Article Terms and Conditions

Article 1 (Purpose)

The purpose of this Article Member Terms of Use (hereinafter referred to as “this Agreement”) is to establish a contractual relationship (hereinafter referred to as "Use Agreement") between NAVER Corporation (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”) and the person who has signed up for this service as the Member (hereinafter referred to as the “Member”) in relation to the use of the Article service and related services (hereinafter referred to as the “Service”) provided by the Company.

Article 2 (Definition)

The definitions of terms used in this Agreement are as follows:

1. "Article" refers to a personal blog service provided by the Company so that the Member can record their thoughts, interests, etc., and express themselves through the online space.
2. “Member” refers to a user who has signed up for this Service and uses this Service by publishing, viewing, or creating a website on the Service.
3. "Content" refers to various materials or files composed of information, code, text, voice, sound, image, picture, video, link, etc. that are created and posted by the Member or posted on the Service by linking the third party social network accounts (hereinafter referred to as “External Channel”) to the Service
4. "Homepage" refers to a space provided for each Member to collect, edit, and display Content written by the Member or posted on their External Channels in this Service.

Article 3 (Publication, Effect, and Change of this Agreement)

1. The Company shall post the Content of this Agreement on the Service website so that the Member can easily understand it.
2. The Company may, if necessary, change the Content of this Agreement at any time without violating laws and regulations. If the Company changes the Content of this Agreement, the Content of the Agreement after the change and the effective date shall be posted on the Service website or notified to the Member by other means determined by the Company. The Agreement after the change shall take effect from the effective date.
3. In the event that the Member does not agree to the change to this Agreement, the Member notify the Company in accordance with Section 2 and stop using the Service. In accordance with Article 18 Section 1 of this Agreement, the Member may cancel the Use Agreement. If the Member continues to use this Service even after the change to the details of this Agreement, the changed Agreement will be applied.

Article 4 (Application for Use)

1. The Use Agreement is established when the person who intends to use this Service (hereinafter referred to as the “Applicant”) agrees to this Agreement (including consent to the contract if a separate contract is concluded) and the Company accepts the application for use. The Member is subject to this Agreement regarding the use of this Service. In the event that the Applicant is a minor, the Applicant may only use this Service after obtaining the prior consent of a legal representative, such as a person with parental authority.
2. The Applicant must have their own account on the LINE Service (hereinafter referred to as “LINE Service”) provided separately by LINE Corporation at the time of application for use and maintain this account while using this Service. The use of LINE accounts falls under the LINE Terms of Use and other terms and conditions set by LINE Corporation. However, if necessary for the provision and operation of this Service, the Company may, in exceptional cases, allow the use of this Service with a service account other than the LINE Service with the terms and conditions of that service being applied to the account. When using this Service with a LINE account or other service account, personal information (profile name, shared member ID, accessToken, etc.) from the service may be provided to the Company
3. Even after the Use Agreement with the Member has been established, the Company may cancel the Use Agreement if any of the following events occur or are likely to occur:
1. (1) In the event that there is no account on the LINE Service.
2. (2) In the event that the Use Agreement has been canceled in the past or the membership has been lost in relation to this Service and other services of the Company.
3. (3) In the event that the Applicant is already the Member.
4. (4) In the event that different facts or information of a third party is used when applying.
5. (5) In the event that false information is registered or information required is not listed.
6. (6) In the event that the Member who has received restrictions on use from the Company cancels the existing Use Agreement and applies anew during the period of such measures.
7. (7) In the event that the application of the Service is for a purpose other than research, study, or other purposes faithful to this Service.
8. (8) In the event that the Company reasonably determines that the provision or operation of this Service or the use of this Service by other the Member is hindered or is likely to be hindered.
9. (9) In the event that the Company reasonably believes that there is a violation or a possibility of violation of this Agreement, LINE Terms of Use, or Operation Policy.
10. (10) In the event that the Company reasonably determines that there is a possibility of violating or breaking the laws, etc.
11. (11) In other events where the Company reasonably determines that the use of this Service by the Applicant is inappropriate.
4. The Company may withhold the acceptance of the application for use due to technical or business obstacles related to this Service.
5. Even if the Company rejects or withholds the application for use by the Applicant, the Company is not obligated to disclose the reason to the Applicant.

