Terms (Launch Version)

1) No endorsement, no guarantee

• CAA does not guarantee outcomes, workmanship, timelines, prices, safety, or customer satisfaction.
• CAA is not a party to homeowner–contractor agreements and is not responsible for performance or disputes.
• Certification is a standards-based designation, not a warranty or insurance product.

2) Non-affiliation

• CAA is not affiliated with or endorsed by any government agency.
• Nothing on this website should be interpreted as legal, insurance, or financial advice.

3) Fees, payments, and refunds

• Application fees are non-refundable and do not guarantee approval.
• Membership/certification payments are non-refundable except to correct billing errors or duplicate charges.
• CAA may change pricing, tiers, and eligibility rules as systems mature.

4) Approval, standing, suspension, and revocation

• Approval is discretionary and may require verification of identity, business legitimacy, licensing/insurance where applicable, and compliance readiness.
• Good standing is required to maintain any designation and may depend on payments, compliance, and cooperation with reasonable verification/audit.
• Status may be suspended or revoked for nonpayment, misrepresentation, seal misuse, refusal to verify, or verified patterns of harm or deception.
• CAA may provide notice and an opportunity to respond when reasonable; timing may vary for urgent risk scenarios.

5) Marks, badges, and seal licensing

• CAA marks, badges, and seals are proprietary trust symbols.
• Use is a revocable, limited, non-transferable, non-sublicensable license permitted only while in good standing.
• Unauthorized or continued use after suspension/revocation is prohibited and may be enforced.

See: Marks & Seal Rules

6) Signals and submissions

• Signals help detect patterns and protect integrity. Submissions should be truthful and made in good faith.
• False, malicious, or deceptive submissions may result in restrictions and/or referral to appropriate authorities.
• CAA may review, aggregate, anonymize, or summarize submission data for integrity and research purposes.

7) Anti-scraping, automation, and competitive use restrictions

• You may not scrape, harvest, crawl, mirror, or automatically collect content or data from this site without written permission.
• You may not use CAA content, standards presentation, marks, or materials to create or support a competing certification, directory, "trust layer," or similar program.
• You may not use our name/mark in ads, metadata, or misleading claims to imply affiliation or endorsement.

8) Intellectual property and trademarks

• All site content, design, systems, methodologies, and materials are protected by copyright, trademark, and other applicable intellectual property laws.
• The following are proprietary marks of CraftAuthority Alliance™, claimed under common law trademark rights and all applicable protections:
  • CraftAuthority™ — brand name
  • CraftAuthority Alliance™ — organization name and service mark
  • Official Trust Layer™ — trademark slogan and source identifier
  • Alliance Signal™ — proprietary reporting system
  • Signal™ (as used within our system) — structured report methodology
  • Verification Signal™ — signal classification type
  • Risk Signal™ — signal classification type
  • Outcome Signal™ — signal classification type
  • Dispute Signal™ — signal classification type
  • Trust Library™ — proprietary content hub name
  • State Steward™ — proprietary program designation
  • CraftAuthority Alliance™ logo and badge designs — registered trademark (pending)
• These marks identify the source and origin of CraftAuthority Alliance™ services. Any unauthorized use, reproduction, imitation, or adoption of these marks, system names, methodologies, or substantially similar variations is strictly prohibited.
• The ™ designation indicates a common law trademark claim. CraftAuthority Alliance™ has filed for federal trademark registration of its logo and key wording and asserts all rights available under federal, state, and common law.
• Any use of our proprietary terms, system descriptions, or branding elements in competing products, services, marketing, advertising, or any commercial context without express written permission constitutes infringement and will be enforced to the fullest extent of the law.

9) Limitation of liability

• To the maximum extent permitted by law, CAA is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages.
• CAA's total liability for any claim related to the site or services will not exceed the amount you paid to CAA in the prior 12 months (or $100 if none).

10) Disputes and venue

• These terms are governed by applicable law.
• Venue for disputes may be set in CAA's home jurisdiction unless otherwise required by law.
• CAA may offer informal resolution processes before formal escalation.

11) DMCA / copyright notices

If you believe content on this site infringes your copyright, contact: support@craftauthority.org