Acceptable Use Policy

As a provider of Internet access, web site hosting, and other Internet-related services, Saturn5 offers its customers (also known as subscribers), and their customers and users, the means to acquire and disseminate a wealth of public, private, commercial, and non-commercial information. Saturn5 respects that the Internet provides a forum for free and open discussion and dissemination of information, however, when there are competing interests at issue, Saturn5 reserves the right to take certain preventative or corrective actions. In order to protect these competing interests, Saturn5 has developed an Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP"), which supplements and explains certain terms of each customer's respective service agreement and is intended as a guide to the customer's rights and obligations when utilizing Saturn5's services. This AUP will be revised from time to time. A customer's use of Saturn5's services after changes to the AUP are posted on Saturn5's web site, www.saturn5.net, will constitute the customer's acceptance of any new or additional terms of the AUP that result from those changes.

One important aspect of the Internet is that no one party owns or controls it. This fact accounts for much of the Internet's openness and value, but it also places a high premium on the judgment and responsibility of those who use the Internet, both in the information they acquire and in the information they disseminate to others. When subscribers obtain information through the Internet, they must keep in mind that Saturn5 cannot monitor, verify, warrant, or vouch for the accuracy and quality of the information that subscribers may acquire. For this reason, the subscriber must exercise his or her best judgment in relying on information obtained from the Internet, and also should be aware that some material posted to the Internet is sexually explicit or otherwise offensive. Because Saturn5 cannot monitor or censor the Internet, and will not attempt to do so, Saturn5 cannot accept any responsibility for injury to its subscribers that results from inaccurate, unsuitable, offensive, or illegal Internet communications.

When subscribers disseminate information through the Internet, they also must keep in mind that Saturn5 does not review, edit, censor, or take responsibility for any information its subscribers may create. When users place information on the Internet, they have the same liability as other authors for copyright infringement, defamation, and other harmful speech. Also, because the information they create is carried over Saturn5's network and may reach a large number of people, including both subscribers and nonsubscribers of Saturn5, subscribers' postings to the Internet may affect other subscribers and may harm Saturn5's goodwill, business reputation, and operations. For these reasons, subscribers violate Saturn5 policy and the service agreement when they, their customers, affiliates, or subsidiaries engage in the following prohibited activities:

Spamming -- Sending unsolicited bulk and/or commercial messages over the Internet (known as "spamming"). It is not only harmful because of its negative impact on consumer attitudes toward Saturn5, but also because it can overload Saturn5's network and disrupt service to Saturn5 subscribers. Also, maintaining an open SMTP relay is prohibited. When a complaint is received, Saturn5 has the discretion to determine from all of the evidence whether the email recipients were from an "opt-in" email list.

E-Mail. Users may not send unsolicited e-mail messages (i.e., not explicitly requested by the recipient), whether or not the practice causes complaints from recipients, including, without limitation, bulk commercial advertising, informational announcements, charity requests, petitions for signatures and political or religious tracts ("SPAM"), in a way that could be expected to adversely impact SATURN5.NET, including, without limitation, using an e-mail account on or through the SATURN5.NET network to send spam, or using the service of another provider to send spam or to promote a site hosted on or connected to the SATURN5.NET network, either directly or indirectly. Users may not use the SATURN5.NET network to:

• send e-mail messages that are excessive and/or intended to harass or annoy others, especially if the recipient has made a request to cease and desist;
• use the account to collect responses from unsolicited bulk or commercial e-mail sent from accounts with other providers;
• forward or otherwise propagate chain letters, whether or not such messages solicit money or other items of value, and whether or not the recipient wishes to receive such mailings;
• continue to send e-mail messages to a recipient who has indicated that he/she does not wish to receive them;
• send e-mail with forged or missing TCP/IP packet-header information;
• engage in "mailbombing" (sending large quantities of unwanted or unsolicited e-mail to individual e-mail accounts or copies of a single message to many e-mail accounts); and/or
• send or receive e-mail messages in a manner that violates the use policies of the recipient’s Internet Service Provider.

Inappropriate Software, Products and Services. Users may not transmit, promote or otherwise make available any software product or service that is either illegal or designed to violate this policy. Such software products or services include but are not limited to programs designed to send unsolicited advertisements (i.e., "spamware"), services that send unsolicited advertisements, programs designed to initiate "denial-of-service" attacks, "mailbomb" programs, and/or programs designed to gain unauthorized access to networks on the Internet.

Intellectual Property Violations -- Engaging in any activity that infringes or misappropriates the intellectual property rights of others, including copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade secrets, software piracy, and patents held by individuals, corporations, or other entities. Also, engaging in activity that violates privacy, publicity, or other personal rights of others. Saturn5 is required by law to remove or block access to customer content upon receipt of a proper notice of copyright infringement. It is also Saturn5's policy to terminate the privileges of customers who commit repeat violations of copyright laws.

Obscene Speech or Materials -- Using Saturn5's network to advertise, transmit, store, post, display, or otherwise make available child pornography or obscene speech or material. Saturn5 is required by law to notify law enforcement agencies when it becomes aware of the presence of child pornography on or being transmitted through Saturn5's network.
Defamatory or Abusive Language -- Using Saturn5's network as a means to transmit or post defamatory, harassing, abusive, or threatening language.

