, movements, or institutions of the protected or vulnerable groups identified below
Protected and vulnerable groups include: People grouped together based on their actual or perceived race, color, caste, ethnicity, immigration status, national origin, religion or faith, sex or gender identity, sexual orientation, disability or medical condition. It also includes people who are grouped together based on lower socio-economic status, age, weight or size, pregnancy or veteran status.
Misinformation
Our Community is not the place for misinformation, disinformation or the individuals or groups spreading or creating it. We remove or limit distribution of false or misleading content that may harm our or the public’s well-being, safety or trust, including:
- Medically unsupported health claims that risk public health and safety, including the promotion of false cures, anti-vaccination advice, or misinformation about public health or safety emergencies;
- False or misleading content about individuals or protected groups that promotes fear, hate or prejudice;
- False or misleading content that encourages turning individuals, groups of people, places or organizations into targets of harassment or physical violence;
- Conspiracy theories;
- Content that originates from disinformation campaigns;
- Factual information that’s published or deliberately modified to erode trust or inflict harm, such as changing or omitting of context, date or time;
- Fabricated or meaningfully manipulated visual or audio content that erodes trust or causes harm;
- False or misleading content that impedes an election’s integrity or an individual’s or group’s civic participation, including registering to vote, voting and being counted in a census;
- False or misleading information about the dates, times, location and procedure for voting or census participation;
- Content that misleads voters about how to correctly fill-out and submit a ballot, including a mail-in ballot, or census form;
- False or misleading information about who can vote or participate in the census and what information must be provided to participate;
- False or misleading statements about who is collecting information and/or how it will be used;
- False or misleading information about public safety that is intended to deter people from exercising their right to vote or participate in a census;
- Content that encourages or instructs voters or participants to misrepresent themselves or illegally participate;
- Content apparently intended to delegitimize election results on the basis of false or misleading claims; and
- Threats against voting locations, census or voting personnel, voters or census participants, including intimidation of vulnerable or protected group voters or participants.
Harassment and Criticism
Our Creator Community is not the place to insult, hurt or antagonize individuals or groups of people. There are good reasons to express criticism, but we may limit the distribution of or remove insulting content to keep our Community a positive, inspiring and welcoming place; this includes:
- Manipulated images intended to degrade or shame;
- Shaming people for their bodies or assumed sexual or romantic history;
- Sexual remarks about people’s bodies and solicitations or offers of sexual acts;
- Criticisms involving name-calling, profanity and other insulting language or imagery; and
- Mocking someone for experiencing sadness, grief, loss or outrage.
- Content Safety
We want this Community to be a safe place for all members, so we have provided the following guidelines to help you protect yourself and to foster a positive and safe community.
Private Information
We do not allow content that reveals personal or sensitive information. We may remove:
- Personal identification (ID) and passport information;
- Private contact information and addresses;
- Online login information (usernames and passwords);
- Private photos of people where said people do not want the photos posted online; and
- Personal financial or medical history.
If you come across unwanted photos of or information about you, you can reach out to us at any time to report a policy violation.
Self-Injury and Harmful Behavior
Our Creator Community is not a place for content that displays, rationalizes or encourages suicide, self-injury, eating disorders or substance abuse. We will limit the distribution of or remove such content, including:
- Self-harm instructions;
- Quotes or posts that glorifies suicidal thinking;
- Graphic or otherwise triggering imagery or descriptions of self-harm;
- Promotion of self-harm;
- Mocking of people who self-harm or who have attempted or died by suicide;
- Images of accessories used to self-harm;
- Negative self-talk and insensitive humor about self-harming behavior; and
- Suicide pacts, challenges and hoaxes.
If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts or is considering hurting themselves, the Suicide Prevention Lifeline provides 24/7, free and confidential support for people in distress, and prevention and crisis resources. You can contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline by calling 800-273-8255 for immediate support.
Graphic Violence and Threats
Our Community is not a place for graphic violence or threatening language. We limit the distribution of or remove such content, including:
- Content that shows the use of violence;
- Disturbing scenes from before or after violent events; and
- Threats or language that glorifies violence.
In a few rare cases, we may allow the saving of disturbing images dedicated to remembrance and advocacy, but may limit distribution of such content on public forums within the Community.
