Terms of Service

Ontario Chinese Community Network | 安大略中文网

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or otherwise using the OCCN website at occn.ca (the “Website”), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”) and all applicable laws and regulations. If you do not agree with any part of these Terms, you must immediately discontinue use of the Website.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you (“User”) and OCCN (Ontario Chinese Community Network / 安大略中文网), the operator of the Website. OCCN reserves the right to modify these Terms at any time, with changes taking effect upon posting to the Website. Continued use of the Website following any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

2. Description of the Website

OCCN (occn.ca) is a Chinese-language digital news aggregation and media platform dedicated to serving the Chinese-speaking community in Ontario, Canada. The Website provides:

  • Aggregated news and information from local, national, and international sources, presented in Chinese (Simplified and/or Traditional);
  • Original editorial content relating to the Ontario and Greater Toronto Area Chinese community;
  • Community announcements, cultural content, and other information of interest to Chinese-speaking residents of Ontario;
  • Commentary, opinion pieces, and multimedia content relevant to the communities we serve.

OCCN strives to deliver timely, accurate, and community-relevant information. However, we do not guarantee the completeness, accuracy, or timeliness of any content published on the Website.

3. Intellectual Property and Content

3.1 OCCN Content

All original content created by OCCN — including editorial articles, translations, graphics, logos, site design, and layout — is the intellectual property of OCCN and is protected under applicable Canadian and international copyright laws. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from OCCN’s original content without prior written permission.

3.2 Third-Party Aggregated Content

The Website aggregates and links to content from third-party news sources and publishers. Such content remains the intellectual property of the original publisher or rights holder. OCCN’s use of such content is intended to comply with applicable fair dealing provisions under the Copyright Act (Canada). If you believe that content on the Website infringes your copyright, please contact us using the information provided in Section 11.

3.3 User Submissions

If you submit comments, letters, community notices, or other content to OCCN, you grant OCCN a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide licence to publish, display, reproduce, and distribute that content in connection with our services. You represent that you own or have the right to submit such content and that it does not infringe the rights of any third party.

4. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree to use the Website only for lawful purposes and in a manner that does not infringe the rights of others or restrict or inhibit their use of the Website. You must not:

  • Post, upload, or transmit any content that is unlawful, defamatory, harassing, hateful, discriminatory, or otherwise objectionable;
  • Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity;
  • Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Website or its underlying systems;
  • Use automated tools (including bots, scrapers, or crawlers) to harvest content from the Website without OCCN’s prior written consent;
  • Engage in any conduct that could damage, disable, or impair the functioning of the Website;
  • Use the Website to transmit unsolicited commercial communications (spam);
  • Violate any applicable local, provincial, national, or international law or regulation.

5. Privacy and Personal Information

OCCN respects the privacy of its users. The collection, use, and disclosure of personal information through the Website is governed by OCCN’s Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Website, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in our Privacy Policy.

OCCN complies with applicable Canadian privacy legislation, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and applicable Ontario privacy law. We do not sell personal information to third parties.

6. Third-Party Links and Content

The Website may contain links to third-party websites, news sources, and other external resources. These links are provided for your convenience and informational purposes only. OCCN does not endorse, control, or assume any responsibility for the content, privacy practices, or accuracy of any third-party website. Access to third-party sites is at your own risk and subject to the terms and conditions of those sites.

The inclusion of any link on the Website does not imply OCCN’s endorsement of the linked site or its operators. OCCN reserves the right to remove any third-party links at any time without notice.

7. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

7.1 No Warranties

The Website and all content are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis, without any warranties of any kind, either express or implied. OCCN makes no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy, completeness, reliability, suitability, or availability of the Website or the information contained on it.

7.2 Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, OCCN and its directors, officers, employees, volunteers, agents, and affiliates shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of, or inability to use, the Website or its content — even if OCCN has been advised of the possibility of such damages.

7.3 News Accuracy

OCCN aggregates content from multiple third-party sources and makes reasonable efforts to verify accuracy. However, OCCN cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of aggregated news content and shall not be held liable for errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in third-party content published or linked on the Website.

8. Comments and Community Engagement

Where comment or discussion features are available on the Website, users are responsible for the content they post. OCCN reserves the right to monitor, moderate, edit, or remove any comments or user-submitted content at its sole discretion, without notice. OCCN is not responsible for content submitted by users.

Comments or submissions that are defamatory, harassing, discriminatory, abusive, or otherwise in violation of these Terms or applicable law will be removed. Repeat violations may result in restriction of access to the Website.

9. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Province of Ontario and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms or your use of the Website shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Province of Ontario.

10. Changes to the Website and These Terms

OCCN reserves the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue the Website or any part of it at any time, with or without notice. We also reserve the right to update these Terms at any time. The most current version will always be available at occn.ca. Your continued use of the Website after any changes constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms.

We encourage you to review these Terms periodically. Material changes will be indicated by an updated effective date at the top of this document.

11. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or requests relating to these Terms — including copyright notices or complaints regarding content — please contact OCCN at:

OCCN / 安大略中文网

Website: occn.ca

We will make reasonable efforts to respond to all inquiries in a timely manner.

These Terms of Service were last updated on April 28, 2026. This document is a template and should be reviewed by qualified legal counsel before adoption.