Acceptable Use Policy & DMCA Procedure

Effective Date: 1 May 2026 Last Updated: 1 May 2026

This Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") sets out the conduct expected of every user of Global Ink Alliance ("GIA") and explains how we handle copyright takedown notices under the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act ("DMCA") and equivalent laws.

This AUP is part of our Terms of Service. Breach of this AUP may result in content removal, account suspension, or permanent termination.

Part A — Acceptable Use Policy

1. Be Honest

• Use truthful information about yourself: your real name or genuine pseudonym, accurate role (artist / studio / client / festival), accurate country, and your real portfolio.
• Do not impersonate other people, businesses, or GIA itself.
• Do not misrepresent your qualifications, experience, certifications, or affiliations.
• Do not use fake or stolen photographs in your portfolio. The artist who created a tattoo is generally its author — by uploading you confirm you are the author or have the artist's permission.

2. Be Civil

GIA exists for professionals and clients to find each other and work together. The following are prohibited:

• Harassment, bullying, hate speech, threats, or intimidation
• Doxxing — publishing another person's contact details, address, or workplace without consent
• Stalking — repeated unwanted contact, surveillance, or harassment
• Discriminatory content based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, or other protected characteristic
• Incitement to violence or self-harm
• Harassment of GIA staff, moderators, or trusted flaggers

3. Don't Defraud

• Do not solicit money under false pretences
• Do not make promises you do not intend to keep
• Do not use GIA messaging to redirect users to phishing sites
• Do not promote pyramid schemes, MLMs, or get-rich-quick offers
• GIA does not handle payments between users — never trust anyone who asks you to send money "through GIA"

4. Don't Post Illegal Content

You will not post or distribute through GIA:

• Sexually explicit content (pornography). GIA is not an adult-content platform. Tattoos in artistic, semi-nude contexts are permitted; explicit sexual depiction is not.
• Identifiable real people without their consent (celebrities, public figures, private individuals). AI-generated tattoos that resemble real people without consent are equally prohibited.
• Child sexual abuse material (CSAM) — zero tolerance, immediate report to authorities
• Hate symbols (swastikas, KKK, ISIS, and other terrorist iconography) presented favourably or for endorsement
• Self-harm or suicide promotion
• Drug-trafficking, weapons-trafficking, human-trafficking content
• Content that violates sanctions regimes of the UK, EU, US, or your country
• Content that violates third-party intellectual property (see Part B below)

5. Don't Game the System

• No fake reviews, fake testimonials, or fake follower behaviour
• No artificial boosting of your placement (paid Pinned/Boosted is fine; bot networks are not)
• No automated scraping, crawling, or mass downloads
• No unauthorized API access, reverse engineering, or attempts to bypass rate limits
• No security testing without our prior written consent

6. Special Rules for AI Sketch

When using AI Sketch:

• Do not generate explicit sexual content
• Do not generate identifiable real people without their consent
• Do not generate hate symbols or content protected by criminal law in your country
• Do not attempt to circumvent safety filters with adversarial prompts
• Remember: the AI may produce outputs resembling existing works. Before tattooing the design, confirm it does not infringe copyright

7. Special Rules for Network and Listings

• Disclose conditions in your listings (accommodation, equipment, schedule, payment terms) — users who see them and proceed have accepted them
• Honour your written commitments — unhonoured commitments may end up in the Blacklist archive as verbatim quotations of your own messages

8. Special Rules for the Blacklist Archive

• Submit only truthful, verbatim chat excerpts you actually exchanged
• Provide the supporting screenshot or chat reference
• Do not submit content from chats you obtained without consent
• Respect the right of reply of the other party
• Withdraw the entry if you and the other party resolve the matter

9. Prohibited Marketplace Activity (Shop)

• Do not list uncertified medical or quasi-medical products without applicable conformity (CE marking in EU, REACH compliance for inks)
• Do not list counterfeit equipment
• Do not list items you do not have the right to sell

10. Reporting Violations

If you see content or conduct that violates this AUP, use the report tool in the app or email privacy@globalinkalliance.com. Provide:

• A link or screenshot of the offending content / behaviour
• Why you believe it violates the AUP
• Your contact for follow-up

We aim to acknowledge reports within 48 hours and act on them within 7 days, faster for urgent harm.

