Terms of Service

This is a reference translation provided for convenience. The Japanese version is the legally binding original. If the two differ, the Japanese version governs.

These Terms of Service (the "Terms") set out the conditions of use for the WordPress plugin "Sorabun" and the related services (collectively, the "Service") provided by PR Elle LLC (合同会社 PR Elle) (the "Company"). Customers who use the Service (each, a "User") are deemed to have agreed to these Terms.

Article 1 (Application)

1. These Terms apply to all dealings between the Company and Users in connection with use of the Service.
2. Individual explanations, FAQs, documentation, and other materials that the Company publishes on the Service form part of these Terms.
3. Where the provisions of these Terms differ from the content of an individual explanation, the individual explanation shall govern.

Article 2 (Definitions)

• The Plugin: the WordPress plugin "Sorabun" provided by the Company, together with its free edition (Sorabun Lite) and its paid edition (Sorabun Pro).
• License Key: the authentication key issued by the Company for use of the features of the paid edition.
• Target Site: a WordPress site on which a User has activated the Plugin using a License Key.
• External AI Service: the Google Gemini API, the OpenAI API, the Anthropic Claude API, and any other third-party service with which the Plugin integrates.
• Generated Content: articles, images, audio, and other content that a User generates through the Service.

Article 3 (Scope of License)

1. The program portion of the Plugin is provided under the GNU General Public License v2 or later (GPL-2.0-or-later). The rights that license grants to a User are not restricted by these Terms.
2. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, what the Company provides for a fee is the issuance of License Keys, the delivery of updates, and the provision of user support. A User may receive these on the number of Target Sites set out for the plan the User purchased.
3. The number of Target Sites for each plan is as follows.
   • Personal: 1 site
   • Pro: 3 sites
   • Agency: 20 sites
   • Lifetime (one-time purchase): 1 site
4. Only under the Agency plan may a User install the Plugin on sites belonging to clients whose sites the User has been engaged to build and operate.
5. A License Key may not be sold, lent, shared, or otherwise provided to a third party by any means.
6. The Lifetime (one-time purchase) plan includes the provision of updates for one year from the date of purchase. Use of the plugin may continue after that one year has elapsed, but receiving further updates and support after that point requires the separate purchase of a renewal license.

Article 4 (Management of Accounts and License Keys)

1. Users shall manage their own account credentials and License Keys at their own responsibility.
2. A User bears responsibility for any damage arising from inadequate management of credentials or a License Key, errors in their use, or use by a third party, and the Company bears no responsibility whatsoever for such damage.
3. A User may change the site to which a license applies by deauthorizing a Target Site from My Page.

Article 5 (Fees and Payment Method)

1. Fees for use of the Service are as set out on the pricing page of the Company's website and in the "Notice under the Specified Commercial Transactions Act."
2. The payment method is credit card payment, using Stripe, Inc. (and its Japanese corporate entity) as the payment processor. Card information is obtained and processed directly by that company, and the Company does not retain card numbers.
3. Campaign pricing such as first-month discounts and annual-payment discounts is applied in accordance with the conditions displayed on the Company's website.
4. Communication charges necessary for use of the Service, and fees for use of External AI Services, are not included in the usage fee and are borne by the User.

Article 6 (Contract Term, Automatic Renewal, and Cancellation)

1. The monthly-payment plan and the annual-payment plan renew automatically every month and every year, respectively.
2. A User may stop the next renewal (cancel) at any time via My Page or by a method the Company otherwise prescribes.
3. Even after completing the cancellation procedure, a User may continue to use the Service through the end of the period already paid for. The License Key becomes invalid once that period has elapsed.
4. If the cancellation procedure is not completed by the day before the next renewal date, the contract renews automatically and the fee for the renewal period is charged.

Article 7 (Returns and Refunds)

1. Because the Service consists of the provision of digital content, and provision is complete upon issuance of the License Key, the Company cannot accommodate returns or refunds requested for a User's own convenience.
2. Notwithstanding the preceding paragraph, if the Service becomes entirely unusable for a substantial period due to a cause attributable to the Company, the Company will discuss its response on an individual basis.
3. Disadvantages arising from the suspension of an External AI Service, changes to its specifications, revisions to its pricing, or other causes not attributable to the Company are not eligible for a refund.

Article 8 (Use of External APIs and Cost Burden)

1. The Plugin's functions such as article generation, image generation, speech synthesis, and retrieval of search rankings operate using API keys for External AI Services that the User has personally obtained.
2. Fees for use of External AI Services shall be paid by the User directly to each provider, and the Company bears no responsibility whatsoever for such costs.
3. A User shall comply with the respective terms of use of each External AI Service.
4. Some functions of the Plugin may become unusable due to changes to the specifications of an External AI Service, discontinuation of its provision, revisions to its pricing, fluctuations in response quality, or similar causes. The Company will respond to the extent possible but does not guarantee the outcome.

