Terms of Use

Last Updated: February 26, 2026

1. About the Kente Registry

The Kente Registry (“Kente Registry,” “we,” “our,” or “us“) is a documentation and certification system for authentic handwoven Kente cloth produced by Ghanaian weavers of the Ashanti and Ewe traditions. Our Services are available through KenteRegistry.Org (the “Site“) and include weaver registration, cloth certification, authenticity verification, and educational and advocacy resources.

These Terms of Use (the “Terms“) govern your access to and use of the Site and Services. By using the Services, you represent that you are at least 13 years of age (or the applicable age of majority in your jurisdiction) and that you have the legal authority to accept these Terms.

2. Definitions

• “Services” means the Kente Registry website, weaver registration system, cloth certification system, authenticity verification tools, educational resources, and all related features and content.
• “Weaver” means any Ghanaian practitioner of authentic handwoven Kente who registers or seeks to register with the Registry.
• “Buyer” means any person who uses the Services to locate, verify, or commission authentic Kente cloth.
• “User” means any individual or organisation accessing the Services in any capacity, including Weavers, Buyers, institutions, journalists, researchers, and general visitors.
• “Registry Content” means all text, images, data, tools, reports, guides, and other content created and published by the Kente Registry.
• “Weaver Content” means photographs, pattern descriptions, biographical information, and other materials submitted by or on behalf of a registered Weaver.
• “Certificate” means any cloth certification record, verification number, or physical or digital Registry mark issued by the Kente Registry to a registered Weaver.

3. User Accounts

Certain features of the Services require you to create an account. When creating an account, you agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information.
• Keep your account credentials confidential and not share them with others.
• Notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorised access to your account.
• Accept responsibility for all activity that occurs under your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that provide false information, violate these Terms, or are used for fraudulent or harmful purposes.

4. Weaver Registration

Registration as a Weaver in the Kente Registry is open to Ghanaian practitioners who produce authentic handwoven Kente using traditional strip-weaving techniques within either the Ashanti or Ewe Kente tradition. The Registry’s determination of eligibility is final.

By submitting a Weaver registration application, whether directly or through a community liaison officer, you represent and warrant that all information provided is accurate and truthful, including:

• Your identity, community of origin, and weaving lineage.
• That the cloth you produce is authentic handwoven Kente produced on a traditional treadle loom in strips.
• That you have not submitted applications for cloth produced wholly or partially by machine or by digital printing.

You understand and consent that your Weaver profile, including your name, community, weaving tradition, pattern specialisations, and photographs, will be publicly visible on KenteRegistry.Org. This is essential to the Registry’s mission of enabling global buyers to verify authentic Kente. Please see our Privacy Policy for further details on how your information is handled.

You are responsible for keeping your Registry profile accurate and current. Changes to your contact information, pattern range, or other profile details should be submitted to the Registry promptly. The Registry is not liable for missed business opportunities or other consequences arising from outdated profile information.

5. Cloth Certification

Only cloths produced by registered Weavers that meet the Registry’s authenticity standards are eligible for individual cloth certification. Certification is voluntary but is intended to provide buyers with documented proof of provenance.

By submitting a cloth for certification, the registering Weaver (or liaison officer) warrants that all information provided about the cloth, including the pattern description, colours, dimensions, and photographs, is accurate and that the cloth is authentic handwoven Kente produced by the registered Weaver.

Registry Certificates and verification labels are issued solely for use with the specific cloth to which they relate. It is strictly prohibited to:

• Attach a Certificate or verification label to any cloth other than the one for which it was issued.
• Reproduce, copy, or counterfeit any Registry Certificate, mark, label, or verification number.
• Use the Registry’s name, marks, or certification system in any way that falsely implies authenticity.

Any misuse of Certificates or marks constitutes fraud and will be reported to the appropriate authorities.

6. Verification Services

The authenticity verification service allows any person to query whether a cloth’s certificate number corresponds to a registered cloth in the Registry database.

Limitations: A positive verification result confirms that a cloth with the given certificate number has been registered and that the information matches the Registry’s records at the time of registration. It does not guarantee the current condition or subsequent history of the cloth, nor does it constitute a warranty by the Kente Registry that the cloth in your possession is the specific cloth associated with that certificate. If you have reason to suspect a cloth has been misrepresented, please contact us to report the concern.

7. Acceptable Use

You agree that you will not use the Services to:

• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information, including fraudulent weaver or cloth registrations.
• Impersonate any person, weaver, organisation, or community liaison officer.
• Scrape, harvest, or otherwise extract data from the Registry in bulk without our express written permission.
• Use weaver profile information or photographs for purposes unrelated to verifying authentic Kente, including for advertising, commercial exploitation, or other uses that have not been consented to by the relevant Weaver.
• Interfere with or disrupt the technical operation of the Site, including through the use of automated bots, scrapers, or denial-of-service attacks.
• Upload or transmit any malicious code, virus, or harmful content.
• Use the Services in any manner that violates applicable law, including Ghana’s laws on electronic transactions, data protection, and intellectual property.
• Engage in any conduct that could damage the reputation of the Kente Registry, the Kente weaving tradition, or the weaving communities of Ghana.
• Facilitate or enable third parties to do any of the above.

