Bigpoint GmbH operates an online gaming portal at www.bigpoint.com (hereinafter referred to as Bigpoint). A range of online games as well as other services is offered on the Bigpoint website. These services include, for example, the possibility of creating a profile page, participating in blogs and forums, uploading media such as photographs, texts and games and purchasing virtual items or other services. The players of Bigpoint GmbH’s games and services and the users of the online gaming portal Bigpoint.com are hereinafter referred to as “Users”. In the following general terms and conditions (hereinafter referred to as Terms & Conditions), references made to “Games” or “Services” will pertain to the games and/or services offered by Bigpoint GmbH.

Bigpoint GmbH offers Games and Services to users which are based exclusively on these Terms & Conditions. User Terms & Conditions are not considered part of the general contract unless Bigpoint approves these in writing.

The following Terms & Conditions apply to the use of the Bigpoint gaming portal as well as the online games and services of Bigpoint GmbH. The Games and Services can be accessed primarily through a personal computer connected to the Internet by telephone, ISDN, broadband or equivalent connection. In addition, it is possible to use various other Internet-capable devices, whereby the scope of operation and/or display characteristics may be limited.

These Terms & Conditions expressly exclude questions which might arise with regard to the establishment of Internet access, connection to websites and online games, and third-party software such as browsers or access software, as these Services are not provided by Bigpoint GmbH.

1.1.1 Bigpoint GmbH offers its games and services exclusively to Users with respect to Par. 13 of the German Civil Code (BGB). The use of Bigpoint games and services for pecuniary or any other commercial purposes is hereby prohibited.

1.1.2 Only those individuals who have reached the age of 18 or who have the express consent of their legal guardians at the time of registration are entitled to use the full scope of games and services provided by Bigpoint GmbH. Individuals under a certain age who have the express consent of their legal guardian may nonetheless be prohibited from participating in particular games due to age restrictions specifically applicable to those games.

1.1.3 At the time of registration for Bigpoint games and/or services, the User explicitly guarantees that (i) he/she is of legal age or (ii) he/she has obtained the express consent of his/her legal guardian.

1.2.1 Bigpoint GmbH offers its Users the possibility of using games and services which are offered by Bigpoint on the Internet subject to existing technical and commercial capabilities.

1.2.2 Participation in the games is for entertainment purposes only.

1.2.3 Bigpoint GmbH, as part of its services, stores certain information at Bigpoint.com and offers its Users the possibility of uploading information to the Internet and creating personal profiles, etc. which can be viewed by other users of Bigpoint games and services as well as by third parties. Furthermore, the User can also communicate with third parties via the Bigpoint portal, upload and exchange photographs, videos, games, music and other media, publish blogs and comments, and rate games, other users, third parties or transactions.

1.2.4 The use of Bigpoint games and services online is made possible through the provision of the necessary applications at the respective URLs by Bigpoint GmbH. Bigpoint GmbH also reserves the right to offer or sell its games on other digital media and which may have a range of features that differ from the online versions of said games. The sale of such games is not subject to these Terms & Conditions.

1.2.5 The use of Bigpoint games and services is expressly limited to individuals who previously created a customer account (hereinafter referred to as Account) at the time of registration. An Account can be created at the Bigpoint portal or at the URL of the respective game(s). An Account which has been created at the Bigpoint portal enables the User access to any of the games subject to the conditions set forth in Sec. 1.1 above.

1.2.6 Registration, i.e. an application to open an Account, can be accomplished by filling out a form and providing the information requested therein. The use of Bigpoint games and/or services will be permitted from the time an account is created for the user by Bigpoint GmbH.

1.2.7 A user is entitled to create multiple Accounts at the Bigpoint portal. Several games, however, prohibit the use of more than one Account by one and the same User (“prohibition of multi-accounts”). Detailed information is provided in the rules of the respective game(s). Bigpoint GmbH strongly recommends that all Users with multiple Accounts carefully read the respective rules of the game(s), because the use of multi-accounts in certain games can lead to an immediate suspension of the User.

Even in games where the user is permitted to have more than one Account, such Accounts may not communicate with each other or interact in any way, shape or manner (Ban on “pushing”). In particular, an Account may not be used to create advantages for another Account from the same User, for example, to transfer items or game currency from one Account to another Account of the same User, or to allow one Account to fight against another Account of the same User.

1.2.8 Once an Account has been created, the User may use the respective game and/or service by accessing the Bigpoint game portal or entering the respective URL and logging in thereafter.

