Acceptable Use Policy

01Scope

This Acceptable Use Policy (the "AUP") governs your use of the File.Business Services and applies to all customers and authorized users. Violating the AUP is a material breach of our Terms of Service and may result in immediate suspension or termination of your account, along with civil and criminal liability where applicable.

02Prohibited content & conduct

You may not use the Services to host, store, communicate, file documents related to, or otherwise support:

• Activity that violates US federal law, US state law, or any law in a jurisdiction where you operate
• Fraud, identity theft, or financial misrepresentation
• Money laundering, the financing of terrorism, or the evasion of sanctions
• The manufacture, sale, or distribution of weapons, explosives, controlled substances (other than where lawful), or counterfeit goods
• Human trafficking, child sexual abuse material, or other content harmful to children
• Hate speech, incitement of violence, threats, harassment, or doxxing
• Spyware, malware, viruses, or other code intended to damage or impair systems
• Content that infringes intellectual property rights (we honor DMCA takedowns; see DMCA Policy)
• Unauthorized access to or use of systems, data, or accounts
• Pyramid schemes, multi-level marketing structures that operate as pyramid schemes, and similar fraudulent business models
• Gambling operations not properly licensed in every jurisdiction where customers are located
• Adult content involving non-consensual subjects or content depicting minors
• Unsolicited commercial communications (spam) including any violation of the CAN-SPAM Act, TCPA, GDPR e-Privacy Directive, or similar laws
• Operations sanctioned by OFAC, the EU Council, the UK HM Treasury, or the UN Security Council

03Industries we do not service

File.Business does not currently provide formation, filing, Registered Agent, or ongoing platform services to businesses operating in the following industries. This is independent of whether the activity is legal in any given jurisdiction. If you are forming an entity that will operate in one of these industries, we will return your filing fee and decline to proceed.

• Cannabis and cannabis-derivative products, including cultivation, manufacturing, distribution, dispensary operations, delivery, testing labs, and ancillary services where the primary purpose is supplying the cannabis industry. This applies regardless of state legality, because of ongoing federal restrictions and banking exposure.
• Adult content and adult entertainment, including adult video production and distribution, adult performer services, adult subscription platforms (e.g., adult-content creator platforms), strip clubs, escort agencies, and similar.
• Firearms, ammunition, and related accessories, including firearms manufacturing, firearms wholesale and retail, ammunition manufacturing and retail, firearms accessories (silencers, scopes when sold as part of a firearms business), firearms training operated by a firearms retailer, and similar Federal Firearms License (FFL) holders.

This list is not exhaustive. File.Business reserves the right to decline service to any business whose primary activity creates excessive regulatory, banking, payment processing, or reputational exposure, including but not limited to: gambling, payday lending, cryptocurrency exchange operations (custodial), debt collection, MLM/multi-level marketing structures, telemarketing, and operations sanctioned by any US or foreign sanctioning authority.

If we identify that your entity is operating in a restricted industry after formation has begun, we will: (a) refund the File.Business service fee in full; (b) where possible, refund the state filing fee if not yet remitted to the state; (c) discontinue Registered Agent and platform services on 30 days notice. Articles of Organization or Incorporation that have already been filed with the state remain on the state record; you are responsible for any future filings, amendments, or dissolution. We will share the formation documents and any data we hold so you can transition to another service provider.

This restriction applies to ongoing platform features as well. We will not provide banking introductions, payroll, books and finance, e-signature, document vault, marketing tools, or other platform services for entities in restricted industries.

04Technical restrictions

You may not:

• Scan, probe, or test the vulnerability of the Services without prior written authorization (see our vulnerability disclosure program at security.html#disclosure)
• Bypass any access controls, rate limits, or technical limitations
• Use automated tools to scrape, harvest, or extract content from the Services in violation of robots.txt or our API rate limits
• Resell, redistribute, or sublicense the Services without our written consent
• Interfere with other users' use of the Services, including by overloading the system
• Misrepresent your identity, affiliation, or authority

05Communications restrictions

If you use our Communications product (business email, phone, SMS, voice), you must:

• Comply with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA), CAN-SPAM Act, and equivalent laws in your jurisdiction
• Obtain proper consent before initiating contact
• Honor opt-out and STOP requests within 24 hours
• Not impersonate other parties or send messages with deceptive sender information
• Complete A2P 10DLC registration before sending any application-to-person SMS
• Not use the platform to engage in robocalls without applicable consents

06Enforcement

We monitor for AUP violations using automated systems, customer reports, and government referrals. Where we find a violation we may, at our sole discretion and depending on severity:

• Send a warning
• Throttle or rate-limit specific functions
• Suspend the account pending investigation
• Terminate the account
• Report the activity to law enforcement
• Cooperate with court orders and regulatory requests

For severe violations (CSAM, threats of imminent harm, ongoing fraud), we suspend immediately and may report to authorities without notice.

07Reporting violations

To report an AUP violation, email abuse@file.business with as much detail as possible. We acknowledge reports within one business day and investigate promptly.

To report child sexual abuse material, you can also contact the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children at 1-800-843-5678 or via CyberTipline. We are mandatory reporters under 18 U.S.C. § 2258A.