GLOBAL TERMS OF SERVICE

Effective date: 21 September 2026

1. Acceptance and Scope

These Terms of Service apply to access to and use of websites, digital platforms, publications, newsletters, communities, directories, accounts, events, awards, webinars, research programmes, advisory offerings, data products, downloadable resources, subscriptions, memberships, marketing services and other content, products or services made available by The Channel Company and its affiliated brands (collectively, the “Services”).

By accessing or using any Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not access or use the Services. If you use a Service on behalf of an organisation, you represent that you are authorised to bind that organisation, and “you” includes that organisation.

Certain Services are governed by additional terms, including order forms, statements of work, master agreements, event or delegate terms, sponsor terms, award rules, subscription or membership terms, research participation terms, promotional rules and payment terms. Those additional terms form part of your agreement for the relevant Service. If there is a conflict, the signed agreement or service-specific terms prevail for that Service.

2. About The Channel Company and Operating Entity

The Services are provided by the The Channel Company legal entity identified in the relevant website footer, legal notice, registration page, order form, statement of work, invoice or other applicable documentation. Depending on the Service, this may include:

  • The Channel Company EMEA Ltd, 180 Borough High Street, London SE1 1LB, United Kingdom, registered in England and Wales under company number 14078896;
  • The Channel Company, Inc., 117 Kendrick Street, Suite 300, Needham, MA 02494, United States of America; or
  • bChannels Pty Ltd, The Commons Mezzanine, 388 George Street, Sydney NSW 2000, Australia.

References to “The Channel Company”, “TCC”, “we”, “us” or “our” mean the entity responsible for the relevant Service and, where the context requires, its affiliates.

3. Description of Services

Our Services may include technology-industry news, journalism, analysis, commentary, interviews, rankings, awards, research, benchmarking, market intelligence, advisory and consulting outputs, channel and go-to-market services, data and analytics, demand-generation and marketing programmes, advertising and sponsored content, event and webinar experiences, communities, memberships, newsletters, directories and digital resources.

Availability, features, eligibility and delivery methods may vary by Service, brand, region and applicable agreement. We may use service providers and affiliated companies to operate or deliver the Services.

4. Eligibility and International Use

You must be legally capable of entering into these Terms. Services intended for business or professional audiences must be used in that capacity. Unless a Service expressly states otherwise, it is not directed to children.

The Channel Company operates Services for audiences in multiple jurisdictions. You are responsible for complying with laws applicable to your use. We do not represent that every Service is appropriate or available in every jurisdiction, and additional local terms may apply.

5. Permitted Use and Prohibited Conduct

You may use the Services for lawful business, professional, informational and personal purposes, subject to these Terms and any applicable service-specific terms.

  • Do not use the Services for unlawful, fraudulent, misleading, abusive, discriminatory, defamatory or harmful purposes.
  • Do not interfere with the operation, security or integrity of the Services or attempt unauthorised access to systems, accounts, databases or networks.
  • Do not introduce malware, malicious code or harmful content, or undertake denial-of-service, vulnerability testing or circumvention of security measures without written authorisation.
  • Do not impersonate another person or organisation, misrepresent your identity, affiliation or authority, or use another person’s account.
  • Do not send spam, unsolicited marketing, chain letters or unauthorised communications through the Services.
  • Do not collect or store personal information about other users except where lawful and expressly permitted.
  • Do not remove or alter copyright, trademark or proprietary notices.
  • Do not use the Services in a manner that infringes intellectual property, privacy, confidentiality or other rights.

6. Registration, Accounts and Security

Some Services require registration. You must provide accurate, current and complete information and keep it updated. You are responsible for safeguarding credentials and for activity under your account. Do not share credentials or permit unauthorised access. Notify us promptly if you suspect compromise or unauthorised use.

We may require identity, eligibility or authority checks where reasonably necessary. We may suspend, restrict or terminate an account where information is inaccurate, an account is compromised, these Terms are breached, or continued access creates legal, security, operational or reputational risk.

7. Intellectual Property and Limited Licence

The Services and their content and features, including articles, reports, research, rankings, databases, methodologies, taxonomies, benchmarks, white papers, newsletters, videos, podcasts, graphics, photographs, event materials, marketing materials, software, source code, interfaces, designs and the selection, arrangement and look and feel of those materials, are owned by or licensed to The Channel Company and protected by intellectual property and related laws.

Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to access and use the Services for their intended purpose. You may view and print limited extracts for internal, personal or professional use, provided you do not modify them, remove rights notices, create an archive or database, redistribute them commercially or imply our endorsement.

Unless expressly authorised in writing or permitted by mandatory law, you may not copy, reproduce, republish, modify, translate, distribute, sell, license, frame, mirror, broadcast, commercially exploit or create derivative works from the Services or their content.

8. Automated Access, Scraping, Text and Data Mining, and AI

  • Do not use robots, spiders, crawlers, scrapers or other automated means to access, monitor, copy or extract content without our prior written permission.
  • Do not systematically download, harvest, mine, reproduce or store content or compile a database, directory or archive from it.
  • Do not use our content to train, develop, test, fine-tune, evaluate, improve or operate artificial intelligence systems, machine-learning models, large language models or similar technologies without our prior written permission.
  • Do not use our content for text and data mining except to the extent that such use cannot lawfully be reserved or restricted.
  • Do not bypass technical controls intended to prevent unauthorised access, scraping, extraction or automated use.

