Acceptable Use Policy

Purpose

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP" or "Policy") governs the use of the Novitora file conversion platform, website, API, and all related services (collectively, the "Services") provided by Uptraff Ltd ("Novitora", "we", "us", "our"), a company registered in England and Wales.

This Policy is designed to protect Novitora, our users, and the broader internet community from irresponsible, harmful, or illegal activity. It forms part of our Terms of Service, and all users of our Services are bound by its terms.

Important: By accessing or using our Services, you agree to comply with this Acceptable Use Policy. Violation of this Policy may result in immediate suspension or termination of your access to the Services, and may be reported to relevant law enforcement authorities where appropriate.

Definitions

1. "User" refers to any individual, organisation, or automated system that accesses or uses our Services
2. "Content" refers to any files, data, text, images, audio, video, or other material uploaded to, processed by, or generated through our Services
3. "Services" refers to the Novitora website at novitora.com, our file conversion tools, API, mobile applications, and any related products or features

Scope

This Policy applies to:

1. All use of our website and file conversion platform at novitora.com
2. All API access and integrations
3. All files uploaded for conversion or processing
4. All communications conducted through our platform
5. All accounts created on our platform

Prohibited activities

The following activities are strictly prohibited when using our Services. This list is not exhaustive, and Novitora reserves the right to determine, in its sole discretion, whether any use violates this Policy.

Illegal activities

You must not use our Services to:

1. Engage in, facilitate, or promote any activity that violates applicable local, national, or international law, including but not limited to the laws of England and Wales and the United Kingdom
2. Process, store, or distribute material that constitutes or facilitates child sexual abuse material (CSAM) or the exploitation of minors in any form
3. Facilitate money laundering, terrorist financing, or sanctions evasion
4. Engage in fraud, identity theft, phishing, or other deceptive practices
5. Violate intellectual property rights, including copyright, trademark, patent, or trade secret rights of any third party
6. Circumvent export control laws or economic sanctions imposed by the UK, EU, United States, or United Nations
7. Facilitate illegal gambling, unlicensed financial services, or the sale of controlled substances
8. Create, distribute, or store content that constitutes illegal hate speech or incitement to violence under the laws of England and Wales

Harmful or abusive activities

You must not use our Services to:

1. Harass, bully, intimidate, or threaten any individual or group
2. Distribute unsolicited bulk communications (spam) or commercial messages
3. Impersonate any person, organisation, or entity, or falsely represent your affiliation with any person, organisation, or entity
4. Create or distribute deepfakes or manipulated media intended to deceive or cause harm
5. Engage in doxxing, the non-consensual sharing of private personal information
6. Promote self-harm, suicide, eating disorders, or other dangerous behaviours
7. Distribute malicious software, viruses, trojans, worms, ransomware, or any other harmful code
8. Operate pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing scams, or other fraudulent business models through our platform

Content restrictions

Prohibited Content

You must not upload, process, convert, store, or distribute any Content through our Services that:

1. Is unlawful: Violates any applicable law, regulation, or legal obligation
2. Is infringing: Violates the intellectual property rights of any third party, including copyrighted material for which you do not hold a valid licence or permission
3. Is harmful: Contains malware, viruses, or any code designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorised access to computer systems
4. Is abusive: Constitutes harassment, threats, defamation, or hate speech directed at any individual or group based on protected characteristics including race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or age
5. Exploits minors: Depicts, promotes, or facilitates the sexual exploitation or abuse of children in any form
6. Is deceptive: Is designed to mislead, defraud, or deceive others, including phishing materials, forged documents, or fraudulent credentials
7. Violates privacy: Contains personal data of individuals collected or processed without appropriate legal basis or consent, in violation of the UK GDPR, EU GDPR, or other applicable data protection legislation
8. Is obscene: Constitutes obscene material as defined under the Obscene Publications Act 1959 of England and Wales

Intellectual property

1. You must have all necessary rights, licences, and permissions for any Content you upload to our Services
2. You are solely responsible for ensuring that your use of our file conversion services does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party
3. We respect the intellectual property rights of others and expect our users to do the same
4. We will respond to valid notices of alleged copyright infringement in accordance with applicable law
5. Repeat infringers may have their accounts terminated