1.2.9 The games and services can only be accessed by means of a standard web browser or special tools which have been provided or expressly approved by Bigpoint GmbH (Ban on of non-authorized scripts). In other words: The use of programs which cause excessive server load are strictly forbidden. The application of software to systematically or automatically control games or individual game functions such as bots, macros, etc. or to reproduce or evaluate games, game components or content provided on the Bigpoint platform is prohibited.

1.2.10 The User has no legal claim to open an Account or to publish information on the Bigpoint portal.

1.2.11 Current technical and other requirements for the Games and Services are available on the Bigpoint portal and/or the respective websites of the Games.

1.2.12 Bigpoint Games and Services are continuously being updated, adapted, enhanced and modified. For this reason, the User is only granted the right to use the current version of the respective Games and Services.

1.2.13 Use of the basic version of the Games is free. Some features are only available to paying customers (see Sec. 7 below). Use of the Services is free unless otherwise stipulated in the description of the respective Services.

1.2.14 The User has no legal claim to demand the perpetuation of Bigpoint Games and/or Services as they were at the time of concluding the contract. Bigpoint GmbH reserves the right to cease operation of individual Bigpoint Games and/or Services at any time without prior notice or justification. In this case, the User can choose to have Bigpoint GmbH issue him/her a credit for use with other Bigpoint Games or Services of his/her choice or request a refund for payments which he/she has made in advance for Services such as Premium benefits. The User’s right to terminate the agreement with immediate effect due to Games and/or Services which are unable to be used remains unaffected. Further claims made by the User are hereby prohibited unless otherwise expressly described in these Terms & Conditions.

2.1 By filling in the registration form for the Account, the User enters into a binding contract (hereinafter referred to as “User Application“) to use the Games and Services of Bigpoint GmbH . For this purpose, all fields of the registration form marked as being “required” must be filled in completely and correctly.

2.2 The agreement between Bigpoint GmbH and the User is considered valid when Bigpoint GmbH approves the User Application. Confirmation of the User Application can be explicitly communicated by Bigpoint GmbH as a result of an action on the part of Bigpoint GmbH which allows the User access to the Games and/or Services of Bigpoint GmbH.

2.3 Bigpoint GmbH will promptly send a confirmation e-mail acknowledging receipt of the User application to the e-mail address provided by the User at the time of registration. This acknowledgement of receipt does not represent a binding approval of the User Application. The acceptance of the User application and the confirmation to access Bigpoint Games and Services can, however, be sent together with the acknowledgement e-mail.

The User can revoke his/her declaration of intent to enter into a contractual agreement for Bigpoint Games and Services and to order Premium features from Bigpoint GmbH without stating reasons within a period of two weeks in written form, either by letter, fax, or e-mail. This period shall begin at the earliest upon receipt of these instructions. The sending of the withdrawal within the revocation period satisfies the observance of the cancellation deadline. If the contractual agreement refers to Services offered by Bigpoint, the right of withdrawal shall expire if and when Bigpoint GmbH has started delivering these Services to the User with his/her explicit consent before the end of the revocation period, or the User has requested that Bigpoint start the Service(s). If the User has already begun using Bigpoint Games, Services and/or Premium benefits, the User is considered to have waived his/her right of withdrawal.
Please address the cancellation to:

If a cancellation is sent by e-mail, the name of the Game and/or Services and, if applicable, the Premium features plus the name of the User must be provided in the subject line of the e-mail.

In case of a valid withdrawal, Services or payments made by both parties must be returned and, if applicable, any associated utilization must be released. This means that payment(s) already made may not be completely reimbursed to the User if he/she used Bigpoint Games and/or Services before exercising his/her right of withdrawal.

Bigpoint GmbH guarantees that its Games and Services will be available 90% (ninety percent) of the time on a yearly average. Excluded from this percentage are time periods in which Bigpoint portal servers, individual Games and/or Services are not available on the Internet due to technical or other problems which are outside the control of Bigpoint GmbH, such as force majeure, third-party fault, etc. as well as periods in which routine maintenance work is carried out. Bigpoint GmbH can restrict access to its Games and Services if required for network security and preservation of network integrity, especially with regard to the prevention of severe breakdowns or interruptions of the network, software or stored data.

