Terms Of Service

Welcome, and thank you for your interest in Cloudary Holdings Limited, operating the Webnovel service (“Webnovel,” “we,” or “ us”) and our websites at www.webnovel.com, along with other related websites, networks, applications, and other services provided by us (collectively, our “ Service”). These Terms of Service are a legally binding contract between you and Webnovel regarding your use of the Service.

PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING TERMS CAREFULLY. BY CLICKING “I ACCEPT,” OR BY DOWNLOADING, INSTALLING, OR OTHERWISE ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICE, YOU ACKNOWLEDGE THAT YOU HAVE READ, UNDERSTOOD, AND AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THE FOLLOWING TERMS AND CONDITIONS, INCLUDING THE WEBNOVEL PRIVACY POLICY (TOGETHER, THE “TERMS”). If you are not eligible, or do not agree to the Terms, then you do not have our permission to use the Service.

These Terms provide that all disputes between you and Webnovel will be resolved by BINDING ARBITRATION. YOU AGREE TO GIVE UP YOUR RIGHT TO GO TO COURT to assert or defend your rights under this contract, except for matters that may be taken to small claims court. Your rights will be determined by a NEUTRAL ARBITRATOR and NOT a judge or jury, and your claims cannot be brought as a class action. Please review Section 20 (Dispute Resolution and Arbitration) for the details regarding your agreement to arbitrate any disputes with Webnovel.

  1. 1.Webnovel Service Overview. Webnovel operates and maintains an online literature platform which provides online reading services, literature content generation services, and comics content distribution services.
  2. 2.Eligibility. You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Service. By agreeing to these Terms, you represent and warrant to us that: (a) you are at least 13 years of age; (b) you have not previously been suspended or removed from the Service; and (c) your registration and your use of the Service is in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. If you are using the Service on behalf of an entity, organization, or company, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms and you agree to be bound by these Terms on behalf of that organization.
  3. 3.Accounts and Registration.  To access most features of the Service, you must register for an account. When you register for an account, you may be required to provide us with some information about yourself, such as your email address or other contact information. You agree that the information you provide to us is accurate and that you will keep it accurate and up-to-date at all times. When you register, you will be asked to provide a password. You are solely responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account and password, and you accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account. If you have reason to believe that your account is no longer secure, then you must immediately notify us at service@webnovel.com.

  4. 4.Payment Terms. Access to the Service, or to certain features of the Service, may require you to pay fees. Before you pay any fees, you will have an opportunity to review and accept the fees that you will be charged. All fees are in U.S. dollars and are non-refundable.

