Legal

Acceptable Use Policy

Version 1.0 · Effective: May 2026

This Acceptable Use Policy (“AUP”) governs how Users may and may not use the Ateliera platform (the “Platform”) operated by Ateliera Gallery FZE LLC (“Ateliera”). It supplements and is part of the Terms of Service. Capitalised terms used here have the meanings given in the Terms.

By accessing the Platform, you agree to follow this AUP. Ateliera enforces this AUP at its sole discretion and may, where appropriate, escalate enforcement up to and including account termination, civil claims, and regulatory referral.

1. Content Standards

1.1  You may only post, upload, or transmit Content that is lawful, your own (or properly licensed), accurate, and consistent with the standards of a professional art marketplace.

1.2  You must not post or transmit Content that:

  • is illegal under UAE law or the law of any jurisdiction in which it is accessible;
  • violates UAE public morals, religious sensitivities, or national security;
  • infringes any intellectual property right, including copyright, trademark, design right, moral right, or right of publicity;
  • is defamatory, libellous, slanderous, or disparaging of any identifiable person or entity;
  • is sexually explicit, pornographic, or contains nudity intended primarily for sexual stimulation rather than as an artistic element;
  • depicts or sexualises minors in any form;
  • incites or glorifies violence, terrorism, hatred, or discrimination based on race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, or any other protected characteristic;
  • is harassing, threatening, abusive, or intimidating toward any User or third party;
  • contains malicious code, malware, scripts, or anything designed to disrupt or compromise the Platform or any User’s device;
  • contains false, misleading, or deceptive statements relating to the Work, its authorship, provenance, condition, or value.

2. Artwork Standards

2.1 Original work. Artists may only list Works they have created themselves, or for which they hold full assignment of rights. Mass-produced prints, factory-made decorative items, and unauthorised reproductions of other artists’ work are strictly prohibited.

2.2 Accurate representation. Listings must accurately describe the medium, dimensions, year of creation, condition, and any restoration or damage. Photographs must accurately represent the Work as it exists physically.

2.3 AI-generated work. Works that are generated in whole or in substantial part by artificial intelligence must not be listed as physical, hand-made, or human-authored originals. AI assistance to a primarily human-made Work (for example, AI used for reference generation) must be disclosed in the listing description. Misrepresenting AI-generated work as human-made is grounds for immediate listing removal and account suspension.

2.4 Title and provenance. Selling Users warrant that they hold full legal title to the Work and that no third-party claim, encumbrance, or lien attaches to it. Provenance documentation must be honest, complete, and supportable.

2.5 Prohibited categories. The following may not be listed, sold, or transferred through the Platform:

  • stolen artwork, or artwork of contested title;
  • artwork subject to cultural-property restitution claims or export restrictions, unless full documentation is provided;
  • artwork made from or incorporating endangered species, ivory, or other materials regulated under CITES or UAE Federal Law on Trade in Endangered Species;
  • artwork looted from conflict zones or unlawfully removed from countries of origin;
  • items that are not artwork (for example, weapons, jewellery without artistic authorship claim, generic furniture);
  • cryptocurrency-only tokens or NFTs without a corresponding physical Work.

3. Account Conduct

3.1  You may hold only one Account per natural person or legal entity unless Ateliera has given express written consent. You may not create alternative or shadow accounts to evade a suspension, ban, or restriction.

3.2  You may not impersonate any person, misrepresent your affiliation with any organisation, or use a false identity or stolen identity documents.

3.3  You will keep your credentials confidential and will notify Ateliera promptly if you suspect your Account has been compromised.

3.4  You may not transfer your Account to another person without Ateliera’s prior written consent.

4. Commercial Conduct

4.1 Honour your commitments. Sellers must ship within the timeframes set out in their listings. Buyers must pay on time per the relevant Addendum. Failing to honour committed Transactions is a serious breach.

4.2 No off-Platform circumvention. You may not solicit other Users to transact off-Platform, share off-Platform contact details for the purpose of avoiding Commission, or facilitate side-deals involving Users, Works, Artists, Collectors, Partners, or Advisors introduced to you through the Platform. Detailed rules and remedies are set out in clause 7 of the Terms.

