Acceptable Use Policy

BranStory — a product of Brandmerce, LLC

Effective Date: April 2026 Last Updated: April 2026

This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) defines the rules governing how the BranStory platform may be used by all users — network operators, business members, resident members, sponsors, and visitors. It supplements our Terms of Service and Trust & Safety Policy, which are incorporated here by reference.

Violations of this policy may result in content removal, account suspension, or permanent termination, as described in our Trust & Safety Policy.

1. Who This Applies To

This AUP applies to anyone who accesses or uses the BranStory platform in any capacity:

• Operators who license the platform to run their own community networks
• Business members who maintain profiles within an operator network
• Resident members who participate in an operator network
• Sponsors who purchase placement or naming rights within a network
• Visitors to branstory.com

2. Permitted Uses

The BranStory platform is designed and licensed for:

• Operating and managing a private, local community network (Operators)
• Maintaining a legitimate business presence within a community network (Business members)
• Discovering and engaging with local businesses (Resident members)
• Posting genuine deals, events, and job listings within a network
• Communicating with community members through the Platform’s built-in tools
• Accessing analytics and data about your own account, network, or business
• Integrating the Platform with permitted third-party tools via the API, subject to API terms

3. Prohibited Uses

3.1 Illegal Activity

You may not use the Platform for any purpose that violates applicable federal, state, or local law, including but not limited to:

• Facilitating fraud, money laundering, or financial crimes
• Violating consumer protection laws
• Infringing intellectual property rights (copyright, trademark, trade secret)
• Violating privacy laws or data protection regulations
• Transmitting content that is defamatory, obscene, or otherwise illegal under applicable law

3.2 Harmful Content

You may not post, upload, transmit, or distribute content that:

• Is threatening, harassing, abusive, or hateful toward any individual or group
• Targets individuals based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, age, or national origin
• Promotes, glorifies, or facilitates violence, self-harm, or illegal activity
• Contains sexually explicit or pornographic material
• Involves or exploits minors in any way

3.3 Deceptive Practices

You may not:

• Create fake accounts, personas, or business profiles
• Misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or credentials
• Fabricate reviews, endorsements, or testimonials
• Post deals, events, or job listings that are false, misleading, or cannot be honored
• Use the Platform to conduct phishing, scams, or any form of consumer fraud

3.4 Platform Abuse

You may not:

• Access, probe, or test the security or vulnerability of the Platform without written authorization from Brandmerce
• Circumvent, disable, or interfere with any security feature, access control, or rate limit
• Use automated tools, bots, scrapers, or crawlers to access, collect, or index Platform data without Brandmerce’s express written permission
• Transmit malware, viruses, ransomware, or any other malicious code
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any account, network, system, or database
• Overload or disrupt Platform infrastructure through denial-of-service attacks or similar methods
• Use the Platform’s infrastructure to send unsolicited bulk email (spam), SMS, or push notifications

3.5 Unauthorized Commercial Use

You may not:

• Resell, sublicense, or provide access to the Platform to any third party without written authorization from Brandmerce
• Use the Platform to build a competing product or service
• Frame or mirror any part of the Platform without Brandmerce’s written consent
• Systematically copy, scrape, or extract content from the Platform for commercial purposes

3.6 API Misuse (Operators & Developers)

Use of the BranStory API is subject to the following additional restrictions:

• API access is granted only to authorized operators and their approved integration partners
• API calls may not exceed published rate limits
• API access may not be used to bulk-extract member data for purposes outside of operating your Network
• Any application built on the API must comply with this AUP and must not be used to circumvent Platform policies
• Brandmerce reserves the right to revoke API access for violations of this section without prior notice

4. Content Standards

All content posted to any BranStory-powered network — including business profiles, deals, events, job listings, reviews, and announcements — must:

• Be accurate and not misleading
• Be relevant to the community and the purpose of the network
• Not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights
• Not contain personally identifiable information of other users posted without their consent
• Comply with all applicable laws and regulations

Content that does not meet these standards may be removed by the network operator or by Brandmerce directly.

5. Sponsor & Advertiser Use

Sponsors and advertisers — including those with network naming rights or featured placement — may not use their placement to:

• Promote products, services, or causes unrelated to the purpose and audience of the network
• Make claims that are false, unsubstantiated, or in violation of applicable advertising laws
• Collect data from network members through sponsored content without proper disclosure and consent
• Redirect members to external destinations for purposes not disclosed at the time of the sponsored placement

6. Reporting Violations

If you observe a violation of this AUP:

• Within a network: Use the in-app “Report” button on any content or profile
• Platform-level issues: Email safety@brandmerce.com
• Security vulnerabilities: Email security@brandmerce.com

7. Enforcement

Brandmerce reserves the right to investigate suspected violations and take any action we deem appropriate, including:

• Removing content that violates this AUP
• Issuing a warning to the responsible account
• Temporarily suspending access to some or all Platform features
• Permanently terminating an account or operator network
• Reporting violations to law enforcement where required or appropriate

Enforcement decisions are made at Brandmerce’s sole discretion. Operators may appeal platform-level enforcement actions by emailing legal@brandmerce.com within 14 days, as described in the Trust & Safety Policy.

8. Changes to This Policy

We may update this AUP from time to time as the Platform evolves. Material changes will be communicated to operators via email or in-Platform notice with reasonable advance notice. The current version is always available at branstory.com/acceptable-use.

9. Contact

BranStory is a product of Brandmerce, LLC. © 2026 Brandmerce, LLC. All Rights Reserved.