USER GUIDELINES TO THE INTERNET WEBSITE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP (IAG)

USER GUIDELINES TO THE INTERNET WEBSITE OF THE INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP (IAG)

1 – GENERAL CONDITIONS OF ACCESS TO IAG WEBSITE

WE INVITE YOU TO CAREFULLY READ THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONS THAT CONTRACTUALLY BIND ALL WEBSITE USERS TO THE IAG.

The IAG Website is an information and online interactive communications service provided by the IAG, and may contain information collected from various providers. This service is offered to you under the condition that you accept these user guidelines. By logging on or using this Website, you accept to be bound under the terms and conditions of this agreement. Should you decide to refuse to be bound by this agreement, or by any of its terms and conditions, you must relinquish the right to access and use this Website.

1.1 – INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

1.1.1 – COPYRIGHTS

The whole content available on this Website, including texts, graphics, photography, drawings, sounds, data, images, audio and video clips ("the Content"), exclusively belongs to the IAG or the companies, organizations, or individuals that submit the Content to the IAG. Said Content, especially the compilations, selections, presentations, and arrangements of the Content, is the sole property of the IAG and is protected under copyright national regulations and international agreements.

You may use the Content only for your personal information, or as a source of information or data collecting. You may reproduce selected excerpts of the Content strictly for personal use, under the proviso of conserving les notices pertaining to intellectual property that appear on the pages of the Website where Content is accessible. Any other form of use, including reproductions, alterations, modifications, distribution, transmission, re-publishing, exhibitions, broadcasts, or public performances of the Content, for any other reason, is strictly forbidden.

1.1.2 – TRADEMARKS

IAG and any other graphics, logos, and commercial designations used on this Website by the IAG are protected by international regulations and conventions on intellectual property. IAG trademarks must not be used in relation with third party products or services, or in a manner that could, directly or indirectly, slander or discredit the IAG or a third party. All other trademarks and commercial designations remain the full intellectual property of their respective owners.

1.2 – IAG EDITORIAL POLICY

The IAG subscribes to the idea that integrity and editorial independence are necessary to earn the confidence of users of the IAG website.

1.2.1 – INDEPENDENCE

The IAG website is an independent Website. In this regard, editorial product submitted by the IAG Secretariat is the sole responsibility of the IAG. Our intention is that news and information broadcast on the Website remain impartial, and not be influenced par third party commercial interests.

1.2.2 – CONFLICTS OF INTEREST

Each member of the IAG Secretariat must divulge any and all interest held in any company or entity that is susceptible to impinge on his or her objectivity. Said divulgation must be initiated by the concerned individual to his or her immediate supervisor on been hired, or whenever a financial or other interest appears or changes.

1.3 – GENERAL CODE OF ETHICS OF IAG WEBSITE USERS

During consultation and use of our Website, including the posting of notices or comments on IAG reports, minutes, and communiqués, in no case should you:

use means that would result in limiting the peaceful use of the Website by a third party;
use the Website to threaten, harass, track, abuse, or in a general manner negatively impact in any way the rights of the IAG or a third party;
intercept or try to intercept electronic mail or any other private communication not destined to your attention;
send electronic mail to visitors or other users of the Internet for any reason other than a personal communication, including the use of the Website as a tool of mass communication to communicate a message of general character unsolicited by senders, or to use your electronic mail as a receiving address to which visitors or other Internet users must answer (except where expressly authorized by the IAG);
falsely represent yourself as an employee, agent, or representative of the IAG.

The IAG Secretariat reserves the right to publish or refuse to publish, in all or in part, notices or comments of Website users in regard to IAG reports, minutes, and communiqués.

1.4 – HYPERTEXT LINKS TO THIRD PARTY WEBSITES

The IAG has not verified all the Websites that may be linked to its own, and will not be held responsible of the content of Websites accessible through these links. The IAG will not be liable for content of any of these Websites that is erroneous or inexact, slanderous, injurious, libelous, false, obscene, pornographic, or blasphemous toward a third party. In consequence, your access to these external Websites remains your entire responsibility.

2 - ACCESS CONDITIONS TO SPECIFIC SERVICES

2.1 - SUBSCRIPTION TO BULLETIN BOARDS

Should you decide to send your e-mail address to the IAG in order to be added to the mailing list of our electronic Bulletin boards, you will not receive any e-mail from either the IAG or other advertisers.

You may cancel your subscription at any time by filling out the form to that effect that appears on the Website or bulletins.

2.2 - SURVEYS

You may sometimes choose to answer one or several surveys. Some elements of the requested information are of a personal nature. Answering all the questions is not mandatory. Moreover, your e-mail address is not required. Should you decide to include your e-mail address, it will be used solely to add your name to the IAG Bulletin board mailing list. We use this information to improve our understanding of your needs and preferences, in order to make the best information possible available to you. No individual or personal information will be communicated to any third party by the IAG.