Article 5 (Change and Management of Registration Information)

1. In the event that all or part of any information (hereinafter referred to as the “Registration Information”) such as the LINE account registered for this Service changes, the Member will immediately modify the Registration Information in the method designated by the Company.
2. The Company shall not be held responsible for any disadvantages such as damages, losses, and expenses incurred by the Member due to the Member's failure to change the Registration Information pursuant to the preceding Section.

Article 6 (ID and Password Management)

1. The Member shall be held responsible for appropriately managing information necessary for logging into the service such as their ID and password (hereinafter “Login Information”).
2. The Member may not provide Login Information to a third party and must prevent it from being used by a third party. The Company considers all usage of the Service that involves the Member Login Information to be performed by the Member.
3. The company may not be held responsible for the loss of Member's Login Information or any damage related to it.

Article 7 (Channel Linkage and Permission to Use Content)

1. The Member can share their Content or Content created by others through External Channels. The Member agrees their Content is being shared to External Channels by other the Member or non-members without separate consent.
2. If the Member agrees to link his/her External Channel to this Service, it will be considered that the Member has allowed the Company to access the External Channel and collect, duplicate, and publicly transmit the Member's Content posted on the External Channel in accordance with Article 8 Section 3. The Company may edit and modify the Content collected through Member linkage as long as it does not change the essential content of the Content in order to serve it in accordance with this Agreement.
3. Content posted on the Member Article Homepage may be exposed to this Service and the Services of contracted third parties in accordance with relevant laws such as the Copyright Act and the Company’s policies. In addition, the aforementioned content may be used with restrictions for Service promotion, Service operation, improvement and development of new service, legal obligation compliance such as web accessibility, search from external sites, and collection and link permission. If the Member's Content must unavoidably be used for other purposes, the Member's consent shall be obtained in advance.
4. The type of External Channel linked to this Service may be determined according to the Company’s Service Policy and the policy of each External Channel. Even if it is an External Channel that has been linked, the Content shown in this Service may be restricted according to the Company’s Operation Policy of External Channels.

Article 8 (Management of Content)

1. The copyright for the Content posted in Article belongs to the Member. However, if the Content contains inappropriate content, such as posts that are not suitable for the purpose of this Service or posts that violate laws or the Operation Policy, restrictions on the post may be taken as stipulated in the Operation Policy.
2. In order to legally provide the Member's Content through the Service, the Member shall have the right to use the Content such as storage, reproduction, modification, public transmission, display, distribution, creation of secondary works (limited to translation), etc. (the license does not have period and regional restrictions, no special payments are offered). Linking External Channels transfers such rights from the Member to the Company, so the Member must have intellectual property rights and other necessary rights to legally publish Content in conjunction with External Channels.
3. The Member grants the Company (including the right to grant sublicenses) the right to store, reproduce, modify, publicly transmit, display, distribute, or create secondary works on Member Content (the license does not have period and regional restrictions, no special payments are offered). The Company hereby acquires these rights.
4. The Member shall not exercise any Author Moral Rights regarding the Content with respect to the use pursuant to the preceding Section against the Company, persons who have transferred or obtained permission from the Company, or other persons designated by the Company.
5. The Member shall post Content on Article using the various materials or files composed of information, code, text, voice, sound, image, picture, video, link, etc., which the Member owns the intellectual property rights or the third party has granted intellectual property rights with the Member being held responsible. The Member shall not post Content in Article that infringes on the intellectual property rights of third parties, and if it is reasonably determined that the Content posted in Article infringes or is likely to infringe the intellectual property rights of a third party, the Company may delete the Content or discontinue the post. The Company shall not be held responsible for any damages to the Member due to this action.
6. If the Member posts or uses inappropriate vocabulary, images, or videos that are obscene or illegal for this Service on the Homepage, including their profile, profile picture, or introduction, initialization and sanctions may be taken without prior notice. Regarding Content provided by the Member through the linked accounts, even if the Content is permitted in the rules or Operation Policy of the External Channel, restrictions on use may take place in accordance with the provisions of Article 13, such as violating the Content Operation Policy.