File size and type restrictions

1. You must comply with any file size limitations published on our platform or in our documentation
2. You must not attempt to upload file types that are not supported by our conversion services
3. You must not disguise file types or use misleading file extensions to circumvent our security controls
4. You must not upload encrypted or password-protected files that contain prohibited content

System abuse

Resource abuse

You must not:

1. Use our Services in a manner that consumes a disproportionate amount of system resources, bandwidth, storage, or processing capacity
2. Submit excessively large files or an unreasonable volume of conversion requests with the intent to degrade service performance
3. Use automated tools, scripts, or bots to access our Services in a manner that exceeds reasonable use, unless explicitly authorised through our API with appropriate rate limits
4. Attempt to circumvent usage quotas, rate limits, file size restrictions, or other limitations imposed on your account
5. Resell, redistribute, or sublicense access to our Services without our prior written consent
6. Misuse our free tier, or any free trial we may offer, to circumvent the limitations that apply to it

Account abuse

You must not:

1. Create multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions, bans, or usage limitations
2. Share account credentials with unauthorised third parties
3. Use automated systems to create accounts in bulk
4. Transfer your account to another party without our written consent
5. Provide false, misleading, or inaccurate information during account registration
6. Use another person's account without their explicit permission and our authorisation

API abuse

You must not:

1. Exceed the rate limits applicable to your API access
2. Use the API to scrape, mine, or extract data from our platform for purposes unrelated to file conversion
3. Attempt to reverse-engineer our API or underlying conversion algorithms
4. Use API access to build a competing service or product
5. Share API keys or authentication tokens with unauthorised parties
6. Fail to implement reasonable error handling and retry logic, resulting in excessive failed requests

Security violations

Unauthorised access

You must not:

1. Access or attempt to access any systems, networks, data, or accounts for which you do not have authorisation
2. Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of our systems or networks without prior written permission from Novitora
3. Exploit any security vulnerability in our Services, whether known or discovered, without first reporting it through our responsible disclosure programme
4. Bypass, disable, or circumvent any security measures, authentication mechanisms, or access controls implemented by Novitora
5. Intercept, monitor, or capture network traffic or data transmissions not intended for you

Data security

You must not:

1. Attempt to access, view, or obtain personal data or files belonging to other users
2. Scrape, harvest, or collect user information, email addresses, or other personal data from our platform
3. Attempt to decrypt, decompile, or reverse-engineer any encrypted or protected data processed by our Services
4. Interfere with or compromise the integrity of data stored on or processed by our systems
5. Delete, alter, or tamper with audit logs, access records, or monitoring data

Credential security

You must:

1. Keep all account credentials, API keys, and authentication tokens confidential and secure
2. Use strong, unique passwords for your Novitora account
3. Enable multi-factor authentication where available
4. Immediately notify us at legal@novitora.com if you suspect your credentials have been compromised
5. Regularly rotate API keys and tokens in accordance with security best practices

Network abuse

Prohibited network activities

You must not:

1. Launch or facilitate denial-of-service (DoS) or distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks against our Services or any third-party systems
2. Send, distribute, or facilitate the sending of unsolicited bulk email, messages, or communications through our Services
3. Operate open proxies, open relays, or Tor exit nodes using our infrastructure
4. Engage in IP address spoofing, packet manipulation, or forging of TCP/IP headers
5. Conduct port scanning, network enumeration, or vulnerability scanning against our systems without explicit written authorisation
6. Use our Services to relay traffic for the purpose of obscuring the origin of malicious activity
7. Establish covert channels or tunnels through our infrastructure for unauthorised data exfiltration

Traffic and bandwidth

1. You must not generate artificial or excessive traffic to our Services
2. You must not use our Services as a content distribution network or file hosting service beyond the scope of file conversion
3. You must not use our platform to host or serve files for purposes unrelated to file conversion
4. You must not use our Services to mirror or proxy third-party content

