This policy applies to reviews, testimonials, comments, photographs, videos, social-media posts and other content submitted to The Theory LIMITED.
BUSINESS DETAILS
The Theory LIMITED
Email: hello@thetheory.co.nz
Website: www.thetheory.co.nz
GENUINE REVIEWS
Reviews should reflect a genuine experience with our products or service. By submitting content, you confirm that it is truthful to the best of your knowledge and is not misleading or deceptive.
We welcome both positive and negative reviews. A review will not be rejected or removed merely because it is critical or gives a low rating.
CONTENT STANDARDS
User content must not:
Contain threats, harassment, hate speech or abusive material
Be defamatory or knowingly false
Reveal another person’s private information without authority
Infringe copyright, trade mark or other rights
Contain unlawful, fraudulent or misleading claims
Contain spam, irrelevant advertising or malicious links
Impersonate another person
Contain malware or code intended to interfere with our systems
Be unrelated to the reviewed product or service
MODERATION
We apply consistent moderation criteria regardless of whether a review is positive or negative.
We may decline, edit only for minor formatting or privacy protection, or remove content where it:
Breaches this policy
Contains unlawful or defamatory material
Contains personal information that should not be published
Is spam, duplicated, irrelevant or promotional
Appears fraudulent or cannot reasonably be linked to a genuine interaction
Infringes another person’s rights
Creates a safety or security risk
We will not change a rating or alter the substantive meaning of a review. Where practical, minor edits will be limited to removing private information, malicious links or clearly irrelevant content.
We are not required to publish every submission, but we will not systematically suppress genuine negative reviews or create a misleading overall impression of customer feedback.
INCENTIVISED, GIFTED AND CONNECTED REVIEWS
Where a review is connected to a gift, discount, giveaway entry, loyalty benefit, free product, ambassador relationship, affiliate arrangement, employment or other material connection, that connection must be disclosed.
Any incentive will not require a positive review. We may label the review as incentivised, gifted, affiliate, ambassador, staff or otherwise connected to preserve transparency.
EMPLOYEE AND BUSINESS-GENERATED REVIEWS
Employees, contractors, owners, family members, agencies and other connected persons must not present a review as an independent customer review. Any authorised connected review must prominently disclose the relationship.
OWNERSHIP AND LICENCE
You retain ownership of your original content.
By submitting content directly to The Theory LIMITED for publication, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to host, reproduce, format, display and distribute that content for operating and promoting the business, subject to this policy and any specific permission arrangement.
The licence does not transfer ownership to us. We will not use identifiable customer images in paid advertising without separate express permission unless that use was already clearly and specifically authorised when the content was submitted.
PHOTOGRAPHS AND VIDEOS
By submitting a photograph or video, you confirm that:
You created it or have permission from the rights owner
Every identifiable person has agreed to the proposed submission and use
No child is identifiable unless a parent or legal guardian has authorised the submission and use
The content does not infringe privacy, intellectual-property or other legal rights
We may request written confirmation of consent before publication or advertising use.
SOCIAL MEDIA CONTENT
Tagging The Theory or using a brand hashtag does not automatically grant permission for use in paid advertising.
We may contact the account holder to request permission to repost content. Any approved use will be subject to the scope of permission given. Where reasonably practicable, we will credit the original creator.
ADVERTISING PERMISSION
Permission for paid advertising should identify, where relevant:
The image or content authorised
The platforms and formats permitted
Whether editing, cropping or overlay text is allowed
The permission period
Whether compensation or a benefit is provided
How future withdrawal requests will be handled
Withdrawal will not normally affect lawful use already completed, printed or committed before the request, but we will stop future use where reasonably practicable and consistent with the permission arrangement.
PRIVACY
Names, usernames, images and review content may be personal information. We handle this information under our Privacy and Cookies Policy and the Privacy Act 2020.
Where practical, we will use a first name, initial or username rather than publishing a customer’s full legal name without clear permission.
REMOVAL AND RIGHTS COMPLAINTS
Contact hello@thetheory.co.nz if you believe published content:
Infringes your copyright, privacy or other rights
Identifies you without authority
Is fraudulent or materially misleading
Has been attributed to the wrong person
Was published outside the permission given
Provide enough information for us to identify and assess the content. We will investigate promptly and may temporarily remove it while the issue is reviewed.
RESPONSIBILITY FOR USER CONTENT
The views in a customer review belong to its author and do not necessarily represent The Theory LIMITED. This does not remove our responsibility for content we create, adopt, materially edit, promote or knowingly continue publishing unlawfully.
CHANGES TO THIS POLICY
We may update this policy prospectively. Material changes to how existing submitted content may be used will not retrospectively expand an existing permission without an appropriate legal basis or further consent where required.
CONTACT
The Theory LIMITED
Email: hello@thetheory.co.nz
