Terms of Use

Region:Japan

Chapter 1: General Provisions

Article 1 (Definitions)

The terms provided in these Terms and Conditions shall be defined as follows.

• Recipient
  A person who has received Open Badges and holds an account for the Open Badge Wallet.
• Issuer
  The organization that issues Open Badges.
  • Open Badge
    Digital representations issued through this Service shall conform to the global standards “Open Badges v2.0” and “Open Badges v3.0” as defined by 1EdTech Consortium, Inc. Open Badges represent the following types of information provided by the Issuer:
  • Records of qualification, course completion, academic credit, achievement, learning outcome, and certification such as diplomas, certificates of completion, graduation certificates, and academic transcripts;
  • Recognition for volunteer activities, corporate and academic awards such as President’s Award or Dean’s Award;
  • Certificates of participation, validation of experiences, practical knowledge and skills;
  • Identification credentials such as student ID, employee ID, and membership cards.
• Open Badge Wallet
  The function that allows recipients to centrally manage Open Badges they have received and display them on the Internet.
• Open Badge Wallet Account
  Open Badge Wallet Account refers to the entire set of registration information required for a Recipient to receive the services stipulated in Article 11, including email address, password, ID, DID, and other related information. The Open Badge Wallet Account (hereinafter referred to as the “Account”) is created by a Recipient who has been issued an Open Badge by an Issuer, or a Recipient who has received a member invitation, in accordance with the procedures of the system.
• DID (Decentralized Identity)
  By creating an Account for this Service, a DID is generated. The DID is used for the purpose of confirming that the information recorded in the Open Badge has not been altered. For details on DID, please refer to Articles 13 through 16.
• DID Document
  The DID Document is information that includes verification data such as public keys and is generated together with the DID. For details on the DID Document, please refer to Articles 14 and 16.

Article 2 (Application of Terms and Conditions of Use)

1. This agreement applies to all Open Badge Services (hereinafter, "Service(s)") provided by LecoS, Inc. (hereinafter, "Company") to the Recipient of Open Badges.
2. The Recipient will be deemed eligible for Recipient status accepting the contents of these Terms by expressing consent to these Terms on the web page displaying these Terms about the Service, or by expressing consent to the contents of these Terms in any other manner designated by the Company.

Article 3 (Notification to Recipients)

1. The Company will notify the Recipients of the necessary matters relating to these Terms of Use at any time via the internet or in any other manner the Company deems appropriate, and the Company will be in a position to respond to such inquiries.
2. The notice set forth in the preceding Item shall take effect at the time the Company gives such notice as set forth in the preceding Item.
3. Any notice given by the Company to the Recipients shall constitute part of these Terms.

Article 4 (Amendment of the Terms of Use)

1. The Company reserves the right to modify these Terms of Use at any time without obtaining the approval of the Recipient. In this case, the terms of use of the Service shall be governed by the amended Terms of Use.
2. Any modification or alteration to the Terms of Use shall be notified to the Recipients and shall enter into effect when displayed on the Service.

Article 5 (Scope of Terms of Use)

1. In the event that the Company makes separate or additional provisions for individual services, such provisions shall constitute a part of these Terms of Use.
2. In the event that the Terms of Use differ from Individual Service Rules and Additional Rules, the Individual Service Rules and Additional Rules shall take precedence.

Chapter 2: Receiving Open Badges

Article 6 (Acceptance)

1. Recipients may obtain Open Badges, etc. by registering their Recipient information to the Service.
2. The user must register the individual email address when registering information about the Recipient. In case multiple persons are sharing one email address such as on the job or at school, we accept the registration of Recipient information using the same email address based on unanimous agreement of all those involved. However, this case shall also be limited to the specific Recipient.
3. The Company shall grant the Recipient the rights to use the Open Badge Wallet as of the starting date registered by the Recipient.

Article 7 (Passwords and DIDs)

The Company shall not disclose to any third party the password registered by the Recipient for this Service, nor the private key of the generated DID.

Article 8 (Prohibition of Transfer, etc.)

The Recipient may not transfer, sell, rename, pledge or otherwise collaterally assign the rights held by the Recipient to a third party.