We reserve all rights in our content for text and data mining, machine learning, artificial intelligence training and automated extraction. Separate written licence terms may apply to authorised data feeds, APIs, research datasets or content-licensing arrangements.

9. User Submissions and Contributions

The Services may allow comments, posts, questions, reviews, survey or research responses, award entries, nominations, photographs, videos, audio, documents, feedback and other submissions (“User Content”). You retain ownership of your User Content and are responsible for it.

You represent that you have all rights and permissions needed to submit User Content and that it is accurate to the best of your knowledge, lawful, non-infringing, non-confidential unless expressly agreed otherwise, and free from malware or harmful code.

You grant The Channel Company and its affiliates a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, transferable and sublicensable licence to host, use, reproduce, edit, adapt, translate, publish, display, distribute and create derivative works from User Content for purposes connected with the Services, publications, events, research, marketing, editorial activities and business operations. This licence continues for materials already incorporated into published, archived or delivered outputs.

We may moderate, reject, edit, remove or restrict User Content. We do not endorse User Content and are not responsible for its accuracy, legality or reliability. Where applicable law requires an explanation, review or appeal process for content moderation, we will provide it as required.

10. Editorial, Research and Informational Content

News, analysis, commentary, rankings, interviews, opinions, research, benchmarks, forecasts and other informational content are provided for general information. Although we seek to maintain appropriate editorial and research standards, we do not guarantee that content is complete, current, error-free or suitable for a particular purpose.

Content is not legal, financial, tax, investment, employment, cybersecurity, technical or other professional advice. You should obtain appropriate independent advice before acting on it. Rankings, awards, market views and research findings may involve methodologies, assumptions, responses or third-party data described in the relevant materials.

11. Research Participation, Advisory Services and Deliverables

Participation in surveys, interviews, panels, assessments, benchmarking or other research may be subject to research-specific notices or terms. You must not submit confidential, personal or third-party information unless authorised and requested for the relevant research.

Advisory, consulting, custom research, benchmarking, assessment and related deliverables supplied to a customer are governed by the applicable order form, statement of work, master agreement or service-specific terms. Unless expressly agreed there, website content and generally available research do not create a client, fiduciary or professional-adviser relationship, and no particular business outcome is guaranteed.

12. Events, Webinars, Awards and Communities

Registration for or participation in events, conferences, webinars, awards, communities or similar programmes may be subject to additional delegate, attendee, speaker, sponsor, exhibitor, venue, safety, conduct, recording, cancellation, substitution or award rules. Those rules prevail for the relevant programme.

Programmes, speakers, venues, formats and schedules may change. Any cancellation, transfer, refund or substitution rights are governed by the applicable service-specific terms and mandatory law. You must comply with venue policies, health and safety requirements, codes of conduct and reasonable organiser instructions.

Where recording, photography or streaming occurs, notices and any required choices or permissions will be provided in connection with the relevant event or programme.

13. Advertising, Sponsorship and Marketing Services

The Services may contain advertising, sponsored content, partner materials, lead-generation programmes and other commercial communications. Sponsored or paid-for materials may be identified as such where required. The views and claims of advertisers or sponsors are their own unless expressly stated otherwise.

Advertising, sponsorship, demand-generation, campaign, content syndication and other marketing services purchased by customers are governed by the applicable order form, statement of work, insertion order, master agreement and service-specific terms, including specifications, approval processes, delivery assumptions, measurement standards and cancellation terms.

14. Subscriptions, Memberships, Newsletters and Communications

Subscriptions, site memberships and newsletters may be subject to additional terms. You may manage editorial and marketing communications through the unsubscribe link, preference centre or other method provided. Service, security, transactional or administrative messages may still be sent where necessary to provide a requested Service or manage an account.

15. Paid Services, Orders and Taxes

Where fees apply, you agree to pay the charges, taxes, duties and levies stated in the applicable order or at the point of purchase. Pricing, invoicing, payment dates, currency, renewal, cancellation, refunds and credits are governed by the applicable agreement or service-specific terms.

Nothing in these Terms removes consumer guarantees, withdrawal rights, refund rights or other remedies that cannot lawfully be excluded. Changes to general pricing or payment models will not retrospectively alter a completed purchase unless the applicable agreement permits the change.

16. Third-Party Content, Links, Platforms and Services

The Services may include links, embedded media, integrations, advertisements, sponsor materials or content supplied by third parties. Third-party services are not controlled by The Channel Company. We are not responsible for their availability, accuracy, security, privacy practices or terms, and a link or reference does not imply endorsement. Your use of third-party services is at your own risk and subject to their terms and policies.

17. Privacy, Cookies and Data Use

We process personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and applicable privacy and data-protection laws. Our use of cookies and similar technologies is described in our Cookie Policy. Where available, you can manage choices through Cookie Preferences and privacy-rights tools, including tools to opt out of sale, sharing or targeted advertising where applicable.