8. Intellectual Property

All Registry Content, including but not limited to the website design, text, guides, educational materials, policy briefs, databases, logos, and verification tools, is the intellectual property of the Kente Registry or its licensors. You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works from Registry Content without our prior written permission, except as expressly permitted in Section 8.3 below.

Photographs, pattern descriptions, and other materials submitted by or on behalf of Weavers remain the intellectual property of the respective Weaver. By submitting Weaver Content, the Weaver (or liaison officer with appropriate authority) grants the Kente Registry a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to display, reproduce, and use that content for the purposes of operating the Registry, advancing GI protection advocacy, and promoting authentic Kente, for as long as the Weaver remains registered (or the Registry’s archive mission requires).

Nothing in these Terms transfers ownership of a Weaver’s patterns, designs, or creative works to the Kente Registry.

You may use Registry Content for personal, non-commercial, and educational purposes, and for journalistic reporting or academic research, provided you:

• Attribute the content to the Kente Registry with a link to KenteRegistry.Org.
• Do not alter the content in a way that is misleading.
• Do not use the content in a way that implies endorsement by the Registry of any product, service, or position that the Registry has not endorsed.

The Kente weaving tradition is the intangible cultural heritage of the Ewe and Ashanti peoples of Ghana. The Kente Registry actively advocates for Geographical Indication (GI) protection for Kente under Ghanaian and international intellectual property law. Users of the Services are expected to respect this heritage and are prohibited from using information obtained through the Registry to facilitate the production, promotion, or sale of inauthentic or machine-made fabric under the Kente name.

9. Buyer Responsibilities

Buyers who use the Registry to locate, verify, or commission authentic Kente agree to:

• Use weaver contact information and profile data only for the purpose of purchasing or commissioning authentic Kente and not for unsolicited commercial communications, data collection, or other purposes.
• Represent fairly and accurately any cloth purchased through a Registry-connected transaction, including maintaining the integrity of any Certificate or verification label attached to the cloth.
• Attribute the cloth to its weaver in any public display or resale, in keeping with the Registry’s mission of ensuring that weavers receive recognition for their work.
• Not use Registry information to facilitate the sale of inauthentic cloth or to misrepresent the origin or authenticity of any textile.

10. No Legal or Commercial Advice

The Kente Registry provides educational materials, guides, and policy resources as a public service. Nothing in the Services constitutes legal, financial, commercial, or investment advice. In particular:

• Our materials on Geographical Indication protection are informational and do not constitute legal advice. Weavers and community organisations seeking to pursue GI protection should consult qualified legal professionals.
• Our guidance on pricing, care, and authentication is provided in good faith but is not a warranty or guarantee regarding any specific cloth or transaction.
• The Weaver’s Rights and Protections Handbook and similar resources are educational and do not create a solicitor-client or adviser-client relationship.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, accuracy, or non-infringement.

While we take rigorous steps to verify registrations and maintain the accuracy of the Registry database, we cannot guarantee the completeness or accuracy of all information and do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted or error-free. Verification results should be used as one input among several when assessing the authenticity of a cloth.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, the Kente Registry and its officers, employees, liaisons, and contributors shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of, or inability to use, the Services, including but not limited to losses arising from reliance on verification results, weaver profile information, or Registry Content.

Our total aggregate liability for any claim arising from or related to the Services shall not exceed the amount paid by you (if any) to access the Services during the twelve months preceding the claim.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Kente Registry, its officers, employees, community liaison officers, and contributors from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Services.
• Your violation of these Terms.
• Any inaccurate or fraudulent information you submit to the Registry.
• Any infringement of a third party’s rights arising from your use of the Services.

14. Termination and Suspension

The Kente Registry reserves the right to suspend or terminate your access to the Services, remove your account, or revoke any Certificate or registration, at any time and without prior notice, if we determine in our sole discretion that you have violated these Terms or that your continued access poses a risk to the Registry’s integrity, users, or mission.

Weavers whose registrations are revoked for cause (including fraudulent registration) will be permanently disqualified and may be reported to relevant authorities. Weavers whose registrations are terminated for reasons unrelated to misconduct may re-apply after a reasonable period.

You may close your account at any time by contacting us. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, and dispute resolution) will continue to apply.

15. Privacy

Your use of the Services is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the Services, you consent to the collection and use of your information as described in the Privacy Policy.

16. Third-Party Links and Resources

The Services may contain links to third-party websites, government portals, cultural institutions, or community organisations. These links are provided for informational purposes only. The Kente Registry does not endorse and is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or practices of third-party sites. Accessing third-party sites is at your own risk.

17. Modifications to the Services and Terms

We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Services at any time. We may also update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last Updated” date at the top of this page. For material changes, we will provide notice via the website or by email to registered users. Your continued use of the Services after any update constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

18. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Western Australia, Australia, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms or the Services shall first be submitted to good-faith negotiation between the parties. If a dispute is not resolved within 30 days of written notice, it shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Western Australia.

If you are a consumer located in the European Union, you may also have the right to use the EU Online Dispute Resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.

19. General

• Entire agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Kente Registry with respect to the Services and supersede any prior agreements.
• Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force.
• No waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms does not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.
• Assignment: You may not assign your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.
• Language: These Terms are written in English. In the event of any inconsistency between an English version and a translated version, the English version shall prevail.

20. Contact Us

If you have questions or concerns about these Terms of Use, please contact us:

Kente Registry

Email: info@kenteregistry.org

Website: KenteRegistry.Org