MAPLESTORY WORLDS CREATOR TERMS OF USE
Last Updated: January 16, 2025
These MapleStory Worlds Creator Terms of Use (these “Creator Terms”) are an addendum to the MapleStory Worlds Terms of Service and End User License Agreement (“EULA”) between you and Toben Studio Inc. (“Toben”) that govern the access to and use of the MapleStory Worlds Platform (the “Platform”) and various other features and services related to the Platform, including websites, mobile applications, forums, other interactive software products and services (collectively with the Platform, the “Services”) by Users who create and publish CGC (as defined below) on the Platform (“Creators”). These Creator Terms and the EULA together constitute a single integrated agreement. All capitalized terms not defined herein shall have the meanings ascribed to such terms in the EULA.
These Creator Terms govern, among other things, a Creator’s development of any digital content of any kind or nature that Creators upload to, create and publish on, or otherwise generate through or make available on the Services (“CGC”) using resources We provide, and/or other resources that Creators own or are licensed to use. Any Creator that has caused CGC to be on the Services is subject to these Creator Terms in addition to all other terms and conditions of the EULA.
To act as a Creator on the Platform, you must be at least 13 years of age or older. When you act as a Creator, you agree to these Creator Terms. You may not agree to these Creator Terms if you are not legally allowed to, or you are under 18 years old or under the age of majority in your country (“Minor Creators”), which requires a parent or legal guardian (“Guardian”) to agree to these Creator Terms and allow you to use the Services. By permitting a Minor Creator to use the Services, the Guardian of the Minor Creator becomes subject to these Creator Terms and agrees to be responsible for the Minor Creator’s activities on the Services. If any Creator (or a Minor Creator’s Guardian, as may be applicable) doesn’t agree to these Creator Terms, that Creator may not use the Services in the capacity of a Creator.
Please review these Creator Terms carefully before using the Services. We may change these Creator Terms or modify, suspend, or terminate any features of the Services at any time in our sole discretion. We will notify you (including by posting the updated Creator Terms through the Services or through notices provided through the Services) of any material changes to these Creator Terms. By continuing to use the Services, you accept such changes to these Creator Terms, which will take effect in accordance with our notice to you or as otherwise required by applicable law. In the event of termination of these Creator Terms, the rights and duties of Toben and Creator to each other will terminate, except that all provisions of these Creator Terms which are to survive expiration or termination will remain in effect.
YOU CONSENT TO ENTERING INTO THESE CREATOR TERMS ELECTRONICALLY, AND TO STORAGE OF RECORDS RELATED TO THESE TERMS IN ELECTRONIC FORM.
I. INTRODUCTION. These Creator Terms apply to Creators with respect to any CGC that Toben allows to be made available for use through the Services. Toben reserves the right to impose additional eligibility guidelines or other requirements, as described on the Platform website from time to time, that may limit or restrict your ability to offer CGC through the Services.
II. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS. You must agree to the EULA to participate in any CGC related programs. We also reserve the right to review or audit any or all CGC periodically to ensure that they conform to these Creator Terms, and to remove or restrict access to any CGC that do not conform to these Creator Terms. Creators that have made CGC available for use through the Services are solely responsible for the CGC they create.
III. LICENSE TO TOBEN. For any CGC that you have ever created or will create and make available through the Services (whether created solely by you or together with others), in consideration of using the Services and your potential to earn Bonus Payments (as defined in Section IX), you grant Toben and its Affiliates a perpetual, worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free right and license (with the right to sublicense to any person or entity, whether a user of the Services or not) to host, store, transfer, translate, localize, publicly display, publicly perform (including by means of digital audio transmissions and on a through-to-the-audience basis), reproduce (including in timed synchronization to visual images), modify, enhance, distribute, commercialize and use the CGC that you upload or make available on the Services in whole or in part (and any trademarks owned or controlled by you that are associated with and uploaded by you for use with your CGC) on the Platform and in connection with the Services and otherwise as permitted by these Creator Terms and the EULA. This includes but is not limited to the right to sublicense to other Users or Creators the right to host, store, transfer, translate, localize, publicly display, publicly perform, reproduce (including in timed synchronization to visual images), modify, enhance, distribute, commercialize, and use the CGC on the Platform and in connection with the Services.
IV. CGC GUIDELINES; LOOTBOXES.
i. CGC Guidelines. For all CGC that you offer through the Services, you agree to provide Toben with a valid URL where your CGC guidelines for such CGC are available online. You are solely responsible for ensuring that the URL provided to Toben and the CGC guidelines published at that URL remain accessible and up to date, and you are responsible for notifying the Users of any CGC you make available through the Services of any modifications to the applicable CGC guidelines. Your CGC guidelines may not conflict, modify, limit, or otherwise affect the rights or obligations of Users or Toben in the EULA or these Creator Terms.
ii. Lootboxes or Games of Chance. In some instances, CGC could include a game of chance or a lootbox (“Lootboxes”). Lootboxes and CGC games of chance must disclose upfront the probability associated with the purchase. As the CGC Creator, you are solely responsible for providing content probabilities, and must promptly notify Toben of any failure to do so.
iii. Personally Identifiable Information. Personally Identifiable Information means any information that permits the identity of an individual to be reasonably inferred by either direct or indirect means (the “PII”). Creators shall not request, require, obtain or access any PII from Users, and the CGC must include or contain the PII.