5.1 The User accepts these Terms & Conditions as binding by submitting his/her User Application and using Bigpoint Games and/or Services. These Terms & Conditions apply for each login to the Bigpoint portal, especially when any of the Bigpoint Games and/or Services are used. The Terms & Conditions can be printed out or saved onto digital media before sending the User Application.

5.2 Bigpoint GmbH reserves the right to change or amend these Terms & Conditions with regard to future arrangements at any given time, provided this is deemed necessary and if the User is not put at a disadvantage in a breach of good faith.

5.3 The User will be notified in an appropriate manner in writing of the changes made to the Terms & Conditions. As a general rule, such announcements are usually published on the Bigpoint GmbH websites where Bigpoint Games and/or Services are offered, or by e-mail. Changes to the Terms & Conditions will always be provided to the User with a highlighted announcement at the next login.

5.4 The User can object to the changes made in the Terms & Conditions within 14 days upon publishing the notification and their receipt by the user. If the User does not object to the changes made in the Terms & Conditions after publication and receipt of the notification of these changes in writing within 14 days and submit his/her objection(s) to Bigpoint GmbH, or he/she continues to use Bigpoint Games and/or Services, the Terms & Conditions which were changed or amended will be considered legally binding with respect to the User. If the User objects within the set time limit, both parties are entitled to terminate this agreement with a one-month notice unless both parties have the right to terminate without notice according to Sec 8.1 already exists. Until termination has been finalized, the original Terms & Conditions will remain in effect. Any payment made for Games and/or Services which extend beyond the termination date will be reimbursed to the User on a pro-rata basis. Further claims by the User are considered invalid.

5.5 Bigpoint GmbH, in the course of informing the User about such changes, will especially inform the User about the possibility of objecting to the changes, cancellation of services, the set time limit and legal ramifications in the case of failing to submit an objection.

5.6 Unless otherwise stipulated in these Terms & Conditions or in other agreements with the User, Bigpoint GmbH will generally communicate with the User by e-mail. The User will ensure that he/she can receive all e-mails sent by Bigpoint GmbH to the address he/she submitted to Bigpoint GmbH at the time of registration or subsequently. He/she is responsible for settings and maintenance of the spam filter and for regularly checking all incoming e-mail sent to this address. Bigpoint GmbH reserves the right to correspond with Users using whichever form of communication they deem necessary.

5.7 Upon contacting Bigpoint GmbH, the User will indicate which Games and/or Services and which game and/or service account his/her correspondence pertains to.

6.1 Instructions and rules of the Games and/or Services will be published on the Bigpoint portal or on the websites of the respective Games and/or Services.

6.2 The User is conciously aware that he/she plays together with numerous other Users in online games, and that he/she communicates with different Users of Services over the Bigpoint portal. In order to ensure successful interaction between the Users in the Games, it is imperative that the rules are observed by all Users. By using Bigpoint Games and/or Services, the User thereby acknowledges the rules and participation requirements as legally binding.

6.3 The User will also refrain from undertaking any other activity which could interfere with the normal operation of Bigpoint Games and/or Services or disrupt the successful interaction between Users in the Games.

Bigpoint GmbH provides Users access to the Games in principle as of the creation of a User Account (see Sec. 1.2 above). In this case, the User will initially only be provided with a basic version of the Game. The creation of an Account and the use of the basic version are free of charge. The basic version of the Game can be used indefinitely and without restrictions in Game function, without prejudice to Bigpoint GmbH’s right to withdraw the Game. In the basic version, the User does not have full access to all Game features.

The User has the option of receiving features which are not available in the basic version (hereinafter referred to as “Premium Features”) in return for payment. The Premium Features offered may vary from one Game to another. Information pertaining to the prices of the Premium Features offered, the functions included with these Premium Features and their requirements for use can be obtained from the website of each respective Game. Depending on the Premium Feature and price, a one-time payment may have to be made in order to credit an Account with features or items which may be used for certain purposes subject to the respective rules of a Game, or to make payments which are due periodically, such as on a daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, semiannual or yearly basis.

Bigpoint Games are continually being developed. Bigpoint GmbH therefore reserves the right to offer new Premium Features at any time. In the course of adapting and developing the Games, Bigpoint GmbH also reserves the right to discontinue individual Premium Features and/or to offer them in the basic version (see Sec. 7.1.1 above). If a User has already made advance payments for Premium Features and cannot use these Premium Features because they are no longer offered and/or are also offered in the free basic version, Bigpoint GmbH will offer the User other Premium Features of their choice as a substitute and/or reimburse the sum they have already paid on a pro-rata basis. In this case, the User has the right to terminate the contract with immediate effect. Further claims by the User are considered invalid.