Forging of Headers -- Forging or misrepresenting message headers, whether in whole or in part, to mask the originator of the message.

Illegal or Unauthorized Access to Other Computers or Networks -- Accessing illegally or without authorization computers, accounts, or networks belonging to another party, or attempting to penetrate security measures of another individual's system (often known as "hacking"). Also, any activity that might be used as a precursor to an attempted system penetration (i.e. port scan, stealth scan, or other information gathering activity).

Distribution of Internet Viruses, Worms, Trojan Horses, or Other Destructive Activities -- Distributing information regarding the creation of and sending Internet viruses, worms, Trojan horses, pinging, flooding, mailbombing, or denial of service attacks. Also, activities that disrupt the use of or interfere with the ability of others to effectively use the network or any connected network, system, service, or equipment.

Facilitating a Violation of this AUP -- Advertising, transmitting, or otherwise making available any software, program, product, or service that is designed to violate this AUP, which includes the facilitation of the means to spam, initiation of pinging, flooding, mailbombing, denial of service attacks, and piracy of software.

Export Control Violations -- Exporting encryption software over the Internet or otherwise, to points outside the United States.

Usenet Groups -- Saturn5 reserves the right not to accept postings from newsgroups where we have actual knowledge that the content of the newsgroup violates the AUP.

Other Illegal Activities -- Engaging in activities that are determined to be illegal, including advertising, transmitting, or otherwise making available ponzi schemes, pyramid schemes, fraudulently charging credit cards, and pirating software.

Other Activities -- Engaging in activities, whether lawful or unlawful, that Saturn5 determines to be harmful to its subscribers, operations, reputation, goodwill, or customer relations.

As we have pointed out, the responsibility for avoiding the harmful activities just described rests primarily with the subscriber. Saturn5 will not, as an ordinary practice, monitor the communications of its subscribers to ensure that they comply with Saturn5 policy or applicable law. When Saturn5 becomes aware of harmful activities, however, it may take any action to stop the harmful activity, including but not limited to, removing information, shutting down a web site, implementing screening software designed to block offending transmissions, denying access to the Internet, or take any other action it deems appropriate.

Saturn5 also is aware that many of its subscribers are, themselves, providers of Internet services, and that information reaching Saturn5's facilities from those subscribers may have originated from a customer of the subscriber or from another third-party. Saturn5 does not require its subscribers who offer Internet services to monitor or censor transmissions or web sites created by customers of its subscribers. Saturn5 has the right to directly take action against a customer of a subscriber. Also, Saturn5 may take action against the Saturn5 subscriber because of activities of a customer of the subscriber, even though the action may effect other customers of the subscriber. Similarly, Saturn5 anticipates that subscribers who offer Internet services will cooperate with Saturn5 in any corrective or preventive action that Saturn5 deems necessary. Failure to cooperate with such corrective or preventive measures is a violation of Saturn5 policy.

Saturn5 also is concerned with the privacy of on-line communications and web sites. In general, the Internet is neither more nor less secure than other means of communication, including mail, facsimile, and voice telephone service, all of which can be intercepted and otherwise compromised. As a matter of prudence, however, Saturn5 urges its subscribers to assume that all of their on-line communications are insecure. Saturn5 cannot take any responsibility for the security of information transmitted over Saturn5's facilities.

Saturn5 will not intentionally monitor private electronic mail messages sent or received by its subscribers unless required to do so by law, governmental authority, or when public safety is at stake. Saturn5 may, however, monitor its service electronically to determine that its facilities are operating satisfactorily. Also, Saturn5 may disclose information, including but not limited to, information concerning a subscriber, a transmission made using our network, or a web site, in order to comply with a court order, subpoena, summons, discovery request, warrant, statute, regulation, or governmental request. Saturn5 assumes no obligation to inform the subscriber that subscriber information has been provided and in some cases may be prohibited by law from giving such notice. Finally, Saturn5 may disclose subscriber information or information transmitted over its network where necessary to protect Saturn5 and others from harm, or where such disclosure is necessary to the proper operation of the system.

Saturn5 expects that its subscribers who provide Internet services to others will comply fully with all applicable laws concerning the privacy of on-line communications. A subscriber's failure to comply with those laws will violate Saturn5 policy. Finally, Saturn5 wishes to emphasize that in signing the service agreement, subscribers indemnify Saturn5 for any violation of the service agreement, law, or Saturn5 policy, that results in loss to Saturn5 or the bringing of any claim against Saturn5 by any third-party. This means that if Saturn5 is sued because of a subscriber's or customer of a subscriber's activity, the subscriber will pay any damages awarded against Saturn5, plus costs and reasonable attorneys' fees.

We hope this AUP is helpful in clarifying the obligations of Internet users, including Saturn5 and its subscribers, as responsible members of the Internet. Any complaints about a subscriber's violation of this AUP should be sent to sitehelp@saturn5net.com