Where a sponsored event, webinar, content download or other programme involves optional sharing of registration information with a sponsor or partner for its own purposes, this will occur only as described at the point of registration and where a valid legal basis, including consent where required, applies.

18. Accessibility

We aim to make our websites and digital Services accessible to a wide audience. Our Accessibility Statement provides further information about our approach and contact process. Nothing in these Terms limits rights under applicable accessibility law.

19. Availability, Changes and Service Maintenance

We do not guarantee that the Services will always be available, uninterrupted, secure or error-free. We may maintain, modify, suspend, restrict, replace or discontinue all or part of a Service and may update or remove content. Where you have purchased a Service, changes will be handled in accordance with the applicable agreement and mandatory law.

20. Suspension and Termination

We may suspend, restrict or terminate access if we reasonably believe you have breached these Terms, your account is compromised, your use creates legal, security or operational risk, we are required to act by law or authority, or the relevant Service is discontinued or materially changed. Where required by applicable law, we will provide reasons, notice or a review mechanism.

Termination does not affect accrued rights or provisions intended to survive, including intellectual property, restrictions on use, licences for User Content, payment obligations, disclaimers, liability limitations, indemnities and governing-law provisions.

21. Disclaimer of Warranties

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE”. WE EXCLUDE WARRANTIES, REPRESENTATIONS, CONDITIONS AND GUARANTEES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING AS TO ACCURACY, COMPLETENESS, AVAILABILITY, MERCHANTABILITY, SATISFACTORY QUALITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, SECURITY OR RESULTS.

We do not warrant that defects will be corrected, that the Services or servers will be free from harmful components, or that any particular result will be achieved. This section does not exclude warranties or guarantees that cannot lawfully be excluded.

22. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE CHANNEL COMPANY AND ITS AFFILIATES, DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, LICENSORS, SUPPLIERS AND SERVICE PROVIDERS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL OR PUNITIVE LOSS, OR FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, BUSINESS, GOODWILL, ANTICIPATED SAVINGS, DATA OR BUSINESS INTERRUPTION, ARISING FROM OR CONNECTED WITH THE SERVICES.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, including liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or mandatory consumer rights. Where liability cannot be excluded but may lawfully be limited, it is limited to the maximum extent permitted by law.

Any separate paid-service agreement may contain a different liability allocation, which will apply to that Service.

23. Indemnity

To the extent permitted by law, if you use the Services for business purposes, you will indemnify The Channel Company and its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, licensors, suppliers and service providers against third-party claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs and reasonable expenses arising from your material breach of these Terms, unlawful use, User Content, infringement of third-party rights or misuse of an account. This obligation does not apply to the extent a claim was caused by The Channel Company’s breach, negligence or wilful misconduct.

24. Copyright and Other Rights Complaints

If you believe content available through a Service infringes copyright or another intellectual property right, provide identification of the protected work, identification and location of the allegedly infringing material, your contact details, a good-faith statement, confirmation of accuracy and authority, and your physical or electronic signature.

Rights notices may be sent to: Legal Department, The Channel Company, 117 Kendrick Street, Suite 300, Needham, MA 02494, United States of America; email: legal@thechannelcompany.com. U.S. DMCA notices may be addressed to the designated agent identified in the relevant legal notice.

25. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms to reflect changes in the Services, our business, technology, risk or legal requirements. We will update the effective date and provide any notice required by law. Changes will apply prospectively. If a change materially affects a paid Service, the applicable agreement and mandatory law will govern your rights. Continued use after the effective date of updated Terms constitutes acceptance where permitted by law.

26. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

The governing law and jurisdiction depend on the entity operating the relevant Service, subject always to mandatory rights and protections that apply to you:

  • For Services operated by The Channel Company, Inc., the laws of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts apply, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, and the state and federal courts located in Massachusetts have exclusive jurisdiction.
  • For Services operated by The Channel Company EMEA Ltd, the laws of England and Wales apply, and the courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction.
  • For Services operated by bChannels Pty Ltd, the laws of New South Wales, Australia apply, and the courts of New South Wales and courts entitled to hear appeals from them have exclusive jurisdiction.

These choices do not deprive a consumer of mandatory protections or the right to bring proceedings in a forum that cannot lawfully be excluded. The operating entity identified in the website footer or applicable documentation determines which provision applies.

27. General Terms

If a provision is invalid, unlawful or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain effective. Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver. You may not assign your rights or obligations without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms to an affiliate or in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganisation, financing, sale of assets or business transfer.

Nothing in these Terms creates a partnership, joint venture, employment, agency, fiduciary or franchise relationship. These Terms and applicable service-specific terms constitute the agreement concerning your use of the relevant Service, but they do not replace a separately signed customer or supplier agreement.

28. Contact Us

Questions about these Terms: Legal Department, The Channel Company, legal@thechannelcompany.com.

Privacy requests and questions: compliance@thechannelcompany.com or the contact method in the Privacy Policy.

Accessibility requests: use the contact process in the Accessibility Statement. General enquiries: use the Contact Us page for the relevant website or brand.

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