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LO-PAL Terms of Service

This is an English reference translation. The official version is the Japanese 利用規約, which prevails in the event of any discrepancy.

Introduction

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") set out the conditions for using "LO-PAL" and its related services (collectively, the "Service") provided by INNIT LLC (Gōdō Kaisha INNIT) (the "Company", "we", or "us"). The Service comprises: (1) a matching platform that connects travelers and migrants ("Requesters") with local residents ("Supporters") online to provide information and support (the "Matching Service"); (2) the Japanese-learning application "Lingo" ("Lingo"); and (3) guide and travel media providing information on residence, daily life, and travel (the "Media Service"). These services may be used across a single shared account. Provisions of these Terms concerning the payment of rewards or settlement apply, by their nature, only to the Matching Service and other paid features. Please read these Terms carefully before using the Service. By using the Service, you are deemed to have agreed to these Terms.

Article 1 (Definitions)

    The principal terms used in these Terms are defined as follows.
  1. Service Use Agreement: the agreement for use of the Service formed between us and the User under these Terms.
  2. Intellectual Property Rights: copyrights, patents, trademark rights, design rights, and other intellectual property rights.
  3. Posted Data: content (text, images, videos, etc.) that a User posts or transmits through the Service.
  4. the Company: the business operator that provides the Service.
  5. User: an individual or corporation that has agreed to these Terms and registered to use the Service in the manner prescribed by us.
  6. Requester: a User who requests information or support from Supporters through the Service and pays a reward in consideration.
  7. Supporter: a User who receives requests from Requesters, provides information or support, and receives a reward.
  8. Advice: a post through which a Requester receives information from an unspecified number of Supporters. The answer the Requester selects as most appropriate is the "Best Answer".
  9. Task: a post through which a Requester selects a single Supporter and makes a specific request.
  10. Tip: a reward paid voluntarily by a Requester to a Supporter as a token of gratitude.
  11. the Service: the collective name for "LO-PAL" and related services (including the Matching Service, the Japanese-learning app "Lingo", and the Media Service) provided by us. If the name or content of a service changes, the changed service is also included.
  12. Matching Service: the function that connects Requesters and Supporters and handles the request and provision of information or support and the settlement of rewards.
  13. Lingo: the Japanese-learning application provided by us.
  14. Media Service: the informational articles on residence, daily life, travel, and the like (guide, travel, etc.) provided by us.

Article 2 (Application of the Terms)

  1. These Terms govern the rights and obligations between us and the User regarding the conditions for, and the use of, the Service, and apply to every relationship between the User and us relating to the use of the Service.
  2. Guidelines, rules, and the like that we post on our website in relation to the Service (the "Guidelines") constitute part of these Terms.
  3. If the provisions of these Terms differ from the Guidelines, the provisions of these Terms prevail.

Article 3 (User Registration)

  1. A person who wishes to use the Service (an "Applicant") completes registration as a User by agreeing to these Terms, carrying out the registration procedure in the manner we prescribe, and obtaining our approval.
  2. Where an Applicant is a minor, an adult ward, a person under curatorship, or a person under assistance, the Applicant shall obtain the consent of a legal representative (such as a person with parental authority). When a minor uses the Service, we deem that the consent of the legal representative has been obtained.
  3. We may refuse or cancel registration where an Applicant falls under any of the following:
    1. there is a falsehood, error, or omission in the registration details;
    2. the consent referred to in the preceding paragraph has not been obtained;
    3. the Applicant is an anti-social force or has any involvement therewith;
    4. the Applicant has previously been subject to cancellation of registration or similar measures for breach of these Terms; or
    5. we otherwise determine that registration is inappropriate.

Article 4 (Changes to Registration Details)

    The User shall, where a change arises in their registration details, promptly carry out the change procedure in the prescribed manner.

Article 5 (Account Management)

  1. The User shall, at their own responsibility, appropriately manage their account, user ID, and password.
  2. The User shall not allow a third party to use their account, or lend, transfer, change the name on, or trade their account.
  3. We bear no liability for any damage caused by inadequate management of the account or by use by a third party.

