Scope forum and blog rules ("rules")

The Forum and Blog Rules (“Rules”) are set out below.  The Rules, our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use apply to every person posting or reading comments, blogs or content ("comments") made on any forum, or blog on Scope’s Website and any other part of Scope’s Website where comments can be posted (“Interactive Area”).  Each time you wish to post comments or access those parts of the Interactive Area where access is restricted to registered users you will be required to log in by providing your username and password and to indicate your continued acceptance to be bound by the Rules, Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

1.         Your Responsibilities

1.1       You agree:

1.1.1     to keep your user name and password secure at all times and to contact us by emailing response@scope.org.uk or calling 0808 800 3333 immediately if you have reason to believe that they may no longer be secure;

1.1.2     not to use any other user's identity or a false identity to log into the Interactive Area and not to impersonate any person;

1.1.3     to accept full responsibility for any comments you post in the Interactive Area;

1.1.4     only to use the Interactive Area for lawful purposes;

1.1.5     not to post harassing, inaccurate, defamatory, abusive, offensive, pornographic, racist, sexist, threatening, vulgar, obscene, hateful or otherwise inappropriate comments, or to post comments which will constitute a criminal offence or give rise to civil liability or may cause offence in relation to gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or working status, in the Interactive Area;

1.1.6     not to post in the Interactive Area personal information relating to any person under the age of 18 and not to post personal information relating to any third party without that third party’s prior consent;

1.1.7     not to post, or to accept medical advice posted, in the Interactive Area;

1.1.8     not to include in any comment a link to any website or to use the Interactive Area to advertise or offer to sell any goods or services for any commercial purpose, make any requests for money or promote chain letters without the express written permission of Scope;

1.1.9     not to post or make available any material which is protected by copyright, trade mark confidentiality or other proprietary right in the Interactive Area without the express permission of the owner of the copyright, trade mark, confidential information or any other proprietary right and you acknowledge that you will be solely liable for any damages resulting from any infringement of the same;

1.1.10   not to upload to the Interactive Area files that contain viruses or files or programs that are designed or intended to disrupt, damage or limit the functioning of any software, hardware or telecommunications equipment or to damage or obtain unauthorised access to any data or other information of Scope or any third party, and you will be solely responsible for any damages from any claims that may arise because you posted files that caused damage to the operation of another person's software, hardware or telecommunications equipment;

1.1.11   not to include personal information, including email and website links in any comments;

1.1.12   to evaluate for yourself the accuracy, completeness or usefulness of any opinion, advice or other content in the Interactive Area;

1.1.13   to inform any user of Scope’s Website from whom you collect information how you will use such information and that you, and not Scope, are collecting such information.  In such circumstances you will ensure that the user is over 18 years old and that you use such information only in accordance with that user’s consent.

2.         Complaints

2.1       Whilst ever effort is made to remove posts with, or that link to, inappropriate content, should you find anything offensive please use the report facility

2.2       If you wish to complain about anything posted in any part of the Interactive Area please email complaints@scope.org.uk, fax +44 (0)20 7619 7194 or write to Complaints Manager, Audit Unit, 6 Market Road, London, N7 9PW, England and include details of your complaint, what action you would like us to take and how we can contact you.  Please note that we will deal with the matter as we see fit, but that we will take note of your views.  We will investigate your complaint and endeavour to contact you within two working days of receiving your email, fax or letter.  If you have not heard from us within that time, please call +44 (0)20 7619 7294 and ask for the Complaints Manager.

3.         Monitoring

3.1       When users submit comments in most parts of the Interactive Area the comments are sent automatically to a holding area which is not accessible via Scope’s Website.  We will review each such comment before the comment is released for posting.  We are not obliged to release any comment for posting and may (but are not obliged to) monitor the contents of any comment whether posted or not, and edit or remove any comments which we deem to be inappropriate without giving reason or notice.