If the User is not of legal age, he/she explicitly guarantees upon ordering such Premium Features that the necessary funds to pay for these Premium Features have either been given to him/her for this particular purpose or for him/her to use at his/her own personal discretion.

If there is a possibility of downloading software to a mobile phone allowing access to individual games, the rules for Premium Features will also apply for payment of these accrued costs.

If payments for Premium Features are to be made at regular intervals, the User effectively enters into a subscription for these Premium Features that will automatically be renewed if it is not cancelled by the User before the end of the set time limit as stipulated in Sec 8.2 below. The subscription terms are described in the rules for the respective Games.

Bigpoint GmbH is authorized to ask for advance payment for the use of Premium Features (see Sec. 7.1.2 above). Such payment will be due upon conclusion of the contract and will be debited from the bank account or charged to the credit card account provided by the User, inasmuch as the User has not opted for another form of payment, for example, payment by text message for Premium Features. The amount to be collected will be displayed as “WWW.BIGPOINT.COM” or Bigpoint GmbH on credit card bills or bank account statements.

Bigpoint GmbH reserves the right to reduce prices or to offer new products, services or methods of payment at any time either on a temporary or permanent basis. In addition, Bigpoint GmbH is authorized to change prices at any given time with six week’s notice either in writing or by e-mail sent to the address provided by the User. The changed price will take effect if the User does not object to the changed price within six weeks. The contractual relationship will be carried forward according to the conditions and prices which were changed. Bigpoint GmbH, in the course of notifying the User about these changes, will especially inform the User about the possibility of objecting to the changes, cancellation of services, the set time limit and legal ramifications in the case of failing to submit an objection.

If the User objects within the set time limit, both parties reserve the right to terminate this agreement at the end of one month, unless the right to terminate immediately according to Sec 8.1 already exists. Until termination of the contract, the original Terms & Conditions will remain in effect.

Any payment made for Games and/ or Services which extend beyond the termination date will be reimbursed to the User on a pro-rata basis. Further claims by the User are considered invalid.

In case of late payment, Bigpoint GmbH is authorized to charge interest set at 5% above the current base lending rate. Bigpoint GmbH is also entitled to discontinue Services and to suspend the User’s Account(s) if payment is overdue. During the Account suspension period, no charges for subscriptions which have been entered into will accrue. Bigpoint GmbH, however, is authorized to impose a processing fee for suspending an Account, for informing the User of Account suspension, for reactivating the Account or for creating a new Account upon payment in full. The amount of the processing fees can be found on the Bigpoint portal by accessing the respective Game and/or Service. The User is entitled to prove that no damage occurred or that a substantially lower level of damage was caused due to late payment.

If Bigpoint GmbH incurs costs and/or losses as a result of User default or insufficient User bank account funds, and/or if Bigpoint is charged a cancellation fee due to the cancellation of a direct debit payment, the User will bear all cancellation fees generated as a result of these actions.

Bigpoint GmbH is entitled to demand payment of the costs incurred from repeated attempts to debit the charges from the User’s account together with the original fees. If payment of fees is made by direct debit or credit card, and a debit reversal occurs, Bigpoint GmbH will charge a service fee of EUR 9.60 per direct debit/credit card transaction plus banking fees accrued. The User is entitled to prove that no damage occurred or that a substantially lower level of damage was caused due to late payment.

Bigpoint GmbH does not guarantee prizes to Users. In particular, the Users do not have the right to claim the payment of prizes, unless such a claim is explicitly outlined in these Terms & Conditions.

A claim to the payment of a prize can only be permitted if Bigpoint GmbH has explicitly offered/advertised such a prize.

A claim to the payment of a prize also does not exist if Bigpoint GmbH learns that a potential claim to a prize may be the result of technical or legal manipulations and/or the result of any other kind of criminal conduct, in general. By using Bigpoint Games and/or Services, Users thereby agree that Bigpoint GmbH may conduct a thorough investigation at any time pertaining to the legality of the claim for prizes, and while this claim is under investigation may withhold the payment of the prize from the User without his/her express consent. A claim to a prize will also be forfeited if the User has not complied with the rules of the Game. If there is reason to doubt a claim, it is up to the User to provide sufficient evidence that he/she complied with the rules of the Game. The User acknowledges and explicitly accepts this obligation to provide evidence even when it is not usually common legal practice to do so.

