Fair Use

Fair Use Policies

( back to services )

Fair Use Policies and Terms of Service on the Internet are not the "fine print" at the bottom of the contact, they are the contract.  Read why here.

Who Owns the Internet?

The internet is not owned, operated, nor managed by any private company, government or person.  It is an enormously complex, international computer network of both governmental and non-governmental inter-operable packet switched data networks.  No one can guarantee to provide unlimited internet access, since no one can control the myriad factors involved in the global transmission of the simplest piece of information from one computer to another.  Message requests pass through many relays, hubs and service providers, are often bounced off satellites or routed half way around the world before they merely get across town.  Universal and reliable access depends upon users following a code of fair usage.  In the popular mind, the internet is "free," yet common sense tells us that there is no such thing as a free lunch.  These are the five principal areas covered by our fair use policy.

1. Spam

Spam is the term used for the transmission of mass, unsolicited, commercial email.  Spam is theft, and there is no polite word for it.  Any sending of mass, unsolicited commercial email, or hiring an outside service to do so, will be cause for immediate termination of service.  Definitions: mass– more than one; unsolicited-- without the express approval of the recipient; commercial-- with the intent of selling or advertising any goods or services.  Don't split hairs; don't take chances.  For more information, see our spam page.
2. Domain Names

The domain name system allows your website to be assigned a specific address on the internet that is cross-referenced to an easy-to-remember name.  No one can "own" a domain name any more than we can "own" the telephone number assigned to our business.  When you register a domain name you are purchasing a license to use it for a specific length of time and are subject to terms of use.  When we register and host your licensed domain name, we incur monthly fees just as  we would if we ordered a phone line for your building.  We provide domain name registration and hosting as a service for our customers.  Unlike most companies, we don't see this service as a profit opportunity.  In this manner we are able to provide a premium hosting service at a very low price.  Abusing this system by registering your name with someone else, or by failing to pay your hosting bill, or misusing your domain name in violation of the other terms of service jeopardizes our system of fair pricing.
3. Copyrights

The success of your website depends upon the fair use of other people's intellectual property.  This includes software, images, designs, and written text that is created and maintained to help you promote your business.  This property belongs to those who created it.  When you purchase services you are purchasing a license for the use of this property, but it is not yours to transfer, copy, sell or alter.
4. Inappropriate Content

Your website will be available to people of all ages from all walks of life in every corner of the globe.  Respect for the mores and standards of the broadest range of people, and the protection of children, make good moral sense and good business sense, and with us this is a firm policy.  Obviously, good taste is in the eyes of the beholder.  In this case, the "eyes" doing the beholding are ours and those of all of your visitors and their parents.
5. Search Engine Abuse

We strongly support the legitimate search engines as they fight attempts to manipulate their results.  For a fuller explanation, see our search engine page.