Code of Conduct, Anti-Harassment & Intellectual Property Policy

Shelf Love & Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event

Code of Conduct, Anti-Harassment & Intellectual Property Policy

Objective

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event are committed to creating professional, welcoming, and respectful environments in which all individuals are treated with dignity.

This policy applies to authors, readers, attendees, vendors, volunteers, staff, contractors, influencers, models, guests, and any other individuals participating in Shelf Love activities or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event programming.

All participants are expected to conduct themselves professionally and respectfully. Discrimination, harassment, intimidation, retaliation, plagiarism, copyright infringement, and behavior that threatens the safety, integrity, or successful operation of Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event will not be tolerated.

This policy applies to conduct occurring:

  • At Shelf Love locations
  • At Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event and related activities
  • At Shelf Love-hosted or sponsored events, signings, craft nights, pop-ups, and other programming
  • In official event groups, social media pages, chats, or other community spaces
  • In communications directly related to participation in Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event

Questions or concerns regarding this policy may be directed to shop@shelfloveatlanta.com.

Nothing in this policy should be interpreted as encouraging the exclusion or separation of individuals based upon a protected characteristic. Our goal is an inclusive environment in which everyone is treated consistently, professionally, and respectfully.

Standards of Conduct

All authors, vendors, participants, attendees, volunteers, and other individuals associated with Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event are expected to:

  • Conduct themselves professionally and respectfully.
  • Treat fellow authors, readers, vendors, volunteers, staff, and guests with courtesy.
  • Follow event rules, schedules, staff instructions, and venue requirements.
  • Refrain from harassment, discrimination, bullying, intimidation, retaliation, or disruptive behavior.
  • Avoid spreading or encouraging targeted rumors, harassment campaigns, or mistreatment of another participant.
  • Certify that all submitted, consigned, sold, promoted, or displayed work is their own original creation or that they possess the legal rights necessary to sell, distribute, or display it.
  • Maintain appropriate rights, licenses, and permissions for third-party content incorporated into books, merchandise, artwork, promotional materials, or other products.
  • Promptly disclose to Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event if credible allegations of plagiarism or copyright infringement arise involving work being sold, promoted, or represented through us.
  • Cooperate with reasonable reviews initiated by Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event regarding potential violations of this policy.
  • Understand that participation in Shelf Love programs, consignment, preorder campaigns, signings, and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event is contingent upon compliance with applicable contracts, policies, and standards of conduct.

Anti-Retaliation

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event encourage participants to report good-faith concerns regarding discrimination, harassment, intimidation, safety, or violations of this policy.

Retaliation against an individual for making a good-faith report, providing information, participating in an investigation, or raising a legitimate concern is prohibited.

Retaliation may include, but is not limited to:

  • Threatening or intimidating a reporting individual
  • Encouraging others to harass or target an individual
  • Coordinated online harassment
  • Attempts to interfere with another person’s participation in an event
  • Punishing, shaming, or threatening someone for cooperating with a review
  • Deliberately spreading harmful information for the purpose of retaliation

Retaliatory behavior may result in removal from Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event activities and may affect eligibility for future participation.

Sexual Harassment

Sexual harassment is prohibited.

For purposes of this policy, sexual harassment includes unwelcome sexual advances, requests for sexual favors, or other unwelcome verbal, visual, written, or physical conduct of a sexual nature.

Examples may include:

  • Unwanted sexual advances or propositions
  • Unwanted sexual comments, jokes, or innuendo
  • Unwanted comments regarding another person’s body or sexuality
  • Unwanted touching or physical contact
  • Sexually suggestive gestures directed toward another participant
  • Repeated sexual comments after another person has indicated they are unwelcome
  • Displaying or sending sexually explicit material to another individual without consent
  • Using participation opportunities, access, benefits, or professional relationships to pressure another individual into sexual conduct

Important distinction: Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event is an adult-oriented event and may feature spicy romance books, mature merchandise, adult humor, suggestive promotional materials, and discussions of sexual content. The presence of adult-themed books or entertainment does not constitute consent to sexual comments, advances, touching, harassment, or other unwanted behavior directed toward an individual.

