Terms & Conditions (ನಿಯಮಗಳು ಮತ್ತು ಷರತ್ತುಗಳು)

Welcome to Raw News Kannada (rawnewskannada.in). These Terms & Conditions ("Terms of Use") govern your access to and use of our news portal, mobile views, audio broadcasts, RSS feeds, and digital journalistic services.

By accessing, browsing, reading, or interacting with Raw News Kannada, you signify that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and applicable laws of the Republic of India.

೧. Digital Media Ethics Code & PCI Norms (ಪತ್ರಿಕಾ ಧರ್ಮ ಮತ್ತು ನಿಯಮಗಳು)

As an independent digital news publisher, Raw News Kannada strictly adheres to the Code of Ethics prescribed under Part III of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021):

• Norms of Journalistic Conduct: We follow the standards framed by the Press Council of India (PCI) under the Press Council Act, 1978, emphasizing truth, accuracy, objectivity, verification, and fairness in news reporting.
• Programme Code: In all visual, photo, and audio news coverage, we adhere to the Programme Code under Section 5 of the Cable Television Networks (Regulation) Act, 1995.
• Public Order & Harmony: We strictly avoid publishing content that incites communal disharmony, endangers national sovereignty, glorifies violence, or infringes on fair trial proceedings in any Indian court.

೨. Intellectual Property & Copyright (ಹಕ್ಕುಸ್ವಾಮ್ಯ ರಕ್ಷಣೆ)

All content published on Raw News Kannada — including articles, headlines, translations, investigative reports, photographs, graphics, editorial logos, and audio recordings — is protected under the Indian Copyright Act, 1957 (amended 2012).

• Proprietary Rights: All intellectual property belongs exclusively to Raw News Kannada or our licensed contributors.
• Prohibited Actions: Automated web scraping, bulk harvesting, AI model training without permission, or re-publishing full articles without explicit written authorization is strictly prohibited.
• Fair Dealing: Under Section 52 of the Indian Copyright Act, short excerpts and quotes may be cited for review, educational, or critique purposes, provided that clear attribution and a direct hyperlink to the original article on rawnewskannada.in are prominently included.

೩. User Conduct & Prohibited Content (ಬಳಕೆದಾರರ ನಡವಳಿಕೆ ನಿಯಮಗಳು)

When submitting comments, news leads, or interacting with our community features, users must comply with the Information Technology Act, 2000 and Rule 3(1)(b) of the IT Rules 2021. You agree NOT to post, transmit, or share any content that:

• Is defamatory, obscene, pornographic, pedophilic, or invasive of another’s privacy.
• Insults religion, caste, gender, or race, or promotes enmity between different groups under Sections 153A, 295A of the Indian Penal Code / Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
• Contains deliberate disinformation, patently false claims, or impersonates another individual.
• Threatens the unity, integrity, defense, security, or sovereignty of India.
• Infringes any patent, trademark, copyright, or other proprietary rights.

Raw News Kannada reserves the absolute right to remove non-compliant comments, block abusive users, and report unlawful threats to Indian cybersecurity or law enforcement authorities.

೪. Fact-Checking, Corrections & Right of Reply (ತಿದ್ದುಪಡಿ ಮತ್ತು ಸ್ಪಷ್ಟೀಕರಣ ನೀತಿ)

Credibility is our core value. We maintain a transparent corrections procedure:

• Reporting Inaccuracies: If a reader, public official, or organization notices a factual error in any published report, they may email our editorial desk at editor@rawnewskannada.in with verifiable proof.
• Prompt Corrigendum: Validated errors will be promptly corrected on the article page with a clear correction notice detailing what was updated and the timestamp of revision.
• Right of Reply: Any individual or entity aggrieved by a report has the right to submit a formal clarification, which will be evaluated and published fairly if justified.

೫. Sponsored Promotions & Advertisements (ಪ್ರಾಯೋಜಿತ ಜಾಹೀರಾತುಗಳು)

To support independent journalism, Raw News Kannada displays sponsored posters, advertiser banners, and commercial promotions:

• ASCI Compliance: Sponsored content and commercial promotions adhere to the self-regulation codes framed by the Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) and carry clear labels (e.g. "ವಿಶೇಷ ಪ್ರಕಟಣೆ", "ಪ್ರಾಯೋಜಿತ", "Ad").
• No Endorsement: Displaying an advertisement does not constitute an editorial endorsement of the advertiser's products, claims, political stance, or services.
• Third-Party Transactions: Any financial dealings or inquiries initiated by clicking a sponsored poster occur entirely between you and the third-party advertiser. Raw News Kannada assumes no liability for advertiser products.

೬. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability (ಹೊಣೆಗಾರಿಕೆಯ ಮಿತಿ)

News reporting involves dynamic, rapidly developing events. While our journalists exercise rigorous care and cross-verification before publishing:

• Content is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis for general public informational purposes.
• Opinions expressed in columns, op-eds, or reader letters represent the personal views of the named authors and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Raw News Kannada.
• Raw News Kannada, its editors, reporters, developers, and technical partners (including Team Up Box) shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from technical downtime, network failures, or reliance on third-party quoted statements.

೭. Governing Law & Jurisdiction (ನ್ಯಾಯವ್ಯಾಪ್ತಿ)

These Terms of Use, their interpretation, and any disputes arising out of or related to your use of Raw News Kannada shall be governed exclusively by the laws of the Republic of India.

You agree that the competent civil and criminal courts located in Bengaluru, Karnataka, India shall have exclusive jurisdiction over all legal claims, disputes, or proceedings associated with this publication.

೮. Contact Information (ಸಂಪರ್ಕ ವಿವರಗಳು)

For editorial queries, syndication requests, or questions regarding these Terms, please reach out to:

• General Inquiries: contact@rawnewskannada.in
• Editor Desk: editor@rawnewskannada.in
• Technical & Development Partner: Team Up Box (teamupbox.com)
• Headquarters: Bengaluru, Karnataka, India