    1. 4.1Price. Webnovel reserves the right to determine pricing for the Service. Webnovel will make reasonable efforts to keep pricing information published on the website up to date. We encourage you to check our website periodically for current pricing information. Webnovel may change the fees for any feature of the Service, including additional fees or charges, if Webnovel gives you advance notice of changes before they apply. Webnovel, at its sole discretion, may make promotional offers with different features and different pricing to any of Webnovel’s customers. These promotional offers, unless made to you, will not apply to your offer or these Terms.
    2. 4.2Authorization. Webnovel will charge the payment method you specify at the time of purchase. You authorize Webnovel to charge to that payment method all sums for orders that you make and any level of Service you select as described in these Terms or published by the Company. If you pay any fees with a credit card, Webnovel may seek pre-authorization of your credit card account prior to your purchase to verify that the credit card is valid and has the necessary funds or credit available to cover your purchase. Payment processing services are provided by the third-party service through which the purchase is made (e.g., Apple In-App Purchases, Google Play, PayPay).
    3. 4.3Subscriptions.
    4. a.Subscription and Auto-Renewals.The Service may allow you to subscribe to a plan (“Subscription Plan”) for which you will be periodically billed the amounts indicated to you at the time of your subscription, as may be updated from time to time by Webnovel, on a forward-going basis, upon notice to you (the “Subscription Fee”). When you subscribe to a Subscription Plan, the Subscription Plan will be billed on a periodic basis. You hereby authorize Webnovel to charge you on a going-forward basis and until cancellation of either the Subscription Plan or your account. The “Subscription Billing Date” is the day of the month when you sign up to your Subscription Plan. Your account will be charged automatically on the Subscription Billing Date all applicable fees and taxes for the next subscription period.
    5. BY PURCHASING A SUBSCRIPTION, YOU AGREE THAT YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL AUTOMATICALLY RENEW FOR SUCCESSIVE PERIODS UNLESS YOU CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION OR ACCOUNT AS FURTHER DESCRIBED BELOW.
    6. b.Refunds; Cancellation. YOU MAY CANCEL YOUR SUBSCRIPTION PLAN AT ANY TIME, IN WHICH CASE YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL EXPIRE AT THE END OF THAT SUBSCRIPTION PERIOD (AND UPON WHICH EXPIRATION YOUR SUBCRIPTION WILL NO LONGER BE RENEWED OR CHARGED). You must cancel your Subscription Plan before it renews in order to avoid billing of the next periodic Subscription Fee to your account. We will bill the periodic Subscription Fee to the payment method you provide to us during registration (or to a different payment method if you change your payment information). You may cancel your Subscription Plan [(i)For Apple phones, users can go to Settings>Itunes & App Store. Click Apple ID and choose Apple ID. They can enter their User Settings page to click, Subscription. Choose Webnovel to cancel the subscription. (ii)For Android Phones, users can go to the corresponding Google Play store choice to cancel the subscription.]
    7. 4.4Delinquent Accounts. Webnovel may suspend or terminate access to the Service, including fee-based portions of the Service, for any account for which any amount is due but unpaid. In addition to the amount due for the Service, a delinquent account will be charged with fees or charges that are incidental to any chargeback or collection of any the unpaid amount, including collection fees.

  5. 5.Licenses

    1. 5.1Limited License. Subject to your complete and ongoing compliance with these Terms, Webnovel grants you, solely for your personal, non-commercial use, a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to: (a) install and use one object code copy of any mobile application associated with the Service obtained from a legitimate marketplace (whether installed by you or pre-installed on your mobile device by the device manufacturer) on a mobile device that you own or control; and (b) access and use the Service.
    2. 5.2License Restrictions. Except and solely to the extent such a restriction is impermissible under applicable law, you may not: (a) reproduce, distribute, publicly display, or publicly perform the Service; (b) make modifications to the Service; or (c) interfere with or circumvent any feature of the Service, including any security or access control mechanism. If you are prohibited under applicable law from using the Service, you may not use it.

  6. 6.User Content

    1. 6.1User Content Generally. Certain features of the Service may permit users to upload content to the Service, including original literary works (such as fictions, short stories, essays, etc.), suggestions, messages, comments, reviews, photos, video, images, folders, data, text, and other types of works (“User Content”) and to publish User Content on the Service. You retain copyright and any other proprietary rights that you may hold in the User Content that you post to the Service.
    2. 6.2Limited License Grant to Webnovel. By posting or publishing User Content, you grant Webnovel a worldwide and non-exclusive right and license (with the right to sublicense to Webnovel affiliates solely in connection with their provision of the Services) to host, store, transfer, display, perform, reproduce, transmit, broadcast, modify (which is made solely for the purpose of formatting for display), and distribute your User Content, in whole or in part, in any media formats only through our Services.
    3. 6.3Limited License Grant to Other Users. By posting or sharing User Content with other users of the Service, you grant those users a non-exclusive license to access and use that User Content as permitted by these Terms and the functionality of the Service.

    4. 6.4User Content Representations and Warranties. You are solely responsible for any User Content that you post or publish on the Service, and you are responsible for the consequences of posting or publishing such User Content. By posting or publishing User Content, you affirm, represent, and warrant that:

      1. a.you are the creator or owner of the User Content, or have the necessary licenses, rights, consents, and permissions to authorize Webnovel and users of the Service to use and distribute your User Content as necessary to exercise the licenses granted by you in this section, in the manner contemplated by Webnovel, the Service, and these Terms;
      2. b.your User Content, and the use of your User Content as contemplated by these Terms, does not and will not: (i) infringe, violate, or misappropriate any third-party right, including any copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other intellectual property or proprietary right; (ii) slander, defame, libel, or invade the right of privacy, publicity or other property rights of any other person; or (iii) any other Webnovel policies or guidelines to which your User Content is subject; (iv) cause Webnovel to violate any law or regulation.
    5. 6.5User Content Disclaimer. We are under no obligation to edit or control User Content that you or other users post or publish, and will not be in any way responsible or liable for User Content. Webnovel may, however, at any time and without prior notice, screen, remove, edit, or block any User Content that in our sole judgment violates these Terms or is otherwise objectionable. You understand that when using the Service you will be exposed to User Content from a variety of sources and acknowledge that User Content may be inaccurate, offensive, indecent, or objectionable. Webnovel does not endorse any User Content or any opinion, recommendation, or advice expressed in any User Content. You agree to waive, and do waive, any legal or equitable right or remedy you have or may have against Webnovel with respect to User Content. We expressly disclaim any and all liability in connection with User Content. If notified by a user or content owner that User Content allegedly does not conform to these Terms, we may investigate the allegation and determine in our sole discretion whether to remove the User Content, which we reserve the right to do at any time and without notice. For clarity, Webnovel does not permit copyright-infringing activities on the Service.

  7. 7.Digital Millennium Copyright Act

  8. 7.1DMCA Notification. We comply with the provisions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act applicable to Internet service providers (17 U.S.C. §512, as amended). If you have an intellectual property rights-related complaint about material posted on the Service, you may contact our Designated Agent at the following address:

    Cloudary Holdings Limited

    ATTN: Legal Department (Copyright Notification)

    5301, 53/F., The Center, 99 Queen's Road Central, Hong Kong.

    Email: dmca@webnovel.com

    Any notice alleging that materials hosted by or distributed through the Service infringe intellectual property rights must include the following information:

    1. a.an electronic or physical signature of the person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of the copyright or other right being infringed;
    2. b.a description of the copyright-protected work or other intellectual property right that you claim has been infringed;
    3. c.a description of the material that you claim is infringing and where it is located on the Service;
    4. d.your address, telephone number, and email address;
    5. e.a statement by you that you have a good faith belief that the use of those materials on the Service is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
    6. f.a statement by you that the above information in your notice is accurate and that, under penalty of perjury, you are the copyright or intellectual property owner or authorized to act on the copyright or intellectual property owner's behalf.

  9. 7.2Repeat Infringers. Webnovel will promptly terminate without notice the accounts of users that are determined by Webnovel to be “Repeat Infringers.” A Repeat Infringer is a user who has been notified of infringing activity or has had User Content removed from the Service at least twice.

  10. 8.Prohibited Conduct. By using the service you agree NOT to:

    1. a.use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law;
    2. b.violate, or encourage others to violate, any right of a third party, including by infringing or misappropriating any third party intellectual property right;
    3. c.post, upload, or distribute any User Content or other content that is unlawful, defamatory, libelous, inaccurate, or that a reasonable person could deem to be objectionable, profane, indecent, pornographic, harassing, threatening, embarrassing, hateful, or otherwise inappropriate;
    4. d.interfere with security-related features of the Service, including by: (a) disabling or circumventing features that prevent or limit use or copying of any content; or (b) reverse engineering or otherwise attempting to discover the source code of any portion of the Service except to the extent that the activity is expressly permitted by applicable law;
    5. e.interfere with the operation of the Service or any user’s enjoyment of the Service, including by: (a) uploading or otherwise disseminating any virus, adware, spyware, worm, or other malicious code; (b) making any unsolicited offer or advertisement to another user of the Service; (c) attempting to collect personal information about another user or third party without consent; or (d) interfering with or disrupting any network, equipment, or server connected to or used to provide the Service, or violating any regulation, policy, or procedure of any such network, equipment, or server;
    6. f.perform any fraudulent activity including impersonating any person or entity, claiming a false affiliation, accessing any other Service account without permission, or falsifying your age or date of birth;
    7. g.sell or otherwise transfer the access granted under these Terms or any Materials (as defined in Section 13) or any right or ability to view, access, or use any Material;
    8. h.solicit, for commercial purposes, any users of the Service with respect to their User Content;
    9. i.attempt to do any of the acts described in this Section 8, or assist or permit any person in engaging in any of the acts described in this Section 8.
  11. 9.Third-Party Services and Linked Websites. Webnovel may provide tools through the Service that enable you to export information, including User Content, to third party services, including through features that allow you to link your account on Webnovel with an account on the third party service, such as Twitter or Facebook, or through our implementation of third party buttons (such as “like” or “share” buttons). By using one of these tools, you agree that we may transfer that information to the applicable third-party service. Third party services are not under our control, and we are not responsible for any third party service’s use of your exported information. The Service may also contain links to third-party websites. Linked websites are not under our control, and we are not responsible for their content.
  12. 10.Termination of Use; Discontinuation and Modification of the Service. You may terminate your account at any time by contacting customer service at service@webnovel.com. If you terminate your account, you remain obligated to pay all outstanding fees, if any, incurred prior to termination relating to your use of the Service. If you violate any provision of these Terms, your permission from us to use the Service will terminate automatically. In addition, Webnovel may in its sole discretion terminate your user account on the Service or suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time for any reason or no reason, with or without notice. We also reserve the right to modify or discontinue the Service at any time (including by limiting or discontinuing certain features of the Service), temporarily or permanently, without notice to you. We will have no liability whatsoever on account of any change to the Service or any suspension or termination of your access to or use of the Service.

