1. LEGAL CONDUCT

• FML has its own economy and in-game method for trading players and competition rewards. You must not offer to sell players for real life money or any other real life benefits. This includes the auctioning of players on real life auction websites. Similarly, you must not use FML as a means of selling, trading or lending any real world goods.
• FML is an online football management game with official in-game advertising. You must not use any part of the game or forums to advertise/promote your, or anybody else's products, companies or websites. This includes website URLs. The only exception for this is approved FML Community websites or blogs.
• To protect everyone within each gaming world you must not give out or request personal contact details from other users, nor should you post the personal details of any other user anywhere in the game or game forums. This includes real names, home/work/school addresses, email addresses, telephone numbers and instant messenger user names.
• Please be advised that SEGA or SI will never ask for personal data within the game environment. If personal information is requested please escalate to a moderator so SI and SEGA can investigate the matter further.

2. GENERAL CONDUCT

• Abuse, racism, obscene or offensive conduct will not be tolerated. This includes, but is not limited to, chat, mails or public profiles in game or any linked external medium (forums, website etc). Please remember that people from different backgrounds play the game and should not be subjected to offensive material against their wishes. If you are in doubt whether something is appropriate please check with the ingame Moderation team BEFORE posting.
• Piracy of any nature is not allowed. The posting of links to pirated material or discussing how to obtain pirated material may result in the loss of your account. This includes torrent or streaming sites. Links to external content, such as video clips are allowed, but the content must be appropriate for all members of the gameworld. If in doubt please ask a Moderator BEFORE posting.
• Please respect the rules and requests of officially appointed persons both inside and outside of the game - this includes Customer Support staff and Moderators. If you have an issue with an officially appointed person then please follow the instructions detailed in the Moderation section (section 10) in order to resolve this. Public discussions or mails regarding disciplinary action taken by officially appointed persons is not permitted under any circumstance. What this means is if you are communicated with by either SI/SEGA or the in-game Moderator team regarding your conduct (whether by private chat, mail or disciplinary action) this should not be discussed or mentioned in public in any manner.
• You must not attempt to impersonate Sports Interactive ("SI"), SEGA staff or the in-game and forum moderators at any time. This includes changing your name to something similar.
• You must not use the reporting someone to the FML support team as a means of a threat. You should not falsify information when reporting someone to the game moderators. Falsely reporting someone may lead to disciplinary action against your account, so please make sure you stick to the facts and provide as much evidence as you can when making a report (including time, date and location of the incident where appropriate).
• Should you find a cheat or an exploit in the game, rather than using it for your competitive advantage, you should report it immediately to one of the in-game Moderators. Anyone found to be knowingly using an exploit to gain advantage before or following a warning, may be subject to disciplinary action.
• Should you discover another user using a cheat or exploit you are under obligation to report this in private to the Moderator team (see section 9 for details on how to do this).
• You must not use third party software to help you gain an advantage in-game. This includes but is not exclusive to; macros, automation tools, bots, or auto-typers.
• Each user account should only be used by the person that opened the account. You must not give, sell, lend your account, or any details relating to your account to anyone else. In addition to this, you must not accept an account or account details from anyone else. Any accounts managed by someone other than the person who opened the account, may be subject to deactivation.
• You are welcome to run accounts in more than one game world but you must not use multiple accounts within the same game world. Managing multiple accounts within the same gameworld may result in the accounts being deactivated.
• Do not encourage other users to break any of the FML rules.

3. TRANSFER RULES

• Do not make any transfer that is designed to unfairly benefit either yours, or any other manager's team.

Examples of this include (but are not limited to);

• Buying or selling players privately above or below their realistic transfer value* - This is unfair on everyone else in the Gameworld, so please make sure that if you want to sell players cheaply for whatever reason (leaving the game, reducing your wages etc) this should ONLY be done via the transfer auction system with no "instant buy" price set
• Loaning good players at below 50% wage contribution (reserve or youth players can be loaned at any wage contribution).
• Swapping players prior to leaving the gameworld/restarting your club - this can be seen a "player dumping" and as such is not allowed under any circumstances. Helping other clubs out with good deals when you intend to leave is unfair on the rest of the gameworld and as such is a breach of the FML rules.
• Deliberate attempts to avoid tax. Tax is there to prevent exploitation and inflation within the Gameworld, as such should not be manipulated to gain an advantage.
• Player swaps between clubs not using the coded "Exchange Player" feature.
• Cross-gameworld deals. This involves one club buying or swapping players cheaply in one gameworld in exchange for players from a second club in a different gameworld.
• Transfers in exchange for real world goods/services/money.
• False bidding on auctions to raise prices. This includes deliberately bidding in an auction to raise the price of a player which you do not want when you are aware of another club's maximum bid or bidding on a wage auction in order to raise costs for another club.

*Realistic Transfer Value is what a player would be expected to sell for in a public auction and is decided by the Moderators under guidance from SI and SEGA. This is based on a combination of Market Value, player age, player contract wage and equivalent recent player sales. The decision of SI and SEGA is final in this matter.

