I. Agreement to terms

These “Terms of Use” constitute a legally binding agreement made between you, whether personally or on behalf of a legal entity (“you”) and Soka Gakkai International Office for UN Affairs Corporation (“we,” “us” or “our”), concerning your access to and use of the Mapting application or mapting.org website (collectively “Mapting”). By accessing Mapting, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agreed to be bound by all of these Terms of Use. If you do not agree with all of the provisions of these Terms of Use, you are expressly prohibited from using Mapting and must discontinue use immediately.

Any new features that enhance or modify the current service, including the release of new functionalities, shall be subject to the Terms of Use. We reserve the right, in our sole discretion, to amend these Terms of Use at any time and for any reason. We will alert you about any changes made by updating the “Last updated” date of these Terms of Use. It is your responsibility to periodically review these Terms of Use to stay informed of any updates. You will be subject to, and will be deemed to have been made aware of and to have accepted, the changes to any revised Terms of Use by your continued use of Mapting after the date such revised Terms of Use are posted. 

Mapting is intended for users who are at least 13 years of age. All users who are minors in the jurisdiction in which they reside (generally under the age of 18) must have the permission of, and be directly supervised by, their parent or guardian to use Mapting. If you are a minor, you must have your parent or guardian read and agree to these Terms of Use prior to your using Mapting.

II. Intellectual property rights

Unless otherwise indicated, Mapting is our property and all source codes, databases, functionality, software, website designs, audio, video, text, photographs, and graphics we provide on Mapting (collectively, the “Content”) and the trademarks, service marks, and logos contained therein (the “Marks”) are owned or controlled by us or licensed to us, and are protected by copyright and trademark laws and various other intellectual property rights and unfair competition laws of the United States, foreign jurisdictions, and international conventions. The Content and the Marks are provided on Mapting “as is” for your information and personal use only. Except as expressly provided in these Terms of Use, no part of Mapting, Content or Marks may be copied, reproduced, aggregated, republished, uploaded, posted, publicly displayed, encoded, translated, transmitted, distributed, sold, licensed, or otherwise exploited for any purpose whatsoever, without our express prior written permission.

We reserve all rights not expressly granted to you in and to Mapting, the Content and the Marks.

III. User representation

By using Mapting, you represent and warrant that: (1) all registration information you submit will be true, accurate, current, and complete; (2) you will maintain the accuracy of such information and promptly update such registration information as necessary; (3) you have the legal capacity and you agree to comply with these Terms of Use; (4) you are not under the age of 13; (5) if a minor, you have received parental permission to use Mapting; (6) you will not access Mapting through automated or non-human means, whether through a bot, script or otherwise; (7) you will not use Mapting for any illegal or unauthorized purpose and (8) your use of Mapting will not violate any applicable law or regulation.

If you provide any information that is untrue, inaccurate, not current, or incomplete, we have the right to suspend or terminate your account and refuse any and all current or future use of Mapting (or any portion thereof).

IV. User registration

You are required to register to use Mapting. You agree to keep your password confidential and will be responsible for all use of your account and password. We reserve the right to remove, reclaim, or change a username you select if we determine, in our sole discretion, that such username is inappropriate, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.

V. Prohibited activities

You may not access or use Mapting for any purpose other than that for which we make Mapting available. Mapting may not be used in connection with any commercial endeavors except those that are specifically endorsed or approved by us.

As a user of Mapting, you agree not to:

1. systematically retrieve data or other content from Mapting to create or compile, directly or indirectly, a collection, compilation, database, or directory without written permission from us;
2. make any unauthorized use of Mapting, including collecting usernames and/or email addresses of users by electronic or other means for the purpose of sending unsolicited email, or creating user accounts by automated means or under false pretenses;
3. use Mapting to advertise or offer to sell goods and services;
4. circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with security-related features of Mapting, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of any Content or enforce limitations on the use of Mapting and/or the Content contained therein;
5. engage in unauthorized framing of or linking to Mapting;
6. trick, defraud, or mislead us and other users, especially in any attempt to learn sensitive account information such as user passwords;
7. make improper use of our support services or submit false reports of abuse or misconduct;
8. engage in any automated use of the system, such as using scripts to send comments or messages, or using any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering and extraction tools;
9. interfere with, disrupt, or create an undue burden on Mapting or the networks or services connected to Mapting;
10. attempt to impersonate another user or person or use the username of another user.
11. use any information obtained from Mapting in order to harass, abuse, or harm another person;
12. use Mapting as part of any effort to compete with us or otherwise use Mapting and/or the Content for any revenue-generating endeavor or commercial enterprise;
13. harass, annoy, intimidate, or threaten any of our employees or agents engaged in providing any portion of Mapting to you;
14. delete the copyright or other proprietary rights notice from any Content;
15. copy or adapt Mapting’s software, including but not limited to Flash, PHP, HTML, JavaScript, or other code;
16. upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) viruses, Trojan horses, or other material, including excessive use of capital letters and spamming (continuous posting of repetitive text), that interferes with any party’s uninterrupted use and enjoyment of Mapting or modifies, impairs, disrupts, alters, or interferes with the use, features, functions, operation, or maintenance of Mapting;
17. upload or transmit (or attempt to upload or to transmit) any material that acts as a passive or active information collection or transmission mechanism, including without limitation, clear graphics interchange formats (“gifs”), 1×1 pixels, web bugs, cookies, or other similar devices (sometimes referred to as “spyware” or “passive collection mechanisms” or “pcms”);
18. except as may be the result of standard search engine or Internet browser usage, use, launch, develop, or distribute any automated system, including without limitation, any spider, robot, cheat utility, scraper, or offline reader that accesses Mapting, or using or launching any unauthorized script or other software;
19. disparage, tarnish, or otherwise harm, in our opinion, us and/or Mapting;
20. use Mapting in a manner inconsistent with any applicable laws or regulations;
21. [other]