  13. 11.Privacy Policy; Additional Terms

    1. 11.1.Privacy Policy. Please read the Webnovel Privacy Policy carefully for information relating to our collection, use, storage and disclosure of your personal information. The Webnovel Privacy Policy is incorporated by this reference into, and made a part of, these Terms.
    2. 11.2.Additional Terms. Your use of the Service is subject to all additional terms, policies, rules, or guidelines applicable to the Service or certain features of the Service that we may post on or link to from the Service (the “Additional Terms”), such as end-user license agreements for any downloadable software applications, or rules that applicable to a particular feature or content on the Service, subject to Section 12. All Additional Terms are incorporated by this reference into, and made a part of, these Terms.
  14. 12.Modification of these Terms. We reserve the right, at our discretion, to change these Terms on a going-forward basis at any time. Please check these Terms periodically for changes. Material modifications are effective upon your acceptance of the modified Terms. Immaterial modifications are effective upon publication. Disputes arising under these Terms will be resolved in accordance with the version of these Terms that was in effect at the time the dispute arose.
  15. 13.Ownership; Proprietary Rights. The Service is owned and operated by Webnovel. The visual interfaces, graphics, design, compilation, information, data, computer code (including source code or object code), products, software, services, and all other elements of the Service (“Materials”) provided by Webnovel are protected by intellectual property and other laws. All Materials included in the Service are the property of Webnovel or our third-party licensors. Except as expressly authorized by Webnovel, you may not make use of the Materials. Webnovel reserves all rights to the Materials not granted expressly in these Terms.
  16. 14.Feedback. If you choose to provide input and suggestions regarding problems with or proposed modifications or improvements to the Service (“Feedback”), then you hereby grant Webnovel an unrestricted, perpetual, irrevocable, non-exclusive, fully-paid, royalty-free right to exploit the Feedback in any manner and for any purpose, including to improve the Service and create other products and services.
  17. 15.Indemnity.You are responsible for your use of the Service, and you will defend and indemnify Webnovel and its officers, directors, employees, consultants, affiliates, subsidiaries and agents (together, the “Webnovel Entities”) from and against every claim, liability, damage, loss, and expense, including reasonable attorneys' fees and costs, arising out of or in any way connected with: (a) your access to, use of, or alleged use of, the Service; (b) your violation of any portion of these Terms, any representation, warranty, or agreement referenced in these Terms, or any applicable law or regulation; (c) your violation of any third-party right, including any intellectual property right or publicity, confidentiality, other property, or privacy right; or (d) any dispute or issue between you and any third party. We reserve the right, at our own expense, to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you (without limiting your indemnification obligations with respect to that matter), and in that case, you agree to cooperate with our defense of that claim.

