Last Updated: January 2026
GyaanBato Community Interest Company
Effective Date: 21 June 2026 | Version: 1.0 | Last Updated: 21 June 2026
GyaanBato is a Community Interest Company (CIC) incorporated in England and Wales, as a private company Limited by Guarantee.
Purpose: This Legal Policy sets out the legal and regulatory framework under which GyaanBato Community Interest Company ("GyaanBato CIC") operates. It covers our corporate structure, statutory obligations as a CIC, intellectual property rights, regulatory compliance commitments and our relationship with users, regulators and the wider public.
1. CORPORATE STRUCTURE AND CIC STATUS
GyaanBato Community Interest Company is incorporated in England and Wales as a Company Limited by Guarantee under the Companies Act 2006, with CIC status approved by the CIC Regulator under the Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 ("CAICE Act 2004") and the Community Interest Company Regulations 2005.
As a company limited by guarantee, GyaanBato CIC has no share capital. Members guarantee to contribute a nominal sum (typically GBP 1) in the event of winding up, and have no entitlement to distributions, dividends or return of assets beyond this guarantee. Membership confers governance rights, not financial rights.
Legal structure: Community Interest Company, Limited by Guarantee
Incorporator jurisdiction: England and Wales
Governing statute: Companies Act 2006; CAICE Act 2004; CIC Regulations 2005
CIC Registration Number: [17347680]
Registered Office: Suite 10, Capital House, 61 Amhurst Road, London, United Kingdom E8 1LL.
Regulatory oversight: CIC Regulator (Companies House).
2. COMMUNITY INTEREST — STATUTORY FRAMEWORK
To qualify and maintain CIC status, GyaanBato must satisfy the "community interest test" under Regulation 6 of the CIC Regulations 2005: that a reasonable person might consider that our activities are carried on for the benefit of the community or a section of the community.
Our community interest statement, as approved by the CIC Regulator, commits us to:
- Advancing education and public knowledge by publishing research reports that are freely accessible or modestly priced, on topics of global significance.
- Serving a global audience, with an initial focus on underserved information markets including India and South Asia, where access to quality research is restricted by cost or availability.
- Applying a defined percentage of annual net revenues (after verified operating costs) to qualifying charitable causes focused on education for children in need and healthcare access for the medically underserved.
- Publishing an annual Community Interest Report setting out the community benefit delivered, the amount directed to Causes, and the outcomes achieved.
- Operating transparently and independently, free from advertiser influence, political affiliation or ideological bias.
3. ASSET LOCK AND DISTRIBUTION RESTRICTIONS
GyaanBato CIC is subject to a statutory asset lock under Section 30 of the CAICE Act 2004 and our articles of association. The asset lock means:
No distribution to members: Assets may not be distributed to members except as permitted within statutory caps. As a company limited by guarantee, we do not issue shares and have no dividend-bearing instruments. No payments to members are permitted beyond reasonable remuneration for services actually rendered.
No distribution to directors: Directors may only be paid reasonable remuneration for services and reasonable expenses. No other financial benefit may be conferred on directors from company assets.
Winding-up restriction: On dissolution or winding up, assets remaining after discharge of all liabilities must be transferred to another asset-locked body with purposes similar to ours — as identified in our articles — and may not be distributed to members, directors or any other private person.
Transfer restrictions: Assets may not be transferred to a non-asset-locked body at undervalue without CIC Regulator approval.
Regulator enforcement: The CIC Regulator has statutory powers to enforce the asset lock, including the power to apply to court to recover assets improperly transferred.
4. DIRECTORS' DUTIES AND GOVERNANCE
Directors of GyaanBato CIC owe duties under the Companies Act 2006 (Sections 171–177) and additional CIC-specific duties under the CAICE Act 2004. These include:
- Acting within their powers as defined by the articles of association.
- Promoting the success of the company for the benefit of the community (not shareholders).
- Exercising independent judgement.
- Avoiding conflicts of interest.
- Not accepting benefits from third parties.
- Declaring any interest in a proposed transaction or arrangement.
- Ensuring the company continues to satisfy the community interest test.
- Approving and filing the annual Community Interest Report.
