Code of Conduct
The following general rule supersedes all others listed below and may be invoked at any time:
Any action or behavior that causes significant interference with convention operations, excessive discomfort to other attendees, or adversely affects FurSquared’s relationship with its guests, its venues or the public is strictly forbidden and may result in permanent suspension of attendance.
Introduction:
The primary purpose of FurSquared is for our attendees to have fun. To ensure that the greatest number of people achieve this objective, we have established certain rules of conduct. FurSquared welcomes all parties with an interest in anthropomorphic animals; however, the convention’s management reserves the right to deny or revoke the attendance of any individual at any time for any reason.
The parent company, Two Ferrets, also reserves the right to amend these rules at any time without prior or posted notice and reserves the sole right of interpretation. In any dispute, the general rule above will apply. If you have any questions, please contact the convention operations staff for assistance.
As a condition of attending, viewing, or hosting events, all FurSquared attendees/artists/vendors are required to abide by this Code of Conduct for the entire duration of their participation in any event space, including the Discord and Telegram chats, even prior to Opening or after Closing Ceremonies.
General Rating of the Convention:
All convention areas are considered to be “PG” at all times, with the exception of events or exhibits that are specifically noted to be inappropriate for minors. Any interactions in public and official FurSquared digital spaces, including the Discord and Telegram chats, must abide by this PG rating. Any shared media, real or illustrated, that is not deemed to be PG in nature by chat moderators may be subject to removal and the poster may be removed from the chat.
Discord and Telegram Chat Decorum:
- Please be polite and respectful.
- No vulgar or abusive language, including when it is masked with symbols, characters or otherwise, will be tolerated. This also includes usernames or Discord handles.
- No harassment (see Harassment section below).
- No illegal content (links, images, etc.).
- No harmful links (links to malicious websites, viruses, etc.).
- Do not spam.
- Do not impersonate members of the staff/moderation team.
- Do not encourage others to break the rules.
- Do not perform actions actions that seem specifically designed to test the limits of what is not offensive and to serve no other purpose.
- We do NOT tolerate racism or discrimination on the basis of (but not limited to) sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, religious or spiritual belief, national origin, ethnicity, disability, or age.
- Keep all political talk to a minimum/sophisticated non-aggressive level.
- No posting of anything NSFW.
Breaking the rules may result in a warning, mute, and/or removal from our Discord and/or Telegram chats.
Any other action that shall, at the sole discretion of FurSquared staff, be deemed offensive will not be tolerated and may result in removal from our Discord and/or Telegram chats.
Harassment:
Harassment of any kind, including deliberate intimidation, stalking, or unwanted attention, will not be tolerated. If people tell you “no” or to leave them alone, your business with them is done. If you continue to attempt to have contact with those people, you may be removed from event spaces. FurSquared is not responsible for solving any interpersonal problems that may arise between individual attendees and will use its sole discretion in determining appropriate interventionary measures.
Harassment includes (but is not limited to):
- Offensive comments related to gender, gender identity and expression, sexual orientation, disability, mental illness, neuro(a)typicality, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion
- Unwelcome comments regarding a person’s lifestyle choices and practices, including those related to food, health, parenting, drugs, and employment
- Deliberate misgendering or use of “dead” or rejected names
- Gratuitous or off-topic sexual images or behavior in spaces where they’re not appropriate
- Simulated physical contact (e.g. textual descriptions like “hug” or “backrub”) without consent or after a request to stop
- Threats of violence
- Incitement of violence towards any individual, including encouraging a person to commit suicide or to engage in self-harm
- Deliberate intimidation
- Sustained disruption of discussion
- Unwelcome sexual attention
- Continued one-on-one communication after requests to cease
- Publication of non-harassing private communication
Sales of Merchandise:
Sales of merchandise by approved FurSquared dealers and artists will be handled by the individual vendor. FurSquared takes no responsibility for these transactions. Sales of merchandise not by an approved FurSquared dealer or artist are prohibited.
Transactions should take place through private communication in the method of the dealer’s choice. In the interest of maintaining the security of sensitive financial information, no divulging of personal financial information or sale should take place in a public area. Conversations about potential sales should be limited to the Dealer’s Den or Artist’s Alley channels in the FurSquared Discord, and no solicitation for sales should take place in any other chat area.
The Night Market is an 18+ space and ID’s are already checked at the entrance, so vendors in the Night Market are not required to check ID’s.
NFT’s & AI Art
FurSquared prohibits any sale and/or promotion of anything related to NFTs (Non Fungible Tokens) at your dealer table. We also do not allow the sale and/or promotion of “AI art”. If we learn that this is happening, your dealer status will immediately be revoked and you will be required to remove your items from the Dealer’s Den, with the possibility of not being allowed back in future events.
Note: Having participated in the past will not have an impact on you.
Use of FurSquared Images or Footage:
FurSquared attendees should be aware that audio and/or video recordings are frequently made in convention areas and that their likenesses may appear in those recordings. Individual attendees agree to assign without compensation the use of their likeness(es) at FurSquared for the use of promotional material such as the highlights videos.
The name “FurSquared” and the FurSquared logo are registered service marks of Two Ferrets, and must not be used in any fashion that disparages or dilutes that mark. Attendees agree to remove from circulation or publication any image or recording that in the sole opinion of Two Ferrets misrepresents or defames its service mark.
Payments to FurSquared and other money matters:
Donations to FurSquared unfortunately are not deductible from individual U.S. Federal income taxes.
Checks that are presented against insufficient funds will be charged a fee of $30 per check.
FurSquared also accepts Visa, Mastercard, American Express, JCB, Discover, and Diners Club cards. Chargebacks (denying a charge) that are made for the sole purpose of avoiding payment, that are made without sufficient cause, or that are made without first attempting to resolve the dispute with FurSquared may result in permanent revocation of attendance privileges and possible legal action.
FurSquared cannot involve itself in financial disputes between individual attendees, and cannot divulge information about an individual attendee to any party other than to banking officials or legal authorities.
Miscellaneous notes:
The standards of conduct for FurSquared will be strictly enforced by FurSquared staff and volunteers, who will be clearly identified as such. If you have any problem with any action taken by a Staff member you may take the matter up with the Chief of Security or to FurSquared’s Chairman.
This Code of Conduct is only enforceable to the extent that FurSquared leadership is aware of and can follow up on any violations that arise. If you notice someone behaving destructively or negatively, notify an identified staff member or volunteer moderator. That person will then move forward with enforcement procedures and will inform you if there is anything else that you need to do to help resolve the situation.
The Board may, upon receipt of information, ban or bar someone from event spaces or events based on a ban, bar, or notice from other legal entities (venues, organizations, conventions, online platforms, law enforcement, etc), given the following: the Board has gone to every effort to ensure those bans are reputable, and not rooted in interpersonal issues, bias, or malice; the ban or bar was enacted due to harassment, violence, or physical, sexual, emotional abuse, or incitement of any of the above.
Please be reminded that these rules involve, of course, “worst-case” scenarios and are put into place to ensure the safety and comfort of our attendees. They are also not all-inclusive: in all cases, the singular rule that supersedes all others is, “any action or behavior that causes significant interference with convention operations, excessive discomfort to other attendees, or adversely affects FurSquared’s relationship with its guests, its venue or the public is strictly forbidden and may result in removal.”
FurSquared is prepared to deal with any or all of the above scenarios in as rapid and efficient a manner as possible should they occur. We thank our attendees for their past cooperation and for their continued assistance in making this a safe and enjoyable experience for everyone. Have fun - just please remember to be courteous of those around you while doing so!
~The Board & Staff of FurSquared & Two Ferrets