  18. 16.Disclaimers; No Warranties

    THE SERVICE AND ALL MATERIALS AND CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND ON AN “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTY OR CONDITION OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. THE WEBNOVEL ENTITIES DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, RELATING TO THE SERVICE AND ALL MATERIALS AND CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE, INCLUDING: (A) ANY IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, QUIET ENJOYMENT, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT; AND (B) ANY WARRANTY ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING, USAGE, OR TRADE. THE WEBNOVEL ENTITIES DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE OR ANY PORTION OF THE SERVICE, OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT OFFERED THROUGH THE SERVICE, WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, SECURE, OR FREE OF ERRORS, VIRUSES, OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS, AND DO NOT WARRANT THAT ANY OF THOSE ISSUES WILL BE CORRECTED.

    NO ADVICE OR INFORMATION, WHETHER ORAL OR WRITTEN, OBTAINED BY YOU FROM THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE WILL CREATE ANY WARRANTY REGARDING ANY OF THE WEBNOVEL ENTITIES OR THE SERVICE THAT IS NOT EXPRESSLY STATED IN THESE TERMS. YOU ASSUME ALL RISK FOR ANY DAMAGE THAT MAY RESULT FROM YOUR USE OF OR ACCESS TO THE SERVICE, YOUR DEALING WITH ANY OTHER SERVICE USER, AND ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT AVAILABLE THROUGH THE SERVICE. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT YOU USE THE SERVICE, AND USE, ACCESS, DOWNLOAD, OR OTHERWISE OBTAIN MATERIALS OR CONTENT THROUGH THE SERVICE AND ANY ASSOCIATED SITES OR SERVICES, AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION AND RISK, AND THAT YOU ARE SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE TO YOUR PROPERTY (INCLUDING YOUR COMPUTER SYSTEM OR MOBILE DEVICE USED IN CONNECTION WITH THE SERVICE), OR THE LOSS OF DATA THAT RESULTS FROM THE USE OF THE SERVICE OR THE DOWNLOAD OR USE OF THAT MATERIAL OR CONTENT.

    SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY PROHIBIT A DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES AND YOU MAY HAVE OTHER RIGHTS THAT VARY FROM JURISDICTION TO JURISDICTION

  19. 17.Limitation of Liability

    IN NO EVENT WILL THE WEBNOVEL ENTITIES BE LIABLE TO YOU FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES (INCLUDING DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, OR ANY OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSS) ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF, OR YOUR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE, THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS OR CONTENT ON THE SERVICE, WHETHER BASED ON WARRANTY, CONTRACT, TORT (INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE), STATUTE, OR ANY OTHER LEGAL THEORY, AND WHETHER OR NOT ANY WEBNOVEL ENTITY HAS BEEN INFORMED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF DAMAGE.

    EXCEPT AS PROVIDED IN SECTION 20.4(iii), THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF THE WEBNOVEL ENTITIES TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THE USE OF OR ANY INABILITY TO USE ANY PORTION OF THE SERVICE OR OTHERWISE UNDER THESE TERMS, WHETHER IN CONTRACT, TORT, OR OTHERWISE, IS LIMITED TO THE GREATER OF: (A) THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO WEBNOVEL FOR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SERVICE IN THE 12 MONTHS PRIOR TO THE EVENT(S) OR CIRCUMSTANCES GIVING RISE TO CLAIM; OR (B) $100.

    SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES. ACCORDINGLY, THE ABOVE LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

    EACH PROVISION OF THESE TERMS THAT PROVIDES FOR A LIMITATION OF LIABILITY, DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTIES, OR EXCLUSION OF DAMAGES IS INTENDED TO AND DOES ALLOCATE THE RISKS BETWEEN THE PARTIES UNDER THESE TERMS. THIS ALLOCATION IS AN ESSENTIAL ELEMENT OF THE BASIS OF THE BARGAIN BETWEEN THE PARTIES. EACH OF THESE PROVISIONS IS SEVERABLE AND INDEPENDENT OF ALL OTHER PROVISIONS OF THESE TERMS. THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS SECTION 17 WILL APPLY EVEN IF ANY LIMITED REMEDY FAILS OF ITS ESSENTIAL PURPOSE.

