RankUp Uzbekistan Advertising Policy (draft)

DRAFT — Prepared under the Law of the Republic of Uzbekistan "On Advertising" (No. O'RQ-776 of 7 June 2022, in force since 9 September 2022). Do not use until a lawyer has reviewed it. Reference translation. The Uzbek text is the official version and prevails if the two differ.

1. Purpose

This policy sets out how RankUp Uzbekistan (the "Service") labels ads, allocates ad positions and reviews ad content, so that paid positions don't mislead users.

2. Identifying ads

1. Every paid position is marked with an "Ad" label (Article 18 of the Law on Advertising). Hidden advertising is unacceptable advertising under the law (Article 5) and is not used on the Service.

2. The following explanation is always shown next to the list of ad positions:

   Rankings marked ‘Ad’ are paid ads: the brand won a RankUp Uzbekistan ranking auction and paid for the placement. Ad positions follow the bid amount (for equal amounts, the earlier bid comes first) and say nothing about quality, popularity or user reviews.

3. Ad lists and ordinary lists also look different.

3. Language of ads

1. Under Article 6 of the Law on Advertising, ads are distributed in the state language. A brand's tagline and description must be in Uzbek.
2. A translation into another language may be added next to the Uzbek text if it doesn't distort the main meaning.
3. Registered trademarks and logos may be shown in their original script.

4. How ad positions are decided

1. The brand with the higher bid ranks higher.
2. For equal bids, the bid received earlier ranks higher.
3. Only winning brands that have paid are shown, and only during the ad period.

5. Ordinary (non-ad) lists

Approved brands are listed alphabetically by name; nobody can pay to change that order. The "Brands picked by our team" section is chosen by the Operator and has nothing to do with ad payments.

6. Content requirements

Under the basic requirements of Article 16 of the Law on Advertising, the following is not accepted, or is taken down:

• untrue information, unsupported claims such as "best", "No. 1" or "cheapest", and other content that misleads consumers;
• comparisons that disparage competitors or are incorrect;
• prices in foreign currency (prices on the Service are shown only in so'm);
• content that infringes others' trademarks, copyright or other rights;
• content that could harm minors (Article 17).

7. Categories not accepted

Goods and services whose advertising is prohibited or specially restricted by law are not advertised on the Service: alcohol and beer, tobacco and nicotine products, medicines and dietary supplements, energy drinks, gambling and lotteries, weapons and pyrotechnics, securities and financial services. [Legal review needed: check the list in full]

8. Referring to ad positions

Advertisers may not promote a paid ad position on the Service elsewhere as a quality or popularity ranking (for example, using "No. 1 on RankUp Uzbekistan" without saying it is an ad).

9. Measures for violations

Measures are taken step by step, from a request to correct, to taking the ad down, to suspending the brand; for serious violations, an ad may be taken down immediately. Refunds follow the Refund Policy.

10. Record keeping

The history of ads shown, ad materials and the basis for allocating positions (bid records) are kept in tamper-proof form for the periods set by Article 15 of the Law on Advertising. [period]

11. Complaints

You can report an improper ad at [e-mail]; the Operator reviews reports within [N] business days.

Effective date: [DD Month YYYY]