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All documents and material pertaining to the present Voluntary Quality Standard are the sole copyright of AI CSRR, the Association for Independent Corporate Sustainability and Responsibility Research, and they may not be reproduced or used in any way in any medium for any purpose without the express permission of AI CSRR.
These include the Quality Standard CSRR-QS 2.0, the Transparency Matrix CSRR-TM 2.0, the Instruction Manual CSRR-IM 2.0, the Certification Manual CSRR-CM 2.0 and their earlier and future versions.

The Transparency Matrix is open for internal use by CSRR and other research organisations and bodies but any such organisation or body must formally notify in writing AI CSRR of its intent to so use the Transparency Matrix. The AI CSRR will not normally withhold its consent for such a usage.

Any research organisation or other bodies that wishes to utilise the Quality Standard or its instruments or processes, either for certification, verification or any other external use must do so only with the express permission of AI CSRR and only if such a body agrees to abide by the conditions laid down by AI CSRR.
These include the requirement that the body enters into a contract with AI CSRR to abide by the same rules and conditions as already agreed to by existing AI CSRR members and/or other bodies which are seeking to have their research methodology(ies) certified according to the Quality Standard or their Transparency Matrix(ces) verified by an accredited auditor. In addition a fee must be paid to AI CSRR for certification.

Certification can only be done by the AI CSRR's Certification Council. Any other act will render the use of the QS null and void. Any breach of these conditions which are not immediately remedied upon notification by AI CSRR to the offending body will result in AI CSRR publicly stating on its website and wherever, whenever and however it deems appropriate that the offending body has not been certified in accordance with the CSRR-QS 2.0 and that it has no right to claim to any extent whatsoever that it has been so certified nor that is has the right to make reference to meeting the requirements of the VQS or any of its accompanying documents.