The following rules also apply to transfers:

• All elements of a transfer must be completed at the same time. (so do not sell one player cheaply now with the intention of getting a return player at a later date).
• If you are sharing a computer or IP address you MUST get Moderator approval for any transfers, bids or loans (up to Well Known reputation players are allowed to be loaned between matching IP accounts only � any players of High Profile reputation and higher are not allowed to be loaned) between your clubs (Send a mail to the Moderators and wait for approval before completing the deal, or private chat with one in game). Failure to seek approval may lead to all players/cash involved in the deals being removed from both clubs. This is a preventative measure to stop managers running more than one account in each Gameworld.
• Do not start private chats or send private mails to other users in order to sell your players unless they have expressed an interest in that player. (Use the Marketplace or Transfer Mailing Lists only to advertise)
• If you suspect a transfer is suspicious then please escalate this in private to the Moderators. Do NOT start public discussions or mails regarding this under any circumstances, as doing so may leave you open to disciplinary action (see section 9 on how to do this).

Failure to stick to these rules may result in disciplinary action against your account (see section 8 for details).

4. MATCHPLAY RULES

• Do not 'throw' matches to give an advantage to other users.
• Do not use unrealistic formations in ranked matches. If you wish to experiment with unusual formations then do so in un-ranked matches or competitions only. If you are unsure what constitutes an unrealistic formation please ask the ingame Moderators.
• Do not play with players deliberately out of position (including outfield players in goal) unless injury or suspension forces such action. In this case please inform the Moderator team of the reasons behind the team selection as soon as possible.
• Do not create competitions which are deliberately set at the incorrect level � for example Under 17 competitions should have an Under 17 setting and not Senior-Ranked.

5. CHAT RULES

• Please respect the function of each chat room:
• Lobby � For general conversation and discussion. Please keep comments clean and suitable for people of all backgrounds and ages.
• Marketplace � For advertising players, competitions and votes. Please keep adverts to one line once every 10 minutes and any discussions relevant to transfers. You are also welcome to use the advertising box for large adverts.
• Tactics � Please ask here if you have any questions on how to improve your team's performance.
• TV Lounge � For viewing current match highlights and any discussions associated with this.
• Help � Please ask any general gameplay questions here. Anything of a personal nature should be directed to the Moderators in private, either via mail or by requesting a private chat. Anything account specific should be directed to SEGA Customer Support, as the ingame Moderators will be unable to answer these questions.
• FA Specific Chat Rooms � For general discussion with members in your Football Association.
• Do not abuse other users or over use profanities in chat. Offensive behaviour will be punished.
• Keep in mind the fact that when in chat rooms, your comments will be read by users with a wide range of backgrounds and ages. Think before you type. This includes discussions of a sexual or aggressive nature. If you wish to have such a conversation please take your friends into a private chatroom to do so.
• To ensure you are understood by all, try not to over use text speak other than common place acronyms in public chat.
• Currently FML is a UK-based game and as such we request that all conversations in public chatrooms be conducted in English. If you have an issue and you cannot explain it in English please contact the in-game moderators in private and we will aim to translate for you.

6. MAIL RULES

• Please make sure you send mail to the correct mailing list. We have deliberately created a number of different mailing lists to allow users to choose which information they receive. If you send information to the wrong list you potentially annoy other users and possibly avoid any costs associated with that type of mail. Wrongful use or abuse of this will result in fines:
• Transfer Mailing List � Any adverts selling, loaning or requests to buy or loan players, should be sent to this mailing list.
• Competition Mailing List � Any user created competitions should be sent to this mailing list.
• Football Association Mailing List � For use by Football Association Organisers to advertise official competitions and for members to publish reports and news about their FAs.
• Matches Mailing List � For the posting and discussion of links to matches or match incidents (including goals and Goal of the Week nominations).
• Votes Mailing List � For advertising and discussing current votes (excluding Goal of the Week nominations).
• Please respect the 'Discussions Mailing List' and make sure you do not spam or abuse people through this. Remember that people cannot filter to block these mails, so ensure that where appropriate you use the correct mailing list and do not resort to accusations or attacks on other members of the gameworld through this.
• Complaints should be directed either to the Moderators privately, or via SEGA Customer Support. Any feedback on development of the game should be directed to the SI Forums where the development team are able to view and respond to ideas.

The above rules are not meant to be exhaustive and any conduct that, in the opinion of SI/SEGA staff, is considered to;

• Be against the spirit of the game,
• Have a negative effect on the balance of a gameworld, or
• Have a detrimental effect on another player's experience of the game

May result in disciplinary action.

7. NAMES AND LANGUAGE IN FML

To ensure that FML is a fun and friendly environment for all users, we have introduced some regulations regarding what names or language you should use in the game and on your profile.

Any area where you can enter or edit your own text are covered by these rules; including (but not limited to) Manager Name, Team Name, Stadium Name (including stands), Youth Academies, Manager Profile Picture, Team Badge, Profile Statement and Manager Status.

