Terms of Use

TechHub: Terms and Conditions

TechHub is a website owned, operated and maintained by or for Sony Group Corporation (“Sony”).

Please read these terms and conditions of use (“Terms and Conditions”) carefully before accessing and browsing this web site. The Terms and Conditions is a legal agreement between (i) you and any entity you represent (if any) (collectively “you”) and (ii) Sony. You can use software, technologies, demonstrations, and other contents and services available on or through TechHub (collectively “Services”) only if you agree to and accept the Terms and Conditions without limitation or reservation. TechHub is linked to other web sites, also operated by Sony or its affiliates (“Website”), and the Services include those available on or through the Website.

To the extent permitted by applicable laws and regulations, Sony may, at its sole and exclusive discretion, change, alter, modify, add, and/or remove portions of the Terms and Conditions at any time by updating the contents of this page. Therefore, you are requested to visit this page and check the then effective Terms and Conditions periodically.

If Sony separately sets specific rules, regulations or other terms concerning the Service (including the terms of use that additionally apply to specific parts of the Service, hereinafter referred to as "Additional Terms"), the Additional Terms shall be deemed to be part of the Terms and Conditions. In the event that any of the terms, conditions, and notices contained in the Terms and Conditions conflict with those in the Additional Term, then the Additional Terms shall prevail to the extent of such conflict unless otherwise provided herein.

1. LICENSE AND LIMITATION OF USE

(1) The Services are protected by copyright laws, and other applicable laws of each country throughout the world, and treaty provisions. Sony grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-sublicensable, non-transferable license to use the Services, associated data, documents, and other materials in accordance with the Terms and Conditions (including the Additional Terms, the same applies thereafter).

(2) The trademark “SONY” and any other product names, service names or logos of Sony used, quoted and/or referenced in TechHub are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sony or any of its affiliates. Other product names and/or company names used in TechHub may be protected as their trademarks and/or trade names.

(3) Nothing contained herein shall be construed as conferring by implication, estoppel or otherwise any licenses or right under any patent, whether or not the exercise of any right herein granted necessarily employs an invention of any existing or later issued patent.

2. USER ACCOUNT

(1) Use of specific parts of the Services may require you to create your user account ("Account"). Any person wishing to use such Services shall accurately provide Sony with the required information, as specified by Sony.

(2) If any of the following circumstances is reasonably suspected, or in other cases where it is reasonably determined that provision of the Services is impossible or inappropriate, Sony may refuse the creation of an Account, and may also take measures such as deletion of an Account even after an Account has been created:

(a) If the person wishing to use the Services is underage, and has not obtained the approval of their parent or legal guardian regarding the use of the Services;

(b) If the person wishing to use the Services provided Sony with false information, for example by using other people's names or making false statements; or

(3) If you change the information you provided to Sony concerning the use of the Services, you shall update it without delay by using the method specified by Sony.

(4) You shall not use the Account of another user to use the Services, and you shall not have a third party use your Account.

(5) You shall properly manage the information concerning your Account, including your ID and password. You are responsible for any of the actions taken by using the Services with your Account as well as for the consequences thereof.

(6) You may withdraw from the Services and delete your Account at any time by following the method specified by Sony. By withdrawal, you will lose all of the rights hereunder. However, with regard to the matters pertaining to your use of the Services that occurred before the withdrawal, the Terms and Conditions shall remain applicable even after your withdrawal.

3. PRIVACY

The information concerning you which Sony obtains in connection with the Service is handled pursuant to the Privacy Policy for the “TechHub” website. For clarity, if any discrepancy arises with the Terms and Conditions, the Privacy Policy will take precedence.

4. PROHIBITED CONDUCT

(1) When using the Services, you shall not attempt or perform any of the following actions, and you shall not cooperate with a third party, or encourage a third party, to take such actions:

(a) Infringement of Sony’s or a third party’s rights or legally protected interests (including intellectual property rights, trade secrets, honor, privacy, portrait rights, publicity rights, and ownership);

(b) Violation of laws and regulations, court decisions, or any other legally binding dispositions mandated by government agencies or regulatory bodies, or violation of public policies;

(c) Uploading, or otherwise communicating or transmitting information, aimed at Sony or a third party or in a publicly accessible part of the Services, that is infringing Sony’s or a third party’s rights or legally protected interests, insulting, defamatory, or slanderous, or contains expressions or any kind of communication that may cause discomfort to others or that are anti-social;

(d) Illicit collection or use of other people's personal information and other information concerning their privacy, as well as passwords and other private information, or publicly releasing or otherwise disclosing such information to third parties;

(e) Downloading, distributing, making available for public transmission, altering, manipulating, reverse engineering, decompiling, disassembling, deleting or performing similar actions to all or part of the Services beyond a scope explicitly permitted by Sony, including, but not limited to, those actions which invalidate or circumvent functions such as content protection and access control, as well as intentional exploitation of any defects within the Services;

(f) Incorporating or executing viruses or other malicious programs, files or data on information terminals, network devices, systems and other such technology that are controlled by Sony or a third party with the intent or effect of inhibiting their proper functioning interfering with or controlling their operation, or viewing, acquiring, or destroying data stored therein;

(g) Interfering with the normal and smooth operation of the Services by imposing excessive load on the server or other components of the Services, making excessive requests beyond the scope of lawful exercise of the rights hereunder, or engaging in any other similar activities;

(h) Institution of a patent litigation (including a cross-claim or counterclaim in a lawsuit) against Sony or any other entity alleging that the Services themselves or the offer, usage, or access of or to the Service constitutes direct or contributory patent infringement;

(i) Any acts to violate of the Terms and Conditions; or

(j) Use of the Services for purposes that diverge from the intended usage of the Services and any other acts which Sony reasonably determines are inappropriate.

