SPYWARE AND OTHER PARASITES: Any affiliate suspected of a relationship, formal or informal, with any provider of spyware or parasitic software (as judged by any interference with the operation by design of MERCHANT and/or its partner sites) is subject to punitive actions by MERCHANT, without notice, including but not limited to: suspension of affiliate account; termination of affiliate account; withholding of payments to affiliate; and public notification of affiliate's suspected malfeasance. MERCHANT encourages affiliates to report suspicions of such relationships; and, should substantial proof, as judged by MERCHANT, be provided, MERCHANT reserves the right to assign a value equal to unpaid monies earned by the offending affiliate (or a part thereof) to the reporting affiliate as a bounty.