Australian Certified Website® Terms and Conditions ©

Version 2 - Updated 15/02/2010

Definitions
Certification Trademark (CTM) - a Trademark which certifies that goods or services meed specified standards of quality and accuracy.
CTM Owner - the owner of the Trademark, in this case Australian Certified Website® are the owners of the CTM (Gold Logo).
Approved Certifier - the owner of the CTM, or approved persons who are responsible for ensuring that the CTM is used in accordance with the set of rules which govern its use and set the standards for certification.
Australian Certified Website® - we, us, ACW, the certifying body.
Applicant - the person/s applying on behalf of a website to become an Australian Certified Website®.
Approved User - the person, on behalf of a website, who have been granted permission to use the Australian Certified Website® Gold Logo.
Successful Applicant - a person or company, on behalf of a website who are successful in their application and have paid their fees.
Certified Website - the website directly named in the application.
Sub-Domain - a sub-domain that belongs to an applicant's website. For example yoursite.com is the website and sales.yoursite.com is the sub-domain.

Overview
The Australian Certified Website® certification was established to certify websites that are operated by real people who reside and operate their websites from within Australia. Australian Certified Website® uses public information and correspondance with website owners and representatives to determine the properties of the website including but not limited to, physical location, contact information, goods or services supplied by the website, website content and other properties set out in the terms and conditions.

Objectives
Australian Certified Website® aims to showcase websites that are Australian owned and operated and meet our certification requirements. Australian Certified Website® does not guarantee the conduct of individual websites or website owners. The certification will be removed from websites if it is reported to us that their conduct is not in accordance with our terms and conditions. The certification will save time for Australian consumers who are looking specifically to gain goods, services or information by Australian owned and operated websites.

Scope
The Australian Certified Website® certification is only available to Australian owned and operated websites who fulfill the requirements of the certification.

Who are Australian Certified Website®
Australian Certified Website® is a privately owned Australian business (ABN 25 298 050 907) solely owned and operated by Jessica Urquhart (P.O Box 236, COBAR NSW 2835). We are independent of Australian Government and specific industries. The business was established for consumers who are looking specifically to gain goods, services or information from Australian owned and operated websites via our website. Our website can be used as a portal or search engine for consumers who are looking for certified websites as well as being able to identify a certified website by the ACW Gold Logo appearing on their homepage.

Approved Certifier
The approved certifier is the person/s who assess whether a website meets the certification requirements. All Australian Certified Website® applications are currently (as at 15/02/2010) certified by the founder, Jessica Urquhart. Jessica Urquhart has a Business Degree, formal qualifications in Business Management, Human Resources, Learning and Development and Cybercrime. When the need for more approved certifiers is required in the future, interested persons will need to formally apply for the position and receive specific training by Australian Certified Website® prior to becoming an approved certifier.

Australian Certified Website® Certification Details
Upon successful application of the certification, approved users may use the following logo on the website directly named in the application. Other approved uses of the Gold Logo can include;

* Advertising of the website named in the application
* Flyers or brochures directly related to the website named in the application
* Business cards directly related to the website named in the application
* Newsletters or correspondance directly related to the website named in the application
* Blog directly related to the website named in the application

This does not include sub-domains unless they have been specifically included in the application. The logo may be re-sized as per individual requirements.

Logo files will be emailed to the approved user (successful applicant) along with a tax invoice, certificate of certification and a copy of our terms and conditions.

Application Process
1. Only websites that comply with Australian Certified Website® certification requirements will be approved users (successful applicants).
2. Certification requirements will only be assessed by Australian Certified Website® authorised personnel (approved certifier).
3. Only one (1) website is allowed per application. A seperate application form must be completed for each individual website.
4. Sub-domains must be listed on the application to be processed seperately. 
5. Applicants must accept our terms and conditions before the application will be accepted and processed.
6. Applicants must grant us permission to audit the website before the application will be accepted and processed.
7. Applicants must declare that all information provided is accurate before the application will be accepted and processed.
8. Applicants must agree to pay their fee before the application will be accepted and processed.
9. Australian Certified Website® will process the application and perform all certification requirement checks usually within 24 hours of receiving the application. Exceptions may be during weekends and public holidays.
10. An Australian Certified Website® representative may be in contact with you during the auditing period to confirm application details. For example phoning a landline telephone to ensure accuracy, sending an SMS to a mobile to ensure accuracy.
11. If the application is unsuccessful, the applicant will be given two (2) opportunities to fulfil the certification requirements (provide more information) before the application is permanently denied.
12. If the application is successful a certification number will be generated by Australian Certified Website® and issued to the applicant.
13. The application will only be finalised when the certification number has been issued and fees paid in full. Until such time the applicant must not use the Australian Certified Website® Gold Logo. The Australian Certified Website® certification is valid for twelve (12) months from the date that the certification was issued.
14. The approved user will be subjected to random audits of their website during the certification period.