Article 9 (External Channel Linkage and Termination)

1. The Member can freely link External Channels or terminate the connection of linked External Channels at any time while using this Service. However, even if the Member links or terminates the link with an External Channel, it may take a certain amount of time to reflect the change to the Service, and during the required time, the change may not be reflected in the Service immediately.
2. When the account of an External Channel linked by the Member is deleted, in principle, the link with the External Channel will be terminated on the Article’s Homepage when the Company becomes aware of this. However, since the Company may not become aware immediately if the Member wants immediate deletion or non-disclosure, the Member can request deletion by notifying the Company of this fact.
3. Linking with this Service may fail or terminate due to service failure or termination of the External Channel linked by the Member, or changes to the service Operation Policy including the API usage agreement or policy of the External Channel. The Company shall not be held responsible for any damage to the Member due to failure or termination of linkage.
4. If the connection of the linked External Channel is terminated, the previously linked Content and all linked information will be deleted.

Article 10 (Change, Abolition, and Suspension of Service)

1. The Company may restrict the use of all or part of this Service or change or abolish its Content without prior notice to the Member according to operational or technical needs.
2. The Company may suspend the provision of all or part of this Service without prior notice to the Member other than as provided for in Section 1 in any of the following events:
1. (1) In the event of fire, earthquake, flood, lightning, heavy snow, or other natural disasters.
2. (2) In the event of war, civil war, terrorism, riot, unrest, epidemic, or other situations causing social anxiety.
3. (3) In the event that the Company cannot receive appropriate goods or services from a third party such as the telecommunication service provider or transportation company contracted with the Company due to this Service.
4. (4) In the event of events or errors impossible or difficult to technically respond.
5. (5) In the event of regular maintenance or temporary management of the computer system for the provision of this Service.
6. (6) In the event of system operation being difficult due to system malfunction, unauthorized access to third parties, or computer virus infection.
7. (7) In the event of the Service being impossible to provide due to a request from the government, etc.
8. (8) In the event that the Company determines that it is necessary to stop or suspend the system for unavoidable reasons.
9. (9) In the event that the Member's use of Service causes an overload of the entire Service system.
10. (10) In the event that the Company determines that the Member violates this Agreement and Operation Policy and the Member is or is likely to cause disadvantages to the Company or the Member.
3. The Company shall not be held responsible for the Member unless there is a special provision in laws and ordinances regarding the measures taken pursuant to this Article.

Article 11 (Notice)

1. In the event that the Company notifies the Member about this Service, it shall be done by the method of e-mail that is registered by the Member or notified to the Company, etc.
2. The Company may substitute the notice in Section 1 by posting the content of the notice on the website for the Member.
3. The Member shall always keep the Registration Information such as e-mail address in accordance with the provisions of Article 5 up to date.
4. The notice to the Member of the Company takes effect at the time when it is made through the method in accordance with this Article. The Company shall not be held responsible for any disadvantages caused by the Member negligent in their obligations under the preceding Section.