2.3 – DISCUSSION GROUPS AND PUBLIC FORUMS

2.3.1 - PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS

All messages sent by you to IAG Public Forums or Discussion Groups are public communications and consequently you are responsible for them. Should you desire to maintain the confidential nature of some information, do not publish it on these Websites.

2.3.2 - USER LICENSE

As a member of one or several IAG Public Forums or Discussion Groups, you hereby give us a non-exclusive user license that is transferable, international, free, and without time limit, to reproduce, modify, translate, distribute, transmit, adapt, broadcast, and publicly represent, to all members and moderators of our Public Forums and Discussion Groups, in all or in part, your e-mails addressed to these services. This license particularly permits a member or a moderator to use part or all of text from a preceding message send by you, and to insert it into his or her own message as part of an answer or commentary.

By this agreement, and under reservation of public order arrangements that apply in your country, you hereby renounce to exercise your moral rights on these electronic mails as well as all potential appeals against the IAG, based on a violation or abusive appropriation, of any right to intellectual ownership in regard to these electronic mails.

2.3.3 - SPECIFIC CODE OF ETHICS FOR IAG DISCUSSION GROUPS AND PUBLIC FORUMS

· Never slander physical or moral persons. You will be held accountable for your actions and comments in our Discussion Groups and Public Forums. General discussion of problems and searching for advice without naming names are more appropriate;
Do not swear or make obscene, slanderous, injurious, threatening, hateful, or illegal comments (however you try to disguise them), in our Discussion Groups and Public Forums;
Do not broadcast content that is indecent, obscene, illegal, or pornographic on our Website, or IAG services, particularly on our Discussion Groups and Public Forums;
Do not broadcast any commercial advertising on our Website, or IAG services, particularly on our Discussion Groups and Public Forums;
The IAG has no intention of trying to prevent the exchange of controversial matter or of ideas and opinions that differ from those endorsed by the IAG. However, the IAG reserves the right to undertake any action it deems advisable should its Website is used to broadcast deliberately shocking or injurious declarations.

2.3.4 - THIRD PARTY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

By taking part in our Discussion Groups and Public Forums, you must exercise all necessary caution to avoid counterfeiting intellectual property rights of third parties, especially copyrights or trademarks. You accept to guaranty and to hold safe and harmless the IAG against any claim made by a third party following the posting or publication on our Website of your messages, or mails containing, or implying, third party intellectual property.

2.3.5 - MINIMUM AGE

All members taking part in Public Forums or Discussion Groups must be eighteen (18) years old and over.

2.3.6 - ABSENCE OF MONITORING

Your participation to online communications happens in real time and is not cut, nor censured or otherwise controlled by the IAG. The IAG has no intention of controlling the information sent by you to the Website. However, we reserve the right to verify said information once in a while, and to remove anything we consider, at our discretion, to be threatening, shocking, illicit, or in a general manner, in contradiction with the terms and conditions of this agreement.

3 – GENERAL CLAUSES

The IAG reserves the right to modify this agreement at any time, without prior notice; any modification will apply immediately, either by posting the modified agreement or by notification. By this agreement, you agree to review said agreement on a regular basis to stay informed of any and all modification(s). Logging on and using this Website constitutes an agreement on your part to these modifications.

By this agreement, you agree that the conditions of modifications to the agreement are reasonable and in conformity with the respective interests of all parties.

The fact that one or the other of the provisions laid down in this agreement is declared null or inapplicable by a court of law or by any other competent authority would not result in the cancellation, nor render inapplicable, the other provisions that would remain in force.

The provisions of this agreement in relation to copyrights, trademarks, licenses, submission of ideas, guaranty and accountability, will stay in force on expiration or termination of this agreement.

The user must log on to the IAG Website of his country of origin. In the event no IAG Website exists in that country, the access to the Website's content by certain categories of persons in some countries may be illegal. In which case, please note that you do so at your own risk and that you solely will be held accountable in regard to the respect of the laws and regulations of your territory.

This agreement, including the documents it refers to, constitutes the complete and present agreement between the IAG and yourself, and it may not be substituted by any other agreement, written or spoken, anterior or contemporary, under reserve of the modifications in conformity with the present provisions.

The laws and regulations applicable in Canada control this agreement. Any dispute in relation to the interpretation or the execution of this agreement implicating the IAG will be submitted to the competent Canadian jurisdiction.

For all contacts with the IAG, write to:

INTERNATIONAL ADVISORY GROUP Secretariat
5, Place Ville-Marie, Suite 200
Montreal, (Quebec)
Canada H3B 2G2
Telephone: + 1 514 864 5515
Fax: + 1 514 397 1651
secretariat@gic-iag.org
www.gic-iag.org