AZBio Policy for Contribution of 3rd Party Content including advertising.

In an effort to disclose and inform our users and the general public, the Arizona BioIndustry Association, Inc. (AZBio) has developed a set of policies that govern our acceptance and display of Member Generated Content as well as Advertising and Promotions on our websites. Together these are defined as “3rd Party Content”. For the purpose of disclosure, “Member Generated Content” encompasses (but are not limited to) white papers, educational materials, guest posts, and other member generated content for instructional purposes. “Advertising and Advertisements” encompass the following (but are not limited to) rich media, text, contextual Advertising, banner ads, video ads, Sponsored ads, and Promotions. These policies have been set forth to provide clear guidelines within which AZBio will accept and/or reject the display and posting of 3rd Party Content. AZBio’s intent is to provide users and the general public with reasonable assurance that the information and content is within the guidelines of both state and federal laws—specifically as referred to by the Federal Trade Commission FTC Act 15 U.S.C. § 45(m)(1)(A) that prohibits “unfair or deceptive acts or practices,” and broadly covers advertising claims, marketing and promotional activities, and sales practices in general in e-commerce. AZBio strictly enforces its policy and reserves the right to be the sole interpreter with its own discretion as to the implementation and enactment thereof. AZBio reserves the sole right to revise and update its policy at any time as laws change and will post such revisions on its corporate websites upon approval of usual oversight review, and as internal governing policies direct.

AZBio will only accept 3rd Party Content that is factually accurate and in good taste—as determined by AZBio’s internal review. Placement and/or submission of any 3rd Party Content for illegal or objectionable products is strictly prohibited. Advertising must not contain fraudulent or deceptive material, images, or claims. Absolutely no offensive material or content, including material that misrepresents, ridicules, or attacks an individual or group on the basis of age, sex, color, religion, national origin, race, sexual orientation, or disability will be tolerated or accepted for 3rd Party Content on any of AZBio’s websites.

No 3rd Party Content will be accepted that contains any of the following (either in substance or reference to) tobacco, alcohol, firearms, weapons of any kind, ammunition, fireworks, gaming or gambling activities, or pornography. At no time will 3rd Party Content be allowed that misleads users to conclude that actual display of news or emergency announcements or bulletins is occurring.

Placement of 3rd Party Content shall be only on AZBio’s websites that allow public access.

AZBio requires that 3rd Party Content clearly identify and disclose to users the entity or advertiser. 3rd Party Content must not lead to confusion in terms of its content or mislead users to falsely believe they are viewing editorial content. Rather, it must clearly identify such content as 3rd Party Content or advertising as applicable.

Advertising:

All products and services that are featured on AZBio websites as Advertising must clearly post pricing, taxes, and delivery fees.

Advertising shall not mislead users to falsely believe they are reading editorial, disease management or decision guidance content. Advertising content will also not mislead users to falsely believe they are reading treatment guidelines or editorial advice. AZBio will require that all such content clearly be labeled and distinguished as Advertising and Promotions, or information that is provided by a Sponsor, and will always require that the source of information being posted is made readily available to the user to review.

AZBio’s acceptance and approval of Advertising and/or Promotions shall not be misconstrued as either an endorsement or recommendation to purchase a company’s product(s) and/or service(s). AZBio does not endorse or recommend any companies, manufacturers, distributors, product(s), or service(s) on its websites through Advertising.

AZBio reserves the sole right to determine which 3rd Party Content it accepts and will not allow monetary circumstances to influence its decision making process. AZBio reserves the sole right to accept or reject the companies that submit requests for 3rd Party Content; and it maintains the right to reject, remove, cancel, or require modification and/or alteration of 3rd Party Content or form to be placed on its websites. AZBio’s rights shall be carried out at its sole discretion and shall be administered for any reason. Upon reaching a decision regarding the placement of 3rd Party Content on its websites, AZBio shall provide notice in a timely fashion to the contributor; and when it has rejected, cancelled, or required alteration and/or modification of the content or form of 3rd Party Content, it will provide written notification to the contributor in a timely fashion.

Regardless of which search engine is utilized and/or displayed on AZBio websites, it reserves the sole and exclusive right to determine the method and protocol for which all results are displayed on its websites. AZBio shall determine the placement on its website pages where results will be displayed. Search criteria that uses text in the form of words, phrases, keywords, or topics and their results shall be displayed in the manner that AZBio determines. Search results displayed on AZBio websites shall not be influenced by financial inducement given by contributors of 3rd Party Content. Any Sponsored Links that are displayed by search engines that contain listings that have been paid for by companies that desire to have their links placed near selected results, may have a subsequent arrangement where AZBio may receive reimbursement and/or payment for displaying Sponsored Link results. All content displayed in search results shall disclose the source of information. All Sponsored Content displayed in search results shall be clearly labeled with only the words “Sponsored by” in an unambiguous manner such that users may determine what content they desire to review. Sponsors and advertisers may alternatively purchase search results placement on web pages AZBio designates with the heading “From our Sponsors” and shall not contain within their introduction the word “Grant” or “Grants.”

AZBio requires that content contributors and advertisers cooperate and adhere to all domestic and foreign laws designated by the regulations set forth by the applicable governing bodies. Inclusive of these guidelines will be pharmaceutical Advertising to physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and all other providers that prescribe medications. Pharmaceutical companies shall abide by the rules and regulations set forth by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) guidelines governing Direct to Physician and Direct to Consumer advertising, inclusive of Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs that must be identified as such. CME programs must adhere to all rules and guidelines as established by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the National Institutes of Health, and all other applicable accrediting organizations. Should AZBio become aware of a violation of any applicable law, rule, guideline, or regulation during its review of Advertising on its websites, it reserves the exclusive right to remove the Advertising, and/or require that the advertiser modify, alter, or correct the violation so as to be in compliance.

Advertisers shall place disclosures in their Advertising in proximity to the claim(s) it is qualifying. AZBio requires sufficient prominence of the disclosure, and that items in other parts of the advertisement not distract attention from the disclosure. Audio and visual disclosures shall be presented in adequate volume, cadence, and duration sufficient for adequate understanding of the user. Likewise, the language of the disclosure shall be understandable to the intended audience. AZBio reserves the sole and exclusive right to review and require the advertiser to remove, alter, or modify its Advertising so as to meet sufficient disclosure to its users.

AZBio strictly enforces this Policy and shall not permit any 3rd Party Content that is determined to harm or cause detriment to the name or reputation of any of its companies, websites, business partners, or affiliated companies.

 

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