4.3 No bid manipulation. Shill bidding, syndicate bidding, last-second-bot bidding designed to deny human response time, and any coordinated bid-suppression activity are prohibited. Detection results in cancellation of the affected Transactions, account termination, and may result in regulatory referral.

4.4 No fake reviews or ratings. You may not post, solicit, or facilitate reviews, ratings, or testimonials that are not based on a real Transaction or real interaction with the Platform. You may not offer or accept incentives in exchange for positive feedback.

4.5 No misuse of trust signals. You may not misrepresent authentication scores, certificates, or other Platform-issued indicators, nor display Ateliera badges or branding on off-Platform listings without express written authorisation.

5. Communications and Messaging

5.1  Communications between Users must remain professional and respectful. Harassment, abuse, threats, discriminatory language, and unwanted contact are not tolerated.

5.2  You may not use the Platform messaging system to send unsolicited commercial communications (spam), pyramid or referral schemes, or solicitations to off-Platform channels.

5.3  You acknowledge that Ateliera monitors Platform communications for the purpose of detecting policy violations, fraud, and circumvention (see clause 7.6 of the Terms). This monitoring is conducted on the legal basis of legitimate interest in Platform integrity.

6. Technical Conduct

You shall not:

  • attempt to gain unauthorised access to any Account, server, or data not intended for you;
  • scrape, crawl, mine, or otherwise extract data from the Platform by automated means without our prior written permission;
  • introduce malware, ransomware, viruses, worms, trojans, or any other harmful software;
  • interfere with or disrupt the Platform’s servers, networks, or infrastructure;
  • reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to derive source code from any component of the Platform;
  • bypass, circumvent, or attempt to circumvent rate limits, security measures, paywalls, or access controls;
  • use the Platform in connection with any system designed to facilitate cryptocurrency mining, distributed computing, or other resource-intensive activity unrelated to the Platform’s purpose.

7. Financial and Regulatory Conduct

7.1  You shall not use the Platform for money laundering, terrorism financing, sanctions evasion, tax evasion, or any other unlawful financial purpose. Funds used on the Platform must derive from lawful sources.

7.2  You will cooperate promptly with any request for enhanced due diligence under clause 10 of the Terms, including identity verification, source-of-funds documentation, and purpose-of-Transaction statements.

7.3  You are responsible for your own tax obligations in your jurisdiction of residence. Ateliera does not provide tax advice and is not liable for any tax consequences of your activity on the Platform.

8. Reporting Violations

If you become aware of conduct that violates this AUP, please report it to legal@ateliera.art with sufficient detail to investigate. Ateliera will treat reports confidentially and will not retaliate against good-faith reporters.

9. Enforcement

9.1  Ateliera enforces this AUP through a graduated response calibrated to the severity of the breach. Measures available to Ateliera include, without limitation:

  • warning the User and requesting corrective action;
  • removing or restricting Content;
  • suspending the User’s Account temporarily;
  • terminating the User’s Account permanently;
  • withholding payouts pending investigation;
  • recovering Commission and enforcement costs (see clause 7 of the Terms);
  • blocking re-registration via account-integrity identifiers (see clause 4.5 of the Terms);
  • reporting the User to regulators, law enforcement, or partner platforms;
  • pursuing civil claims for damages, injunctive relief, or both.

9.2  Ateliera’s choice of remedy is at its sole discretion. Failure to enforce in one instance does not waive the right to enforce in another. Where conduct may constitute a criminal offence, Ateliera will cooperate fully with the relevant authorities.

10. Updates to This AUP

We may update this AUP from time to time as the Platform evolves and as new risks emerge. Material changes will be notified on the Platform and, where appropriate, by email to active Users. Continued use of the Platform after the effective date of changes constitutes acceptance.

See also our Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and Auction Terms.

Ateliera Gallery FZE LLC · Commercial Registration 2627214835888 · Ajman NuVentures Centre Free Zone · P.O. Box 117397, Dubai, United Arab Emirates.

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