3.2       When users submit comments in some parts of the Interactive Area (such as certain blogs and special interest group areas operated by users to whom we have granted special rights) the comments are posted automatically.  We may (but are not obliged to) monitor the contents of any such part of the Interactive Area and edit or remove any comments which we deem to be inappropriate without giving reason or notice. 

3.3       By releasing a comment for posting in the Interactive Area or granting to any user special rights to post comments automatically we are not making or endorsing the comment or the user who posted the comment.

3.4       We may temporarily or permanently deny any user's access to the Interactive Area or remove any special rights granted to any user without reason or notice.

3.5       We may refer any matter to a law enforcement agency or Court of competent jurisdiction where we consider a matter is of a criminal or unlawful nature.

4.         Your Identity and Licence

4.1       You acknowledge that comments posted in the Interactive Area are not private communications and can be viewed by everybody who visits the Interactive Area, that other users will be able to identify who has posted each comment and that details of who is logged into the Interactive Area at any given time may be visible to all users.  Please log into the “My account” section of Scope’s Website in order to adjust your profile settings relating to the information which will be displayed for other users to see when you are logged into the Interactive Area or post a comment.

4.2       You must log out of the Interactive Area when you have finished posting comments to prevent anyone else accessing the Interactive Area using your log-on identity. This is particularly important where other people may use the same computer as you, such as in internet cafes.  If you do not log off, you may be deemed to be the person viewing or posting comments unless you can prove otherwise.

4.3       The technology behind Scope's Website logs users' IP addresses and uses cookies (small computer files which are placed on your computer's hard drive by our web server) so that we can track your activities whilst using Scope’s Website, including the Interactive Area, and you can move around easily around the Interactive Area once you have logged in. If you do not wish to allow us to place cookies on your computer please refer to your web browser's Help menu for instructions on how to refuse cookies. Please note that if you refuse to accept cookies you may restrict your ability to use Scope's Website.

4.4       We reserve the right to reveal your identity and contact details to any third party if we believe that you may have breached any of the Rules.

4.5       For your own safety and security, we recommend that you do not disclose personal information such as “your” credit card details, home address, email address, or phone number in the Interactive Area

4.6       By posting a comment in the Interactive Area, you are granting to us a worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free licence to display the comment and are granting to all other users of Scope’s Website the right to obtain access to such comment and to view, store and reproduce the comment for personal use and to enforce these Rules against you if you breach them.

5.         Limitation of Liability and Exclusion of Warranties

5.1       You acknowledge that the author of each comment in the Interactive Area is solely responsible for his or her own comments.

5.2       Insofar as the law permits, we shall not be liable for any loss, damage or distress incurred as a result of comments made in the Interactive Area.

5.3       We are not responsible for the accuracy, veracity or reliability of any opinion, advice or statement made in the Interactive Area and such communications shall not be considered to be reviewed, screened, monitored, edited or approved by us regardless whether the comments were released by us before they were posted in the Interactive Area.

6.         Indemnity

6.1       You acknowledge that you are responsible for any comments that you post in the Interactive Area and that if you breach any of the Rules you may be personally liable to any third party that suffers harm as a result.

6.2       You agree to indemnify and keep indemnified us, our successors and assigns, our directors, trustees, offices, employees and agents from and against all liabilities, claims, losses, costs, damages and expenses including legal fees which are reasonably incurred by us should you breach any of the Rules or arising in connection with your use of the information you read in the Interactive Area, or any introduction or collaboration that you enter into as a result of participating in the Interactive Area.

7.         General

7.1       We reserve the right to modify the Rules at any time without notice.  You are bound by any changes made to these Rules with effect from the date of the change.  If we make any substantial changes to these Rules we will notify you by posting a notice on the home page of Scope’s Website.  The current version of the Rules can be accessed by clicking on the Forum and Blog Rules link on the Forum home page.

7.2       The Rules shall be governed by and interpreted in accordance with English law.

7.3       The English Courts shall have jurisdiction to hear disputes between us.