11. Consequences of Breach

Depending on severity and history, we may:

• Issue a warning
• Remove the offending content
• Suspend your account temporarily
• Permanently terminate your account and ban your phone/email/device
• Refer the matter to law enforcement

We may issue a Statement of Reasons when we remove content or restrict accounts, in line with the EU Digital Services Act.

12. Right of Appeal

If you believe enforcement was wrong, reply to our enforcement email within 14 days. We will review the appeal and respond within 14 days. We may keep enforcement in place during the appeal where the harm is ongoing.

Part B — DMCA / Copyright Takedown Procedure

13. Our DMCA Designated Agent

GIA respects intellectual property and complies with the U.S. Digital Millennium Copyright Act. We have a registered DMCA Designated Agent:

• Service Provider: Global Ink Alliance Ltd
• Designated Agent: Denys Humen
• Address: Suite RA01, 195-197 Wood Street, London, E17 3NU, United Kingdom
• Email: privacy@globalinkalliance.com
• U.S. Copyright Office Registration Number: DMCA-1071913

14. Filing a Takedown Notice

If you believe content on GIA infringes your copyright, send a written notice to privacy@globalinkalliance.com containing:

1. Identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed
2. Identification of the infringing material with enough detail for us to find it (URL, profile name, date posted)
3. Your contact information (full name, address, telephone, email)
4. A statement of good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the owner, its agent, or the law
5. A statement under penalty of perjury that the information in the notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act
6. Your physical or electronic signature

You can use this template:

"To the DMCA Designated Agent at Global Ink Alliance Ltd:

I am the owner (or authorized representative of the owner) of the copyrighted work [DESCRIBE WORK]. I have a good-faith belief that the material at [URL / SCREENSHOT / PROFILE NAME] is being used in a way that is not authorized by me, my agent, or the law.

Under penalty of perjury, I confirm the information in this notice is accurate and that I am authorized to act on behalf of the owner.

Name: [FULL NAME] Address: [POSTAL ADDRESS] Telephone: [PHONE] Email: [EMAIL] Signed: [/s/ NAME] [DATE]"

15. What We Do When We Receive a Notice

Within 48 hours of receiving a complete notice, we:

1. Remove or disable access to the alleged infringing material
2. Notify the user who posted it
3. Provide them with a copy of the notice (or the relevant excerpt)

16. Counter-Notice

If you believe content was wrongly taken down, you may file a counter-notice. Send to privacy@globalinkalliance.com containing:

1. Identification of the material and where it was located
2. A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed by mistake or misidentification
3. Your contact information
4. Your consent to the jurisdiction of the U.S. Federal District Court in the district of your address (or, if outside the US, the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia)
5. A statement that you will accept service of process from the original complainant
6. Your physical or electronic signature

We will forward your counter-notice to the complainant. If the complainant does not file a court action within 10–14 business days, we will restore the material.

17. Repeat Infringer Policy

In line with DMCA §512(i), we terminate the accounts of users who are determined to be repeat infringers:

• 3 substantiated DMCA takedowns within a 6-month window → permanent ban
• We may terminate sooner where the infringement is wilful or commercial

18. UK and EU Equivalents

Outside the United States, equivalent rules apply under:

• UK Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988
• EU Directive on Copyright in the Digital Single Market (2019/790)

The same email address (privacy@globalinkalliance.com) is the entry point for all copyright correspondence regardless of jurisdiction.

19. Trademark and Other IP

For trademark, design rights, or other intellectual-property complaints, write to privacy@globalinkalliance.com with equivalent information: identification of the right, identification of the allegedly infringing material, your contact details, and a sworn statement.

20. False Notices

Filing a knowingly false DMCA notice can subject you to liability for damages under DMCA §512(f), including costs and attorneys' fees. Do not abuse the takedown process.

21. Contact

Global Ink Alliance Ltd DMCA Designated Agent: Denys Humen Suite RA01, 195-197 Wood Street, London, E17 3NU, UK Email: privacy@globalinkalliance.com U.S. Copyright Office Registration: DMCA-1071913

Document prepared for Global Ink Alliance Ltd. Version 1.0 — 1 May 2026