Use of FirstString: Play by the RulesSM or get Flagged!
FirstStringSM is a community service with rules intended to make each User's experience enjoyable. It is against our rules (as explained in the Terms of Service) to engage in any of the following activities, and doing so may subject you to penalty, ranging from a suspension of certain privileges to the termination of your User account:
AGAINST THE RULES: Any use of FirstString to:
- Violate any law or regulation, or to facilitate the violation of any law or regulation;
- Invade anyone else's privacy;
- Impersonate Company personnel or anyone else;
- Transmit unlawful, false, fraudulent, offensive, obscene, pornographic, defamatory, abusive, threatening, or otherwise objectionable material, or encourage conduct that would give rise to civil liability;
- Register more than one personal account, or register an account on behalf of another person or entity;
- Request personal information from anyone under 18 years of age;
- Infringe anyone's trademarks or copyrights;
- Post a picture or video of another person without that person’s consent;
- Engage in advertising to, or solicitation of, others to buy or sell any goods or services, or to contribute money, goods or services to any cause, except in those areas of FirstString, if any, specifically designated by the Company for such purposes;
- Violate, or assist in violating, the security of FirstString, whether intentionally, negligently, or otherwise;
- Attempt to utilize another User’s account, User Name, Password, or persona without authorization from that User;
- Transmit any e-mail messages, whether commercial or not, that result in the impairment or interference with the Company’s operation;
transmit by means of FirstString any data or material that contains software viruses or any other malicious code designed to interrupt, destroy or limit the functionality of any computer software or hardware or telecommunications equipment.
If you encounter any Content or information on FirstString that violates the Rules or Terms of Service, we encourage you to FLAG that Content. FirstString has set up a reporting system that is easy to use and is designed to remove problem content.
Follow these procedures to file a report, or a FLAG, against another User:
- A Flag icon is located next to every photo, video, and Team Board comment posted on FirstString. If you believe that any User Content violates the Rules, click the Flag icon next to that Content, which will open a dialogue box. Please select a category of offense from the drop-down menu and then provide additional comments in the space provided explaining the objectionable content.
- There is a Help link located at the bottom of every page. If you believe any page contains problem Content in violation of the Rules, please click the Help link and to be taken to a page that outlines the steps to report the offending content (e.g., different information is required if you are reporting a copyright violation than if you are reporting threatening or abusive content).
- FirstString is a community site, and may choose to involve certain Users in reviewing and responding to FLAGS. FirstString may take any action deemed appropriate in response to any FLAG.
Flagged Users will be notified via e-mail to their FirstString Inbox that their User Content has been flagged for the stated reason. A User flagged for problem postings twice in any 60-day period and deemed in violation of the Terms will be suspended from posting any content for a stated period. A third violation may result in suspension or termination of the User account.
False Flags have consequences, too! Any User who twice flags another User not deemed in violation of the Terms or Privacy Policy may be subject to discipline, including suspension of posting and flagging privileges or termination of the User account.
FirstString reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to remove any Content or to terminate or restrict any User’s access to FirstString.
Copyright and Proprietary Material
- FirstString contains copyrighted material, trademarks and other proprietary information of the Company, including, but not limited to, text, software, photos, videos, graphics, images, music and sound (collectively “Proprietary Material”). You agree not to publish, transmit, participate in the transfer or sale, create derivative works, or in any way exploit, in whole or in part, any Proprietary Material.
- Except as otherwise expressly permitted by guidelines within any specific FirstString feature, or as permitted under copyright law, no posting, copying, downloading, uploading, transmission, retransmission, distribution, redistribution, publication, republication, decompilation, disassembling, reverse engineering, or otherwise modifying or commercially exploiting of any Proprietary Material or material made available through FirstString will be permitted without the express permission of the copyright owner. In the event of any copying, redistribution or publication of copyrighted material as permitted by law, no changes in or deletion of author attribution, trademark, legend, or copyright notice shall be made. The obligation of determining that any material is not subject to intellectual property right(s) rests with you.
- The FirstString web site is Copyright 2008 FirstString, Inc. FIRSTSTRING, GET OFF THE BENCH, PLAY BY THE RULES, and the distinctive "FS" logo are trademarks and services marks of FirstString, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Other trademarks, service marks and logos used in FirstString are property of their respective owners.
If you believe that copyrighted material owned by you is improperly displayed on FirstString.com, please notify the Company and provide the following information in accordance with section 512(c)(3) of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (“DMCA”):
- (a) your physical or electronic signature;
- (b) a description of the copyrighted material that you claim has been infringed;
- (c) a description of the material that you claim to be infringing and its location on FirstString;
- (d) your name, telephone number, mailing address and e-mail address;
- (e) a statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the information is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent or the law;
- (f) a statement that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the infringed right.
You must send this notice to:
FirstString, Inc.
PO Box 69612
West Hollywood, CA 90069
or via email to: copyright@firststring.com
Upon receiving proper notification of alleged infringement, the Company may remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material and will contact the alleged infringer to notify them of your claim and to advise them of their right to make a counter notification pursuant to the DMCA.
If you believe that material that you have posted on FirstString has been removed as a result of a mistake or misidentification, you may file a counter notification pursuant to section 512(g)(3) of the DMCA. This counter notification must provide the following information:
- (a) your physical or electronic signature;
- (b) identification of the material that was removed and the location of the information before it was removed;
- (c) a statement that you have a good faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification of the material in question;
- (d) your name, telephone number, mailing address and e-mail address;
- (e) a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which your address is located, or, if your address is outside of the United States, for any judicial district in which the Company may be found;
- (f) and a statement that you will accept service of process from the person who filed the notification of alleged copyright infringement.
You must send this notice to:
FirstString, Inc.
PO Box 69612
West Hollywood, CA 90069
or via email to: copyright@firststring.com