(2) If Sony reasonably determines that you are in violation of the Terms and Conditions, Sony may suspend or delete your Account or take other measures.

5. USER CONTENTS

(1) You may post, transmit, or otherwise deliver your contents in connection with your use of the Services ("Posted Content"). Further, specific part of the Services contains features to provide you with images, videos, music, texts, and other contents or information based on the Posted Content and/or any other instruction you provided on such Services (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Produced Content", and along with the Posted Content, hereinafter called “User Contents”).

(2) Any rights in and to the User Contents are not transferred to Sony hereunder and reserved to you. To the extent that Sony makes available the Produced Content to you as part of the Services and your use of the Services complies with the Terms and Conditions, you may freely utilize the Produced Contents; provided however that you shall be solely responsible for confirming that the Produced Content and your use thereof do not infringe any third party's rights beforehand. Additionally, where required in the Additional Terms or any instruction provided in an applicable website for each Service, you shall acknowledge your use of such Service, by providing a credit as specified by Sony in your products, services and contents for which such Services (including, but not limited to, APIs to access certain technology and the Produced Contents) have been used.

(3) Where required in the Additional Terms or any instruction provided in an applicable website for each Service, you shall acknowledge your use of such Service, by providing a credit as specified by Sony in your products, services and contents for which such Services (including, but not limited to, APIs to access certain technology and the Produced Contents) have been used.

(4) By providing the Posted Content or generating the Produced Content in connection with your use of the Service, you are deemed to grant to Sony a worldwide, non-exclusive, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license (with the right of sublicense to a person Sony designates) to freely use the User Contents (including reproduction, distribution, making available for public transmission, partial omission, and other adaptations) for any of the following purposes: (i) operating, providing and promoting the Services and TechHub, (ii) improving technologies concerning the Services, and (iii) research and development of Sony’s technologies. You may not exercise the moral rights of an author against Sony or any third parties in connection with Sony’s use of the User Contents in accordance herewith.

6. LINKS TO NON-SONY SITES

The third parties’ web sites (other than the Website) linked to or from TechHub (“Linked Sites”) are independently operated and maintained by such third parties and are not under the control and/or supervision of Sony. Use of the Linked Site shall be subject to the terms and conditions stipulated by the operator of each Linked Site. Sony is not responsible for any loss or damage, however caused, in connection with your use of any Linked Site and your access to any of the Linked Sites shall be at your own risk. Nothing contained in TechHub shall be interpreted as a recommendation and/or endorsement by Sony of the contents of the Linked Sites and any products and/or services appeared on and/or provided through such Linked Sites.

7. PROPOSAL AND OFFER

Sony appreciates your proposal and/or offer regarding the Services, including, without limitation, ideas for new or improved products, technologies, designs, processes, software, promotions, advertisements and marketing plans (collectively “Idea”). However, if you send your Idea to Sony’s attention, unless otherwise agreed in writing between Sony and you, such Idea will be treated upon the understanding that you agreed to the following terms: (i) Sony has no obligation to treat the Idea as a confidential information; (ii) Sony has no obligation to study, evaluate or adopt the Idea; and (iii) Even if Sony adopts any idea identical or similar in whole or in part to the Idea, Sony has no responsibility and shall not be liable for any compensation.

8. DISCLAIMERS OF WARRANTIES

(1) Except to the extent prohibited by applicable laws, Sony and/or any of its affiliates make no representation and warranty, either express or implied, statutory or otherwise, including warranties or representations with respect to the accuracy, reliability, completeness, fitness for particular purpose, non-infringement of third parties rights and/or safety of any contents of the Services and TechHub, and any representations and warranties relating thereto are expressly disclaimed.

(2) If a dispute arises between you and a third party in connection with your use of the Services (including, but not limited to, the Produced Content) due to infringement of rights or any other causes, you shall be solely responsible for resolving such dispute at your cost and responsibility, and Sony shall not be responsible for or involved in such dispute.

(3) Notwithstanding the other provisions of the Terms and Conditions, except in the event of Sony’s failure to perform its contractual obligation or tortious act (hereinafter collectively referred to as "Sony’s Failure”), Sony and/or any of its affiliates shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising out of your use or access, or inability to use or access, the Services or TechHub. If you suffer loss or damage due to Sony’s Failure, Sony shall be held liable to you only for the loss or damage which would ordinarily arise from such Sony’s Failure and not liable for the loss or damage or other consequences arising from special circumstances even if the occurrence of such loss or damage was foreseen or should have been foreseen except where such Sony’s Failure arises due to an intentional act or gross negligence of Sony.

9. TERMINATION OF SERVICE

Sony may change and/or alter the Services and/or the contents of TechHub, or may suspend or discontinue all or part of them at any time without any prior notice. Sony or any of its affiliates shall not be liable for any damages arising out of any such change, alteration, suspension or discontinuation.

10. APPLICABLE LAWS AND JURISDICTION

The Terms and Conditions shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Japan. All controversies and disputes arising out of or relating to the Terms and Conditions shall be submitted to the Tokyo District Court in Tokyo, Japan as the Court of first instance.

Revised on Nov 27, 2023

Original Effective Date: 9/10/2023