The User may only set off a claim by Bigpoint GmbH for outstanding accounts if his/her counterclaims cannot be disputed or have been declared legally binding. The User can only withhold payment if his/her counterclaim is related to the same Terms & Conditions. The right of the User to assign his/her claims to a third party is invalid.

Unless otherwise stipulated in the Service description, Services can be used free of charge. Furthermore, Sec. 7.1 through Sec. 7.5 apply to fee-based services.

All contracts entered into between the User and Bigpoint GmbH are valid for an indeterminate period of time unless a limited period of time has been expressly specified in the Terms & Conditions.

If a limited period of time has not been specified, each party has the right to terminate the contract at any time with immediate effect according to the respective termination procedure.

In the event that the Terms & Conditions for using the Games, Services and/or Premium Features have been accepted for a limited period of time (see Sec. 7.1.2 and Sec. 7.1.3), the following regulations shall apply. The contract for using the Games, Services and/or Premium Features will be automatically renewed for the same period of time as the original contract unless the subscription or contract for the use of Games, Services and/or Premium Features has been terminated by the user at least 14 days prior to the end of the term.

The right to terminate the contractual agreement can be exercised by either party without stating reasons.

The parties may also terminate the contractual agreement for using the Games, Services and/or Premium Features for important reasons at any time without prejudice to the above regulations.

In the event that Bigpoint GmbH is responsible for a premature termination of the contractual agreement for using the Games, Services and/or Premium Features for important reasons, the User will receive a pro-rata refund for any payments made by him/her (especially for Premium Features) which apply to the period after the termination becomes effective. All other claims of the User are considered invalid unless otherwise specified in these Terms & Conditions.

Bigpoint GmbH has the right to terminate the contractual agreement especially for, but not limited to, the following reasons:
- The User is late in paying fees of at least EUR 5.00 and has not paid despite having received two reminders.
- The User knowingly violates any law or the rules of the Games and/or Services, and does not discontinue his/her actions despite having received a warning. A warning is not required in case of a severe offense where it would be unreasonable to expect Bigpoint GmbH to remain bound by the contract.
- The User has not used his/her Account for a period of four weeks despite having received a reminder.

Cases in which it would be unreasonable to expect Bigpoint GmbH to remain bound by the contract generally include the following:
- The User violates criminal law.
- The User violates the prohibition of multi-accounts which may be stipulated in the respective Game’s rules (see Sec. 1.2 above).
- The User violates the prohibition of pushing (see Sec. 1.2 above).
- The User violates the prohibition of non-authorised scripts (see Sec. 1.2 above).
- The User deliberately provides false information upon registration (See Sec. 2, User application form) or while completing payment of Premium Features (see Sec. 7.1).

In the event that Bigpoint GmbH correctly terminates the contractual agreement for important reasons, Bigpoint GmbH is entitled to charge the amount of 75% percent of all fees which the User would have had to pay for the rest of the term had the User himself/herself terminated the contract within the set time limit as governed by the contractual agreement. The User’s right to prove that no damage occurred or that a substantially lower level of damage was caused due to the termination remains unaffected.

If there is no option for terminating the contract in the respective Games, the termination must be submitted in written form, whereas e-mail is considered to be in compliance with the requirement of written form. A termination for important reasons can only be declared in written form and must include the reason(s) for the cancellation.

The primary responsibility of the User is to pay the accrued fees, unless he/she uses the basic version of the Games and/or Services (see Sec. 7.1.1 above). Another principal responsibility of the user is to correctly and completely submit all information requested by Bigpoint GmbH upon entering into the contractual agreement or during the course of the contractual relation with the User. Therefore, the User declares that all information relating to his/her person or other facts relevant to the contract (especially bank or credit card details) and which he/she provides on the User application or during the course of the contractual agreement are complete and correct to the best of his/her knowledge. The User obligates himself/herself to inform Bigpoint GmbH about any changes to this information without undue delay. Upon request from Bigpoint GmbH, the User must confirm the information. The User is obliged to follow the game rules. In the case of repeated violation of the rules despite warnings to this effect, or in the case of a severe breach of the rules (see Sec. 8.3.1), Bigpoint GmbH reserves the right to suspend all services immediately and without warning, and to terminate the contract.

Bigpoint GmbH is not liable for damages or loss of data on the User’s computer which may be caused by the installation of software which does not originate from Bigpoint GmbH.

