PART A — Terms of Service
1. Acceptance of These Terms
By downloading, installing, accessing, registering for, or using Ether Online (the "Game") or any related service, website, community platform, or application operated by us (collectively, the "Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (the "Terms"), the Ether Online Official Rules, the Top-Up Terms, and any additional policies referenced within them. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
These Terms form a binding agreement between you and the operator of Ether Online ("we," "us," or "Ether Online"). If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have the authority to bind that organization.
2. Eligibility
2.1. You must be at least the age of majority in your jurisdiction to create an account and enter into these Terms on your own behalf. Minors below the age of majority but at or above the minimum age permitted by applicable law may only use the Service with the verifiable consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian, who accepts these Terms on their behalf and is responsible for their activity.
2.2. The Service is not directed to, and may not be used by, children under the minimum age required by applicable law in your jurisdiction (for reference, this is generally 13 in most regions and 16 in parts of the European Economic Area).
2.3. You must not be a person barred from using the Service under the laws of your jurisdiction or ours, and you must not be currently subject to a permanent ban from Ether Online.
3. Your Account
3.1. Registration. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating your account and to keep it up to date.
3.2. One person, one identity. Except where we expressly permit otherwise, you may register and control accounts only in your own name and identity. You may not create an account using another person's identity or credentials.
3.3. Security. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account. Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access.
3.4. No sale, transfer, or sharing. Your account is personal to you. You may not sell, rent, lease, transfer, sub-license, share, or otherwise dispose of your account or access to it, except as expressly permitted by us in writing.
4. License to Use the Service
4.1. Subject to your continuing compliance with these Terms, we grant you a personal, limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to install and use the Game client and to access the Service, solely for your personal, non-commercial entertainment.
4.2. All rights not expressly granted are reserved.
5. Ownership
5.1. Our content. The Service and all of its content — including but not limited to the Game software, source code, servers, characters, worlds, maps, storylines, artwork, music, sound effects, animations, user interfaces, trademarks, logos, and any and all in-game items, currencies, cosmetics, characters, guilds, titles, achievements, progression, rankings, and account data — are and remain the exclusive property of Ether Online and/or its licensors, protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.
5.2. No ownership of virtual items. You acknowledge and agree that in-game items, in-game currencies, characters, accounts, and any other virtual content or in-game features are licensed to you, not sold. You do not have any ownership right, title, or interest in them. They have no monetary value, cannot be redeemed for cash or any real-world consideration from us, and may be modified, suspended, transferred, or removed at any time in our sole discretion, subject to applicable law.
5.3. User feedback. If you send us ideas, suggestions, feedback, or proposals about the Service, you grant us a perpetual, worldwide, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use them for any purpose, without obligation or attribution to you.
6. User-Generated Content
6.1. Your content. You are responsible for any text, names, images, audio, video, chat messages, forum posts, guild content, or other material you submit, transmit, or make available through the Service ("User Content").
6.2. License to us. You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to host, store, reproduce, modify, adapt, translate, publish, distribute, and display your User Content in connection with the operation, provision, promotion, and improvement of the Service, to the extent permitted by applicable law.
6.3. Content standards. Your User Content must comply with the Ether Online Official Rules and applicable law. We may, but are not obligated to, review, moderate, remove, or refuse any User Content at any time and for any reason.
7. Acceptable Use
You agree not to, and not to allow, encourage, or enable any third party to:
(a) violate the Ether Online Official Rules, these Terms, the Top-Up Terms, or any applicable law;
(b) reverse-engineer, decompile, disassemble, modify, patch, or create derivative works of the Game client or Service, except as expressly permitted by law and not waivable by contract;
(c) use cheats, bots, macros, automation, exploits, unauthorized third-party software, or any means to interfere with intended gameplay or gain an unfair advantage;
(d) access or attempt to access accounts, systems, servers, or data that do not belong to you;
(e) interfere with, overload, or disrupt the Service, its infrastructure, or other users' enjoyment of it;
(f) engage in fraud, scams, money laundering, chargeback abuse, or unauthorized real-money trading in violation of our rules;
(g) collect, harvest, or scrape data from the Service by automated means;
(h) use the Service for any commercial purpose not expressly authorized by us;
(i) upload or distribute malware, phishing pages, or other harmful code;
(j) impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity, including Ether Online staff.
8. Purchases
Purchases of virtual currency, virtual items, subscriptions, and other paid features are governed by the Ether Online Top-Up Terms, which are incorporated into these Terms by reference.
9. Updates and Changes to the Service
We may, at any time and in our sole discretion, update, modify, add to, remove from, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service, including specific features, virtual items, servers, events, or the entire Service, with or without notice. To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable to you or any third party for any such change.
10. Termination and Suspension
10.1. By us. We may suspend, restrict, or terminate your access to the Service, any account, or any specific feature or virtual content, at any time and for any reason, including but not limited to: violation of these Terms, the Official Rules, or the Top-Up Terms; suspected fraud, chargeback, or unauthorized activity; risk to the Service, other players, or third parties; or discontinuation of the Service.
10.2. By you. You may stop using the Service at any time. You may also request account deletion in accordance with our then-current process.
10.3. Effect of termination. Upon termination or suspension, your right to access the Service and all associated virtual content ends. Except as expressly required by applicable law, we are not obligated to refund any payments, restore any content, or preserve any data.
10.4. Survival. Sections concerning ownership, User Content license, disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, dispute resolution, and any other provision that by its nature should survive, will survive termination.
11. Disclaimers
11.1. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including without limitation warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, quiet enjoyment, uninterrupted or error-free operation, or that defects will be corrected.
11.2. We do not warrant that virtual items, currencies, servers, characters, progress, rankings, or events will remain available, unchanged, or accessible at any given time.
