These guidelines are for internal purposes only and apply to display advertising and associated landing page content appearing on Yahoo!'s U.S. and Canadian owned & operated sites.

This document is not intended as legal advice. These guidelines are a general statement of Yahoo!'s advertising standards and are not intended to be comprehensive. Third party advertising is subject to internal review by Yahoo!. Adherence to the guidelines outlined in this document a) does not guarantee acceptance of display advertising content for insertion on the U.S. or Canadian sites, and b) is not necessarily sufficient to meet the standards of local, state/provincial or federal laws. Yahoo! encourages each advertiser and its agency to consult with legal counsel before seeking to place any display advertising on the U.S. or Canadian sites.

• Animation - Yahoo! allows all animation, even subtle movement, to a limit of 15 seconds for U.S. sites and 30 seconds for Canadian sites. Animation can begin again on mouse over, but must stop immediately on mouse off.
• Audio - Audio must be user initiated.
• Borders - Ads must clearly be differentiated from page content through either a defined linear or graphical border, a solid contrasting background color or a combination of border and contrasting background
• Branding - The sponsor of the advertising message must be clearly identified in an ad.
• Competitive Claims - Yahoo! competitors are prohibited from advertising on Yahoo! owned and operated sites.
• Data Collecting Ads – Ads collecting data from users must, at a minimum, clearly identify the advertiser and properly disclose that data is being collected by Yahoo! and/or the advertiser(or its agent), and provide the user with a link to the privacy polic(ies) of the part(ies) collecting or receiving the data.
• Foreign Language - Ads may contain languages other than English under certain conditions. All submissions of non-English ads must be accompanied by an accurate English translation.
• Pop-Up Advertising - Pop-up advertising is not permitted. The browser back button must work from the landing page.
• Pricing and Price Claims - All price claims made in an ad must be clearly and accurately substantiated on the landing page. Ads or landing pages that contain “free”, “complimentary” or synonymous offers must disclose the pertinent terms and conditions associated with the offer. Any disclosure (or notice that a disclosure applies) must be made in close proximity to the claim, and must be clear, conspicuous and in a font equal in size to that of the base font of the ad or landing page.
• Yahoo! Brand Guidelines - Use of the Yahoo! name, logo or other brand features without prior approval is not permitted. Ads cannot mimic or resemble Yahoo! graphics, text or other aspects of Yahoo!'s “look-and-feel”.

• Age-Restricted Content - Ads promoting age-sensitive products and services must be appropriately age targeted.
• Alcohol - Ads for alcoholic beverages must be appropriately age targeted and may only appear in certain Yahoo! properties. No direct-to-consumer ads by merchants are allowed.
• Contests, Sweeps, Lotteries & Games of Chance – Ads must offer a fair opportunity for all entrants to win and for sweepstakes and games of chance, must clearly disclose that no purchase is necessary. Sweepstakes and games of chance cannot require a purchase to participate. No offer may claim “everyone wins”, suggest that the user was specially selected to receive a prize, suggest that a payment by the winner is necessary to claim a prize, falsely imply that the mere act of clicking a button is sufficient to win or imply that the promotion is endorsed by any government or quasi-government entity (excluding lawful state lotteries).
• Weight Loss Products / Services – Ads cannot depict or be targeted at children or teens, suggest that the product alone is effective for weight loss or make any unrealistic claims about the amount of weight loss that can be expected from the product. Ads that make weight loss claims must contain the necessary disclaimers to comply with applicable laws and guidelines.
• Yahoo! Kids – All ads directed to Yahoo! Kids must be COPPA and CARU compliant.

The following categories of ads may require additional policy review and approval: Alcohol, promotions/sweepstakes, political, religious, ads that collect data, pharmaceuticals, and other categories as may be designated by Yahoo!.

As part of our commitment to provide the highest quality online experience, we may not accept ads containing or relating to certain products or services. These products or services include, but are not limited to, those listed below. Yahoo! reserves the right to reject or remove any ad in its sole discretion at any time.

