Chapter 1 General Rules

Article 1 (Definitions)

Information services provided by the Public Interest Incorporated Foundation OSAKA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY (hereafter, the Foundation) over the Internet, by fax, through face-to-face contact, and other means shall be referred to as OSAKA BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT AGENCY Information Services (hereafter, the Services).

Article 2 (Objectives)

By providing information and public relations for the various services offered by the Foundation, the Services will contribute to the economic revitalization and growth of the City of Osaka.

Article 3 (Jurisdiction)

The Services shall operate under the jurisdiction of the Foundation Information Services Secretariat (hereafter, the Secretariat).

Article 4 (Content of the Services)

The Foundation shall support the following activities through the Services.

1. 1. Provide public relations for the various projects and programs sponsored by the Foundation.
2. 2. Recruit participants and accept applications for events sponsored by the Foundation.
3. 3. Provide Internet-based consulting.
4. 4. Promote exchange of information among users.
5. 5. Support business matching among users.
6. 6. Provide other information considered significant or required by the Secretariat.

Chapter 2 Users

Article 5 (Users)

Those who sign up for the services according to the Secretariat's registration procedures and are approved by the Secretariat become Foundation Information Service Users (hereafter, Users).

Article 6 (User Registration)

In order to access and use the Services, Users must agree to comply with the terms of the user agreement specified by the Secretariat and must be approved for membership by the Secretariat.

Note that if the Secretariat finds there is some problem in accepting an applicant for membership, that person may not be approved to use the Services.

Article 7 (Management of User ID and Password)

1. 1. The Secretariat issues a unique user ID and password to each User.
2. 2. Members are responsible for managing their own ID numbers and passwords.
3. 3. Users shall not lend, transfer, alter the name, or sell their user IDs or passwords.
4. 4. If a User forgets his or her ID number or password, the User must notify the Secretariat immediately. After checking the member's registration information, the Secretariat will reissue a User ID number and/or password.

Article 8 (Obligation to Notify of Changes)

Users must notify the Secretariat in the following circumstances.

1. 1. The member's registration information changes.
2. 2. The member forgets his or her user ID or password.
3. 3. The member no longer intends to use the Services.

Chapter 3 Using and Sending Information

Article 9 (Using information) (Copyrights) (Confidentiality)

1. 1. Users must obtain authorization in advance from both the copyright holder and from the Secretariat whenever the User wishes to copy, sell, publish, or employ for other business purposes any information that is obtained through the Services.
2. 2. Users must observe the terms and conditions of use of all other networks (domestic and foreign) used in accessing the Service.
3. 3. Users shall not use information for commercial purposes nor divulge information obtained from the Service to third parties without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.
4. 4. The Foundation shall strictly maintain the confidentiality of registration information and other personal information of its users.
   Note, however, that users must acknowledge and agree to the following points.
   1. (1) Personal information that is collected in carrying out projects commissioned by the City of Osaka (grant projects) shall be made available to the City of Osaka.
   2. (2) The Foundation may entrust a third party to handle personal information in conducting outsourced operations.
   3. (3) The Foundation may share personal information with specific third parties in cases where the items of personal information to be shared, the scope of the information to be shared, the purpose of sharing the information, and who is responsible to managing the shared information is readily available to the user.

Article 10 (Sending Information)

Users may send information via mailing lists, web sites, or other means provided by the Services endorsed by the Secretariat.

Article 11 (Principle of Self-Responsibility)

Users who employ information or send information using the Services do so at their own risk.

Chapter 4 Prohibited Uses and Disclaimers

Article 12 (Prohibited Activities)

The following activities are prohibited on the Services.

1. 1. Unauthorized use of another person's user ID.
2. 2. Forging another user's name, or falsely attributing information to oneself.
3. 3. Acts that violate a third party's copyright or other right.
4. 4. Acts that denigrate or slander a third party, or are contrary to good public morals.
5. 5. Acts of sending false information.
6. 6. Acts involving the distribution of malware or harmful programs on computers, or tampering with computer programs.
7. 7. Other acts that are deemed inappropriate by the Secretariat.

If the Secretariat detects information that violates any of these provisions on the service, the document or text will be immediately deleted.

If a User violates any of these prohibited activities, the User him or herself shall be solely responsible for the action, and the Secretariat shall assume no liability or responsibility whatsoever.

If a User violates any of these prohibited activities, and in so doing impairs or damages the operation of the Services either intentionally or by negligence, the user shall be liable for any damages to the Foundation.

Article 13 (Disqualification)

If the Secretariat finds that a member has violated any of the preceding or any of the following prohibited activities, the Secretariat will disqualify and expelled the member from participation in the Services.

1. 1. If a User makes false statements on his or her application to participate in the Services.
2. 2. If a User sabotages and obstructs the Services.
3. 3. If a User violates other terms and conditions for using the Services.

Article 14 (Suspension of Services)

1. 1. The Secretariat may suspend operation of the Services for computer maintenance, catastrophic failures, force majeure circumstances, or other reasons.
2. 2. The Secretariat will send out a notification over the Service when the Service is suspended. Of course this may not be possible in the event of a catastrophic failure or other disaster.
3. 3. The Secretariat's regular business hours are from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM Monday through Friday. The Secretariat is closed on weekends, national holidays, and over New Years.

Article 15 (Disclaimers)

1. 1. The Secretariat will make every effort to keep the Services up and running, but assumes no liability or responsibility in the event Users suffer damages as a result of suspension, interruption, or cessation of Services.
2. 2. The Secretariat makes no guarantee as to the accuracy, the completeness, or the utility of any information that is obtained through the Services.
   In addition, the Secretariat assumes no responsibility for any damages that may be sustained as a result of using the Services.
3. 3. In the event that a User causes harm or damage to another user or to a third party as a result of using the Services, the User causing the problem shall assume all responsibility for resolving the problem.

Article 16 (Revising Terms and Conditions)

The Secretariat may revise the terms and conditions of this user agreement at any time without consulting or notifying Users in advance.
If the terms and conditions are revised, the Secretariat will notify Users of the change(s).

If a conflict arises between the Secretariat and Users over the terms and conditions involved in using the Services, both sides shall enter into an amicable discussion in good faith to resolve the issue.

Article 17 (Agreement Jurisdictional Court)

If an issue cannot be resolved without a lawsuit, all parties including Users, the Secretariat, and the official registered or founding organization agree to bring the case before the Agreement Jurisdictional Court of first instance where the Foundation is headquartered.