9.3.1 Bigpoint GmbH provides the available Games and Services online for use with a web browser. Bigpoint GmbH neither provides nor installs any of the software required by the user on his/her local computer, especially but not limited to the operating system, web browser(s) or plug-ins such as Flash or Java, if applicable. Bigpoint also does not provide any support services for such software installations. It is solely the User’s responsibility to maintain the computer in a state which enables the use of Bigpoint GmbH’s games. Therefore, Bigpoint GmbH does not provide any kind of technical support for the installation of locally-required software.

9.3.2 The User obliges himself/herself to treat all data provided by Bigpoint GmbH for the purpose of accessing the Games and Services (login, passwords etc.) in a strictly confidential manner. The User will inform Bigpoint GmbH without delay if he/she learns or suspects that an unauthorized third party has gained possession of said access data. Bigpoint GmbH advises the User to do this in written form, e.g. via e-mail. In the event that, through the negligence of the User, third parties misuse the access data to gain access to Bigpoint Games and/or Services, the User will be held liable for any and all fees and charges which are generated. Bigpoint GmbH is entitled to evaluate all entry into an account with the user's data as the entry of the user himself/herself into the account. For reasons of security, Bigpoint GmbH advises that passwords should be changed on a regular basis. The user is solely responsible for the use of his/her account.

9.3.3 In the event that Bigpoint GmbH has a justifiable reason to believe that an unauthorized third party is wrongly in possession of access data, Bigpoint GmbH may, at its own discretion, change the account access data without prior notice or suspend the respective Account. Bigpoint GmbH will promptly inform the rightful User and will, upon request, communicate the new access data to him or her without undue delay. The User has no right to demand that the original access data be restored.

9.3.4 Bigpoint GmbH protects its systems against viruses. Even so, virus infections can never be completely ruled out. Also, it is possible that unauthorized third parties may send e-mails using the name of Bigpoint GmbH without Bigpoint GmbH’s consent, and that such e-mails may contain viruses, spyware or links to web content which, in turn, may contain viruses or spyware. Bigpoint GmbH has no influence over such occurrences. The User agrees to check all incoming mail sent or supposedly sent by or in the name of Bigpoint GmbH for potential viruses. The same applies to mails from other Users of the Games or Services.

9.3.5 The User agrees to abide by the instructions of Bigpoint GmbH, its employees, assignees and vicarious agents, especially including but not limited to administrators and moderators of forums for a specific Game and/or Service.

9.3.6 The User agrees that he/she shall not, under any circumstances, use the Account, login name or password of another User.

9.4.1 The User shall exercise due care in the selection of the information which he/she makes available to other Users by uploading it to the Bigpoint portal.

9.4.2 The User shall not use the Service(s) to distribute content including but not limited to pictures, videos, links, names, words which contain political, religious, insulting, offensive, violent, sexist, pornographic or other objectionable matter, especially including racist, right extremist or left extremist content, persons or depictions. In addition, the User agrees not to use any copyrighted or otherwise legally protected terms, names, pictures, videos, music, games, or other material. In case of doubt, the User shall promptly remove any content challenged by Bigpoint GmbH. Bigpoint GmbH is also entitled to remove such questionable content on its own. The User will always respect any applicable laws and regulations, especially with regard to youth protection, data privacy, protection of personal rights, protection against slander and defamation, copyright laws and trademarks.

9.4.3 The User may not misuse the Service(s) for illegal or unauthorized purposes. It is strictly prohibited to use the account names or e-mail addresses of other Users without their express prior consent for the purpose of sending unsolicited e-mails, promotional messages or for any other commercial purposes.

9.4.4 Bigpoint GmbH is entitled to delete any content submitted by the User in culpable violation of the above-mentioned rules and regulations.

