Terms of Service

1. The Service

The Site is a free service for finding and copying kaomoji. It is funded by advertising; we never charge users. The Site is provided as is, and we may change, suspend, or discontinue it.

2. The kaomoji themselves

• We claim no rights in the kaomoji character strings themselves (for example (๑˃ᴗ˂)ﻭ). Use them freely, personally or commercially, with no attribution required.
• We do not, however, warrant that no rights exist anywhere in the world. The status of any given string depends on its originality, your jurisdiction, and any third-party rights. For commercial use, satisfy yourself that you have whatever permissions you need.

3. Descriptions, examples, keywords and compilation

• The descriptions, usage examples and keywords written for each kaomoji, together with our categorisation and ordering, are works authored by us. They are treated differently from the kaomoji themselves (Section 2).
• You may quote them in articles, apps and posts provided you credit kaomojis.jp as the source.
• You may not reproduce them wholesale for redistribution, nor use them to build a service of the same kind as ours — by any means, including copying pages, repeatedly calling the API, or exporting the database.
• The input-method dictionary files we publish (/api/dictionary/…) are meant for you to install on your own device and type with. Using them that way is not restricted by this section. Extracting their contents to redistribute, or using them as source data for another service, still is.

4. API and automated access

• We offer a public API. The specification and the fair-use limits are published at https://kaomojis.jp/developers.
• The limits exist to curb excessive collection without getting in the way of real users. We may adjust them as operating conditions require.
• Circumventing the limits — by rotating IP addresses, forging headers, spreading calls across endpoints, or otherwise — is prohibited.
• The limits are not a guarantee of availability. We may restrict access without notice for maintenance, incidents, or defence.

5. Prohibited conduct

• Bulk copying or redistributing the descriptions, examples, keywords or compilation, contrary to Section 3
• Circumventing the fair-use limits, contrary to Section 4
• Interfering with normal operation of the Site (excessive load, probing for vulnerabilities, impersonation, and the like)
• Use for any unlawful purpose or contrary to public order and morals
• Presenting our content in a way that misleads others about whether it came from us

6. Limitation of liability

• We do not warrant that the content is accurate, complete, or fit for any particular purpose.
• Where we are liable for loss caused by our ordinary negligence, that liability is limited to loss that would ordinarily arise, and excludes lost profits and other special damages. This limitation does not apply where we act with intent or gross negligence.
• If you deal with us as a consumer, this Section applies only so far as the Consumer Contract Act of Japan and other mandatory law allow.
• We are not a party to any dispute between you and a third party arising from your use of a kaomoji.

7. Advertising

The Site carries advertising, presented so that it is recognisable as advertising. If we later include affiliate links (links that earn us a commission) within articles or write-ups, we will say so at that place.

8. Personal data

We process communication data such as IP addresses for analytics and to apply the fair-use limits in Section 4. See our Privacy Policy at https://kaomojis.jp/privacy.

9. Changes to these Terms

• We may change these Terms. If we do, we will publish the revised text and the date it takes effect on the Site.
• For changes that disadvantage users, we will publish them before that date. If you continue using the Site after publication, you are taken to have accepted the revised Terms.

10. Governing law and jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by the laws of Japan. The Tokyo District Court shall have exclusive jurisdiction as the court of first instance over any dispute concerning these Terms or the Site.

11. Language

These Terms are published in several languages. If the versions differ, the Japanese version prevails.

12. Contact

Questions about these Terms: [email protected].