Compliance with laws

General legal compliance

You are responsible for ensuring that your use of our Services complies with all applicable laws and regulations, including but not limited to:

1. Data Protection: The UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (EU GDPR), and any other applicable data protection or privacy legislation
2. Intellectual Property: Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, Trade Marks Act 1994, and applicable international intellectual property treaties
3. Export Controls: UK Export Control Act 2002, EU export control regulations, and any applicable sanctions or embargo laws
4. Consumer Protection: Consumer Rights Act 2015 and applicable consumer protection regulations
5. Electronic Communications: Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003 (PECR)
6. Online Safety: The Online Safety Act 2023 and associated regulations
7. Anti-Bribery: Bribery Act 2010

Regulatory requirements

1. If you are subject to industry-specific regulations (such as financial services, healthcare, or legal professional regulations), you are responsible for ensuring that your use of our Services complies with those regulations
2. You must not use our Services in any manner that would cause Novitora to violate applicable law or regulation
3. You must cooperate with Novitora in responding to any legal or regulatory enquiry related to your use of our Services

International use

1. Our Services are operated from the United Kingdom, but are accessible internationally
2. You are responsible for compliance with the laws of your jurisdiction when accessing our Services
3. You must not access our Services from any jurisdiction where doing so would be prohibited by law
4. You must comply with all applicable cross-border data transfer requirements

Monitoring and enforcement

Our monitoring rights

Novitora reserves the right, but does not assume the obligation, to:

1. Monitor the use of our Services for violations of this Policy
2. Investigate any suspected violation of this Policy
3. Employ automated systems to scan uploaded files for malware, prohibited content, or other policy violations
4. Review access logs, usage patterns, and account activity to detect abuse
5. Cooperate with law enforcement agencies, regulatory authorities, or court orders requiring disclosure of information related to your use of our Services

Automated scanning

1. Files uploaded to our platform may be automatically scanned for malware, viruses, and other security threats
2. We may employ hash-matching technology to detect known prohibited content, such as CSAM
3. Automated scanning is conducted for security and legal compliance purposes and is not used to monitor the substantive content of your files beyond these purposes
4. You acknowledge and consent to this automated scanning as a condition of using our Services

Transparency

1. We will be transparent about our enforcement practices to the extent permitted by law
2. We may publish transparency reports on our enforcement actions from time to time
3. We will notify affected users of enforcement actions taken against their accounts, except where prohibited by law or where notification would compromise an ongoing investigation

Reporting violations

How to report

If you become aware of any violation of this Acceptable Use Policy, we encourage you to report it to us promptly. You may report violations through the following channels:

1. Abuse and illegal content: abuse@novitora.com
2. All other policy enquiries: legal@novitora.com
3. Subject Line: AUP Violation Report
4. Postal Address: Uptraff Ltd, 124 City Road, London, England, EC1V 2NX

If you believe Content processed through our Services is illegal, or that someone is at risk of harm, write to the abuse address above and say so in the subject line so that your report is prioritised. If someone is in immediate danger, contact your local emergency services first.

Information to include

When reporting a violation, please include:

1. Your name and contact information
2. A detailed description of the suspected violation
3. The URL, file, account, or other identifier related to the violation
4. Any supporting evidence or screenshots
5. The date and time you observed the violation
6. Whether you have previously reported this issue

Our response

1. We will acknowledge receipt of your report within 2 business days
2. We will investigate all credible reports of policy violations
3. We will take appropriate action based on the severity and nature of the violation
4. We may contact you for additional information during our investigation
5. Due to privacy and legal constraints, we may not be able to share the specific outcome of our investigation with you