These should not;

• Be designed to impersonate a SEGA/SI employee or one of the Moderator team
• Be obscene, abusive, or any other form of derogatory language
• Be racist, homophobic or sexist in intent
• Include religious or political statement
• Include any website, product or service other than approved FML related websites

Any user breaking these rules will be requested to change the text immediately and may be subject to disciplinary action (see section 8 for details). We also reserve the right to request immediate change of any text should this be deemed offensive.

8. DISCIPLINARY ACTIONS

Hopefully you will not experience Moderator actions within the game, but if you do break the rules, here is a brief guide to the levels of punishment that can be issued;

• Transfer Embargo. This is placed on an account during an investigation into suspected illegal transfers and stops that team from making any new transfer bids. This will be removed on completion of the investigation.
• Verbal/Written Warning. This is used to guide you if you transgress some of the more minor rules of the game. No disciplinary status is shown on your profile and it should be considered as a friendly warning. If you don't break the same rule again you will receive no further warnings.
• Mute. This stops anything you type from being seen in the chat rooms and is used either to defuse heated situations or following breaking of the chat room rules. This can last anywhere from 5 minutes to 6 hours depending on the severity of the issue and your past disciplinary conduct.
• Official Warning. This is the first level of official disciplinary status and is issued for deliberate minor rule breaks, or repeated accidental minor rule breaks following a verbal/written warning. You will receive an Official Warning status symbol on your profile page, which will remain with you for the season. If you do not break the rules again this will automatically remove itself.
• Yellow Card. This is issued in the case of deliberate major rule breaks, or for continued minor rule breaks following the issuing of an Official Warning. This results in a 2 hour suspension of your account and a Yellow Card symbol showing on your profile which will remain on your account for one season.
• Red Card. This is the most severe disciplinary warning and is issued only in the instance of repeated rule breaking following the issuing of a Yellow Card, or in extreme cases of abuse or account misconduct. The Red Card is also a final warning before deactivation of your account and is coupled with a 24 hour suspension of your account and a Red Card symbol being shown on your profile for one season.
• Deactivation. Your account will be deactivated and no refunds issued following continued rule breaking after the issue of a Red Card.

9. HOW TO REPORT A USER

If you think another user has broken the rules of the game or is playing against the spirit of the game, then you are welcome to escalate this to us. Please make sure that the following steps are adhered to when making a report;

• If the report is regarding in-game conduct, then you should contact a member of the in-game Moderation team. These members can easily be identified in the chat room list, as they appear in blue and have a gold shield next to their name.
• The report must be made in private. Please do not discuss reports in the chat rooms or mail other users with this information. Everyone is assumed innocent unless proven guilty and it may be that you do not have all the facts to hand. Public discussions also slow down the Moderator team's reaction time and make it harder to investigate any issues.
• Please trust the Moderator team to do their jobs and remember that they have been trained and have extra tools in order to complete these investigations. If you are not satisfied with the result of an investigation, then you are welcome to follow the steps detailed below regarding "How to Report a Moderator".
• Private chat a member of the Moderator team or send an in-game mail to the "Moderators" (seen in the drop down contacts list when you create a new mail).
• In your report please stick to the facts you have. It is important to include all the information you have especially time, date and location of the incident and what exactly happened.
• Please allow the Moderators time to complete their investigations. We normally allow 24 hours for an investigation but in complex cases this can be longer. If you are concerned with the progress please ask in private for an update.
• Please be aware that we can not always provide full details of any action taken against another user's account. Disciplinary status is shown on their profile but sometimes there is either not enough proof to take action, or the offence has warranted a lesser disciplinary action. Where possible we will give feedback to enquiries even if it is to state "we are aware of the issue and have dealt with it".

10. HOW TO REPORT A MODERATOR

If you are dissatisfied with the Moderation team or a specific Moderator's conduct, then you are within your rights to report them to SEGA Customer Support, where the issue will be investigated by the Lead Moderator.

In order to contact SEGA Customer Support:

• Log a complaint ticket at support.fmlive.co.uk
• Include all your details (team name, gameworld etc)
• include details of the Moderator you are reporting
• Include details of the issue you are reporting the Moderator for

We aim to respond to all tickets within 2 working days.

Please remember that whilst the Moderators hold an important position within the gameworld they are not employees of SEGA or Sports Interactive and do their role for the benefit of the gameworld. As such please respect this and do not make any complaints public. If you feel they have made a mistake or acted incorrectly, please escalate the issue so it can be investigated and actioned appropriately.

11. WHERE TO GO FOR FURTHER ASSISTANCE

Problems regarding in-game issues or game mechanics;

• In-game Moderator team - private chat, ask in Help chatroom or mail them
• FML Manual - http://manual.footballmanagerlive.com/

Problems with billing issues;

• Customer Support � http://support.fmlive.co.uk � either raise a ticket or check the FAQs

Problems with technical issues;

• Sports Interactive Forums - http://community.sigames.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9
• Customer Support � http://support.fmlive.co.uk � either raise a ticket or check the FAQs

Spotted a bug;

• Sports Interactive Forums - http://community.sigames.com/forumdisplay.php?f=118

News on FML;

• FML website - http://www.footballmanagerlive.com/
• Sports Interactive Forums - http://community.sigames.com/forumdisplay.php?f=9