Article 6 (Fees and Payment Methods)

  1. Registration for, and basic use of, the Service are free of charge.
  2. A Requester must set the reward payable to the Supporter when posting a Task. Posting Advice is free and involves no advance reward setting. A token of thanks (Tip) for an answer may be paid voluntarily after a Best Answer is selected.
  3. The payment of rewards from a Requester to a Supporter is settled by us on their behalf. In the case of a Task, we receive the reward when the Requester selects a Supporter; in the case of Advice, when the Requester pays a Tip.
  4. We deduct a prescribed system usage fee from the reward received from the Requester and pay the remainder to the Supporter. In the case of a Task, payment is made when the Requester confirms completion of the Task; in the case of Advice, when the Tip is paid.
  5. Where a Requester cancels a Task or an Advice post and a reward has been set, we refund the amount after deducting a separately prescribed cancellation fee. Where no reward has been set, no cancellation fee applies.
  6. Payments are made by online settlement using "Stripe Connect". By using the Service, the User agrees that a Stripe sub-account is automatically created and that the User is bound by Stripe's terms of service (https://stripe.com/jp/ssa). We bear no liability for any trouble relating to the use of Stripe. For problems or trouble relating to transfers, the User shall contact Stripe support directly, and we are not involved.
  7. A Supporter may apply to withdraw their reward to their registered bank account. Transfer fees are borne by the User.
  8. Where there is an error in the registered account information, we re-transfer after deducting the recall fee. Where a recall is impossible, we bear no liability.
  9. Upon suspension or deletion of an account, the relevant User forfeits the right to receive rewards. Before such forfeiture, we make reasonable accommodations—such as a compulsory payout at the User's transfer-fee expense—so that the User may receive the reward; this does not, however, guarantee receipt.
  10. Even where a Supporter has reported completion of a Task, if the Requester determines that the deliverable does not conform to the request, the Requester may decline to approve completion and revoke the completed status. In that case, the Requester and the Supporter shall re-coordinate via chat.
  11. A Requester may, even after selecting a Supporter for a Task, apply for a refund only while the Task remains incomplete. Where a refund is applied for, the Supporter shall approve or reject it within three days. If the Supporter does not respond within three days, the refund is deemed to have been automatically approved. The refund amount is 93% of the reward, and the remaining 7% is collected by us as a system usage fee.

Article 7 (Suspension and Interruption of the Service)

  1. We may suspend or interrupt all or part of the Service without prior notice to the User where any of the following arises:
    1. emergency inspection or maintenance of the systems relating to the Service;
    2. the systems or communication lines stop due to an accident;
    3. provision of the Service becomes difficult due to force majeure (as defined in Article 20), such as a natural disaster, war, conflict, riot, labor dispute, fire, or power outage; or
    4. we otherwise determine it to be necessary.
  2. We bear no liability for any damage incurred by the User as a result of measures taken under this Article.

Article 8 (Prohibited Conduct)

    In using the Service, the User shall not engage in any of the following acts.
  1. acts that violate laws or public order and morals;
  2. acts connected with criminal conduct;
  3. acts that infringe the intellectual property rights, privacy, reputation, or other rights or interests of us, other Users, or third parties;
  4. posting excessively violent, obscene, or discriminatory expressions, expressions that induce suicide or self-harm, or other inappropriate content;
  5. acts that interfere with the operation of the Service;
  6. unauthorized access;
  7. acts that improperly use another User's account;
  8. business or for-profit promotional activities without our permission;
  9. conducting transactions directly without going through the Service, or inducing the same;
  10. provision of benefits to, or other cooperation with, anti-social forces;
  11. providing false information;
  12. other acts that we determine to be inappropriate.
  13. Where a User breaches the preceding paragraph, we may take measures such as suspending the User's account and may, as necessary, report the matter to the police or other public authorities.
  14. We bear no liability for any damage incurred by the User as a result of measures taken under this Article.