VI.User generated contributions

Mapting may invite you to chat, contribute to, or participate in online forums and may provide you with the opportunity to create, submit, post, display, transmit, publish, distribute, content and materials on Mapting, including but not limited to text, writings, video, audio, photographs, graphics, comments, suggestions, or personal information or other material (collectively, "your Contributions"). Your Contributions may be viewed by other users of Mapting and through third-party websites. As such, any Contributions you transmit may be treated as non-confidential and non-proprietary.

When you create or make available any Contributions, you thereby represent and warrant that:

1. The creation, distribution, transmission, public display and the accessing, downloading, or copying of your Contributions do not and will not infringe the proprietary rights, including but not limited to the copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or rights of any third party.
2. You have the written consent, release, and/or permission of each and every identifiable individual person in your Contributions to use the name or likeness of each and every such identifiable individual person to enable inclusion and use of your Contributions in any manner contemplated by Mapting and these Terms of Use.
3. Your Contributions are not false, inaccurate, or misleading.
4. Your Contributions are not unsolicited or unauthorized advertising, promotional materials, chain letters, spam or other forms of solicitation.
5. Your Contributions do not contain obscenity, profanity, nudity, political views, violent, harassing, libelous, slanderous, nor offensive comments connected to race, national origin, gender, sexual preference, physical handicap or otherwise objectionable content (as determined by us).
6. Your Contributions do not ridicule, mock, disparage, intimidate, or abuse anyone nor disseminate inappropriate content.
7. Your Contributions do not advocate the violent overthrow of any government or incite, encourage, or threaten physical harm against another.
8. Your Contributions do not violate any applicable law, regulation, or rule including laws concerning child pornography, or otherwise intended to protect the health or well being of minors.
9. Your Contributions do not violate the privacy or publicity rights of any third party.
10. Your Contributions do not contain any material that solicits personal information from anyone under the age of 18.
11. Your Contributions do not otherwise violate, or link to material that violates, any provision of these Terms of Use, or any applicable law or regulation.

Any use of Mapting in violation of the foregoing violates these Terms of Use and may result in legal action and termination or suspension of your rights to use Mapting.

VII.Contribution license

By posting your Contributions to any part of Mapting, you automatically grant, and you represent and warrant that you have the right to grant, to us an unrestricted, unlimited, irrevocable, perpetual, non-exclusive, transferable, royalty-free, fully-paid, worldwide right, and license to host, use, copy, reproduce, disclose, sell, resell, publish, broadcast, retitle, archive, store, cache, publicly perform, publicly display, reformat, translate, transmit, excerpt, and distribute such Contributions for any purpose.

We do not assert any ownership over your Contributions. You retain full ownership of all of your Contributions and any intellectual property rights or other proprietary rights associated with your Contributions. We are not liable for any statements or representations in your Contributions provided by you in any area on Mapting. You are solely responsible for your Contributions to Mapting and you expressly agree to exonerate us from any and all responsibility and to refrain from any legal action against us regarding your Contributions.

We have the right, in our sole and absolute discretion, (1) to edit, redact, or otherwise change any contributions; (2) to re-categorize any Contributions to place them in more appropriate locations on Mapting; and (3) to pre-screen or delete any Contributions at any time and for any reason, without notice. We have no obligation to monitor your Contributions. 

VIII. Mobile application licence

The following terms apply when you use a mobile application obtained from either the Apple Store or Google Play (each an “App Distributor”) to access Mapting: (1) the license granted to you for our mobile application is limited to a non-transferable license to use the application on a device that utilizes the Apple iOS or Android operating systems, as applicable, and in accordance with the usage rules set forth in the applicable App distributor’s terms of service; (2) you represent and warrant that (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. government as a “terrorist supporting” country and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. government list of prohibited or restricted parties;

IX. Social media

You may link your Mapting account with social media accounts you have with third-party service providers (each such account, a “Third-Party Account”) by either: (1) providing your Third-Party Account login information through Mapting; or (2) allowing us to access your Third-Party Account, as is permitted under the applicable terms and conditions that govern your use of each Third-Party Account .  Please note that your relationship with the third party providers associated with your third party accounts is governed solely by your agreements with such third party providers. We are not responsible for any Social Media Content. You can deactivate the connection between Mapting and your Third-Party Account by contacting us using the contact information below or through your account settings. We will attempt to delete any information stored on our servers that was obtained through such Third-Party Account, except the username and profile picture  that become associated with your account.

