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+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.