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Terms of Service

Draft

This document is a working draft and is pending formal legal review. It may change before being finalized. Questions? Contact us at support@slsag.org.

SL-SAG — Somaliland Strategic Advisory Group Last updated: May 2026 Version: 1.0-draft

1. About these terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of slsag.org and any related services (collectively, "the Site") operated by Somaliland Strategic Advisory Group ("SL-SAG", "we", "us").

By using the Site you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the Site.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be announced on the Site. Continued use after the effective date of any change means you accept the revised Terms.

2. Using the public site

SL-SAG makes its published analysis, reports, and commentary freely available to read. You may:

  • Read, download, and share individual articles for personal, educational, and non-commercial purposes, provided you attribute the source (author name, article title, slsag.org, and date).
  • Quote brief excerpts in academic or journalistic work, with citation.

You may not:

  • Reproduce entire articles or reports on another website or publication without written permission from SL-SAG.
  • Modify or create derivative works from our content without permission.
  • Remove or obscure any copyright or attribution notice.
  • Use automated scrapers or bots to bulk-download content without prior agreement.
  • Misrepresent SL-SAG or any author in connection with content from the Site.

To request permission for reproduction, contact support@slsag.org.

3. Intellectual property

Content published by SL-SAG

All original editorial content published on slsag.org — including articles, reports, briefings, and data visualisations produced by SL-SAG staff — is the intellectual property of SL-SAG. All rights reserved except as stated in Section 2.

Contributor content

When a member contributor submits an article and it is published on the Site:

  • The contributor grants SL-SAG a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, worldwide licence to publish, distribute, archive, translate, and promote the work in any format.
  • SL-SAG may edit contributions for style, length, clarity, and editorial standards. The editorial decision is final.
  • Attribution: published articles carry the contributor's name. SL-SAG will not remove attribution from a published work except where required by law or where the contributor requests anonymity.
  • The contributor retains the right to republish their own work elsewhere, provided they credit slsag.org as the original publisher and do not publish an identical version earlier than 30 days after original publication on slsag.org ("first publication embargo").

Contributors warrant that submitted content is their original work, does not infringe any third-party rights, is not defamatory, and does not violate applicable law.

Third-party content

Where the Site references or reproduces third-party material (data, images, documents), we note the source. Those materials remain the property of their respective owners.

4. Member contributor accounts

Access to the contributor portal, article submission tools, and the Writer Home dashboard requires an approved member account.

You are responsible for:

  • Keeping your login credentials confidential.
  • All activity that occurs under your account.
  • Ensuring the contact email on your account is current.

You must not share your account or allow others to use your credentials.

We may suspend or terminate an account if we reasonably believe it is being used in breach of these Terms, to post prohibited content, or in a way that harms SL-SAG, other contributors, or the public.

5. Acceptable use

You agree not to use the Site or your account to:

  • Post or submit content that is false, misleading, defamatory, or incites violence.
  • Harass, threaten, or abuse any person.
  • Violate any applicable law, including export controls and sanctions.
  • Upload malware, viruses, or any code designed to interfere with the Site.
  • Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Site, our systems, or another user's account.
  • Engage in any activity that places an unreasonable load on the Site's infrastructure.
  • Impersonate SL-SAG, any editor, or any other contributor.

6. Takedown requests (DMCA-style procedure)

If you believe content on slsag.org infringes your copyright, send a written notice to support@slsag.org with:

  1. Identification of the copyrighted work you claim is infringed.
  2. Identification of the allegedly infringing material and its location on the Site.
  3. Your contact information (name, address, email, phone).
  4. A statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorised.
  5. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the rights holder (or authorised to act on their behalf).

We will review valid notices promptly and remove or restrict access to content where appropriate.

Counter-notification: If content you submitted is removed following a takedown notice and you believe this was in error, you may send a counter-notification to the same address. Include your contact details, identification of the removed material, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of an appropriate court.

7. No warranties

The Site and all content are provided "as is" and "as available".

SL-SAG makes no warranty that:

  • The Site will be available at all times or error-free.
  • The content on the Site is complete, accurate, or up to date.
  • The Site is free from security vulnerabilities.

Nothing in this clause limits any rights you have under consumer protection laws that cannot be excluded by contract.

8. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, SL-SAG and its officers, editors, employees, and contributors are not liable for:

  • Any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential loss arising from your use of (or inability to use) the Site.
  • Loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunity.
  • Decisions you make in reliance on content published on the Site.

SL-SAG's total liability for any direct loss arising from your use of the Site will not exceed USD 100 (or the equivalent in local currency).

SL-SAG publishes analysis and opinion to inform public debate. Nothing on the Site constitutes legal, financial, investment, medical, or professional advice.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless SL-SAG, its editors, and staff from any claim, loss, or expense (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the Site in breach of these Terms.
  • Content you submitted that infringes third-party rights.
  • Your violation of any law.

10. Third-party links

The Site may contain links to external websites. We are not responsible for the content or privacy practices of those sites. A link does not imply endorsement.

11. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable in Somaliland. For disputes involving EU or other international visitors, mandatory consumer protection rights in your country of residence are not affected.

If a dispute arises, we encourage you to contact us first at support@slsag.org. We will try to resolve it informally within 30 days.

If informal resolution fails, disputes will be referred to the competent courts of [jurisdiction — to be confirmed with attorney]. EU consumers may also use the EU Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

12. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Site, or to your contributor account, at any time and for any reason, including breach of these Terms. Sections 3, 7, 8, 9, and 11 survive termination.

13. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms: support@slsag.org

Open questions for attorney review:

  1. The governing law clause is left open. An attorney must confirm the appropriate jurisdiction and whether Somaliland courts can be validly named for international disputes, or whether a neutral seat (e.g., LCIA, ICC arbitration) is preferable.
  2. The contributor licence grant is broad. If SL-SAG intends to sell or license compiled reports commercially, this should be made explicit in the contributor agreement.
  3. The 30-day first-publication embargo may conflict with some contributors' institutional obligations. Confirm whether this is intended policy.
  4. The DMCA procedure references US law by analogy. If SL-SAG is not a US-incorporated entity, it is not technically subject to DMCA safe harbour. An attorney should advise on what notice-and-takedown framework actually applies.
  5. The USD 100 liability cap should be reviewed against the laws of each jurisdiction where the site operates — some EU member state courts do not enforce such caps against consumers.