The CIC Regulator may appoint additional directors, require changes to the CIC's activities, or take enforcement action where directors fail these duties. Users may raise concerns about director conduct with the CIC Regulator at cicregulator@companieshouse.gov.uk.
5. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS
5.1 Ownership
All original content on gyaanbato.com — including research reports, editorial articles, graphics, data compilations, the Platform software and the GyaanBato name and branding — is the intellectual property of GyaanBato CIC or its licensors. Content is protected by UK and international copyright law (Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988), database right law, and trademark law.
5.2 Licence to Users
As stated in our Terms of Use, users are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable personal licence to access and use content for private, non-commercial purposes only. This licence does not include the right to reproduce, adapt, distribute or create derivative works without our consent.
5.3 AI Training Prohibition
Use of GyaanBato content for training, fine-tuning or evaluation of artificial intelligence or machine learning models is expressly prohibited without a separate written licence. We reserve all rights in this regard and will enforce them.
5.4 Copyright Infringement
To report infringement, contact legal@gyaanbato.com with details of the infringing content and your contact information. We will investigate and take appropriate action including removal of infringing content and legal proceedings where warranted.
6. REGULATORY COMPLIANCE
UK GDPR / Data Protection Act 2018
Full data protection compliance; ICO registration; privacy-by-design; data subject rights fulfilment
Consumer Rights Act 2015
Digital content quality standards; remedies for non-conforming content
Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013
Distance selling obligations; cancellation rights; pre-contractual information
CAICE Act 2004 / CIC Regulations 2005
Community interest test; asset lock; annual CIC report; CIC Regulator oversight
Companies Act 2006
Directors' duties; annual accounts; Companies House filing
Modern Slavery Act 2015
Transparency statement (where applicable); supply chain due diligence
Equality Act 2010
Non-discrimination in service provision
Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations 2003
Cookie consent; email marketing consent
Electronic Commerce (EC Directive) Regulations 2002
E-commerce service provider obligations; contract formation rules
Proceeds of Crime Act 2002
Anti-money laundering obligations; suspicious activity reporting
7. MODERN SLAVERY AND ETHICAL TRADING
GyaanBato CIC is committed to the elimination of modern slavery, forced labour and human trafficking in all forms. We do not engage in or tolerate such practices in our operations or supply chain. Where required under the Modern Slavery Act 2015, we will publish an annual Transparency Statement setting out the steps taken to ensure our operations and supply chain are free from modern slavery. Suppliers and service providers must confirm compliance with applicable modern slavery laws as a condition of doing business with us.
8. EQUALITY AND NON-DISCRIMINATION
GyaanBato CIC is committed to equal treatment of all users, contributors, employees and partners. We do not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, including age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.
Our community standards (Community Pledge) actively enforce equal treatment within the platform community. We publish research with balanced, unbiased analysis on all topics including religion, caste, ethnicity and politics.
9. TAX STATUS
As a Community Interest Company, GyaanBato CIC is not a registered charity and does not benefit from the tax reliefs available to registered charities under the Income Tax Act 2007 or Corporation Tax Act 2010. We are subject to standard UK corporation tax on taxable profits. Contributions by users for report access are commercial transactions and are not eligible for Gift Aid.
We keep accurate financial records in accordance with the Companies Act 2006 and applicable accounting standards. Annual accounts are filed with Companies House and are publicly accessible.
10. COMPLAINTS AND REGULATORY ESCALATION
General service complaint
First contact: support@gyaanbato.com
Escalation: legal@gyaanbato.com
Data protection and privacy
First contact: privacy@gyaanbato.com
CIC community interest concern
First contact: cic@gyaanbato.com
Escalation: CIC Regulator — cicregulator@companieshouse.gov.uk
Intellectual property infringement
First contact: legal@gyaanbato.com
Escalation: Legal proceedings if unresolved
Consumer rights dispute
First contact: support@gyaanbato.com
Modern slavery concern
First contact: legal@gyaanbato.com
11. APPLICABLE LAW
This Legal Policy and all matters relating to GyaanBato CIC's legal obligations are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Nothing in this Policy restricts the regulatory authority of the CIC Regulator, the ICO, Companies House, HMRC or any other competent regulatory body over GyaanBato CIC.
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GyaanBato Community Interest Company | www.gyaanbato.com | Legal Policy v1.0 | 21 June 2026