Acceptable Use Policy

All users ("you") of the network services (the "Services") of Method Technologies, Inc. ("Method Technologies" or "we") must comply with this Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP"). Method Technologies does not actively monitor, censor, or directly control any information that is stored or transmitted through the Services. We do not exercise editorial control over any content or uses of the Services, except for our proprietary websites. But we reserve the right to delete any material, at our sole discretion, that may be illegal, may subject us to liability, or violates the rules of this AUP. Violation of the rules of this AUP may result in any action detailed in this AUP in addition to suspension or termination of your Services. Furthermore, we expressly reserve our rights under the law to take any other actions we deem necessary. You remain solely liable for your use of the Services and any content that you upload, download, or transmit through them. You must exercise best efforts to ensure the security and integrity of your network or systems used to access the Services.

Illegal Use

The Services may be used only for lawful purposes. Transmission, distribution or storage of any material in violation of any applicable law or regulation, whether intentional or unintentional, is prohibited. This includes, without limitation, material protected by copyright, trademark, trade secret or other intellectual property or proprietary right used without proper authorization, and material that is obscene, defamatory, constitutes an illegal threat, or violates export control laws.

System and Network Security

Violations of system or network security are prohibited, and may result in criminal and civil liability. Method Technologies will investigate incidents involving such violations and may involve and will cooperate with law enforcement if a criminal violation is suspected.

Examples of system or network security violations include, without limitation, the following:

1. Unauthorized access to or use of data, systems or networks, including any attempt to probe, scan or test the vulnerability of a system or network or to breach security or authentication measures without express authorization of the owner of the system or network.
2. Unauthorized monitoring of data or traffic on any network or system without express authorization of the owner of the system or network.
3. Interference with Services to any user, host or network including, without limitation, mail-bombing, flooding, deliberate attempts to overload a system, and broadcast attacks.
4. Forging of any Internet Protocol packet header or any part of the header information in an email or a newsgroup posting.

Email and Newsgroups

Sending unsolicited mail messages, including, without limitation, commercial advertising and informational announcements, is explicitly prohibited. You shall not use another site's mail server to relay mail without the express permission of the site. Posting the same or similar message to one or more newsgroups (excessive cross-posting or multiple-posting, also known as "SPAM") is explicitly prohibited. YOUR ACCOUNT WILL BE TERMINATED WITHOUT WARNING FOR ANY SPAM VIOLATION! Method Technologies, in its absolute discretion, will be the sole arbiter as to what constitutes a violation of this provision. This also includes Opt-in Opt-out mail programs and mail that either directly or indirectly references a domain contained within an account with Method Technologies. In the event of a violation the Customer may be charged an IP Space Cleanup Fee to restore the reputation of internet addresses assigned to the Customer. Method Technologies, in its sole discretion, will determine the amount of this fee, which may vary according to the severity of the incident and the number of addresses allocated to the Customer.

INDIRECT OR ATTEMPTED VIOLATIONS OF THE POLICY, AND ACTUAL OR ATTEMPTED VIOLATIONS BY A THIRD PARTY ON BEHALF OF A METHOD TECHNOLOGIES' CLIENT OR A CLIENT'S END USER, SHALL BE CONSIDERED VIOLATIONS OF THE POLICY BY SUCH CLIENT OR END USER.

Running Unconfirmed Mailing Lists

Subscribing email addresses to any mailing list without the express and verifiable permission of the email address owner is prohibited. All mailing lists must be Closed-loop ("Confirmed Opt-in"). The subscription confirmation message received from each address owner must be kept on file for the duration of the existence of the mailing list. Activities that have the effect of facilitating unsolicited commercial e-mail or unsolicited bulk e-mail, whether or not that e-mail is commercial, are prohibited. Purchasing lists of email addresses from third parties for mailing to or from Method Technologies' hosted domain, or referencing any Method Technologies account, is prohibited.

Advertising, transmitting, or otherwise making available any software, program, product, or service that is designed to violate this Acceptable Usage Policy or the Acceptable Usage Policy of any other Internet Service Providers ("ISPs"), which includes, but is not limited to, the facilitation of the means to send Unsolicited Bulk Email, initiation of pinging, flooding, mail-bombing, and denial of service attacks, is prohibited. Engaging in any other activity that adversely affects the ability of other people or systems to use the Services or the Internet is prohibited.

Email address cultivating, or any unauthorized collecting of email addresses without prior notification of the email address owner, is strictly prohibited.

Operating an account on behalf of, or in connection with, or reselling any service to, persons or firms listed in the Spamhaus Register of Known Spam Operations (ROKSO) database at www.spamhaus.org is prohibited.

Other Prohibited Uses

The following additional uses of the Services are not allowed:

1. Harming, or attempting to harm, minors in any way.
2. Transmitting any material that threatens or encourages bodily harm or destruction of property or harasses another.
3. Disseminating or posting harmful content including, without limitation, viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time bombs, zombies, cancelbots or any other computer programming routines that may damage, interfere with, secretly intercept or seize any system, program, data or personal information.
4. Making fraudulent offers to sell or buy products, items, or services or to advance any type of financial scam such as "pyramid schemes", "Ponzi schemes", and "chain letters".
5. Transmitting any unsolicited commercial e-mail or unsolicited bulk e-mail.
6. Penetrating, or attempting to penetrate, security measures of ISP's or another entity's computer software or hardware, electronic communications system, or telecommunications system, whether or not the intrusion results in the corruption or loss of data.
7. Collecting, or attempting to collect, personal information about third parties without their knowledge or consent.
8. Reselling the Services without Method Technologies' authorization.

Violations of this AUP

Method Technologies may access, use, and disclose information regarding your use of the Services to: (1) comply with the law; (2) enforce or apply our Hosting Services Agreements; (3) initiate, render, bill, and collect for services; (4) protect our rights or property and those of our customers; or (5) protect users of those services and other carriers from fraudulent, abusive, or unlawful use of such services.

In addition to the actions described elsewhere in this AUP, Method Technologies, in its sole discretion, may take any one or more of the following actions in response to complaints:

1. Issue warnings: written or verbal;
2. Suspend your privileges;
3. Suspend your account;
4. Terminate your account;
5. Bill your for administrative costs and/or reactivation charges; and/or
6. Bring legal action to enjoin violations and/or to collect damages, if any, caused by violations.

Revisions to this Acceptable Use Policy

Method Technologies reserves the right to revise, amend, or modify this AUP and our other policies and agreements at any time and in any manner. Any modifications are effective upon posting. By using the Services, you are agreeing to comply with the most recent AUP, so users should refer to the current version as posted.