Acceptable Use Policy

Please refer to this Acceptable Use Policy (“Terms”), our Privacy Statement and Cookie Policy and our Website Terms of Use before using this website. 

These Terms set out the content standards that apply when you upload content to our website, make contact with other users on our website, link to our website, or interact with our website in any other way.

Who we are and how to contact us

This website is operated by Oxford Instruments plc and its subsidiaries (“Oxford Instruments”, “we”, “us”). 

Access to and use of this website is subject to the following Terms, our Privacy Statement and Cookie Policy and our Website Terms of Use.  By using our website, you confirm that you accept these and that you agree to comply with them.  If you do not agree to these, please do not use this website.

Section headings in these Terms are provided for reference purposes only and in no way define, limit, construe or describe the scope or extent of any section.

We amend these Terms from time to time by updating this page. Every time you wish to use our website, please check these Terms to ensure you understand the Terms that apply at that time.

Prohibited uses

You may use our website only for lawful purposes. You may not use our website:

• In any way that breaches any applicable local, national or international law or regulation.
• In any way that is unlawful or fraudulent or has any unlawful or fraudulent purpose or effect.
• For the purpose of harming or attempting to harm minors in any way.
• To bully, insult, intimidate or humiliate any person.
• To send, knowingly receive, upload, download, use or re-use any material which does not comply with our content standards.
• To transmit, or procure the sending of, any unsolicited or unauthorised advertising or promotional material or any other form of similar solicitation (spam).
• To knowingly transmit any data, send or upload any material that contains malware, viruses, Trojan horses, worms, time-bombs, keystroke loggers, spyware, adware or any other harmful programs or similar computer code designed to adversely affect the operation of any computer software or hardware.

You also agree:

• Not to reproduce, duplicate, copy or re-sell any part of our website in contravention of the provisions of our Website Terms of Use.
• Not to access without authority, interfere with, damage or disrupt:
• any part of our website;
• any equipment or network on which our website is stored;
• any software used in the provision of our website; or
• any equipment or network or software owned or used by any third party.

Interactive services

We may from time to time provide interactive services on our website (“Interactive Services”).

Where we do provide any Interactive Service, we will provide clear information to you about the kind of service offered, if it is moderated and what form of moderation is used (including whether it is human or technical).

We will do our best to assess any possible risks for users from third parties when they use any Interactive Service provided on our website, and we will decide in each case whether it is appropriate to use moderation of the relevant service (including what kind of moderation to use) in the light of those risks. However, we are under no obligation to oversee, monitor or moderate any Interactive Service we provide on our website, and we expressly exclude our liability for any loss or damage arising from the use of any Interactive Service by a user in contravention of our content standards, whether the service is moderated or not.

The use of any of our Interactive Services by a minor is subject to the consent of their parent or guardian. We advise parents who permit their children to use an Interactive Service that it is important that they communicate with their children about their safety online, as moderation is not foolproof. Minors who are using any Interactive Service should be made aware of the potential risks to them.

Where we do moderate an Interactive Service, we will normally provide you with a means of contacting the moderator, should a concern or difficulty arise.

Content standards

These content standards apply to any and all material which you contribute to our website (“Contribution”), and to any Interactive Services associated with it.

These content standards must be complied with. The standards apply to each part of any Contribution as well as to its whole.

We shall determine, in our discretion, whether a Contribution breaches our content standards.

A Contribution must:

• Be accurate (where it states facts).
• Be genuinely held (where it states opinions).
• Comply with the law applicable in England and Wales and in any country from which it is posted.

A Contribution must not:

• Be defamatory of any person.
• Be obscene, offensive, hateful or inflammatory.
• Bully, insult, intimidate or humiliate.
• Promote sexually explicit material.
• Include child sexual abuse material.
• Promote violence.
• Promote discrimination based on race, sex, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation or age.
• Infringe any copyright, database right or trademark of any other person.
• Be likely to deceive any person.
• Breach any legal duty owed to a third party, such as a contractual duty or a duty of confidence.
• Promote any illegal activity.
• Be in contempt of court.
• Be threatening, abuse or invade another's privacy, or cause annoyance, inconvenience or needless anxiety.
• Be likely to harass, upset, embarrass, alarm or annoy any other person.
• Impersonate any person, or misrepresent your identity or affiliation with any person.
• Give the impression that the Contribution emanates from us, if this is not the case.
• Advocate, promote, incite any party to commit, or assist any unlawful or criminal act such as (by way of example only) copyright infringement or computer misuse.
• Contain a statement which you know or believe, or have reasonable grounds for believing, that members of the public to whom the statement is, or is to be, published are likely to understand as a direct or indirect encouragement or other inducement to the commission, preparation or instigation of acts of terrorism.
• Contain any advertising or promote any services or web links to other sites.

Breach of these Terms

When we consider that a breach of these Terms has occurred, we may take such action as we deem appropriate.

Failure to comply with these Terms constitutes a material breach of our Website Terms of Use upon which you are permitted to use our website, and may result in our taking all or any of the following actions:

• Immediate, temporary or permanent withdrawal of your right to use our website.
• Immediate, temporary or permanent removal of any Contribution uploaded by you to our website.
• Issue of a warning to you.
• Legal proceedings against you for reimbursement of all costs on an indemnity basis (including, but not limited to, reasonable administrative and legal costs) resulting from the breach.
• Further legal action against you.
• Disclosure of such information to law enforcement authorities as we reasonably feel is necessary or as required by law.

We exclude our liability for all action we may take in response to breaches of these Terms. The actions we may take are not limited to those described above, and we may take any other action we reasonably deem appropriate.

Disputes 

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. By using this website, you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales in the event of any dispute.

If any provision of this Terms is found by any court or administrative body of competent jurisdiction to be invalid or unenforceable, that invalidity or unenforceability will not affect the other provisions of these Terms which will remain in full force and effect.

Last Updated: June 2020