9.4.5 Bigpoint GmbH is especially entitled to delete any information in whole or in part which has been submitted by the User and which gives firm reasons to indicate a breach of these Terms and Conditions, the instructions and rules of the respective Service(s) or are otherwise in violation of applicable law. This, for example, includes but is not limited to :
- - information which is explicitly offensive, racist, fanatical, or glorifies violence;
- information which is of a molesting, insulting, threatening, obscene, defaming nature or is libelous to other persons;
- information which is sexist, pornographic or otherwise harmful to underaged persons, or which contains links to websites unsuitable for underaged persons;
- information which is false or misleading and/or which is intended to promote illegal activities;
- - illegal or unauthorized copies or distributions of a work protected by copyright, such as by providing illegal computer programs or links to illegal computer programs, information on how to bypass copy protection measures, illegal copies of music, links to illegal copies of music or other copyright infringements;
- the sending of junk mails, chain mails and/or unsolicited bulk mails, instant messages, spimming and spamming;
- limited-access pages or pictures which are hidden or password protected;
- promoting or endorsing criminal activities or providing instructions for committing criminal activities, including but not limited to information on the production or purchase of arms, child pornography, fraud, drug trafficking, gambling, stalking, spamming, spimming, distribution of computer viruses and other harmful files, copyright infringement, patent infringement and/or theft of trade secrets;
- soliciting other Users to disclose personal information for commercial or illegal purposes, or inducing them to disclose login data;
- promoting commercial or sales activities, such as contests, raffles, swapping offers, classified ads and/or pyramid schemes;
- providing picture(s) of another person without that person’s express consent

9.4.6 9.4.6 The User is not entitled to demand that such deleted information be restored.

Furthermore, Bigpoint GmbH is also entitled to exclude the offending User from continued use of the respective Service(s) and, in case of repeated infringements of the aforementioned prohibitions despite written notice, to terminate the User’s Account without prior warning. Bigpoint GmbH reserves the right to make any further necessary and additional claims, particularly the entitlement to damages.

9.4.7 The User will inform Bigpoint GmbH in case he/she becomes aware of an abuse of the Service(s) by other Users or third parties, such as making accessible or sending information which violates this Sect. 9.4. To ensure that effective measures can be taken, Bigpoint GmbH requests that such information be provided in writing (e.g. e-mail).

9.5.1 The User is solely responsible for any texts, files, pictures, photographs, videos, sounds, music, copyrighted or other material, information etc. (hereinafter “Uploaded Information”) which he/she uploads to the Bigpoint portal or shares with other users. Bigpoint GmbH neither condones nor approves such information.

9.5.2 Bigpoint GmbH does not have control over the Uploaded Information on the Bigpoint portal. Bigpoint GmbH does not evaluate the Uploaded Information before it is made public. If Bigpoint GmbH learns that specific Uploaded Information is illegal, it will be deleted promptly.

9.5.3 Bigpoint GmbH disclaims any liability or warranty with respect to the Uploaded Information, especially regarding accuracy, completeness and reliability.

9.6.1 The User maintains all rights to the Uploaded Information. By submitting information to the Bigpoint portal, the Games or Service(s), the User grants Bigpoint GmbH a non-exclusive, revocable license, free of charge, to publicly offer, display, reproduce and distribute such information.

9.6.2 The User does not grant Bigpoint GmbH any further rights to the Uploaded Information. Bigpoint GmbH is not authorized to use or distribute Uploaded Information outside of the Bigpoint portal, Games or Service(s).

9.6.3 By submitting information, the User acknowledges and accepts that Uploaded Information on the Bigpoint portal can be accessed globally through the Internet. With the uploading of such information, the User agrees to these conditions.

9.6.4 The aforementioned license ends at that time when the Uploaded Content has been deleted from the Bigpoint portal and the Services by the User.

10.1 Bigpoint grants the User access to the Games and Services in their current version only (Sec. 1.2). The User has no right to demand the maintenance or restoring of a particular version or range of functions of the Games and/or Services. The User acknowledges and agrees that the Games and Services provided by Bigpoint GmbH, as with any other software, can never be completely free of errors. Therefore, the Games and Services can only be considered to be defective if their playability or usability is affected severely and over a sustained period of time.

The User shall document any faults in the Games and/or Services and/or other deliveries of Bigpoint GmbH, and to document them fully in writing along with a protocol of the error messages displayed. Before reporting a potential bug, the User shall consult the instructions for the Game and/or Service and any other troubleshooting tools provided by Bigpoint GmbH (especially frequently asked question lists and boards for troubleshooting). The User will use best efforts to support Bigpoint GmbH in any attempts to debug the Game or Service in question.

10.2 The User will notify Bigpoint GmbH in written form of any faults and without undue delay upon their discovery. Obvious faults in goods – including virtual goods – must be reported to Bigpoint GmbH in writing within two weeks upon receipt of these goods. To comply with this deadline, it is sufficient that the report is sent within the allotted time. If no notice has been given within this deadline, all claims based on such defects shall be without recourse. To prove that the deadline has been met, it is advised to submit such reports in writing (telefax, letter or e-mail) to Bigpoint GmbH.