Article 9 (Attribution of Rights)

  1. The Service and all intellectual property rights relating to the Service belong to us or to the rights holders who have licensed them to us. The User shall not infringe our intellectual property rights or those of such rights holders in using the Service.
  2. The User grants us a free, non-exclusive license to use the Posted Data they post, and permits us and third parties designated by us to use it for purposes such as providing, improving, and promoting the Service.
  3. The User shall not exercise moral rights of authors against us or against any person to whom we have succeeded or sublicensed such rights.

Article 10 (Limitation of Liability)

  1. We make no warranty that the Service is fit for the User's particular purpose or has the functions, performance, accuracy, or usefulness the User expects.
  2. We bear no liability for any damage or dispute arising between Users or between a User and a third party in connection with the Service.
  3. We bear no liability for damage incurred by the User arising from the Service, except in cases of our willful misconduct or gross negligence.
  4. We make no warranty as to the quality, performance, accuracy, operation, or continuity of external services that the Service links to or uses. We bear no liability for any damage incurred by the User due to defects in such external services.
  5. Even where we bear liability, we shall compensate the User for ordinary damage directly incurred, up to a maximum of the total fees paid by the User to us during the preceding six months.

Article 11 (Duty to Indemnify)

    Where damage (including attorneys' fees) is incurred by us in connection with the User's use of the Service, the User shall compensate us for such damage.

Article 12 (Confidentiality)

  1. "Confidential Information" means non-public technical, business, operational, financial, organizational, or other information that the User has received from us in connection with the Service.
  2. The User shall use Confidential Information only within the scope of the purpose of using the Service, and shall not disclose or leak it to any third party without our written consent.
  3. However, the following information is not Confidential Information:
    1. information that is publicly known;
    2. information the User already possessed;
    3. information obtained from a duly authorized third party;
    4. information the User independently developed.

Article 13 (Handling of Personal Information)

    We handle the User's personal information appropriately in accordance with our Privacy Policy (https://lo-pal.app/en/PrivacyPolicy).

Article 14 (Monitoring)

    We have the right to monitor whether Users are using the Service in accordance with these Terms.

Article 15 (Use of Statistical Information)

    We may use and publish information provided by Users as statistical information in a form that cannot identify any individual.

Article 16 (Change and Termination of the Service)

  1. We may, at our discretion, change the content of the Service or terminate its provision.
  2. Where we terminate the Service, we will notify Users in advance.
  3. We bear no liability for any damage incurred by the User as a result of measures taken under this Article.

Article 17 (Termination of the Use Agreement)

  1. We may, without prior notice, delete Posted Data, temporarily suspend an account, cancel a registration, or terminate the Service Use Agreement where a User falls under any of the following:
    1. breach of any provision of these Terms;
    2. a falsehood is found in the registration details;
    3. suspension of payments or insolvency;
    4. no login to the Service for one year or more;
    5. no response to our communications for 30 days or more;
    6. we otherwise determine it to be inappropriate.
  2. We bear no liability for any damage incurred by the User as a result of measures taken under the preceding paragraph.

Article 18 (Withdrawal)

  1. The User may withdraw from the Service in the manner we prescribe.
  2. Where there is any unpaid obligation at the time of withdrawal, the User shall immediately pay the full amount.
  3. The handling of User information after withdrawal is governed by Article 13.

Article 19 (Prohibition of Assignment of Rights and Obligations)

    The User may not assign, transfer, or create security over their status, or their rights and obligations, under these Terms to any third party without our prior written consent.

Article 20 (Force Majeure)

    We are relieved of liability where provision of the Service becomes difficult or impossible due to force majeure beyond our reasonable control, such as a natural disaster, the enactment or amendment of laws, the exercise of public authority, fire, or power outage.

Article 21 (Severability)

    Even where any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.

Article 22 (Changes to the Terms)

  1. We may change these Terms. The amended Terms are displayed on the Service and take effect when the User uses the Service.
  2. Where we make a material change, we will notify Users in advance.

