Terms of Service

1. Acceptance

By accessing or using MarkTell (marktell.com) and its services, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the site.

MarkTell is published by the business entity that owns this domain ("we," "us," "our," or "the publisher"). The byline "Mark Tell" is a pen name. The publisher is the legal operator and the responsible party for all editorial content.

2. Nature of content and editorial opinion

MarkTell publishes news analysis, investigative reporting, commentary, and opinion about financial fraud and the patterns of the fraud economy. Our content includes both factual reporting based on primary documents and editorial opinion based on those documents.

Statements of fact are sourced to identifiable primary documents (court filings, regulator actions, public disclosures, named on-the-record reporting). Statements of opinion, characterization, analysis, comparison, and editorial judgment are protected expression under the First Amendment and the doctrine of fair comment on matters of public concern.

Where we describe alleged conduct, we frame it as alleged. Where we draw analogies to historical cases, those analogies are editorial comparison, not assertion of identity. Where we publish opinion, that opinion is the publisher's protected expression.

3. Allegations and active investigations

When MarkTell reports on active investigations, regulatory inquiries, civil litigation, or criminal matters that have not been adjudicated, we report what filed documents allege. We do not assert that any defendant is guilty of any crime, and we do not assert that any party named in pending litigation is liable for any claim, until a competent court rules to that effect.

All defendants in active matters are presumed innocent until proven guilty. All civil defendants are presumed not liable until a court determines otherwise. Coverage of an active matter is not an assertion of guilt or liability.

If you are the subject of coverage and have specific factual disputes you want on the record, contact editor@marktell.com with the story URL, the specific paragraph, and the document or evidence supporting your position.

4. Not investment, legal, tax, or financial advice

Nothing on MarkTell constitutes investment advice, financial advice, legal advice, tax advice, accounting advice, or any other form of professional advice. Nothing published here constitutes an offer to sell or solicitation to buy any security, token, financial instrument, or investment vehicle. We do not issue buy, sell, hold, or avoid recommendations on any company, security, asset, or pitch.

Our editorial analysis and historical comparisons are educational and informational. Decisions about your money, your investments, and your participation in any offering are yours alone. Always consult a licensed financial professional, a licensed attorney, and a qualified tax advisor before acting on financial or legal information you read anywhere, including here.

5. Use of artificial intelligence in production

MarkTell uses AI tools to assist with research, drafting, formatting, and image generation. Every published piece is reviewed by a human editor before publication. Editorial judgment, sourcing standards, factual claims, and the publication's voice are not delegated to an AI system. The use of AI tools does not change our editorial standards or our responsibility for what we publish.

Some imagery on the site is AI-generated and stylized. AI-generated imagery is illustrative and conceptual. It does not depict real events, real persons, or real locations unless explicitly labeled as a documentary photograph.

6. Accuracy and corrections

We strive for factual accuracy. Editorial review includes source verification, arithmetic validation, and citation checks. If you believe content contains an error, contact corrections@marktell.com. Material corrections are dated and disclosed at the top of the affected story. Substantive errors that change the meaning of a piece are corrected with a clearly marked correction notice; in rare cases of fundamental error, a piece may be retracted with a retraction notice that remains on the record.

We do not silently edit history. Once a correction is published, it stays published.

7. Intellectual property

All original content on MarkTell, including articles, the Evidence Trail commentary, illustrations, AI-generated imagery, the site's visual identity, and the underlying code, is the property of the publisher and is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws.

You may share links to our content. You may quote brief excerpts of up to 100 words for purposes of commentary, criticism, or news reporting, with attribution and a link back to the original. You may not reproduce, republish, redistribute, mirror, or scrape our content in whole or in substantial part without prior written permission.

MarkTell references and analyzes news originally reported by third parties. We attribute and link to those sources. We do not claim ownership of facts or events reported by others.

8. DMCA and copyright takedown

If you believe content on MarkTell infringes a copyright you own or are authorized to enforce, send a written notice to legal@marktell.com that includes:

• Your physical or electronic signature, and your contact information.
• Identification of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed.
• The URL of the specific material on MarkTell that you claim is infringing.
• A statement, under penalty of perjury, that you have a good-faith belief that the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the owner or are authorized to act on the owner's behalf.

We respond to valid DMCA notices in accordance with applicable law. False or abusive notices may result in liability under 17 U.S.C. § 512(f).

9. User-submitted content

If you post comments, send tips, or otherwise submit content to MarkTell, you represent that you have the right to do so, that the content does not infringe any third-party right, and that the content is not defamatory, threatening, harassing, obscene, or otherwise unlawful.

By submitting content, you grant the publisher a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, irrevocable, sublicensable license to use, reproduce, edit, adapt, publish, and display that content in connection with the publication and its archive. We may decline to publish, edit, or remove user-submitted content at our sole discretion. We are not obligated to publish anything you send us.

Do not submit content you consider confidential unless you have explicitly negotiated confidentiality terms with us in writing. Tips sent to tips@marktell.com are treated under our editorial source-protection practice; see the Contact page.

10. Newsletter

By subscribing to the MarkTell newsletter, you consent to receive our daily digest and occasional updates from the publisher. You may unsubscribe at any time using the link in every email or by contacting privacy@marktell.com. We will not share your email address with third parties for marketing purposes. See our Privacy Policy for full data-handling details.

11. Prohibited uses

You may not:

• Scrape, harvest, or systematically download MarkTell content for redistribution or training of machine-learning models without prior written permission.
• Reproduce or republish MarkTell content in full or in substantial part without permission.
• Impersonate MarkTell, the byline "Mark Tell," or any contributor, in any medium.
• Use our brand, logo, or visual identity to imply endorsement of any product, service, or position.
• Interfere with, disable, or attempt to circumvent the site's security, performance, or access controls.
• Use the site or its content to harass, threaten, or defame any person.
• Use the site for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation.

12. Third-party links and content

MarkTell links to third-party websites, including primary documents, regulator filings, news outlets, and external resources. We do not control and are not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of third-party sites. Inclusion of a link is not an endorsement.

13. Disclaimer of warranties

MarkTell is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranty of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, completeness, or uninterrupted availability. We do not warrant that the site will be error-free, secure, or available at any particular time. Use of the site is at your own risk.

14. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the publisher, its affiliates, contributors, and the byline "Mark Tell" shall not be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages arising from or related to your use of MarkTell, your reliance on any content published here, decisions you make in connection with any investment, transaction, or pitch discussed here, or any error, omission, interruption, or delay in the site's operation. This limitation applies regardless of the legal theory of liability and regardless of whether we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.

Where applicable law does not permit a complete exclusion of liability, our aggregate liability to you for any claim arising from or related to the site shall not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

15. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless the publisher, its affiliates, employees, contributors, agents, and the byline "Mark Tell" from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to: your use or misuse of the site; your violation of these Terms; your violation of any third-party right, including intellectual property, privacy, or publicity rights; or any content you submit to the site.

16. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising under these Terms or your use of MarkTell shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in New York County, New York, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

17. Changes to these Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. The current version will always be available at this URL with the revision date noted at the top. Material changes will be communicated by updating the revision date and, where appropriate, by notice in our newsletter or on the site. Your continued use of MarkTell after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

18. Severability and waiver

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of that provision or any other provision.

19. Contact

Questions about these Terms: legal@marktell.com. Other inquiries: our Contact page.