[irc/freenode/web-7.0.git] / content / pages / policies.md

Title: The Policies
---

**Nickname ownership**

Nicknames are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, to the first person
who registers the name with NickServ. However, we expect users to act in good
faith and reserve the right to remove a nickname registration where we believe
that this has not been the case.
Nickname and account registrations expire ten weeks after they are last used.
For nicknames, ‘used’ means that you were using the nickname while logged in to
the account which owns it. For accounts, ‘used’ means that you logged in to the
account, regardless of the nickname you used to do so. Nicknames which are the
primary account name only expire when the entire account is expired.

In some cases, such as for very old accounts, we may, at our discretion, extend
the expiry time of a nickname or account. We will not normally do this beyond 15
weeks past the last use.

Some nicknames and accounts, including but not limited to some of those owned by
current or former network staff, do not expire at all. These accounts can be
identified by the ‘Hold’ flag in their NickServ info output.

Nicknames and accounts which are expired will not automatically be dropped.
Please contact network staff if you would like to take over an expired nickname.

**Channel ownership**

Channels on freenode fall into one of two categories. Primary channels, which
begin with a single # character, are reserved for on-topic projects. If you’d
like to take over one of these channels, then you’ll need to be associated in
some way with the project in question. Topical, or ‘about’ channels, begin with
two # characters, and these are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis to
the first person who registers it with ChanServ. As with nicknames, however, we
reserve the right to remove or alter registrations where we believe they have
not been made in good faith.

Primary channels do not expire with inactivity, though they can be claimed at
any time by a representative of an on-topic project with the appropriate name.
Topical channels expire after 60 days in which no user on the access list for
the channel has joined it.

**On-topic Use**

freenode’s primary goal is to encourage and foster the development and use of
free and open source software projects and other peer-directed communities
producing broadly licensed creative output. Any project falling under this broad
description is likely to be considered on-topic for the purposes of primary
channel naming and other project services which we may provide, but individual
decisions may be made at the discretion of staff.

**Off-topic Use**

We expect all users of the network, whether affiliated with a project or not, to
act in good faith and in accordance with both their local laws and those
applicable where freenode operates. Use of freenode and its facilities is a
privilege, not a right, and may be withdrawn where we believe that this has not
been the case.
Commit	Line	Data
fd9248e7 CD	1	Title: The Policies
	2	---
	3
	4	Nickname ownership
	5
	6	Nicknames are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis, to the first person
	7	who registers the name with NickServ. However, we expect users to act in good
	8	faith and reserve the right to remove a nickname registration where we believe
	9	that this has not been the case.
	10	Nickname and account registrations expire ten weeks after they are last used.
	11	For nicknames, ‘used’ means that you were using the nickname while logged in to
	12	the account which owns it. For accounts, ‘used’ means that you logged in to the
	13	account, regardless of the nickname you used to do so. Nicknames which are the
	14	primary account name only expire when the entire account is expired.
	15
	16	In some cases, such as for very old accounts, we may, at our discretion, extend
	17	the expiry time of a nickname or account. We will not normally do this beyond 15
	18	weeks past the last use.
	19
	20	Some nicknames and accounts, including but not limited to some of those owned by
	21	current or former network staff, do not expire at all. These accounts can be
	22	identified by the ‘Hold’ flag in their NickServ info output.
	23
	24	Nicknames and accounts which are expired will not automatically be dropped.
	25	Please contact network staff if you would like to take over an expired nickname.
	26
	27	Channel ownership
	28
	29	Channels on freenode fall into one of two categories. Primary channels, which
	30	begin with a single # character, are reserved for on-topic projects. If you’d
	31	like to take over one of these channels, then you’ll need to be associated in
	32	some way with the project in question. Topical, or ‘about’ channels, begin with
	33	two # characters, and these are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis to
	34	the first person who registers it with ChanServ. As with nicknames, however, we
	35	reserve the right to remove or alter registrations where we believe they have
	36	not been made in good faith.
	37
	38	Primary channels do not expire with inactivity, though they can be claimed at
	39	any time by a representative of an on-topic project with the appropriate name.
	40	Topical channels expire after 60 days in which no user on the access list for
	41	the channel has joined it.
	42
	43	On-topic Use
	44
	45	freenode’s primary goal is to encourage and foster the development and use of
	46	free and open source software projects and other peer-directed communities
	47	producing broadly licensed creative output. Any project falling under this broad
	48	description is likely to be considered on-topic for the purposes of primary
	49	channel naming and other project services which we may provide, but individual
	50	decisions may be made at the discretion of staff.
	51
	52	Off-topic Use
	53
	54	We expect all users of the network, whether affiliated with a project or not, to
	55	act in good faith and in accordance with both their local laws and those
	56	applicable where freenode operates. Use of freenode and its facilities is a
	57	privilege, not a right, and may be withdrawn where we believe that this has not
	58	been the case.