Article 23 (Matters Not Provided For in the Terms)

    Where a matter not provided for in these Terms, or a doubt as to interpretation, arises, we and the User shall resolve it through good-faith consultation.

Article 24 (Governing Law and Jurisdiction)

  1. The governing law of the Service and these Terms is Japanese law.
  2. The Japanese language is used in priority for these Terms, the Guidelines, the Privacy Policy, and any other information we issue. Where a difference in nuance or interpretation arises from a translation (including those by external services), the meaning of the text written in Japanese prevails.
  3. In the event of a dispute relating to these Terms, the Osaka District Court shall be the court of exclusive agreed jurisdiction for the first instance.

Article 25 (Disclosure of Profiles)

  1. The Service provides a function to publish a User's profile information (such as user name, display name, profile image, self-introduction, languages used, nationality, country of residence (including prefecture and municipality), gender, age, rating information, and the number of posts and answers) on the user list page.
  2. For newly registered Users, the profile-disclosure setting is enabled by default. A User may switch their profile between public and private at any time from the My Page screen, and may individually set each profile item (such as gender, age, nationality, country of residence, and languages used) to public or private.
  3. Notwithstanding the disclosure settings in the preceding two paragraphs, where a User posts Advice or a Task, an answer, a comment, or other content on the Service, the user name (or display name) and profile image associated with that content become viewable by users of the Service. This is a basic function of the Service and is based on the public nature inherent in the act of posting or answering.
  4. Where a User newly registers using an external service such as a Google account, the profile image obtained from that external service is used as the profile image on the Service only where the User selects "use" at the time of registration. The User may change or delete the image at any time from the My Page screen.
  5. Published profile information becomes viewable by third parties who use the Service. The User manages the content they disclose at their own responsibility.
  6. The handling of published profile information is governed by the Privacy Policy.

Article 26 (Special Provisions for the Japanese-Learning App "Lingo")

  1. Lingo is a Japanese-learning service provided by us. A User may use certain features within the scope we permit even without creating an account (such a user without registration being a "Guest"). These Terms also apply to use by Guests.
  2. A Guest's learning history and other data are stored, associated with a Guest identifier, for a certain period, and may be carried over to the relevant account if the user registers or logs in. The handling of such data is governed by our Privacy Policy.
  3. In addition to features available free of charge, Lingo offers paid features and plans (including a monthly subscription). The fees, payment methods, automatic renewal, cancellation methods, refunds, and other transaction conditions for paid plans are as separately established and displayed in the "Notation Based on the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions". We obtain consent to those transaction conditions when you sign up for a paid plan; and where we change the fees or other transaction conditions, we will display the changes and obtain consent again as necessary.
  4. The learning content, evaluations, and assessments provided by Lingo are intended to assist learning and do not warrant their accuracy or any outcome such as passing a particular examination (e.g., the Japanese Language Proficiency Test).

Article 27 (Special Provisions for the Media Service)

  1. The Media Service (articles such as guide and travel) is intended to provide general information on residence, daily life, travel, and the like, and does not constitute legal, tax, medical, immigration, or other professional advice. For actual procedures and decisions, always confirm with official sources or a qualified professional.
  2. The Media Service may contain links to third-party products or services (including those under affiliate programs). The policy on advertising is governed by the separately established "About Advertising".
  3. We make no warranty as to the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of information published in the Media Service, and bear no liability for damage arising from the use of such information, in accordance with Article 10.

Article 28 (Business Operator Information)

  1. Business name: INNIT LLC (Gōdō Kaisha INNIT)
  2. Operations manager: Taku Kanaya
  3. Address: 12-12, Osaka Ekimae Dai-2 Building, 1-2-2 Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka City, Osaka, Japan
  4. Contact: info@lo-pal.app
  5. Matters relating to paid transactions are as separately set out in the "Notation Based on the Act on Specified Commercial Transactions".

Last updated: June 22, 2026