• Adult products and services (films, magazines, web sites, toys, etc.)
• Cigarettes, cigars, smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products
• Products or services that bypass copyright protection, such as software, cable or satellite signal descramblers
• Counterfeit, fake or bootleg products, or replicas or imitations of designer products
• Dating or personals sites that promote casual sex, or international match-making services
• Degrees or transcripts for sale or offered by non-accredited universities or programs, “life experience” degrees, academic paper-writing services or the sale of pre-written essays, theses and dissertations
• Recreational drugs or drug paraphernalia ads, including those promoting products and services designed to bypass drug tests
• Firearms, ammunition or fireworks
• Get-rich-quick schemes, “free money” or similar money-making opportunities or offers
• Short-term loan services, such as payday loans or cash advances; loan products that require upfront fees
• Offers to compensate users for clicking on ads, performing web searches, viewing web sites or reading emails, etc.
• Online casinos or any site with online gambling as its central theme
• Products/services that claim to repair bad credit
• Products containing ephedra, ma huang, chitosan or human growth hormones, comfrey, or pyruvate, or other products/elements/ingredients as may be designated by Yahoo! at any time in its sole discretion.
• Personal care, medical or health products that create an unrealistic expectation about the success of the product/service
• Prescription drug ads that state or imply they may be obtained without a prescription or on the basis of an online questionnaire or online consultation
• Products and services of questionable legality (e.g. falsely obtained passwords, pyramid schemes, products designed to evade speed enforcement laws, countries subject to US embargoes or trade sanctions)
• Securities (stocks, bonds, notes, warrants, options, etc.) or insider tips on a particular stock or commodity
• Usenet/newsgroup or P2P file-sharing networks access that allow users to download files directly from other users
• Ads that, at Yahoo!’s sole discretion, promote low quality products or services or ads that otherwise negatively affect our users’ online experience

We may not accept ads containing or relating to certain content. This content includes, but is not limited to, that listed below. Yahoo! reserves the right to reject or remove any ad in its sole discretion at any time.

• Sexually suggestive text, images or situations
• Defamatory, libelous or threatening images or language
• Potentially offensive graphics or language
• Elements that simulate interactivity (e.g. drop-down menus, search boxes, etc.) or resemble operating system dialogue messages, alerts or functions
• Simulated newspaper, blog, product reviews, TV news, or similarly confusing websites

• Advertiser Responsibilities
  • It is the advertiser's responsibility to ensure that:
    • All advertising it seeks to place complies with all applicable federal, state/provincial and local laws or regulations;
    • An advertisement does not violate the intellectual property rights of third parties
    • Offers included in any advertising message include all material terms that an ordinary person would require in making an informed decision about whether to purchase the product or service being offered (for example, Yahoo! does not accept advertising that offers "free" ring tones, but fails to disclose hidden costs or other restrictions that materially affect the net value of the "free" price);
    • All claims made in an advertisement have been substantiated before the advertisement is scheduled to appear;
    • Users are not being misled or deceived into downloading software;
    • Advertising that includes warranties, guarantees, or other types of assurances to the user complies with all applicable laws, regulations or guidelines regarding such assurances, including but not limited to those set forth by the Federal Trade Commission (“FTC”), Food and Drug Administration (“FDA”), Health Canada, U.S. Secretary of Education or similar Canadian ministries; and
    • Users are not deceived into providing personal information without the user's knowledge, under false pretenses, or to companies who resell, trade, barter or otherwise misuse that personal information.
• Yahoo! Rights
  • Yahoo! reserves the right, but is not under any obligation to:
    • Review or request changes to any advertisement scheduled for insertion;
    • Accept, retract, or reject, at any time, any advertisement submitted for placement in its sole discretion, whether on the basis of these guidelines, advertising format, targeting criteria, or for any other reason;
    • Review any advertisement to determine the appropriateness of the advertisement for the Yahoo! audience; or
    • Modify these guidelines at any time without notice.
  • Specifically, Yahoo! reserves the right to reject or retract, at any time, any advertising deemed to, in Yahoo!'s sole opinion:
    • Be misleading, deceptive, false or untrue;
    • Promote or glorify violence, crime, obscenity, the use of weapons, or to provide instructions on how to "get away" with crimes or unlawful activity;
    • Stereotype, inaccurately portray or attack an individual or group on the basis of age, color, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation or handicap;
    • Be offensive or disturbing to Yahoo!'s users, or likely to cause outrage, general disapproval, or negative opinion within the community; or
    • Portray minors (or persons who, in Yahoo!'s opinion, appear to be underage) in a manner that is sexually suggestive or otherwise age-inappropriate.
    • On behalf of, or which promotes, Yahoo! competitors.
    • On behalf of, or which promotes, products, services or activities contrary to Yahoo!’s competitive position or interests (such ads include, without limitation, ads that disparage the Internet as a medium).