Harassment & Discrimination

Harassment or discrimination based upon a characteristic protected by applicable law is prohibited.

This may include conduct directed toward an individual because of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, or another characteristic protected under applicable law.

Prohibited conduct may include:

  • Slurs or degrading language
  • Negative stereotyping
  • Threatening or intimidating behavior
  • Hostile acts directed toward an individual
  • Discriminatory jokes or comments
  • Written, graphic, digital, or social media content used to target or harass another participant
  • Deliberate interference with another participant’s ability to safely participate in an event

Hate Speech, Bullying & Intimidation

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event are committed to fostering environments where authors, readers, vendors, volunteers, staff, and guests can participate without being subjected to targeted hostility or intimidation.

Hate speech, discriminatory harassment, threats, bullying, or intimidation will not be tolerated.

Prohibited conduct includes, but is not limited to:

  • Slurs or degrading comments targeting protected characteristics
  • Threats of violence or harm
  • Intimidation or bullying
  • Deliberately targeting an individual or group for humiliation or harassment
  • Encouraging others to threaten, harass, or intimidate another participant
  • Coordinated harassment through social media or other digital platforms when directly connected to Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event participation
  • Conduct reasonably believed to create a legitimate safety concern at our store or events

Violations may result in immediate removal without refund and may result in exclusion from future Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event activities.

Reporting an Incident

Anyone who believes they have experienced or witnessed harassment, discrimination, retaliation, threats, intimidation, or another violation of this policy is encouraged to report the incident.

Reports may be made to:

  • Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event management
  • Event coordinators
  • Authorized event staff or volunteers
  • On-site security when appropriate
  • shop@shelfloveatlanta.com

When possible, reports should include relevant details such as the individuals involved, date, location, witnesses, screenshots, photographs, messages, or other supporting information.

Immediate safety concerns should be reported to venue security or appropriate emergency personnel.

Review of Reported Incidents

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event take reports of misconduct seriously.

When a report is received, we may review available information, request documentation, speak with involved individuals, consult venue personnel or security, and take other reasonable steps appropriate to the circumstances.

We will make reasonable efforts to respect the privacy of those involved. However, absolute confidentiality cannot be guaranteed, particularly when information must be shared to investigate a complaint, respond to a safety concern, comply with legal obligations, or enforce this policy.

Depending upon the circumstances, temporary measures may be implemented while a matter is reviewed.

Zero-Tolerance Safety Policy

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event reserve the right to immediately address conduct that presents a credible threat to the safety or well-being of participants.

Depending upon the nature and severity of the conduct, actions may include:

  • Warning the individual
  • Restricting access to certain activities or spaces
  • Removal from an event
  • Removal from official online community spaces
  • Cancellation of participation
  • Termination of a vendor or author agreement where permitted by that agreement
  • Prohibition from future events
  • Contacting venue security or law enforcement when appropriate

Removal for serious misconduct or safety violations may occur without refund where permitted under the participant’s applicable agreement and event policies.

Intellectual Property & Original Work Policy

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event are committed to supporting authors and creators while respecting intellectual property rights.

Authors, vendors, and creators are responsible for ensuring that books, merchandise, artwork, graphics, promotional materials, and other products they submit, display, distribute, or sell comply with applicable copyright, trademark, licensing, and intellectual property laws.

Plagiarism

For purposes of our participation policies, plagiarism includes representing another person’s protected or original creative work as one’s own without appropriate authorization or attribution.

Examples may include:

  • Copying substantial text, scenes, or dialogue from another author’s work
  • Presenting another creator’s original writing as one’s own
  • Reproducing protected creative elements in a manner that constitutes infringement
  • Knowingly distributing plagiarized material

Similar themes, tropes, general ideas, genre conventions, or independently created concepts do not automatically constitute plagiarism.

Copyright Infringement

Copyright infringement may occur when copyrighted material is reproduced, distributed, displayed, adapted, or sold without authorization when authorization is legally required.