  20. 18.Governing Law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the Special Administrative Region of Hong Kong without regard to conflict of law principles. If a lawsuit or court proceeding is permitted under these Terms, you and Webnovel agree to submit to the personal and exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located within Hong Kong. We operate the Service from our offices in Building 6, No. 690 Bibo Rd, Zhangjiang, Pudong, Shanghai, P.R. China, and we make no representation that Materials included in the Service are appropriate or available for use in other locations.
  21. 19.General. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other agreements expressly incorporated by reference into these Terms, are the entire and exclusive understanding and agreement between you and Webnovel regarding your use of the Service. Except as expressly permitted above, these Terms may be amended only by a written agreement signed by authorized representatives of all parties to these Terms. You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under these Terms, in whole or in part, by operation of law or otherwise, without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms at any time without notice or consent. The failure to require performance of any provision will not affect our right to require performance at any other time after that, nor will a waiver by us of any breach or default of these Terms, or any provision of these Terms, be a waiver of any subsequent breach or default or a waiver of the provision itself. Use of section headers in these Terms is for convenience only and will not have any impact on the interpretation of any provision. If any part of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the unenforceable part will be given effect to the greatest extent possible, and the remaining parts will remain in full force and effect. Upon termination of these Terms, Sections 2, 4, 5 and 6 through 20, along with the Privacy Policy and any other accompanying agreements, will survive.

