TSS Inc

Acceptable Use Policy

As a provider of Internet access, web site hosting, and other Internet-related services, TSS Inc. 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 noncommercial information. TSS Inc. respects that the Internet provides a forum for free and open discussion and dissemination of information, however, when there are competing interests at issue, TSS Inc. reserves the right to take certain preventative or corrective actions. In order to protect these competing interests, TSS Inc. 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 TSS Inc.'s services. This AUP will be revised from time to time. A customer's use of TSS Inc.'s services after changes to the AUP are posted on TSS Inc.'s web site, www.TSS Inc..com, 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 TSS Inc. 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 TSS Inc. cannot monitor or censor the Internet, and will not attempt to do so, TSS Inc. 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 TSS Inc. 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 TSS Inc.'s network and may reach a large number of people, including both subscribers and non subscribers of TSS Inc., subscribers' postings to the Internet may affect other subscribers and may harm TSS Inc.'s goodwill, business reputation, and operations. For these reasons, subscribers violate TSS Inc. 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 TSS Inc., but also because it can overload TSS Inc.'s network and disrupt service to TSS Inc. subscribers. Also, maintaining an open SMTP relay is prohibited. When a complaint is received, TSS Inc. has the discretion to determine from all of the evidence whether the E-mail recipients were from an "opt-in" E-mail list. Most SPAM is not from opt-in lists sources and we will aggressively pursue all legal avenues.  If a user or ISP is found to be in violation of this AUP, then they will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.  Each infraction that is violated related to SPAM, will incur a $1100.00 fine along with attorney fees and court costs per E-mail SPAM.

     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. TSS Inc. is required by law to remove or block access to customer content upon receipt of a proper notice of copyright infringement. It is also TSS Inc.'s policy to terminate the privileges of customers who commit repeat violations of copyright laws.

     Obscene Speech or Materials -- Using TSS Inc.'s network to advertise, transmit, store, post, display, or otherwise make available child pornography or obscene speech or material. TSS Inc. is required by law to notify law enforcement agencies when it becomes aware of the presence of child pornography on or being transmitted through TSS Inc.'s network.

     Defamatory or Abusive Language -- Using TSS Inc.'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.
 

     Spamming Prohibited. You may not distribute unsolicited commercial or informational messages ("spam") or take any other action which imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure. At our option and without further notice, we may use anti-spam technologies, such as automatic word and spam filters, that may terminate your messages without delivering them or prevent messages from reaching you. The following are expressly prohibited: (a) excessive usage of CPU time or storage space; (b) use of mail services, mail forwarding capabilities, POP accounts, or auto responders other than for your own account; (c) use of another site's mail server to send out unsolicited commercial or informational messages that reference a TSS Inc..com site or cause others to reply to a TSS Inc..com address or to use another site's mail server to relay mail without the express permission of the site; and (d) sending chain mail, charity requests, petitions for signatures, commercial advertising, informational announcements or unsolicited mail messages that in TSS Inc..com's sole discretion might reasonably be expected to provoke complaints.

     Open Mail Relays Prohibited. You may not use any portion of our services to facilitate, implement or permit e-mail relay services for third parties (i.e., "open mail relay").

     Inbound E-Mail.  If you find that your mail is not getting thru to TSS Inc. Internet Services, please look at your SMTP logs or bounced return mail messages to get the error code that was sent with it.  Then go to our security page and lookup your code there.  We do not accept connections without reverse pointer records.  Anotherwords, if your domain name does not have proper DNS and reverse DNS setup correctly, then your mail will get bounced.  If you feel that there is an error on our part, then submit a complaint on our main site here.


     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, mail bombing, 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, mail bombing, 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 -- TSS Inc. 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 illegal schemes, pyramid schemes, fraudulently charging credit cards, and pirating software.

     Other Activities -- Engaging in activities, whether lawful or unlawful, that TSS Inc. 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. TSS Inc. will not, as an ordinary practice, monitor the communications of its subscribers to ensure that they comply with TSS Inc. policy or applicable law. When TSS Inc. 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.

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

     TSS Inc. 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, TSS Inc. urges its subscribers to assume that all of their on-line communications are insecure. TSS Inc. cannot take any responsibility for the security of information transmitted over TSS Inc.'s facilities.

     TSS Inc. 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. TSS Inc. may, however, monitor its service electronically to determine that its facilities are operating satisfactorily. Also, TSS Inc. 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. TSS Inc. 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, TSS Inc. may disclose subscriber information or information transmitted over its network where necessary to protect TSS Inc. and others from harm, or where such disclosure is necessary to the proper operation of the system.

     TSS Inc. 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 TSS Inc.'s policy. Finally, TSS Inc. wishes to emphasize that in signing the service agreement, subscribers indemnify TSS Inc. for any violation of the service agreement, law, or TSS Inc. policy, that results in loss to TSS Inc. or the bringing of any claim against TSS Inc. by any third-party. This means that if TSS Inc. is sued because of a subscriber's or customer of a subscriber's activity, the subscriber will pay any damages awarded against TSS Inc., plus costs and reasonable attorneys' fees.

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