Article 9 (Handling of Generated Content)

1. Ownership of rights in Generated Content, and the conditions under which it may be used, are governed by the respective terms of use of the External AI Service the User employed.
2. The Company asserts no right whatsoever in Generated Content.
3. No guarantee whatsoever is given as to the accuracy, completeness, currency, or usefulness of Generated Content, or that it does not infringe the rights of any third party. A User is responsible for personally reviewing the content and verifying the underlying facts before publishing it.
4. If a dispute with a third party arises from the publication or use of Generated Content, the User shall resolve it at the User's own responsibility and expense, and if the Company incurs damage as a result, the User shall compensate the Company for it.
5. In publishing Generated Content, a User shall comply with the Copyright Act, the Act on Securing Quality, Efficacy and Safety of Products Including Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices (the "Pharmaceutical and Medical Device Act"), the Act against Unjustifiable Premiums and Misleading Representations, and other applicable laws and regulations, as well as the guidelines of each search engine and each distribution platform.

Article 10 (Prohibited Acts)

In using the Service, a User shall not engage in any of the following acts.

1. Acts that violate laws and regulations or public order and morals
2. Acts related to criminal conduct
3. Acts that infringe the intellectual property rights, honor, credit, privacy, or other rights or interests of the Company or a third party
4. Using a License Key beyond the scope of the purchased plan, or providing it to a third party
5. Circumventing or disabling the license authentication mechanism
6. Placing an excessive load on the servers or network of the Service, or attempting unauthorized access
7. Generating or publishing, in bulk, false information, misleading information, or content that infringes the rights of a third party
8. Using the Service to build spam-purpose sites that violate search engine guidelines
9. Any other act that the Company reasonably judges to be inappropriate

Article 11 (Changes, Suspension, and Termination of the Service)

1. The Company may change the content of the Service, or add, modify, or discontinue its functions, without prior notice to Users.
2. The Company may suspend the provision of all or part of the Service without prior notice to Users in the following cases.
   • When performing system maintenance, inspection, or updates
   • When provision becomes difficult due to earthquake, lightning, fire, power outage, other force majeure, or similar cause
   • When a computer or communication line stops due to an accident
   • Any other case in which the Company determines that continued provision is difficult
3. The Company may end the provision of the Service by giving Users at least three months' notice. In this case, the Company will refund to Users of the annual-payment plan or the Lifetime (one-time purchase) plan the amount corresponding to the unexpired portion of the period, calculated on a pro-rata basis.

Article 12 (Disclaimer of Warranties and Exemption from Liability)

1. The Company does not warrant, whether expressly or impliedly, that the Service is suited to a User's particular purpose, that it has the functions, accuracy, or usefulness the User expects, that no malfunction will occur in the User's environment, or that results such as improved search rankings or other outcomes will be obtained.
2. The Company bears no responsibility for display malfunctions on a WordPress site, loss of data, or conflicts with other plugins or themes, arising from the installation or use of the Plugin. A User shall take a backup before installation.
3. The Company bears no responsibility whatsoever for disputes arising between a User and a provider of an External AI Service, or between a User and a third party.

Article 13 (Limitation of Liability)

1. Except where caused by the Company's willful misconduct or gross negligence, the Company's liability to a User for damages is capped at the total amount of usage fees the User paid to the Company during the preceding 12 months.
2. The Company bears no responsibility, whether or not such damage was foreseeable, for lost profits, loss of business opportunity, loss of data, or other special or indirect damages.
3. Where a User falls under the definition of a consumer under the Consumer Contract Act, the exemptions set out in the preceding two paragraphs do not apply to damage arising from the Company's willful misconduct or gross negligence.

Article 14 (Termination by the User; Termination by the Company)

1. A User may terminate this contract at any time by the method set out in Article 6.
2. If a User breaches these Terms, the Company may invalidate the License Key and terminate this contract without prior notice.
3. Where the contract is terminated under the preceding paragraph, the Company will not refund usage fees already received.

Article 15 (Handling of Personal Information)

The Company appropriately handles personal information obtained in the course of providing the Service, in accordance with the separately established Privacy Policy.

Article 16 (Amendment of these Terms)

1. The Company may amend these Terms when it judges doing so to be necessary.
2. When making a material change disadvantageous to Users, the Company will give notice, by posting on the Company's website or by notice to the registered email address, at least one month before the effective date.
3. The amended Terms apply from the effective date posted on the Company's website.

Article 17 (Governing Law and Jurisdiction)

1. The interpretation and application of these Terms shall be governed by the laws of Japan.
2. Any dispute arising between the Company and a User in connection with the Service shall be subject to the exclusive agreed jurisdiction of the Tokyo District Court as the court of first instance.