Violent Actors
Our Creator Community is not a place for violent content, groups or individuals. We limit the distribution of or remove content and accounts that encourage, praise, promote, or provide aid to dangerous actors or groups and their activities. This includes:
- Extremists;
- Terrorist organizations; and
- Gangs and other criminal organizations.
We work with industry, government and security experts to help us identify these groups, when necessary.
Dangerous Goods and Activities
Our Creator Community is not a place for trading or selling of certain regulated goods – products or substances that can cause harm when used, altered or manufactured irresponsibly – or for the display or encouragement of dangerous activities. We limit the distribution of or remove such content and accounts, including:
- Individuals and unlicensed retailers offering to sell, purchase or trade alcohol, tobacco, drugs and weapons, including firearms and accessories, firearm parts or attachments, or ammunition;
- Content from or about unverified, unapproved or rogue online pharmacies;
- Offers, attempts, or instructions to bypass purchasing laws and regulation;
- Instructions for creating lethal or toxic substances;
- Instructions for creating lethal weapons, like bombs or grenades, including 3d printed weapons;
- Commercial sales of illegal drugs, associated products and paraphernalia;
- Commercial sales of certain weapons and attachments; and
- Harmful pranks or challenges that risk imminent physical harm or extreme emotional distress, especially if showing or encouraging the participation of minors.
Harmful or Deceptive Products & Practices
Our Community is not a place for practices and products that may be harmful or deceptive. We limit the distribution of or remove such content and accounts, including, but not limited to:
- Instructions and products for hacking or breaching security measures;
- Online gambling and lotteries;
- Counterfeit documents;
- Privacy violating products or services; and
- Exploitative financial practices.
Impersonation
We do not allow accounts that impersonate or misrepresent their affiliation with any person or organization. If you have a fan or commentary account for a public figure, brand, or organization, make it clear through your username or profile that you aren’t officially affiliated with them.
Comments
All of our Community Guidelines apply in comments posted underneath content or other posts. In addition, We may remove comments that violate our guidelines, including those that contain:
- Irrelevant or non-purposeful material;
- Spam;
- Sexually explicit content;
- Self-harm content;
- Misinformation;
- Hateful activities;
- Harassment or privacy violations; and/or
- Copyright or trademark infringement.
- Privacy Policy
Our Creator Community Privacy Policy explains how we treat your personal information that we collect and how we protect your privacy when you engage in the Community.
ATUS may collect your information that is voluntarily provided by you or with your permission. For example, we may ask you for information, such as your phone number and e-mail address, when you apply to be apart of our Creator Community. When you provide information to ATUS in connection with your access to or use of the Community, you agree to provide only true, accurate, current, and complete information.
In addition to these Guidelines, your personally identifiable information obtained by us from this Site is subject to our Privacy Policy. For more information, please see our Creator Community Privacy Policy.
- Intellectual Property and Other Rights
To respect the rights of people within and without of the Community, please:
- Do not infringe anyone’s intellectual property, privacy or other rights.
- Do not do anything or post any content that violates any laws or regulations.
- Do not use the ATUS logo or trademark in a way that confuses people or goes against our brand guidelines.
- Community Security and Access
To protect our Creator Community and that platform it may be facilitated through, we ask that you please:
- Do not access, use or tamper with our systems or our technical providers’ systems.
- Do not break or circumvent our security measures or test the vulnerability of our systems or networks, or those of our technical providers’ systems or networks,
- Do not use any undocumented or unsupported method to access, search, scrape, download or change any part of the Community.
- Do not try to reverse engineer our software or any software of our technical providers.
- Do not collect or store personally identifiable information from ATUS or people within the Community without proper permission.
- Do not share any passwords, let anyone access any applicable accounts or do anything that might put your account at risk.
- Do not attempt to buy or sell access to your account, boards, or usernames, or otherwise transfer account features for compensation.
You cannot access the Creator Community if it would be prohibited by US sanctions. Personal accounts and business accounts are currently not available in North Korea. Business accounts are currently not available in Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea or Syria.
- Spam
We want the content and engagement within the Community to be high-quality and useful, so we remove spam when we find it. We ask that you be considerate of others’ experiences within the Community and refrain from spamming or engaging in spam-like behavior.
