TSS Information > Terms & Conditions
[ Terms & Conditions |
Legal Information ]
This is where we have to get legal and stick our lawyer hats on, we're afraid. The Terms & Conditions page tells you what you can and cannot do on The Sonic Stadium, and covers all bases from site design to your TSS Account. We would say if you don't agree to these terms, you should never visit this site again. But you probably still would, so we'll say instead if you breach these conditions we'll send 'Big Dave' over. It's a good idea to read the Legal Information page too, for copyright acknowledgements.
This is where we have to get legal and stick our lawyer hats on, we're afraid. The Terms & Conditions page tells you what you can and cannot do on The Sonic Stadium, and covers all bases from site design to your TSS Account. We would say if you don't agree to these terms, you should never visit this site again. But you probably still would, so we'll say instead if you breach these conditions we'll send 'Big Dave' over. It's a good idea to read the Legal Information page too, for copyright acknowledgements.
The Legal Balls
'The Sonic Stadium' may be referred to in this text as 'we', 'us', 'TSS' and 'TSSNET'. 'Visitors' and 'Users' of this website may be referred to as 'you', 'they' and 'member'. If you would like more information on specifics not detailed in this text, please write to Svend Joscelyne. This text was last updated on 25th January 2007.
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GENERAL:
- The entire website is copyright © The Sonic Stadium 2000 - 2007. All Rights Reserved.
- This text aims to:
A. Protect all original content on this website, including but not limited to: the layout, original information contained within these webpages and all media hosted. Credit is immediately given to those who submit information and media, and to pieces of information not our own.
B. Inform you of your usage of this website as a visitor and member, including what happens to information you provide us. - Copyrights pertaining to characters, Intellectual Property and other copyright issues featured on this website are not affected by this text. For copyright acknowledgements, please refer to the Legal Information page.
- Details and clauses of these Terms and Conditions are subject to change at any time, with or without warning on The Sonic Stadium's front page.
- It is the sole responsibility of the visitor to keep up to date with any and all changes to both our Legal Information page and the Terms & Conditions of this website, and any breach of the clauses below without the offender keeping up to date will be recorded as negligence on their part, which may be seen as a cause to take heavier action.
- All matters of "Copycat" Websites (websites that breach any of the copyright clauses on this page) will result in formal complaints to the offender's host and to the webmaster. Action will be taken depending on the situation and the severity of the breach. HOTLINKING:
- Direct Linking to The Sonic Stadium is prohibited and is illegal. Direct Linking, or Hotlinking, occurs when a website links to a file on another website instead of a page. Examples include, but not limited to: .mp3 .gif .jpg .zip .mpeg .png. In this case direct linking to The Sonic Stadium would involve an outside website having a text link on their webpage to:
http://www.sonicstadium.org/music/file.mp3 - instead of:
http://www.sonicstadium.org/music/ - linking to the file rather than the page.
The reason this is ILLEGAL is because it makes the visitor use our bandwidth resources without them actually being on The Sonic Stadium. It costs TSS money to support it's space, bandwidth and other resources. Respect this by linking to our PAGES and not our FILES. Anyone violating this clause will be dealt with severely.
USE OF INFORMATION AND CONTENT: - Information written on The Sonic Stadium may only be posted elsewhere if the original author is credited, and a link to TSS is provided (http://www.sonicstadium.org/). This clause only affects general information released to the public domain. Under no circumstances should any written or original content on this website be credited on another outlet under any name other than The Sonic Stadium.
- All OFFICIAL media hosted (including but not limited to: artwork, music, movies and comic scans) has been created for the benefit of the online community, and are free for distribution on external websites, providing the 'HOTLINKING' clause is not breached and a link is provided to The Sonic Stadium (http://www.sonicstadium.org/) as the source of the media.
- Content that you may not distribute for any reason include, but are not limited to: Design and layout images made solely for The Sonic Stadium (navigation images, logos, banners, background images, etc); user submitted content such as articles or artwork and fiction; exclusive written articles (previews, interviews...); and any unofficial media not created by SEGA or SONICTEAM. DESIGN & LAYOUT:
- The Sonic Stadium is a unique fan website, and all of its layouts, past and present, are applied to the copyright statements outlined on this page. As such, no website can impersonate or otherwise assume the likeness of The Sonic Stadium at all, whether prior permission was asked or not. The extent of this clause covers and protects:
A. Striking characteristics to assume the likeness of The Sonic Stadium.
B. Header Arrangement, Navigation Arrangement, or similar arrangement of any other page.
C. ALL website layouts for The Sonic Stadium displayed in the 'Site History' section.
D. Current, past and future templates and designs for The Sonic Stadium, the Sonic Stadium Message Board, the Sonic Site Awards, Sega Sonic Radio or any other site from the TSS Network.
E. ALL exclusive images - including the gradient title backgrounds displayed on all TSS pages, website titles, navigation buttons, locally used banners etc. - Images covered by this section that have been taken and edited using graphical programs, in order to provide banners and other design images for any other outlet will be considered gross plagiarism.
- Basic site layout (one side navigation bar, one large main sector) can be used, but no images or colour schemes can be taken to assume the likeness of The Sonic Stadium, otherwise the webmaster is responsible for stealing the intellectual property of this website. All layouts archived in the TSS History pages are also protected by this copyright clause. USER SUBMITTED CONTENT:
- The Sonic Stadium staff make it their duty to make sure all fan content hosted on this website is protected by copyright laws. As a result, all fan media and fan content submitted and/or archived on TSS are copyright © their respective owners.
- By no means should anyone attempt to impersonate the likeness of someone else and take their submitted content.
- Fan Content is checked before archival on The Sonic Stadium - only Sonic Team related articles are allowed to be placed, and any fan content submitted with a heavy use of violence, sex, or other activity that may intentionally deform the character of Sonic the Hedgehog or any other character, will be ignored. THE SONIC STADIUM ACCOUNT:
- Your TSS/SSMB Account is a privilege to you as a visitor. You cannot use this account for any purpose other than those outlined by this website.
- Your account is subject to your behaviour using it. The TSS Administrators have the right to restrict or terminate your account at any time, for any reason they seem severe enough to take action.
- There are terms and conditions on the SSMB Forums that you must also follow in order to maintain your 'SSMB Passport' section of your TSS Account. YOUR INFORMATION:
- Personal information entered into a TSS Account will be used solely for that purpose. All such data will remain private - any disclosure of private information will be at the discretion of the individual user, not The Sonic Stadium.
- No information will go to any third parties, including SEGA and advertisers on this website, for marketing purposes or otherwise.
- A. During website contests and other special events, The Sonic Stadium may ask entrants to provide additional personal information, such as mailing address and email contacts. This information is required to enter contests in the event of a winner being picked.
B. Entrants may wish to send such personal information only after winning a contest. If a user requests this, it will be honoured by The Sonic Stadium, providing we have an email address to contact winners by.
C. Such details are not asked for upon registering TSS Account, nor is it required in order to maintain one.
D. All identifying personal information is destroyed once such special events are finished, and are not recorded. - Optional information that users enter into their TSS Accounts are done so at their own risk. While it is the sole discretion of users to reveal personal information to others, any inappropriate details or information that may put themselves or other users at risk may be removed as an act of protection.