10.3 Bigpoint GmbH is not liable for defects caused by external influences, faulty handling by the User, force majeure or changes or manipulations which are not performed by Bigpoint GmbH.

10.4 Bigpoint GmbH does not assume any guarantees or warranties.

11.1 Bigpoint GmbH is not in any way responsible for damages unless they are caused intentionally or by gross negligence.

The aforementioned limitation of liability does not apply to the liability for personal injury to life, body, and health. It does not apply in the event that the damage is the result of a breach of a cardinal obligation, an essential obligation or a guarantee. Bigpoint GmbH remains responsible for product liability according to Sec. 44 a TKG.

11.2 Liability for breach of a cardinal obligation or an essential obligation is limited to the damage which could have been foreseen.

11.3 The damage which can be foreseen is limited to EUR 200.00 per Account.

11.4 The aforementioned limitation of liability also applies to the personal liability of staff, employees, assistants and vicarious agents of Bigpoint GmbH, and especially contributors, representatives, organs, shareholders of Bigpoint GmbH and their members.

11.5 Bigpoint GmbH is only liability for consultancy as far as the content of its Games and Services are concerned.

11.6 Bigpoint GmbH distances itself explicitly from the contents of any websites to which there are direct or indirect links from Bigpoint GmbH’s sites. Bigpoint GmbH does not assume any responsibility for these contents and/or websites. The providers of the respective sites are responsible for their content.

12.1 Personal User data will be collected, processed and used by Bigpoint GmbH without further explicit consent only for purposes of completing a contract (including billing), as long as Bigpoint GmbH is not required by law to disclose such data. The collection, usage and processing of data are all carried out electronically.

12.2 Bigpoint GmbH, however, reserves the right to inform the User electronically about other games and related services which are offered by Bigpoint GmbH and without the explicit consent of the User but within legal constraints, as long as the User does not object. The User has the right to object at any time without having to incur additional costs other than those costs for delivering the objection at standard published prices.

12.3 For advertising and market research purposes and for designing the Games and/or Services as needed, Bigpoint GmbH creates usage profiles using pseudonyms. The User has the right to object to the processing and usage of his/her data in this manner at any time. At the request of the User, Bigpoint GmbH will immediately provide the User with information free of charge concerning all saved data pertaining to his/her person or pseudonym. In general, this information will be provided to the User via electronic means of communication.

12.4 Bigpoint GmbH is permitted to transmit the User’s payment information to other service providers or third parties insofar as this is required for determining User fees and billing. Bigpoint GmbH will inform the User of the name of third party involved. Bigpoint GmbH is authorized to pass on the payment information of a User to a third party charged with collecting payment fees if and when this information is necessary and required to fulfil this purpose. Bigpoint GmbH will not transmit User data or the content of the User’s private messages to third parties without obtaining the User’s consent, as long as Bigpoint GmbH is not required by law to disclose such information.

12.5 Bigpoint GmbH explicitly warns the User that data privacy and data security for the transmission of data on open communication networks such as the Internet cannot be guaranteed with the current level of technology. The User acknowledges that the provider can view User data stored on websites on the provider’s servers and, in certain circumstances may be able to view additional User data, from a technical standpoint, which has been saved there. In certain circumstances, other Internet Users might also be technically able to gain unauthorized access to to the network and monitor or control the exchange of information. The User bears complete responsibility for the security and backup of the data he/she transmits over the Internet and/or which are stored on web servers.

13.1 Any and all changes, amendments or the termination of the contract, either partly or entirely, must be made in writing to be considered valid, including any provision to suspend or amend the requirement for using the written form.

13.2 The legal place of jurisdiction is Hamburg, Germany, in the event that the user changes his/her legal domicile or habitual place of residence to a location outside the Federal Republic of Germany after the contract has been concluded. These conditions also apply if the legal domicile or habitual place of residence is unknown at the time a legal action is filed.

13.3 The law of the Federal Republic of Germany exclusively applies to all contracts concluded by Bigpoint GmbH based on these Terms & Conditions and to any further kind of claims arising thereof; to the exclusion of provisions pertaining to the UN Convention on contracts for the international sale of goods and to the exclusion of German International Private Law.

13.4 If any provisions of these Terms & Conditions are invalid or become invalid, the validity of the other provisions shall not be affected.