Our guidelines around spam are:
- Do not use automation that has not been explicitly approved by ATUS. This includes unauthorized services that automatically perform actions on your behalf.
- Do not create or operate accounts that are not authentic, create accounts en masse, or create new accounts for the purpose of violating these guidelines.
- Do not create or share content that is repetitive, deceptive, or irrelevant in an attempt to make money.
- In general, do not attempt to make money from other Creators or Community traffic in ways that are misleading, detract from the Community experience, or in way that do not add value to members of the Community.
- Do not provide links or access links that are unsafe, deceptive, untrustworthy, unoriginal, or that facilitate or encourage spam. External links should have original content that adds unique value for Creators.
- Do not send unsolicited messages or make irrelevant comments in bulk, especially when these are deceptive or commercial in nature.
- Do not attempt to artificially manipulate distribution, clicks or other metrics, including but not limited to: buying or selling engagement, “stuffing” irrelevant keywords, generating inauthentic traffic, redirecting Creators to competing platforms, using fake or compromised accounts to perform coordinated actions.
- Do not attempt to evade any anti-spam systems, for example, by using shorteners, redirects or intermediate websites to obscure a link’s final destination.
- Third-Party Paid Partnership Guidelines
What is a Paid Partnership?
We define a Paid Partnership as any sponsored or branded content within the Community that features or is influenced by a business partner for an exchange of value, such as if a business partner has paid or otherwise incentivized a Creator to create and share certain content.
Paid Partnership Guidelines
All Paid Partnerships must disclose the commercial nature of their content. In addition to abiding by the Community Guidelines, users that participate in Paid Partnerships are responsible for complying with:
- All applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to, all advertising laws and Federal Trade Commission regulations including the FTC’s Endorsement Guidelines.
- All applicable disclosures required to indicate the commercial nature of your content (such as the use of the term “ad” or #ad to indicate that your content is a Paid Partnership).
To prevent inauthentic content and behavior:
- Make sure you are posting relevant content to Community discussions.
- Keep the content of your posts high-quality and avoid spam-like behavior.
- Share content you have an authentic interest in.
- Do not incentivize or pay people to distribute content in large volumes or in spam-like ways.
- Affiliate Guidelines
Affiliate links help content Creators measure the impact of their contributions and get paid for the work that they do to facilitate engagement in the Community. However, affiliate programs can be targeted by spammers trying to make money by abusing the program and manipulating the Community platform.
Our guidelines for affiliates are as follows:
- Always follow our Paid Partnership Guidelines above.
- In general, you should operate only one Creator account. That account should be your authentic presence within the Community.
- Affiliate content should be original and add unique value to the Community.
- Be transparent about the commercial nature of your content and about your links and behavior. Some shortener services may not currently be supported on the platform hosting the Community. If your link is blocked, you can edit or recreate your post.
- Do not try to artificially manipulate applicable algorithms or Community traffic. Some examples of
prohibited behavior include:
- Using fake accounts to create or share your affiliate links.
- Asking other users to share your affiliate links in a quid pro quo.
- Asking other users to create posts with links that include your affiliate identifier.
- Creating affiliate posts repetitively or in large volumes – marketers should follow our spam policy and use affiliate links in moderation.
We may remove, limit or block the distribution of content or account that violate our Affiliate Guidelines, if you have questions or encounter problems within the Community, you should contact us.
- Consequences
We will take action when we notice someone violating these guidelines. Sometimes that may means giving someone a warning; other times it means revoking certain privileges or accounts entirely. We request that all Community members report behavior that violates our guidelines to legal@atus.com.
- Agreement
This Agreement may be subject to the guidelines and policies of the specific platform that the Creator Community may be hosted on from time to time. Moreover, this Agreement is subject the ATUS Creator Community Terms and Conditions and Creator Community Privacy Policy. Nonetheless, by accessing and engaging within the Creator Community, you are considered to be in agreement with the terms and conditions listed above.
YOU HAVE READ THIS AGREEMENT AND AGREE TO ALL OF THE PROVISIONS CONTAINED ABOVE.
ATUS will use commercially reasonable efforts to promptly respond and resolve any problem or question.
© Copyright 2022, AUDIO-TECHNICA U.S., INC. All Rights Reserved.