X.Third-party websites and content

Mapting may contain (or you may be sent via Mapting) links to other websites ("Third-Party Websites") as well as articles, photographs, text, graphics, pictures, designs, music, sound, video, information, applications, software, and other content or items belonging to or originating from third parties ("Third-Party Content"). We are not responsible for any Third-Party Websites accessed through Mapting or any Third-Party Content posted on, available through Mapting. Inclusion of, linking to, or permitting the use of any Third-Party Websites or any Third-Party Content does not imply approval or endorsement thereof by us. If you decide to leave Mapting and access the Third-Party Websites or to use any Third-Party Content, you do so at your own risk, and you should be aware these Terms of Use no longer govern.

XI. Site management

We reserve the right, but we have no obligation, to: (1) monitor Mapting for violations of these Terms of Use; (2) take appropriate legal action against anyone who, in our sole discretion, violates the law or these Terms of Use, including without limitation, reporting such user to law enforcement authorities; (3) in our sole discretion and without limitation, refuse, restrict access to, limit the availability of, or disable (to the extent technologically feasible) any of your Contributions or any portion thereof; (4) in our sole discretion and without limitation, notice, or liability, to remove from Mapting or otherwise disable all files and content that are excessive in size or are in any way burdensome to our systems; and (5) otherwise manage Mapting in a manner designed to protect our rights and property and to facilitate the proper functioning of Mapting.

XII. Privacy Policy

Please review our Privacy Policy [CLICK HERE] . By using Mapting, you agree to be bound by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms of Use. Further, we do not knowingly accept, request, or solicit information from children or knowingly market to children.  Therefore, if we receive actual knowledge that anyone under the age of 13, or above 13 but still a minor without the requisite and verifiable parental consent, has provided personal information to us, we will delete that information from Mapting as quickly as is reasonably practical.

XIII. Copyright infringement

We respect the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that any material available on or through Mapting infringes upon any copyright you own or control, please immediately notify us using the contact information provided below (a “Notification”). A copy of your Notification will be sent to the person who posted or stored the material addressed in the Notification. Please be advised that pursuant to applicable laws you may be held liable for damages if you make material misrepresentations in a Notification. Thus, if you are not sure that material located on or linked to by Mapting infringes your copyright, you should consider first contacting an attorney.

XIV.  Modifications and interruptions

We reserve the right to change, modify, update, or remove Mapting and its contents at any time or for any reason at our sole discretion without notice. However, we have no obligation to update any information on our Site. We also reserve the right to modify, suspend or discontinue all or part of Mapting without notice at any time.

We cannot guarantee Mapting will be available at all times. You agree that we have no liability whatsoever for any loss, damage, or inconvenience caused by your inability to access or use Mapting during any downtime of Mapting.  Nothing in these Terms of Use will be construed to obligate us to maintain and support Mapting or to supply any corrections, updates, or releases in connection therewith.

XV. Indemnification and termination

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold us harmless, including our subsidiaries, affiliates, and our respective officers, agents, partners, and employees, from and against any loss, damage, liability, claim, or demand, including reasonable attorneys’ fees and expenses, made by any third party due to or arising out of: (1) your Contributions; (2) your breach of these Terms of Use; (3) your violation of the rights of a third party, including but not limited to intellectual property rights; or (4) any harmful act toward any other user of Mapting with whom you connected via Mapting. Notwithstanding the foregoing, we reserve the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify us, and you agree to cooperate, at your expense, with our defense of such claims. We will use reasonable efforts to notify you of any such claim, action, or proceeding, which is subject to this indemnification upon becoming aware of it. 

If we terminate or suspend your account for any reason, you are prohibited from registering and creating a new account under your name, a fake or borrowed name, or the name of any third party, even if you may be acting on behalf of the third party. In addition to terminating or suspending your account, we reserve the right to take appropriate legal action, including without limitation pursuing civil, criminal, and injunctive redress.

XVI. Miscellaneous

1. These Terms of Use make up the entire agreement between you and us regarding your use of Mapting. They supersede any prior agreements. If any portion of these Terms of Use is found to be unenforceable, the remaining portion will remain in full force and effect. If we fail to enforce any of these Terms of Use, it will not be considered a waiver. Any amendment to or waiver of these Terms of Use must be made in writing and signed by us.
2. These Terms of Use do not confer any third-party beneficiary rights. All of our rights and obligations under these Terms are freely assignable by us in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets, or by operation of law or otherwise.
3. You should know that we may need to change the username for your account in certain circumstances (for example, if someone else claims the username and it appears unrelated to the name you use in everyday life).
4. We reserve all rights not expressly granted to you.
5. Contact: In order to resolve a complaint regarding Mapting or to receive further information regarding use of Mapting, please contact us at www.mapting.org.

XVII. Governing law

These Terms of Use and your use of Mapting are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of New York, USA without regard to its conflict of law principles.