11.3. Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties; in those jurisdictions, the above exclusions apply only to the extent permitted by law.
12. Limitation of Liability
12.1. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event will Ether Online, its affiliates, officers, employees, agents, or licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or virtual items or currency, arising out of or in connection with the Service or these Terms, whether based on warranty, contract, tort, or any other legal theory, and whether or not we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
12.2. To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, our total aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with the Service or these Terms will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you actually paid to us for the Service in the twelve (12) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) fifty (50) United States dollars.
12.3. Nothing in these Terms limits any liability that cannot be limited by applicable law, including liability for fraud or willful misconduct.
13. Indemnification
To the extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Ether Online, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your User Content; (c) your violation of these Terms, the Official Rules, or the Top-Up Terms; or (d) your violation of any law or third-party right.
14. Third-Party Services
The Service may link to or interoperate with third-party services (such as payment processors, app stores, or social platforms). We are not responsible for those services, and your use of them is governed by their own terms.
15. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will provide notice through reasonable means (for example, in-game notice, email, or posting on our website). Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree, you must stop using the Service.
16. Governing Law and Disputes
16.1. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of the Philippines, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.
16.2. Except where prohibited by law, any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service will be resolved exclusively in the courts of the Republic of the Philippines, and you and we consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
16.3. Nothing in this section deprives you of any mandatory consumer-protection rights available in your place of residence.
17. Miscellaneous
17.1. Entire agreement. These Terms, together with the Official Rules and the Top-Up Terms, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.
17.2. Severability. If any provision is held to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.
17.3. No waiver. Our failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of that right or provision.
17.4. Assignment. You may not assign or transfer these Terms. We may assign them to any affiliate or successor.
17.5. Anti-loophole. These Terms are to be interpreted in accordance with their purpose. You may not do indirectly, through a nominee, or through a technicality, what these Terms prohibit directly.
18. Contact
Questions about these Terms may be sent to mail@playetheronline.com, or through our support desk.
PART B — Privacy Policy
This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, share, and protect your information when you use the Service.
1. Information We Collect
We may collect the following categories of information:
(a) Information you provide: account registration details (username, email, password hash, date of birth or age confirmation), profile information, communications with us (support tickets, appeal requests), and any content you submit through the Service.
(b) Payment information: when you make a purchase, our payment processors collect the payment details necessary to process the transaction. We generally do not store your full payment card number; we may store limited information such as transaction ID, purchase amount, payment method type, billing country, and the last four digits of your card.
(c) Automatically collected information: device identifiers, IP address, hardware and operating system information, client version, gameplay data, session logs, in-game events, chat logs (subject to applicable law), crash reports, and anti-cheat telemetry.
(d) Third-party information: if you sign in through, link, or interact with a third-party service (such as a social platform), we may receive information from that service in accordance with its settings.
2. How We Use Information
We use collected information to:
- create and manage your account and provide the Service;
- process purchases and prevent fraud, chargeback abuse, and unauthorized transactions;
- operate anti-cheat, security, and moderation systems and enforce our rules;
- personalize your experience and provide customer support;
- send you service-related communications;
- analyze use of the Service, diagnose issues, and improve the Service;
- comply with legal obligations and enforce our rights.
3. Legal Bases (Where Applicable)
Where required by law (for example, under the EU/UK General Data Protection Regulation), we process personal data on the following bases: performance of a contract, our legitimate interests (including security, fraud prevention, and product improvement), your consent (where required), and compliance with legal obligations.
4. Sharing of Information
We do not sell your personal information. We may share information with:
- service providers that host our infrastructure, process payments, provide analytics, or otherwise assist us in operating the Service, under obligations of confidentiality;
- anti-cheat and security partners for the purpose of detecting and preventing prohibited software and account compromise;
- authorities where required by law, legal process, or to protect the safety, rights, or property of Ether Online, our users, or the public;
- corporate transactions: in connection with a merger, acquisition, financing, or sale of assets, subject to appropriate protections.
5. Data Retention
We retain personal information for as long as necessary to provide the Service, comply with our legal obligations, resolve disputes, and enforce our agreements. Certain records — for example, records associated with permanent bans, fraud, chargebacks, or anti-cheat detections — may be retained on a longer or indefinite basis to protect the integrity of the Service.
6. Security
We implement reasonable technical and organizational measures designed to protect personal information against unauthorized access, alteration, disclosure, or destruction. However, no system is perfectly secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.
7. International Transfers
Your information may be transferred to, stored in, and processed in countries other than your country of residence. Where required by law, we implement appropriate safeguards for such transfers.
8. Your Rights
Depending on where you live, you may have rights with respect to your personal information, including the right to access, correct, delete, restrict or object to processing, and data portability. You may also have the right to withdraw consent (where processing is based on consent) and to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority. To exercise these rights, contact us using the details below.
We may need to verify your identity before responding to your request and may decline requests to the extent permitted by law (for example, where a request would compromise anti-cheat, fraud prevention, or the rights of others).
9. Children
The Service is not directed to children under the minimum age permitted by applicable law. If we learn that we have collected personal information from a child in violation of applicable law, we will delete it as required.
10. Cookies and Similar Technologies
Our websites and related properties may use cookies and similar technologies for authentication, preferences, security, and analytics. You can control these through your browser settings, though disabling them may affect your experience.
11. Changes to This Policy
We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Material changes will be communicated through reasonable means, and the effective date above will be updated. Your continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated policy, to the extent permitted by law.
12. Privacy Contact
Privacy questions and requests may be sent to mail@playetheronline.com, or through our support desk.
By using Ether Online, you acknowledge that you have read and understood these Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy.
— The Ether Online Team