Article 9 (Notification of Changes)

1. If there is any change in a Recipient’s information registered on the Service, the Recipient shall promptly notify the Company of the change in the prescribed manner.
2. The Company shall not be liable for any disadvantage suffered by the Recipient as a result of failure to notify the Company in the preceding Item.
3. Since this Service uses two-factor authentication via the registered email address at login, if the Recipient becomes unable to use the registered email address, they may lose access to the Service. The Recipient must add a usable email address through the system interface before any change or deactivation of the current email address occurs.

Article 10 (Equipment, etc.)

Recipients shall prepare, at their own expense and responsibility, the communication equipment, software, and all other necessary equipment for using the Service and shall install them so that the Service can be used. Recipients shall also connect to the Service via the internet at their own expense and responsibility.

Chapter 3: Use of the Service and Data of User Status

Article 11 (Services Provided)

The Company shall provide an Open Badge Wallet service for displaying the Recipient's open badge, etc. on the internet and the following incidental services (hereinafter, "Incidental Services").

1. Recipient’s profile registration and disclosure service
2. Open Badge disclosure service
3. Open Badge verification service
4. Open Badge search service
5. Open Badge submission and verification services to designated third parties
6. Any other service incidental to the above

Article 12 (Start of Service Use)

1. The Company shall permit the Recipient to use the Service upon completion of account registration, and the Recipient shall be able to use the Service in accordance with the conditions set forth in these Terms.
2. Recipients shall be able to use the Service as of the first day of using the Open Badge Wallet for which they have registered.
3. If the Recipient is age 16 or under, he/she will need the consent of a parent or other legal guardian to use the Service.

Article 13 (Purpose of Use of DID)

The DID shall be used for the purpose of enabling the verification system utilized by those who receive a shared Open Badge from the Recipient to identify the Recipient and to confirm that the information of the Open Badge has not been tampered with.

Article 14 (Storage, Publication, and Availability of DID Documents)

1. The Company shall store the DID Document, corresponding to the Recipient’s DID, on servers managed by the Company.
2. The Company shall make reasonable efforts to minimize the information contained therein to the extent necessary for service purposes and shall design and operate the DID Document so that it does not include any personal information that can directly identify the Recipient.
3. The DID Document shall contain the public keys for verification, verification methods, and endpoint information referenced by verification systems.

Article 15 (Management of DID Keys)

1. The Company shall generate, store, manage, and use the public/private key pairs necessary for providing DID-related functions.
2. For security reasons, the private key shall not be directly provided to the Recipient.
3. The Company shall use the private key only within the scope of legitimate purposes, including legal compliance, security incident response, and the generation or verification of electronic signatures associated with the Recipient's use of the Service.

Article 16 (Key Rotation, DID Document Updates, and Modifications)

1. The Company may change the DID keys and update or modify the DID Document when operationally necessary, including but not limited to security enhancement or suspected key leakage.
2. Verification may fail or be delayed as a result of changes to DID keys or updates and modifications to the DID Document.

Article 17 (Discontinuation of Use of the Service)

The Company will use Google Analytics and Clarity for the purpose of acquiring / analyzing the user status data of the Service. We may collect certain user status data without including information that can specify individual persons. This function makes it possible for the Recipient to refuse the collection of data by inactivating the Cookie setting on the browser. The Company is not liable for responsibility about using "Google Analytics" and "Clarity."

• User regulations for Google Analytics
  (https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/analytics/terms/us/)
• Policies and Regulations for Google
  (https://policies.google.com/technologies/ads?hl=en)
• User regulations for Clarity
  (https://clarity.microsoft.com/terms)
• Privacy statement by Microsoft
  (https://privacy.microsoft.com/en-us/privacystatement)

Article 18 (Discontinuation of Use of the Service)

If the Recipient wishes to discontinue the use of this Service, the individual shall be able to discontinue the service by deleting one’s own account. Deleted accounts cannot be cancelled or registered for account restoration.

Article 19 (Deletion of Open Badges)

Recipients may delete any or all of the Open Badges from the Service. At that time, the Issuer will not be notified of the deletion of the Open Badge. However, the Issuer may become aware of the deletion by checking the system information. Once an Open Badge has been deleted by a Recipient, the deletion cannot be reversed, and the registration cannot be restored.