Article 12 (Rights of the Company)

1. Based on this Agreement, the Company may entrust all or part of the business to a third party.
2. The Company or a third party designated by the Company may use the Content posted by the Member on this Service for the purpose of promoting, guiding, and improving this Service or related services (including but not limited to copying, distribution, public transmission, display, editing without changes to essential Content, using and public transmission in a Service provided by a third party; hereinafter applies the same). The Member grants to the Company the free, indefinite, and irrevocable right to use the Content by the Company or a third party designated by the Company for related purposes. The Company shall follow the provisions of Article 17 in the handling of personal information.
3. The Member shall express and guarantee that they have the necessary rights to grant the rights in the preceding Section to the Company. In addition, the Member shall not exercise Author Moral Rights or raise any other objection to the use of Content by the Company or a third party designated by the Company by themselves or by a third party as stipulated in the preceding Section.
4. The Company or a third party designated by the Company may use various data generated in connection with the Member's use of this Service (including but not limited to click data, access logs, etc.; hereinafter referred to as "Use Data") for the purpose of providing, developing and improving this Service or related services, and preparing statistical data. The Company shall follow the provisions of Article 17 in the handling of personal information.
5. In accordance with a request made under law by a public institution other than an investigation agency or a contractual request of another third party, the Company may transmit personal information related to the Member, Use Data, and other information or materials related to the use of this Service to the relevant institution or a third party without the consent of the Member.
6. The Company may delete the Content posted by the Member on the Service without prior notice to the Member if the Content is determined or is reasonably considered to be illegal or in violation of this Agreement.
7. The Company may transfer the contractual status in this Service and the rights and obligations under this Agreement to a third party, and the Member shall consent to such transfer in advance.

Article 13 (Operation Policy)

1. The Company may separately set rules, manuals, etc. regardless of Operation Policy or other names for matters (including changing the set Operation Policy) not stipulated in this Agreement related to this Service (hereinafter referred to as “Operation Policy”), and shall publish this material on its website. The Operation Policy (including any changes made) is effective at the time it is posted on the website unless otherwise stated.
2. The Operation Policy forms part of the Use Agreement along with this Agreement. If the details of the Operation Policy contradict or violate this Agreement, the Operation Policy takes precedence.
3. The Member may not engage in any of the following acts when using this Service. If the Company reasonably determines that the Member is engaged or is likely to engage in any of the following acts, all or part of the service may be suspended or temporarily suspended, the Use Agreement may be canceled, and the posts may be suspended without prior notice to the Member. If the Company deems it necessary to confirm that the Member falls under any of the following items, the Company may take measures necessary for investigation or confirmation, and the Company may suspend all or part of the Service or suspend the post of Content for the Member until the corresponding action is completed. The Member shall provide compensation for damages caused to the Company or a third party due to or in connection with the violation of this Article.
1. (1) Acts that are likely to violate public order or good customs.
2. (2) Acts that violate this Agreement and Operation Policy, such as laws and regulations.
3. (3) Acts of inducing transactions outside of this Service, such as installing links or URLs other than this Service within this Service.
4. (4) Acts of collecting, disclosing, or providing others’ personal information, Registration Information, and usage history information.
5. (5) Acts that infringe on intellectual property rights, right of respect, privacy rights, and other legal rights such as copyrights, trademark rights, and patent rights of the Company or a third party.
6. (6) Acts that interfere with the image of the Service provided by the Company or other third parties.
7. (7) Acts that damage the Company’s social evaluation or credibility.
8. (8) Acts of posting or transmitting expressions that contain excessive violence; explicit sexual description; child pornography; child abuse; discrimination based on race, nationality, religion, gender, social status, and ancestry; induction or promotion of suicide, self-harm, or substance abuse; and content causing discomfort to others including anti-social content.
9. (9) Acts for the purpose of meeting and socializing with unfamiliar third parties, harassing or slandering others, and using this Service other than the intended use of this Service.
10. (10) Acts of providing benefits or cooperating with Anti-Social Forces.
11. (11) Acts of religious activities or solicitation of religious groups.
12. (12) Acts in violation of statutes, court decisions or orders, or legally binding administrative measures.
13. (13) Acts of exchanging the right to use this Service for cash, property, or other economic benefits.
14. (14) Acts of illegal usage of a third party's ID/password.
15. (15) Acts of cheating or intentionally distributing false information to the Company or a third party.
16. (16) Acts that interfere with the server or network system of this Service; illegally manipulate the Service using BOT, cheat tools, or other technical means; intentionally take advantage of the error of this service; make unreasonable inquiries or requests to the Company; interfere with the operation or the use of the Service by other Members due to illegal intrusion into the system of the Company and the Service, cracking, reverse engineering, decompilation, disassembly, etc.
17. (17) Acts of reproduction, imitation, creation of analogues, transfer, sale, rental, public transmission, adaptation, or storage for the preceding purposes of all or part of data and information in this service without prior consent from the Company.
18. (18) Acts of uploading of applications and software that adversely affect the system of this Service, such as computer viruses, or acts with similar effects.
19. (19) Acts of assisting or encouraging an act falling under any of the subsections above.
20. (20) Other acts reasonably determined by the Company to be inappropriate.

