Acceptable Use Policy Template

This Acceptable Use Policy sets out what you may and may not do when using https://northwind-coffee.example, operated by Northwind Coffee Roasters Ltd ("we", "us").

It forms part of our Terms and Conditions and takes effect on 1 October 2026.

Who this policy applies to

This policy applies to everyone who accesses or uses the service: visitors, registered users, and anyone acting on their behalf or through their credentials.

If you use the service on behalf of an organisation, you confirm that you are authorised to do so and that the organisation is bound by this policy.

You remain responsible for anything done through your access to the service, whether or not you did it yourself.

Minimum age

You must be at least 16 years old to use the service. Using the service when you are under that age, or helping someone under that age to use it, is a breach of this policy.

Where we become aware that the service is being used by someone below the minimum age, we will withdraw their access.

Prohibited activities

You must not use the service to do, or to help anyone else do, any of the following:

• Break any applicable law, regulation or court order
• Publish, store or transmit unlawful material
• Harass, bully, threaten, stalk or incite violence against anyone
• Infringe anyone else's copyright, trade marks, database rights or other intellectual property
• Impersonate any person or organisation, or misrepresent your affiliation with one
• Misuse personal data belonging to other users
• Encourage, facilitate or instruct anyone else to do any of the above

This list describes the kinds of conduct we treat as unacceptable. It is not exhaustive, and behaviour that is plainly abusive may be actioned even where it is not listed.

Automated access, scraping and system integrity

You must not interfere with the service or with the systems and networks it runs on. In particular, you must not:

• Upload, link to or distribute malware, ransomware or any other harmful code
• Probe, scan or test the vulnerability of the service without our written permission
• Circumvent or attempt to circumvent authentication, rate limits, access controls or paywalls
• Scrape, crawl, harvest or bulk-download content except as we expressly permit
• Use bots, scripts or other automated means to access the service in a way that degrades it for others
• Overload the service, whether deliberately or through poorly behaved automation

If you believe you have found a security vulnerability, report it to us rather than exploiting it, and give us a reasonable opportunity to fix it.

Spam and unsolicited messaging

Paid clause. This section is written for you when your answers need it — “Email collection and messages”, $14, paid once per policy.

Payment fraud and chargeback abuse

Paid clause. This section is written for you when your answers need it — “Payments”, $14, paid once per policy.

Fair use of plan limits

Paid clause. This section is written for you when your answers need it — “Subscriptions”, $14, paid once per policy.

Standards for content you post

Paid clause. This section is written for you when your answers need it — “User-generated content”, $14, paid once per policy.

Removal requests for California minors

Paid clause. This section is written for you when your answers need it — “User-generated content”, $14, paid once per policy.

Keeping your account secure

Your account is personal to you. You must:

• Keep your password and any other access credentials confidential
• Use a password you do not reuse anywhere else
• Tell us promptly at privacy@northwind-coffee.example if you believe your account has been accessed without your permission
• Not share, sell, rent or transfer your account to anyone else
• Hold one account only, and not create further accounts to evade a limit, a suspension or a ban

You are responsible for activity carried out through your account, except to the extent that it results from our own failure.

What happens if you break these rules

Where we believe this policy has been breached, we will normally act in proportion to what happened, escalating only as far as we need to:

1. An informal warning explaining what has to change
2. Removal or restriction of the material or behaviour concerned
3. A temporary limit on features or on your access to the service
4. Suspension of access
5. Permanent termination, and where appropriate a bar on returning

We may skip steps and act immediately at any level where the breach is serious, where it puts other users, our systems or a third party at risk, or where the law requires it.

Nothing in this ladder limits any other remedy available to us, including recovering losses caused by a breach.

Suspension and termination of accounts

Where we suspend or terminate an account, we will tell you at the address registered to it, unless telling you would be unlawful or would defeat the purpose of the action.

Suspension does not by itself end your obligations under this policy or our Terms and Conditions, and any amounts already due remain payable. On termination we may delete content associated with the account in line with our Privacy Policy.

If you think an account action was a mistake, write to us and we will look at it again.

Notice, statement of reasons and appeal

Paid clause. This section is written for you when your answers need it — “GDPR wording (European Union)”, $34, paid once per policy.

Investigation and cooperation with law enforcement

We may investigate suspected breaches of this policy. That can include reviewing account activity, logs and reported material, and contacting the people involved.

Where we are legally required to do so, or where we reasonably believe it is necessary to prevent serious harm, we may disclose information about an account or its activity to law enforcement, regulators or other authorities.

We handle any personal data involved in an investigation in line with our Privacy Policy.

Changes to this policy

We may update this policy as the service changes, as new kinds of abuse appear, or as the law requires.

We will post the updated version with a new effective date. Where a change materially affects what is allowed, we will give reasonable notice before it takes effect, unless the change has to take effect immediately for legal or safety reasons.

Continuing to use the service after a change takes effect means you accept the updated policy.

Reporting abuse and contacting us

If you see something on the service that breaches this policy, report it to Northwind Coffee Roasters Ltd at privacy@northwind-coffee.example. Tell us what you saw, where you saw it, and why you think it breaches this policy, so that we can act on it quickly.

Reports made in good faith will not count against you. Repeatedly filing reports you know to be false is itself a breach of this policy.

For any other question about this policy, contact us at the same address.