Terms and Conditions

1. Who we are

These terms are between you and Villiers Vision Works (Pty) Ltd, a private company registered in South Africa ("we", "us"), which provides Authentikor.

By using our websites or services you accept these terms and our Privacy Policy. If you use Authentikor for a company, you confirm that you have the authority to bind that company (the "Customer"). If you do not agree, do not use the services.

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2. The services

• Verification codes and QR codes that a company puts on its emails and documents, and a public page (authentikor.co.za/verify) where anyone can check a code, a seal or a file.
• Email signatures and campaign banners.
• An email relay (smtp.authentikor.co.za). It adds codes, seals and banners to the Customer's outgoing mail and then delivers the mail through the Customer's own mail server.
• A dashboard and API to manage the above.
• Website verification: proof that a company controls a domain, using a DNS record or a file on the website.
• A website seal that shows the live status of the company's verification.
• Verification certificates for companies, issued after our review of their documents and domain proof.
• Licence certificates: signed certificates that an eligible verified company issues to its own licensees, setting out the holder, licence type, scope and validity. Anyone can check them.
• A "Get verified" application, where a company submits its details and documents for our review.

We may change, add or remove features. We will give reasonable notice before a change that materially reduces a service you have paid for.

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3. Accounts and users

• An account belongs to a company. Users have roles (for example administrator or user) that decide what they can do. The Customer's administrators decide who gets access.
• Give accurate information and keep it up to date.
• Keep passwords, API keys and relay credentials secret. You are responsible for activity under your credentials. Tell us at once if you think they have been compromised.
• Each user account is for one person. The number of users included in a package is shown with its price.

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4. The email relay

• The relay sends mail only through the Customer's own outgoing mail server. The Customer must set up that server in the dashboard. Until it does, the relay will not deliver its mail.
• The Customer remains responsible for its mail server, its provider's terms, and the content and recipients of every message it sends.
• We do not filter the content of messages. We process them only to add codes, seals and banners.

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5. Acceptable use

You must not:

• create, attach or distribute a code, banner, signature, certificate, licence or seal that is false, misleading or fraudulent, or that points to something you are not authorised to represent;
• impersonate another person or company, or suggest that Authentikor has verified or endorsed you when it has not;
• copy a seal, certificate or licence onto a website, email or document it was not issued for, or alter it;
• use the email relay to send spam, phishing, malware or anything unlawful, to send to people who have not agreed where the law requires agreement, or to disguise the true sender;
• try to guess or list codes, scrape the verification pages at scale, or probe, overload or get around the security of our systems (code and picture checks are limited per IP address);
• upload files you have no right to upload, or files that contain malware (uploads to the "Get verified" application are scanned, and infected files are rejected);
• submit the personal information of other people (for example directors, signatories or licence holders) without the authority and consent needed to do so; or
• use the services in breach of any law.

We may suspend or remove content or access immediately if we reasonably believe you have breached this section. We may report unlawful activity to the authorities.

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6. What a verification does and does not prove

• A successful code check confirms that the named company issued that code through Authentikor. It shows the information the company recorded for it, for example when it was issued, how often it has been checked, and masked recipient addresses.
• A seal, certificate or licence check shows its current status and what it covers.
• A verification is not a guarantee. It is not a guarantee of any transaction, payment or deal, and it does not guarantee that the content of an email, document or website is true, accurate, authorised, safe or lawful. Nor does it show that a company is financially sound or trustworthy.
• Copies cannot be fully prevented. Someone can copy a code, seal or certificate. A check shows where it was issued and how often it has been checked; a code or seal that appears in an unexpected place, or that has been checked unusually often, is a warning sign.
• A failed check is a warning, not proof of fraud. The same applies to a code that has expired or been revoked.
• Check the address. When you verify, make sure the address in your browser's address bar is authentikor.co.za.
• Use your own judgement. Do not rely only on Authentikor for decisions about money or safety; make your own checks as well.

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7. Certificates, seals and licences

• Verification certificate:
  • Issued after we review the company's documents and confirm that it controls its domain or domains.
  • The level (Business or Enhanced) shows what was checked.
  • A certificate is valid for 12 months, unless it is suspended or revoked earlier. Renewal may require fresh documents.
  • We send reminders before a certificate expires.
• Domain checks:
  • We check the domain proof automatically, about once a day.
  • If the proof is missing, we tell the Customer. If it is not restored within 7 days, the certificate and seal are suspended.
• Website seal:
  • The seal shows the live status of the certificate.
  • It may be displayed only on the verified domain or domains.
• Suspension and revocation: we may suspend or revoke a certificate, seal or licence if:
  • the domain proof is no longer present;
  • information given to us was false, incomplete or out of date;
  • the Customer breaches these terms or misuses a seal, certificate or licence;
  • payment is not made after a grace period; or
  • the law or a court requires it.

  We will tell the Customer the reason, unless the law prevents us. A suspended or revoked seal, certificate or licence shows that status publicly.