Certification Fees

* see price publication
Applicants should ensure that their website complies with our terms and conditions prior to lodging an application to avoid disappointment. 

Successful Applicant Requirements and Conditions
1. Australian Certified Website® Gold Logo must appear on the approved user's website's homepage and must link to the dedicated page created by us. The link will be emailed to the approved user.
2. The Australian Certified Website® Gold Logo must only appear on the website or sub-domains specified in the successful application and marketing tools directly associated with the site or sub-domain. The successful website and sub-domain will be clearly listed on the certification certificate.
3. The Australian Certified Website® Gold Logo can be used by the successful website either as a stand alone logo or inside a banner.
4. Australian Certified Website® reserves the right to cancel certification on the grounds of misuse.
5. Australian Certified Website® audits must be carried out before issuing certification, which will only be carried out and issued by an authorised representative (approved certifier).
6. Certified websites may be audited at any time during the certification period by an authorised representative.
7. All successful websites and sub-domains will be listed on Australian Certified Website® site (australiancertified.com.au) for the duration of the certification.
8. All Australian Certified Website® certification requirements (standards) must be adhered to for the duration of the certification.
9. Successful applicants will be emailed the Gold Logo in various file types and sizes for use on their website or sub-domain and other marketing tools.
10. The Gold Logo files must never be given to anyone else as they are the property of Australian Certified Website®.

Warehousing Stock
The terms and conditions state that stock must be distributed from within Australia. If a website imports goods and stores them within Australia prior to dispatch to customers, this is acceptable. Australian Certified Website® will not accept applications from websites who drop-ship their stock for example take the orders through their website then have the goods dispatched directly from an overseas supplier directly to the customer.

Community Websites
Community websites, such as auction or advertising websites must comply with our terms and conditions for their website only. Websites that are advertised within the community site will not be covered by the certification. 

Third Party Links
Third party links within certified websites will not be covered by the certification, only the certified website itself.

Renewal of Australian Certified Website® Certification
One month prior to the certification expiry date the applicant will be invited to renew certification. This will consist of ACW carrying out the certification audit on the website (as per original application process) and either approving or denying the renewal. If the renewal is successful a tax invoice will be sent to the approved user. Once payment has been received, the certification will continue for an additional twelve (12) months from date of receipt. The twelve (12) month certification was established due to ever changing websites and the need to monitor websites annually to ensure that no significant changes have been made.

Cancellation of Australian Certified Website® Certification
If a successful applicant wishes to cancel their certification due to either cessation of the website or other reasons they are to immediately cease using the Gold Logo and contact us immediately. The website will be removed from our website and the application fee will not be refunded.

Grounds of Misuse of Australian Certified Website® Certification
Websites that are granted use of the Australian Certified Website® Gold Logo (approved user) are audited and fulfilled the requirements at the time of issuing the certification. If for some reason the site changes anything, which no longer complies with our terms and conditions the certification will be cancelled. A notification will be sent to the approved user and they will be given sufficent time to respont before the certification is either upheld or cancelled. 

Grievance and Dispute Process
If a person believes that their application is wrongfully unsuccessful, or has a grievance of another nature, details of their argument must be made in writing and posted to P.O. Box 236, COBAR NSW 2835, with attention to The Manager. The applicant will be given the opportunity to have their application reviewed based on the arguments. If a person believes that a website was issued certification and does not in fact meet the certification requirements should contact us. Details of the breach should be clearly stated along with your contact details. 

Certification Requirements (Standards) - Gold Logo
The following table depicts the standards that must be met, along with our terms and conditions, before Australian Certified Website® certification (use of the Gold Logo) will be granted for a website or any associated sub-domains.
  

* Reasonable means of contact shall include direct phone contact, suitable contact forms or a live chat function.

Copyright ©
All Australian Certified Website® documents, website content and logo are subject to Australian Copyright laws. Apart from any use as permitted under the Copyright Act 1968, no part may be reproducted without prior permission.

Registered Trademark®
The Australian Certified Website® Gold Logo is protected by the Trademarks Act 1995. For more information visit;
* ipaustralia.gov.au
* accc.gov.au  

Please contact Australian Certified Website® if you have any queries.

Contact: Jessica Urquhart | Mobile: 0428 813 190 | Email: admin@australiancertified.com.au | ACW BLOG | ACW on FACEBOOK | ACW on TWITTER