Hakoniwa Link (hknw.link) Terms of Service

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Operator

HAKONIWA Studio

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Article 1: Application of Terms

1. These Terms of Service (hereinafter referred to as "the Terms") govern the terms of use for the URL shortening service "hknw.link" (hereinafter referred to as "the Service") provided by HAKONIWA Studio (hereinafter referred to as "we," "us," or "our").
2. By using the Service, Users are deemed to have agreed to these Terms.
3. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Service.

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Article 2: Definitions

In these Terms, the following terms shall have the meanings specified below:

Term	Definition
"Shortened URL"	A short URL string generated through the Service that points to a destination URL (e.g., https://hknw.link/abc123)
"Destination URL"	The original website address registered by the User
"User"	An individual or legal entity that uses the Service to generate shortened URLs
"End User"	A third party who clicks on a shortened URL to access the destination
"Landing Page"	The intermediate page displayed after clicking a shortened URL, featuring masking tape animation
"Prohibited Activities"	The activities set forth in Article 3 of these Terms

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Article 3: Prohibited Activities

Users shall not use the Service for the following purposes or in the following manners:

3.1 Links to Illegal Content

• Sites involving child pornography, distribution or sale of obscene materials
• Content that infringes upon third-party intellectual property rights such as copyrights, trademarks, or patents
• Sites related to hacking, cracking, or malware distribution
• Illegal gambling or unlicensed online casinos

3.2 Nuisance Behavior / Spam

• Use of shortened URLs in spam emails, chain emails, or unsolicited bulk emails
• Fraudulent inflation of click counts (continuous access via bots or automated scripts)
• Excessive requests that interfere with the Service (including DDoS attacks)
• Dissemination of shortened URLs in a manner that causes nuisance to third parties

3.3 Fraud / Impersonation

• Links to phishing sites (sites that steal login information for banks, credit cards, SNS, etc.)
• Creation of URLs that impersonate legitimate companies or organizations
• Criminal activities such as financial fraud, investment fraud, or romance scams
• Information gathering disguised as fake sweepstakes or giveaways

3.4 Activities Contrary to Public Order and Morals

• Discriminatory expressions or hate speech based on race, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, etc.
• Content that encourages or glorifies violence, murder, or suicide
• Information regarding transactions of illegal drugs, dangerous drugs, or psychotropic substances
• Depictions of abuse (child abuse, animal abuse, etc.)

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Article 4: Suspension of Use / URL Invalidation

If we determine that a User falls under any of the following, we may invalidate the shortened URL, suspend use, or delete related statistical data without prior notice:

1. Violation of Article 3 (Prohibited Activities)
2. Receipt of a legitimate complaint or notice of rights infringement (including DMCA notices) from a third party
3. Failure to respond to communications from us without legitimate reason
4. Any other conduct that interferes with the operation of the Service

Access to invalidated shortened URLs will result in an error page (404 or invalidation notice) displayed to End Users.

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Article 5: Handling of Statistical Data

1. The Service collects the following access information for shortened URLs:

• Access timestamp
• Country/region of access source (based on Cloudflare-provided data)
• Referrer (source website)
• Total click count

1. We do not collect personally identifiable information (IP addresses, browser fingerprints, device IDs, cookies, etc.). Please see our Privacy Policy for details.

1. Collected statistical data is used for the following purposes:

• Service improvement and optimization
• Detection of unauthorized access
• Advertising effectiveness measurement (only when under advertiser contract, as aggregated values)

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Article 6: Advertising Display

1. Under the free plan of the Service, advertisements may be displayed on the "Landing Page" when a shortened URL is accessed.
2. Ad content is provided by us or our partner advertisers. We assume no responsibility whatsoever for ad content.
3. Users agree not to use means of avoiding ad display (such as ad blockers).
4. Paid plans (subject to separate agreement) may offer ad-free options.

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Article 7: Intellectual Property Rights

1. All intellectual property rights related to the Service (software, design, logos, text, images, animations, etc.) belong to us or the rightful rights holders.
2. Users may not assert any particular rights over the shortened URLs generated by the Service.
3. Intellectual property rights related to the content of Destination URLs registered by Users belong to the Users or their rights holders.

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Article 8: Suspension, Change, or Discontinuation of Service

We may suspend, change, or discontinue all or part of the Service without prior notice in the following cases:

1. When performing regular or emergency system maintenance or updates
2. When service provision becomes difficult due to fire, power outage, earthquake, server hacking, or similar events
3. When continued operation of the Service becomes difficult due to changes in laws or regulations
4. Any other operational technical or unavoidable circumstances

We shall not be liable for any damages incurred by Users or third parties resulting from such measures.

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Article 9: Changes to Terms

1. We may change these Terms as necessary.
2. The revised Terms shall become effective upon posting on the Service or our website.
3. If there are material changes, we will notify Users in advance of the changes and the effective date.
4. If a User uses the Service after changes are made, they shall be deemed to have agreed to the revised Terms.

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Article 10: Governing Law and Jurisdiction

1. The interpretation and application of these Terms shall be governed by the laws of Japan.
2. If any dispute arises between a User and us regarding these Terms or the use of the Service, the exclusive governing court for first-instance jurisdiction shall be the district court that has jurisdiction over our place of residence.

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Article 11: Contact Methods

Users may contact us using the following methods:

Purpose	Contact
General inquiries	info@hknw.link (temporary)
Legal notices / rights infringement reports	legal@hknw.link (temporary)
Reports of prohibited activities	abuse@hknw.link (temporary)

Estimated Response Time: Approximately 4 days after inquiry (excluding weekends and holidays)

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Article 12: Severability

If any provision of these Terms is determined to be invalid or unenforceable under applicable law, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.