How we handle abuse reports

1. Who reviews: Reports sent to abuse@novitora.com are read and assessed by Novitora staff at Uptraff Ltd who are authorised to remove Content and to suspend or terminate accounts.
2. Priority: We prioritise reports describing a risk of harm to a person, child sexual abuse material, or other Content we believe to be illegal. Remaining reports are handled in the order received.
3. Takedown: Where we conclude that Content or an account breaches this Policy, we remove or disable access to the Content and apply the enforcement actions set out in "Consequences of violations" below.
4. Files may already be gone: Uploaded and converted files are deleted automatically on the schedule described in the "Data retention" section of our Privacy Policy, so the file a report refers to may no longer exist by the time we review it. Include as much detail as you can so that we can still act on the account or behaviour behind it.
5. Evidence: We do not create separate copies of reported files for evidence purposes; reported files follow that same retention schedule. Where we are required to preserve information for a law enforcement, regulatory, or court request, we retain the minimum necessary for as long as that request or applicable law requires.
6. Escalation: Where we believe Content is illegal, we may refer the matter to law enforcement or to the appropriate reporting body. We may do so without notifying the account holder where notification is prohibited by law or would prejudice an investigation.

Responsible disclosure

If you discover a security vulnerability in our Services, we ask that you report it responsibly:

1. Email: legal@novitora.com with the subject line "Security Vulnerability Report"
2. Do not exploit the vulnerability or access data beyond what is necessary to demonstrate the issue
3. Do not disclose the vulnerability publicly until we have had a reasonable opportunity to address it
4. We will acknowledge your report and work to resolve the issue promptly
5. We will not take legal action against researchers who report vulnerabilities in good faith and in compliance with this responsible disclosure policy

Consequences of violations

Enforcement actions

Novitora may take any of the following actions in response to a violation of this Policy, at our sole discretion:

1. Warning: Issuing a written warning to the user regarding the violation
2. Content Removal: Removing, disabling access to, or refusing to convert Content that violates this Policy
3. Account Restriction: Temporarily restricting account functionality or access to specific features
4. Account Suspension: Temporarily suspending the user's account and access to all Services
5. Account Termination: Permanently terminating the user's account and access to all Services
6. Legal Action: Pursuing legal remedies, including seeking injunctive relief or damages
7. Law Enforcement Referral: Reporting the violation to relevant law enforcement authorities where we believe illegal activity has occurred or is ongoing

Factors considered

When determining the appropriate enforcement action, we consider:

1. The severity and nature of the violation
2. Whether the violation was intentional or negligent
3. The impact of the violation on other users, our platform, or third parties
4. Whether the user has a history of prior violations
5. Whether the user cooperated with our investigation
6. Any mitigating or aggravating circumstances
7. Applicable legal and regulatory requirements

Appeals

1. If your account has been suspended or terminated due to a policy violation, you may appeal the decision by emailing legal@novitora.com with the subject line "AUP Appeal"
2. Appeals must be submitted within 30 days of the enforcement action
3. Your appeal should include a detailed explanation of why you believe the enforcement action was unwarranted or disproportionate
4. We will review your appeal and respond within 14 business days
5. Our decision on appeal is final

No waiver

Failure by Novitora to enforce any provision of this Policy shall not constitute a waiver of that provision or our right to enforce it in the future. We reserve the right to enforce this Policy at any time and in our sole discretion.

Changes to this policy

1. Novitora reserves the right to modify this Acceptable Use Policy at any time
2. Material changes will be communicated to users via email or through a prominent notice on our website at least 30 days before they take effect
3. Non-material changes, such as formatting or clarification updates, may be made without prior notice
4. Your continued use of our Services after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Policy
5. The "Last Updated" date at the top of this Policy will be amended to reflect the most recent revision

Severability

If any provision of this Acceptable Use Policy is found to be unenforceable or invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary so that the remaining provisions of this Policy shall otherwise remain in full force and effect.

Governing law

This Acceptable Use Policy is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes arising from or relating to this Policy shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales.

Contact

If you have questions about this Acceptable Use Policy, need to report a violation, or require clarification about permitted use, please contact us:

• Abuse and illegal content: abuse@novitora.com
• General enquiries: legal@novitora.com
• Address: Uptraff Ltd, 124 City Road, London, England, EC1V 2NX
• Website: novitora.com

For API-specific usage enquiries:

• Email: api@novitora.com

We aim to respond to all enquiries within 5 business days.