Article 14 (Exclusion of Anti-Social Forces)

1. Applicants and the Member shall declare the following matters regarding themselves to the Company, and shall comply with them in the future:
1. (1) May not engage in actions that fall under or are equivalent to those of special intelligent gangs including gangs, gang members, gang-related companies, general assembly members, social movements, etc. (hereinafter collectively referred to as “Anti-Social Forces”).
2. (2) May not use this Service to allow Anti-Social Forces to use Members’ names or to provide Members’ names for the interests of Anti-Social Forces.
3. (3) May not use the Member or a third party to directly or indirectly engage in violent, hierarchical, or coercive words, actions, or unreasonable demands beyond the legal responsibility to the Company or a third party including the Member.
2. In the event that the Applicant or the Member violates the preceding Section, the Company may immediately reject the application for use by the Applicant or the Member or take necessary measures such as canceling the Use Agreement. The Company may claim full compensation for damages from the Applicant or Member.
3. The Company shall not be held responsible for any disadvantages such as damages and losses incurred to the Applicant or Member due to or related to the measures in the preceding Section.

Article 15 (Measures in the Event of Violation)

The Company may take necessary measures, such as restricting all or part of the use of this Service for the Member if the Member violates or is likely to violate this Agreement, Operating Policies, and Laws. The Company shall not be held responsible for any damage caused to the Member as a result.

Article 16 (Prohibition of Attribution and Transfer of Rights)

1. All rights, including copyrights and intellectual property rights, regarding this Service and all texts, voices, sound sources, pictures, images, videos, and other information constituting this Service are reserved by the Company or a third party that holds the rights unless otherwise provided in this Agreement. Accepting the use of this Service pursuant to this Agreement does not imply permission to use the rights of the Company or a third party that has such rights in relation to the Service.
2. The Company grants only the usage rights related to the Member of this Service based on these Terms of Use and other conditions of use set by the Company. The Member cannot transfer, sell, provide collateral, or otherwise dispose of all or part of their contractual status, and rights or obligations of this Agreement to a third party based on this Agreement without prior written consent.

Article 17 (Personal Information)

The Company shall handle the personal information of the Applicants and the Member acquired in the course of an application for use and provision of this Service in accordance with laws and regulations. Regarding the protection and use of our personal information, the Privacy Policy (https://article.me/privacy-policy) of this Service shall be followed.

Article 18 (Membership Withdrawal)

1. The Member may apply for withdrawal from Service at any time through the Company's prescribed procedures. However, if the use of this Service is suspended in accordance with Article 13 of this Agreement, the Member cannot apply for withdrawal. The member may apply for cancellation for the first once the Company acknowledges that the Member has completed the handling of the matter or after the termination of the suspension of use.
2. The Company may cancel the Use Agreement without prior notice or notice to the Member if any of the following occur:
1. (1) In the event of violation of this Agreement or Operation Policy.
2. (2) In the event that the Company has suffered tangible and intangible damage due to a violation of laws, etc. or a cause attributable to the customer.
3. (3) If there is a reason for rejecting the application for use under Article 4 Section 3.
4. (4) In the event that the Company reasonably recognizes that the cancellation of other Use Agreements is necessary.
3. Termination of the Use Agreement pursuant to this Article does not prevent both parties from exercising their right to claim compensation for damage to the other party.
4. In the event of Member's Use Agreement is terminated due to membership withdrawal or other reasons, the Company shall delete all information (including Content information) about the Member held by the Company within a reasonable period after cancellation, except in the event where the Company handles member information based on laws and Privacy Policy.