Examples may include:

  • Publishing or distributing unauthorized copies of copyrighted works
  • Using copyrighted artwork or images without appropriate rights or licenses
  • Selling merchandise containing protected artwork or other copyrighted material without authorization
  • Uploading, distributing, or selling pirated eBooks or other copyrighted materials
  • Selling unauthorized reproductions of protected creative works

Authors and vendors are responsible for obtaining any licenses or permissions required for products they sell or distribute.

AI-Generated Content

The use of artificial intelligence tools does not, by itself, constitute plagiarism or copyright infringement.

However, authors and vendors remain responsible for ensuring that content submitted, sold, displayed, or promoted through Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event does not unlawfully reproduce copyrighted material or violate the intellectual property rights of another person.

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event may decline or remove content when credible intellectual property concerns arise.

Intellectual Property Complaints & Review

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event are not courts and do not make legal determinations regarding copyright ownership or infringement.

However, we reserve the right to make independent business and participation decisions when credible intellectual property concerns arise.

When a complaint is received, we may consider:

  • Documentation supplied by the complaining party
  • Information supplied by the author or vendor
  • Public statements or records
  • Publisher or distributor actions
  • Cease-and-desist notices or other legal correspondence
  • Court filings or judgments
  • Other information reasonably considered relevant

Where appropriate, an author or vendor may be given an opportunity to provide additional information before a final participation decision is made.

Nothing in this policy requires Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event to continue carrying, promoting, contracting with, or providing event space to an individual while a serious intellectual property dispute is pending.

Consequences for Intellectual Property Violations

If Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event determines that sufficient concerns exist regarding plagiarism, copyright infringement, unauthorized merchandise, piracy, or related intellectual property violations, appropriate business action may be taken.

Shelf Love

Actions may include:

  • Temporary or permanent removal of titles or products from store shelves
  • Removal of titles or products from the Shelf Love website
  • Suspension or termination of consignment or wholesale relationships
  • Return of inventory pursuant to the applicable consignment or vendor agreement
  • Cancellation of preorder campaigns
  • Cancellation of signings, promotions, or other collaborations
  • Declining future business relationships

Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event

Actions may include:

  • Suspension or cancellation of participation
  • Termination of an author or vendor agreement in accordance with its terms
  • Removal from event marketing, websites, programs, or promotional materials
  • Revocation of badges or credentials
  • Removal from the event
  • Restriction or prohibition from future events

Any refund or forfeiture of fees will be determined by the participant’s applicable contract, refund policy, timing of cancellation, and circumstances surrounding the removal.

Safety, Disruption & Reputation Clause

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event reserve the right to decline, suspend, or terminate a business or event relationship when reasonably necessary to protect the safety, operation, reputation, or integrity of the bookstore or event.

This may include situations involving:

  • Credible allegations of plagiarism or intellectual property violations
  • Serious or ongoing public controversy reasonably expected to substantially disrupt an event or business operation
  • Credible threats or safety concerns
  • Harassment, intimidation, bullying, or retaliation
  • Attempts to organize harassment against another participant
  • Conduct that materially interferes with the operation of Shelf Love or Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event
  • Material violations of contracts, event rules, or this Code of Conduct

A public accusation alone does not automatically establish wrongdoing. However, Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event may take temporary or permanent action based upon the information reasonably available at the time when necessary to protect participants, customers, staff, or business operations.

We reserve the right to make private business and participation decisions and are not obligated to publicly disclose confidential complaints, investigations, evidence, safety information, or the reasoning behind a particular decision.

Enforcement & Reservation of Rights

Participation in Shelf Love programs and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event is subject to this policy as well as any applicable author, vendor, consignment, preorder, sponsorship, volunteer, or event agreement.

Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event reserve the right to interpret and enforce this policy based upon the circumstances of each situation.

Nothing in this policy creates a contractual right to participate in future events, receive bookstore placement, participate in consignment, receive promotional opportunities, or maintain any other business relationship beyond the rights expressly provided by an applicable written agreement.

Our goal is simple: protect our readers, authors, vendors, volunteers, staff, and community while maintaining Shelf Love and Once Upon a Shelf Reader Event as professional, welcoming, and safe spaces for everyone.