Article 20 (Deletion and Termination of Accounts)

1. Recipients may delete their own accounts. However, if the Recipient is in a member-registered status, the account cannot be deleted until such membership status is revoked.
2. If the Recipient violates any provision of these Terms, the Company may, upon notifying the Recipient, suspend the use of the Service and delete the registered account.
3. When a Recipient’s account is deleted or terminated, the Company may delete or deactivate the DID Document corresponding to the Recipient.
4. If the DID Document is deleted or deactivated, the Open Badges previously submitted by the Recipient to third parties may no longer be verifiable. The Company shall not be liable for any disadvantage arising therefrom.
5. Even after an account is deleted, the Company may retain relevant records (e.g., key-usage logs and history) for a certain period where necessary for legitimate purposes such as legal compliance, dispute resolution, prevention of unauthorized use, and audit or security purposes.
6. If a previously submitted DID Document is stored by a third party, the Company cannot require such third party to delete the DID Document because of the account deletion.

Article 21 (Suspension of Use of Open Badges)

In case a serious defect is discovered in the contents of a Recipient's Open Badge Wallet, Open Badges, etc., the Company may inform the said Recipient and discontinue their use of the said Open Badge Wallet.

Chapter 4: Recipient Obligations

Article 22 (Account Management Responsibility)

1. Recipients shall be fully responsible for the use and management of their own account for use of the Service.
2. The Company shall not be liable for any damages incurred by the Recipient due to third-party use of the Recipient’s account, regardless of the Recipient’s intentional negligence.
3. If a Recipient loses the individually set password or learns that the individual Account has been stolen or used by a third party, the Recipient shall immediately notify the Company and act in accordance with the Company’s instructions.
4. Any use of the Service done through the said Account shall be deemed to have been made by the relevant Recipient, and the relevant Recipient shall bear all other obligations.

Article 23 (Principle of Self-responsibility)

1. The Recipient shall be responsible for all actions taken using the Service with their Accounts and for the outcomes of such actions, regardless of the Recipient’s actually performing them.
2. The Recipient will bear responsibility for the Recipient’s use of the ancillary Services.
3. The Recipient acknowledges that the Company has no obligation to store information for such ancillary Services, and Recipients shall be responsible for backing up the necessary information in the appropriate manner.
4. Recipients shall respond to and resolve any inquiries, claims, etc. made by a third party in connection with the use of the Service at their own responsibility and expense.
5. If the Recipient has any requests, questions or claims regarding the actions of a third party, the Recipient shall directly notify the third party of such requests, questions or claims, and shall handle and resolve the consequences of such requests, questions or claims at the Recipient’s own responsibility and expense.
6. If a Recipient causes damage to the Company or a third party by using the Service, the Recipient shall compensate for such damage at the Recipient’s own responsibility and expense.

Article 24 (Other Prohibited Matters)

Recipients shall not perform the following actions on the Service.

1. Unauthorized use of the Account
2. Registering with a stranger’s email address
3. Sharing or lending of IDs and passwords after creating an Open Badge Wallet
4. Use or provision of harmful programs, such as computer viruses, through or in connection with the Service
5. Modification of all or part of the content or creation of derivative works based on the content
6. Any action that infringes or may infringe on the Company’s trademark rights or other intellectual property rights
7. Duplication, sale, or publishing of any data, information, text, software, etc. obtained through the Service beyond the scope of private use as permitted by the Copyright Act
8. Any action that infringes or risks infringement upon the property, privacy or portrait rights of any third party
9. Discrimination or slander of a third party, or any behavior that damages the reputation or credibility of a third party
10. Criminal behavior or behavior that leads to or may involve criminal acts
11. Activities related to sex culture, religion, or politics
12. In addition to the above items, behavior that involve legal violation, defy these Terms of Use, or go against public order and morals (such as prostitution, violence, cruelty), behavior that interferes with the operation of the Service, behavior that damages the Company’s credibility or infringes upon the Company’s property, or behavior that causes any disadvantage to the Company
13. Behavior that encourages any of the above
14. Other behavior that the Company deems inappropriate.