• Misuse: placing a seal on another site, altering it, or implying a higher level than was issued is a material breach of these terms.
• Licence certificates:
  • A licence certificate is issued by the Customer, not by Authentikor. It confirms that the Customer issued that licence on the stated terms.
  • It is not a licence or permission from Authentikor or from any regulator.
  • The Customer is responsible for what each licence allows and for its holders.
• Limits of our review: we do not assess a company's creditworthiness or legal standing. Our review is limited to the checks shown on the certificate.

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8. Fees and payment

• Prices:
  • The prices that apply are those shown to you at the time of purchase or quoted to you after an enquiry.
  • The billing period (for example monthly, yearly or once-off) and any user limits are shown with the price.
  • Prices are in South African rand (ZAR). We are not registered for VAT, so no VAT is added.
• Buying through an enquiry: while online payment is switched off, you buy through an enquiry, and we confirm the price and payment details in writing.
• Online payment: when online payment is available, it is handled by Paystack. We never receive or store card details.
• Verification fees:
  • Self-service verification is paid before the application opens.
  • If the verification is not approved, we refund the fee less the review fee stated in your quote or at checkout.
• Renewals: yearly items may renew as a subscription. If a renewal payment fails, we tell you. If payment is still not made after a grace period, the related certificate or seal is suspended.
• Late payment: late or failed payments may lead to suspension of the services.
• Consumers: if you are a consumer under the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, you may cancel an online purchase within 7 days without giving a reason, except where the law excludes this, for example for a service that began with your agreement within those 7 days. Nothing in these terms takes away rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008.

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9. Availability and support

• We aim to keep the services available, but we do not promise uninterrupted or error-free operation.
• We may suspend the services for maintenance, for security, or for reasons outside our control. We will try to give notice of planned downtime.
• Support is available through the contact form and by phone, Mon to Fri 8:00 to 17:00.

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10. Your content and personal information

• You keep ownership of what you upload and enter. You give us a licence to host and process it so that we can provide the services.
• You must have the right to give us any personal information you provide, including that of people on your emails and of your licence holders, and you must use the services lawfully, including under POPIA.
• For information about people on your emails and on licences you issue, you are the responsible party and we are your operator. We process that information only on your instructions and to provide the services, and we keep it secure as described in our Privacy Policy.
• Our handling of personal information is described in the Privacy Policy.

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11. Intellectual property

• The Authentikor name and logo, the seal and certificate designs, the software and the websites belong to us or our licensors.
• You may use the seal and certificates as these terms allow, while your certificate is active.
• You may not copy, reverse-engineer or resell the services.
• Open-source components remain under their own licences.

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12. Liability

• Liability we cannot exclude: nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited. This includes liability for gross negligence or fraud, and rights you have under the Consumer Protection Act.
• Indirect loss: subject to that, we are not liable for indirect or consequential loss, or for loss of profit, revenue, business or data. This applies to loss arising from use of, or inability to use, the services, and to loss from anyone relying on a code, seal, certificate or licence check beyond what section 6 says it shows.
• Cap: subject to that, our total liability for any claim is limited to the fees you paid us in the 12 months before the claim arose.
• Things outside our control: we are not responsible for:
  • the content of emails, documents or websites that carry a code or seal;
  • the actions of Customers, or of third parties who copy or forge material;
  • failures of the internet, of email, or of third-party providers, including the Customer's own mail server.

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13. Indemnity

To the extent the law allows, you indemnify us against third-party claims arising from your unlawful use of the services or your breach of section 5.

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14. Ending the agreement

• Closing your account: you may stop using the services and ask us to close your account at any time, through the contact form or by phone. Fees already paid are not refunded, except where these terms or the law give a right to a refund.
• Suspension or ending by us: we may suspend or end your access for breach of these terms, non-payment or unlawful use, with notice where reasonable. We may also end the services after reasonable notice.
• What happens on closure:
  • your codes, certificates, seals and licences stop being shown as valid when checked;
  • your data is deleted as set out in the Privacy Policy.
• Sections that continue: sections that by their nature continue (for example liability, intellectual property and governing law) continue after the agreement ends.

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15. Notices, changes and electronic communication

• We may update these terms. We will tell you about material changes by email or in the dashboard before they take effect. If you keep using the services after that, you accept the changes.
• You agree that notices and agreements may be given electronically.
• Notices to us go to info@vvwsoftware.com or through the contact form at authentikor.co.za/contact. Notices to you go to the email address on your account.
• Our supplier details, as required by section 43 of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act, are in section 1. Our Privacy Policy describes how we protect your information. You can save or print these terms from your browser at any time.

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16. Governing law and disputes

South African law governs these terms. We will first try to resolve any dispute through discussion. If that does not work, either party may take the dispute to a competent court in South Africa.

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17. General

These terms and the Privacy Policy are the whole agreement between you and us. If any part is invalid, the rest still applies. Not enforcing a right does not mean we have given it up. You may not transfer your rights without our consent. We may transfer ours to a successor of the business.

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18. Contact

Villiers Vision Works (Pty) Ltd · Cape Town, South Africa · info@vvwsoftware.com · authentikor.co.za/contact · +27 87 150 9305 · Mon to Fri 8:00 to 17:00.

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