FSGA Community Participation Guidelines & Antitrust Policy

Purpose

FSGA Communities are designed to foster professional dialogue, collaboration, and knowledge exchange among members and event participants. These forums are intended to strengthen the industry through open, lawful, and respectful engagement.

By accessing and using the FSGA Community platform and any communities within, constitutes agreement to these Guidelines, as well as FSGA’s Code of Conduct, Privacy Policy, and Terms of Use.

1. Professional Conduct. All participants are expected to engage in a professional, respectful manner. Unacceptable behavior includes, but is not limited to:

• Harassment, intimidation, or discrimination of any kind
• Defamatory, obscene, discriminatory, or threatening language
• Unwelcome personal or professional conduct
• Sustained disruption of discussions
• Unauthorized copying, recording, or distribution of proprietary content
• Sharing confidential, proprietary, or private information without authorization

FSGA’s full Code of Conduct applies to all Community interactions and is incorporated herein by reference.

2. Appropriate Use of the Platform. Participants agree to:

• Post in the most relevant community or discussion thread
• Keep discussions professional and industry-related
• Respect intellectual property rights
• Use caution when discussing products, services, or competitive strategies

FSGA Communities are not public forums. Content may be visible to other members and event participants.

3. Commercial Activity. FSGA Communities are not sales platforms.

• Permitted:
  • Contextual discussion of products, services, or initiatives as part of industry dialogue
  • Sharing what your organization is working on for the purpose of collaboration or feedback
  • Responding to member inquiries where your expertise or solution is relevant
• Prohibited:
  • Overt sales pitches
  • Repeated promotional posts
  • Mass solicitation of members
  • Posting special offers, advertisements, or job postings outside designated areas (if applicable)

FSGA reserves the right to determine when activity crosses from collaboration into solicitation.

4. Antitrust Compliance. FSGA is committed to full compliance with federal and state antitrust laws. Participants must avoid discussions or conduct that could be interpreted as anti-competitive. The following topics are strictly prohibited in Community discussions:

• Current or future pricing, fees, margins, or pricing strategies
• Costs, cost structures, or profit levels
• Market allocation (e.g., dividing customers, territories, or market segments)
• Coordinated responses to competitors
• Agreements or understandings regarding boycotts
• Limiting production, services, or innovation
• Confidential business strategies not publicly available

Even informal discussions or implied understandings may violate antitrust laws.

5. Advocacy and Legislative Discussions. Discussion of public policy, legislation, and regulatory developments is permitted. However, participants may not:

• Coordinate competitive business strategies under the guise of advocacy
• Use the forum to align pricing or market behavior in response to regulation
• Share competitively sensitive information during policy discussions

When in doubt, participants should refrain from posting and seek independent legal counsel.

FSGA does not endorse, monitor, or control individual member positions expressed within Communities.

6. Confidentiality & Data Sensitivity. Participants are responsible for ensuring they do not disclose:

• Non-public financial data
• Proprietary business information
• Confidential contracts or commercial terms
• Personal data protected under applicable law

Members should assume that content shared in Communities may be read broadly within the permitted participant group.

7. Moderation & Reporting. FSGA Communities operate on a trust-based model. Posts are not pre-approved. Participants may flag content for review. FSGA reserves the right to review, remove, or restrict content that violates these Guidelines. FSGA retains sole discretion in determining whether conduct violates these standards.

8. Enforcement & Consequences. Violations may result in:

1. Informal warning
2. Formal written warning
3. Removal of specific content
4. Temporary suspension from Community access
5. Revocation of Community privileges
6. Referral to the Executive Committee for potential membership suspension or termination
7. Removal from FSGA events without refund (where applicable)

Serious violations, including harassment, discrimination, or clear antitrust misconduct, may result in immediate action.

9. Disclaimer. FSGA Communities are platforms for peer engagement. Views expressed by participants do not necessarily reflect those of FSGA, its Board of Directors, or staff. Participants are individually responsible for ensuring compliance with applicable laws and regulations.