Article 25 (Suspension and Cancellation of User Rights)

1. If any of the items in the previous article apply to a Recipient, the Company may immediately suspend or revoke the user rights of the Recipient in the future without prior notice. If a Recipient’s user rights are revoked, the Recipient shall be liable to the Company for all obligations, including compensation, as indicated in these Terms of Use.
2. The Company shall not be liable in any way for any damages incurred as a result of a Recipient’s inability to use the Service due to the measures taken, as indicated in the preceding Item.

Article 26 (Compensation for Damages)

In the event that a Recipient causes damage to a third party, including the Company, as a result of violating the provisions of these Terms and Conditions or pertinent laws and regulations, the Recipient shall be liable for compensation for such damage, and the third party, including the Company, shall be exempt from the responsibility.

Chapter 5: Handling of Personal Information

Article 27 (Personal Information)

1. The Company shall manage the following information as personal information.
   1. Information required for registration to use the Company’s Services, such as the Recipient’s name and email address.
   2. Information recorded in the issued Open Badges, including the Recipient’s name, date of birth, email address, student ID number, employee ID number, membership ID number, facial photograph, and other identifying information.
   3. Information related to the content of the services used by the Recipient.
   4. Information recorded during the use of the Service, such as login and logout history.
   5. Information related to transactions such as the content of the solutions used by the Recipient and their billing details, including payment information such as credit card number or debit card number, expiration date, CVV code, and billing address.
   6. Other information exchanged between the Recipient and the Company through email, telephone, facsimile, letter, etc., including inquiries, applications, and the Company’s responses or actions taken in relation to such communication.
2. The Company shall not accept any personal information other than the personal information prescribed in Item 1 of this Article.

Article 28 (Use of Personal Information)

1. The Company may use the personal information prescribed in the preceding article for the following purposes:
   1. To provide the Service;
   2. To proceed with the operations incidental to the provision of the Service;
   3. To research and analyze the trends in using the Company’s services;
   4. To conduct research or develop new services for the Company.
2. The Company shall entrust the handling of personal information to NetLearning Holdings, Inc., the Company’s business contractors, within the scope of use described in the preceding Item.
3. Without prejudice to the application of the provisions of Items 1 and 2, the Company shall not disclose to third parties the personal information specified in the preceding article, except in the following cases:
   1. If the Recipient has separately agreed to the disclosure of personal information;
   2. When the Company entrusts the handling of personal information to a third party to achieve the purposes of use described in Paragraph 1.
   3. When personal information is transferred to a third party as part of business assets due to a business transfer or spin-off;
   4. When personal information is used mutually with a specific third party, and information regarding the purpose of use and the specific third party has been notified in advance or made public.
4. In addition to the provisions of these Terms of Use, the handling of personal information is subject to the Company’s Privacy Policy and Policy for the Handling of Personal Information.

Article 29 (Disclosure of Personal Information)

1. The Recipient may choose to make public the information recorded in their Open Badges. If the Recipient opts for disclosure, the Company will disclose the following information:
   1. Information contained in the Open Badge, including:
   • Date of issuance
   • Issuer
   • Status information such as expiration or revocation
   • Name, date of birth, affiliation, email address, student ID, employee ID, membership ID, facial photograph
   • Description, acquisition criteria, skills, expiration date
   • Information recorded in the evidence section by the Issuer
   1. Information personally recorded by the Recipient in the Open Badge Wallet, including:
   • Name
   • Image
   • Profile
   • Message content
2. The Recipient may share the information recorded in their Open Badges with third parties via a viewing URL, QR code (a registered trademark of DENSO WAVE Inc.), barcode, email address, or PDF file. In such cases, the following information may be shared:
   1. Information contained in the Open Badge, including:
   • Date of issuance
   • Issuer
   • Status information such as expiration or revocation
   • Name, date of birth, affiliation, email address, student ID, employee ID, membership ID, facial photograph
   • Description, acquisition criteria, skills, expiration date
   • Information recorded in the evidence section by the Issuer
3. The Recipient may also share information from their Open Badge Wallet with third parties via a viewing URL or QR code. In such cases, the following information may be shared:
   1. Information personally recorded by the Recipient in the Open Badge Wallet, including:
   • Name
   • Image
   • Profile
   • Message content
4. The Issuer may issue Open Badges that are shareable within the organization among its members. For such Open Badges, the following information may be disclosed to other Recipients registered as members by the Issuer and to the Issuer itself:
   1. Information contained in the Open Badge for which the Recipient has opted for disclosure, including:
   • Date of issuance
   • Issuer
   • Status information such as expiration or revocation
   • Name, date of birth, affiliation, email address, student ID, employee ID, membership ID, facial photograph
   • Description, acquisition criteria, skills, expiration date
   • Information recorded in the evidence section by the Issuer
   1. Information contained in the Open Badge issued by the Issuer, including the same categories as listed above.
   2. Information personally recorded by the Recipient in the Open Badge Wallet, including:
   • Name
   • Image
   • Profile
   • Message content

