HACKSQUAD TERMS OF SERVICE

Welcome to HackSquad. By accessing or using our website, applications, services, and event command center software (collectively, the "Platform" or "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("ToS"), our Privacy Policy, and our Community Guidelines.

The Platform is owned, operated, and administered by KREATIVDISTRIKT SRL, an Italian corporation with its registered office at Via F. Petrarca 22, 20123 Milano, Italy, registered under VAT and Fiscal Code (P.IVA / C.F.): 09829520965 (hereinafter referred to as the "Company", "we", "us", or "our").

If you do not agree to these terms, you must not access or use the Service.

1. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS & MODIFICATIONS

By accessing or using the Service, you (the "User", "Organiser", or "Participant") agree to be bound by these Terms. The Company reserves the right to modify, amend, or update these terms at any time at its sole discretion. We will notify you of any material changes by posting the updated ToS on this page and updating the "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Service following any such modifications constitutes your binding acceptance of the revised ToS.

2. THE PLATFORM ROLE & INDEPENDENT CONTRACTOR STATUS

• Facilitator Only: The Platform is an event management "Command Centre" technology provided by the Company. We provide the digital infrastructure for Organisers to set up, manage, and host hackathons and collaborative events.
• No Agency: No agency, partnership, joint venture, employer-employee, or franchiser-franchisee relationship is created between the Company and any User, Organiser, or Participant.
• Third-Party Responsibility: Organisers are independent entities completely separate from the Company. The Company does not design, host, endorse, screen, or guarantee the legitimacy of any specific third-party event, its guidelines, rules, judging criteria, or any prize fulfillment claims.

3. USER ELIGIBILITY & REGISTRATION

• Age Requirements: You must be at least 18 years old or the age of majority in your jurisdiction to create an account. Users under 18 must provide verifiable parental or legal guardian consent to use the Service.
• Account Accuracy: You must provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration. Impersonating another individual, "Crew", or entity, or providing misleading credentials, is grounds for immediate termination of your account.
• Security: You are solely responsible for safeguarding your credentials and for all activity occurring under your account. You must notify the Company immediately at support@hacksquad.io of any unauthorized use or breach of security.

4. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

• Participant Ownership: Participants retain 100% ownership of the intellectual property rights, including source code, designs, and assets, submitted to an event hosted on the Platform ("Submissions"), subject to any specific licensing terms agreed upon directly with the respective Event Organiser.
• License to Organisers: By submitting a project to an event, you grant the respective Event Organiser a non-exclusive, royalty-free, limited license to review, judge, run, and display your Submission for the active duration of the event.
• License to the Company: By using the Platform, you grant KREATIVDISTRIKT SRL a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, store, display, reformat, translate, and reproduce your Submissions (including screenshots, video walkthroughs, and pitch documentation) strictly for operational, promotional, and marketing purposes of the HackSquad platform.
• Third-Party IP: Participants represent and warrant that their Submissions do not violate, misappropriate, or infringe upon any third-party patents, copyrights, trademarks, trade secrets, or privacy rights.

5. PRIZE FULFILMENT & TAXATION

• Fulfilment Liability: Prize delivery, distribution, and allocation are the exclusive legal responsibility of the respective Event Organiser. The Company is not liable for an Organiser's failure to deliver promised awards, prizes, or cash payments, nor for any disputes regarding winner selection.
• Taxes: Prize winners are solely responsible for declaring and paying all applicable federal, state, local, and international taxes associated with the receipt of prizes. The Company will not act as a tax withholding agent unless explicitly contracted to do so under a separate, written enterprise agreement.

6. PROHIBITED CONDUCT & "SQUAD STANDARDS"

You agree that you will not, under any circumstances:

• Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or attempt to extract the source code of the HackSquad Command Centre.
• Use the Service to transmit or upload malware, spyware, worms, Trojan horses, or any other destructive, malicious, or disruptive code.
• Engage in "Project Recycling" (submitting identical, pre-made, or unoriginal projects to multiple simultaneous events) unless expressly permitted by the Organiser's rules.
• Harass, abuse, stalk, threaten, bully, or discriminate against other Users, Participants, Organisers, or representatives of the Company.

7. DATA PROTECTION (GDPR & CCPA COMPLIANCE)

• GDPR Status: For personal data collected by Organisers via the Platform, KREATIVDISTRIKT SRL acts as a Data Processor. For platform-level user registration and account administration data, the Company acts as a Data Controller under European Union data protection regulations (GDPR).
• International Transfers: By registering for the Service, you acknowledge and consent to the transfer, storage, and processing of your personal data in jurisdictions that may have different data protection laws than your home country.
• Right to Erasure (Right to be Forgotten): Users can request the deletion of their accounts and associated personal data at any time through their "Squad Profile" settings, subject to legal data retention policies required for company billing, financial auditing, and tax records.

8. DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES

THE PLATFORM AND ALL ASSOCIATED SERVICES ARE PROVIDED BY KREATIVDISTRIKT SRL ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. THE COMPANY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT OR GUARANTEE THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE COMPLETELY SECURE, UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT ANY DEFECTS WILL BE PROMPTLY CORRECTED.

9. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY & INDEMNIFICATION

• Cap on Liability: TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF KREATIVDISTRIKT SRL FOR ANY CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE USE OF THE SERVICE SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE AMOUNT PAID BY YOU TO THE COMPANY IN THE SIX (6) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR FIFTY EUROS (EUR 50), WHICHEVER IS GREATER.
• Indemnity: You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless KREATIVDISTRIKT SRL, its officers, directors, employees, and agents, from and against any third-party claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from or in connection with your Submissions, your breach of these Terms, your violation of any laws, or your infringement of any intellectual property rights.

10. DISPUTE RESOLUTION: ARBITRATION & CLASS ACTION WAIVER

• Binding Arbitration: Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of, or relating to, these Terms, including the validity, invalidity, breach, or termination thereof, shall be settled by binding arbitration in Milan, Italy, under the rules of the Arbitration Chamber of the Milan Chamber of Commerce (Camera Arbitrale di Milano). The language of the arbitration shall be English or Italian, as mutually agreed by the parties.
• Class Action Waiver: YOU AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEEDINGS WILL BE CONDUCTED SOLELY ON AN INDIVIDUAL BASIS AND NOT IN A CLASS, CONSOLIDATED, MULTI-PLAINTIFF, OR REPRESENTATIVE ACTION.

11. TERMINATION & RECLAMATION

• Account Suspension or Termination: The Company reserves the right, without prior notice and at its sole discretion, to suspend or terminate your account and block your access to the Service for any breach of these Terms or the Community Guidelines.
• Username Reclamation: The Company reserves the right to reclaim, modify, or reassign usernames, URLs, or subdomains that have been inactive for more than six (6) months, or those that violate third-party registered trademarks or intellectual property.

12. GOVERNING LAW

These Terms, along with any disputes or legal proceedings arising out of or related to your use of the Platform, are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Italy, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

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