Article 19 (Compensation for Damages)

In the event that the Company or the Member violates this Agreement due to reasons attributable to oneself and causes damage to the other party, the attributable party shall be responsible for compensating the other party for the damage.

Article 20 (Possibility of Separation)

Should any provision of this Agreement become invalid or unlawful in whole or in part, such invalidity or illegality shall neither affect the other provisions of this Agreement, their interpretation, and application nor impair their legality and validity.

Article 21 (Exemption of the Company)

1. The Company does not guarantee any warranties, express or implied, that the Services are free from defects (including but not limited to defects in safety, reliability, accuracy, completeness, effectiveness, suitability for a specific purpose, and security, or errors, bugs, and infringement of rights) in fact or law. The Company is not obligated to remove these defects when providing this Service to the Member.
2. Communication devices such as computers and smartphones, software, communication lines, and other communication environments necessary for using this Service shall be prepared and maintained at the cost and responsibility of the Member, and the Company does not support the preparation and maintenance. The Company also does not guarantee that the Service is suitable for all devices.
3. The Company shall not be held responsible for any damages incurred by the Member due to this Service except in the event that the damages are caused by the intention or gross negligence of the Company. However, if the contract between the Member and the Company related to this Service falls under the Consumer Contract stipulated in the Consumer Contract Act (hereinafter referred to as the “Consumer Contract”), the Company shall be liable and provide compensation for the lost profits or damages caused within normal circumstances regarding the default liability or tort liability due to the Company’s negligence (excluding gross negligence). The Company shall not be liable and shall not provide compensation for damages caused by special circumstances.
4. In the event of damage to the Member due to the Company’s gross negligence, the Company shall not be held liable for damages caused by lost profits or other special circumstances and shall be liable for damages within the scope that normally occur. However, this shall not apply when the contract between the Member and the Company related to this Service falls under the Consumer Contract.
5. Except in cases where the Company has intentional or gross negligence, even if a dispute arises between the Members or between the Member and a third party in relation to this Service, the Company does not intervene and assumes all responsibilities related to the dispute to be held by the Member. In the event that the third party makes a claim against the Company, the Member must take responsibility and bear the expense for the cooperation requested by the Company to resolve the problem. If there is any damage to the Company in this regard, the Company must be compensated for the full amount of the damages (including but not limited to attorney fees).
6. The Company shall not be held responsible for any damages to the Member due to violations of this Agreement, the Operation Policy, and the Company’s actions taken for those acts.
7. The Company shall not be held responsible for any of the following damages to the Member:
1. (1) Damages caused by registration of false or inaccurate information (including but not limited to Registration Information, etc.)
2. (2) Damages caused by the process of accessing or using this Service, regardless of the nature or circumstances
3. (3) Damages caused by various illegal or unreasonable access, use, and interference with the Service by a third party
4. (4) Damage caused by any virus, spyware, or other malicious programs that a third party transmits or distributes in the course of using this Service
5. (5) Damage caused by errors, omissions, or destruction of transmitted data
8. The Company shall not be held responsible for any damages to the Member caused by changes to this Agreement and Operation Policy, such as other laws and regulations, and notices from the Company.

Article 22 (Governing Law and Jurisdiction Court)

This Agreement shall be governed by the laws of Japan, and the Tokyo District Court shall be the exclusive jurisdictional court of the first instance for interpretation and disputes with the Company related to this Agreement.