Chapter 6: Service Conditions, Change of Contents, Suspension and Cessation

Article 30 (Service Conditions)

The Company may monitor the use of the Service in relation to the operation of the Service and, if the Company deems it to be necessary, may restrict access to the Service according to the Company’s discretion.

Article 31 (Change of Service Contents, etc.)

The Company may change the contents and naming of the Service without prior notice to the Recipients.

Article 32 (Temporary Suspension of the Service)

1. The Company may temporarily suspend the Service without prior notice to the Recipients in the event of any of the following conditions:
   1. When there is trouble on the internet, and internet access becomes unavailable;
   2. If a problem occurs with the telecommunication facilities owned by the internet connection service provider the Company’s internet contractor for the Service, and internet access becomes unavailable;
   3. In the event of periodic or emergency maintenance of the Service equipment, etc. If the maintenance is to be performed on a regular basis, the Recipients shall be notified at least one (1) month in advance;
   4. In the event that the Service cannot be provided due to fire, power outage, etc.;
   5. If the provision of the Service becomes impossible due to natural disaster, such as earthquake, volcanic eruption, flood, or tsunami;
   6. If the provision of the Service becomes impossible due to the spread of an epidemic or contagious disease;
   7. If the provision of the Service becomes impossible due to war, unrest, riot, disturbance, or labor dispute, etc.;
   8. In any other cases when the Company deems it necessary to temporarily suspend the Service for operational or technical reasons.
2. The Company shall be exempted from liability for any damages suffered by the Recipient or a third party in case any delay or interruption of the provision of the Service occurs due to any of, or any other, reasons listed above.

Article 33 (Discontinuation of Service Provision)

The Company may discontinue the provision of all or part of the Service. In this case, the Company shall notify the Recipients at least three (3) months in advance.
This prior notification does not apply in case of an emergency or unavoidable situation.

Article 34 (Disclaimers)

1. The content of the Service shall be limited to what the Company is able to provide at the time of provision.
2. The Company shall not be liable for any damages incurred by the Recipient because of using the Service, including damages arising from disputes with third parties. Likewise, the Company shall not be liable for any damages incurred by third parties and shall bear no obligation to compensate for such damages.
3. With respect to paid services directly provided by the Company, the Company shall not be liable for any damages incurred by the Recipient unless such damages are caused by the Company’s willful misconduct or gross negligence. In such cases, the Company’s liability for damages shall be limited to the amount of fees paid by the Recipient for the relevant service. Furthermore, paid services provided by third-party companies introduced by the Company and contracted directly by the Recipient shall be the sole responsibility of the respective service provider. The Company makes no guarantees regarding the content, quality, or availability of such services and shall bear no liability whatsoever.
4. The Company shall not be liable for any damages incurred by the Recipient or any third party due to inability to use the Service resulting from access restrictions, suspension, or discontinuation of the Service, regardless of the reason. The Company shall bear no obligation to compensate for such damages.

Chapter 7: Other items

Article 35 (Consultation)

If any dispute or conflict occurs between the Recipient and the Company in relation to the Service, the parties concerned shall consult or negotiate with each other in good faith.

Article 36 (Court of Exclusive Jurisdiction)

If a lawsuit becomes necessary between a Recipient and the Company, the Tokyo District Court shall be the exclusive jurisdictional court of first instance between the Recipient and the Company.

Article 37 (Governing Law)

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Japan.

Article 38 (Language)

These Terms are originally written in Japanese. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between the English version and any translated version, the Japanese version shall prevail in all respects.

Supplementary provisions

The revision of these terms will take effect on December 1, 2024.
The revision of these Terms shall take effect on November 21, 2025.
The revision of these Terms shall take effect on March 23, 2026.