Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy

Circles respects intellectual property rights and expects all members to do the same.

This policy explains who owns the content published on Circles, the rights granted to us to operate the platform, and how copyright concerns can be reported and resolved.

You retain ownership of the content you create and upload to Circles.

This includes, but is not limited to:

• Profile photographs.
• Videos.
• Profile descriptions.
• Forum posts.
• Comments.
• Creative writing.
• Business listings.
• Messages and other original content.

Uploading content to Circles does not transfer ownership of your intellectual property to us.

By uploading or submitting content to Circles, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to:

• Store your content securely.
• Display your content to other users in accordance with your privacy settings.
• Process and transmit your content as necessary to operate the platform.
• Create technical copies required for caching, backups and security.
• Moderate content in accordance with our Content Moderation Policy.
• Resize, compress or optimise media for performance, accessibility and compatibility across devices.

This licence exists solely for the purpose of operating and improving the Circles service.

You may remove your content at any time, subject to our Privacy Policy and applicable legal or regulatory retention requirements.

You are responsible for ensuring that any content you upload:

• Belongs to you; or
• Is used with the permission of the copyright owner; and
• Does not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party.

You must not upload content that you know, or reasonably believe, infringes another person’s copyright, trademark or other intellectual property rights.

Members must not upload or share:

• Copyrighted photographs without permission.
• Copyrighted videos or films.
• Books, magazines or articles without authorisation.
• Music or audio recordings where they do not own the necessary rights.
• Software, artwork or other protected works without permission.
• Any content obtained illegally or in breach of licence agreements.

If you believe your copyrighted work has been used on Circles without permission, you may submit a copyright complaint through our support channels.

Where possible, please include:

• Your name and contact details.
• A description of the copyrighted work.
• The location (URL or profile) of the allegedly infringing content.
• Evidence that you own or represent the copyright holder.
• A statement that you believe the use is unauthorised.

Submitting false or misleading copyright claims may result in action being taken against your account.

When we receive a valid copyright complaint, we may:

• Review the reported content.
• Temporarily restrict access while the complaint is assessed.
• Remove infringing material.
• Contact the member who uploaded the content.
• Suspend or terminate accounts involved in repeated infringement.
• Comply with applicable legal obligations where required.

Our aim is to act fairly while protecting the rights of all parties involved.

Members who repeatedly upload infringing content may face escalating enforcement action, including temporary suspension or permanent removal from the platform.

The Circles name, logo, branding, graphics, website design and other proprietary materials are the intellectual property of Circles or its licensors unless otherwise stated.

These materials may not be copied, reproduced, modified or distributed without prior written permission, except where permitted by law.

If you provide feedback, suggestions or ideas to improve Circles, you agree that we may use those ideas without obligation or compensation.

This helps us continue developing and improving the platform for all members.

Circles may use artificial intelligence to assist with moderation, accessibility, media optimisation and other platform functions.

The use of AI does not transfer ownership of your content. Any automated processing is carried out solely to provide, secure and improve the service in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable data protection laws.

If you have any questions about copyright or intellectual property on Circles, or wish to report a potential infringement, please contact our support team.

We are committed to respecting creators’ rights while maintaining a safe, lawful and enjoyable community for everyone.