  22. 20.Dispute Resolution and Arbitration

    1. 20.1.Generally. In the interest of resolving disputes between you and Webnovel in the most expedient and cost effective manner, you and Webnovel agree that every dispute arising in connection with these Terms will be resolved by binding arbitration. Arbitration is less formal than a lawsuit in court. Arbitration uses a neutral arbitrator instead of a judge or jury, may allow for more limited discovery than in court, and can be subject to very limited review by courts. Arbitrators can award the same damages and relief that a court can award. This agreement to arbitrate disputes includes all claims arising out of or relating to any aspect of these Terms, whether based in contract, tort, statute, fraud, misrepresentation, or any other legal theory, and regardless of whether a claim arises during or after the termination of these Terms. YOU UNDERSTAND AND AGREE THAT, BY ENTERING INTO THESE TERMS, YOU AND Webnovel ARE EACH WAIVING THE RIGHT TO A TRIAL BY JURY OR TO PARTICIPATE IN A CLASS ACTION.
    2. 20.2.Exceptions. Despite the provisions of Section 20.1, nothing in these Terms will be deemed to waive, preclude, or otherwise limit the right of either party to: (a) bring an individual action in small claims court; (b) pursue an enforcement action through the applicable federal, state, or local agency if that action is available; (c) seek injunctive relief in a court of law; or (d) to file suit in a court of law to address an intellectual property infringement claim.
    3. 20.3.Arbitrator. Any arbitration between you and Webnovel will be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (”HKIAC”) under the Administrative Arbitration Rules of the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre in force when the notice of arbitration is submitted. The HKIAC Rules and filing forms are available online at www.hkiac.org, by calling the HKIAC at (+852) 2525-2381, or by contacting Webnovel.
    4. 20.4.Notice; Process. A party who intends to seek arbitration must first send a written notice of the dispute to the other party by certified mail or by international express courier services (signature required) or, only if such other party has not provided a current physical address, then by electronic mail (“Notice”). Webnovel's address for Notice is: Cloudary Holdings Limited, Building 6, No. 690 Bibo Rd, Zhangjiang, Pudong, Shanghai, P.R. China. The Notice must: (a) describe the nature and basis of the claim or dispute; and (b) set forth the specific relief sought (“Demand”). The parties will make good faith efforts to resolve the claim directly, but if the parties do not reach an agreement to do so within 30 days after the Notice is received, you or Webnovel may commence an arbitration proceeding. During the arbitration, the amount of any settlement offer made by you or Webnovel must not be disclosed to the arbitrator until after the arbitrator makes a final decision and award, if any. If the dispute is finally resolved through arbitration in your favor, Webnovel will pay you the highest of the following: (i) the amount awarded by the arbitrator, if any; (ii) the last written settlement amount offered by Webnovel in settlement of the dispute prior to the arbitrator’s award; or (iii) $1,000.
    5. 20.5.Fees. If you commence arbitration in accordance with these Terms, Webnovel will reimburse you for your payment of the filing fee, unless your claim is for more than $10,000, in which case the payment of any fees will be decided by the HKIAC Rules. Any arbitration hearing will take place at a location to be agreed upon in Hong Kong, but if the claim is for $10,000 or less, you may choose whether the arbitration will be conducted: (a) solely on the basis of documents submitted to the arbitrator; (b) through a non-appearance based telephone hearing; or (c) by an in-person hearing as established by the HKIAC Rules in the county (or parish) of your billing address. If the arbitrator finds that either the substance of your claim or the relief sought in the Demand is frivolous or brought for an improper purpose, then the payment of all fees will be governed by the HKIAC Rules. In that case, you agree to reimburse Webnovel for all monies previously disbursed by it that are otherwise your obligation to pay under the HKIAC Rules. Regardless of the manner in which the arbitration is conducted, the arbitrator must issue a reasoned written decision sufficient to explain the essential findings and conclusions on which the decision and award, if any, are based. The arbitrator may make rulings and resolve disputes as to the payment and reimbursement of fees or expenses at any time during the proceeding and upon request from either party made within 14 days of the arbitrator’s ruling on the merits.
    6. 20.6.No Class Actions. YOU AND WEBNOVEL AGREE THAT EACH MAY BRING CLAIMS AGAINST THE OTHER ONLY IN YOUR OR ITS INDIVIDUAL CAPACITY AND NOT AS A PLAINTIFF OR CLASS MEMBER IN ANY PURPORTED CLASS OR REPRESENTATIVE PROCEEDING. Further, unless both you and Webnovel agree otherwise, the arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person’s claims, and may not otherwise preside over any form of a representative or class proceeding.
    7. 20.7.Modifications to this Arbitration Provision. If Webnovel makes any future change to this arbitration provision, other than a change to Webnovel's address for Notice, you may reject the change by sending us written notice within 30 days of the change to Webnovel's address for Notice, in which case your account with Webnovel will be immediately terminated and this arbitration provision, as in effect immediately prior to the changes you rejected will survive.
    8. 20.8.Enforceability. If Section 20.6 is found to be unenforceable or if the entirety of this Section 20 is found to be unenforceable, then the entirety of this Section 20 will be null and void and, in that case, the parties agree that the exclusive jurisdiction and venue described in Section 18 will govern any action arising out of or related to these Terms.
  23. 21.Consent to Electronic Communications. By using the Service, you consent to receiving certain electronic communications from us as further described in our Privacy Policy. Please read our Privacy Policy to learn more about our electronic communications practices. You agree that any notices, agreements, disclosures, or other communications that we send to you electronically will satisfy any legal communication requirements, including that those communications be in writing.
  24. 22.Contact Information. The Service is offered by Cloudary Holdings Limited, located at Building 6, No. 690 Bibo Rd, Zhangjiang, Pudong, Shanghai, P.R. China. You may contact us by sending correspondence to that address or by emailing us at service@webnovel.com.
  25. 23.Notice Regarding Apple. If you are using our mobile applications on an iOS device, the terms of this Section 23 apply. You acknowledge that these Terms are between you and Webnovel only, not with Apple, and Apple is not responsible for the Service or its content. Apple has no obligation to furnish any maintenance or support services with respect to the Service. If the Service fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple and Apple will refund any applicable purchase price for the mobile application to you; and, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Apple has no other warranty obligation with respect to the Service. Apple is not responsible for addressing any claim by you or any third party relating to the Service or your possession or use of the Service, including: (a) product liability claims; (b) any claim that the Service fails to conform to any applicable legal or regulatory requirement; and (c) claims arising under consumer protection or similar legislation. Apple is not responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement or discharge of any third party claim that the Service or your possession and use of the mobile application infringe that third party’s intellectual property rights. You agree to comply with any applicable third party terms when using the Service. Apple and Apple’s subsidiaries are third party beneficiaries of these Terms, and upon your acceptance of these Terms, Apple will have the right (and will be deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these Terms against you. You hereby represent and warrant that: (i) you are not located in a country that is subject to a U.S. Government embargo, or that has been designated by the U.S. Government as a “terrorist supporting” country; and (ii) you are not listed on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.