V. SUPPORT; ASSISTANCE. As between you and Toben, you are solely responsible for providing support and maintenance services to the Users with respect to any CGC you make available on the Services. Subject to these Creator Terms, you may provide such support and maintenance in accordance with your own terms, policies, and procedures, including without limitation in exchange for additional fees. You agree to (a) work with Toben and Users to resolve any issues involving these Creator Terms; (b) update your CGC for security and technical reasons and ensure your content complies with Toben’s latest technical and security updates and best practices (link); and (c) assist Toben upon request with legal requirements, such as removing content that has been accused of violating copyright laws.
VI. DISPUTE RESOLUTION. You agree that you will timely respond to any requests for support related to any paid users of CGC you make available through the Services, and to work with any of the Users who have purchased such CGC and with Toben support personnel to resolve any disputes resulting from such transactions. Toben is not responsible for any dispute between you and any User or other third party, but We may at our option assist in the resolution of any dispute between you and the User if asked to do so. When necessary to resolve a case, Toben reserves the right to issue a refund to purchasers of your CGC and deduct the Bonus Payments earned from such purchase transactions from your account. Toben will issue such refunds automatically if Toben determines that you have failed to reasonably respond to the purchaser’s or Toben’s requests for information or assistance with dispute resolution. If Toben determines that sales of a particular CGC are fraudulent or otherwise violate Toben policies, or if Toben observes that you routinely fail to respond appropriately to requests for support or assistance with dispute resolution, Toben may, in its sole discretion: (a) suspend your account; (b) remove the applicable CGC from the Services; and/or (c) issue refunds to the purchasers of such CGC and deduct such amounts from your account. Except as provided herein, you are solely responsible for determining and publishing the terms and conditions under which you will provide refunds to users of your CGC, and for providing such refunds in accordance with such terms and conditions.
VII. TOBEN’S LIMITED ROLE AS PAYMENT AGENT. You will be the seller of record for the CGC you make available through the Services. Except as expressly set forth in these Creator Terms, We are not involved in any underlying transaction between you and any user of such CGC. If you choose to list your CGC as paid services, then We will process all payments and refunds for transactions involving such CGC, and collect the applicable proceeds of such transactions, on your behalf, in the form of World Coin (one or both of the Paid World Coin and the Free World Coin). Toben does not guarantee payment on behalf of any User or any third party unless provided under these Creator Terms or under applicable law. You will ensure that all fees and charges payable by users of your CGC are billed and collected through the Services, and you will not offer or establish any alternative means of payment. Toben reserves the right to impose additional restrictions on some or all the Users relating to the value of transactions performed or entered into by such Users through the Services, and to withhold or refuse to process any transactions Toben believes in good faith may be fraudulent, unlawful, or otherwise contrary to these Creator Terms.
VIII. TRADING ON THE PLATFORM. When you and the Users engage in a trade on the Platform, Toben is entitled to certain fees for the transaction relating to your CGC. The amount(s) or percentage of such fees shall be as set forth on the Platform website, and may be revised by Toben from time to time in Toben’s sole discretion, provided that any such changes will not be effective until thirty (30) days after Toben posts notice of such changes. Your continued use of the Platform beyond the effective date shall indicate your acceptance of such changes. Toben does not charge fees for Withdrawals (as defined in Section IX.). The only fees assessed for Withdrawals are discussed herein in Section XI.
IX. BONUS PAYMENTS; MINIMUM REMITTANCE AMOUNT. Bonus Payment means the amount you have earned by selling or monetizing the CGC you created in complete compliance with the EULA and these Creator Terms through the Services (the “Bonus Payment”). At any time at which the accumulated Bonus Payments associated with your Creator account exceeds Toben’s minimum threshold for remittances, as may be established or modified by Toben from time to time in its reasonable discretion upon prior notice (the “Minimum Remittance Amount”), you may request a withdrawal of the Bonus Payment for fiat currency at the exchange rates then in effect determined by Toben, which exchange rates may be changed at sole discretion by Toben with prior notice by Toben (a “Withdrawal”). There is no guarantee that requests for Withdrawal of Bonus Payment will be granted. A Withdrawal must meet or exceed the Minimum Remittance Amount and cannot exceed the total Bonus Payments amount associated with your account. Toben may set a maximum threshold amount for the Withdrawal at any one time or at certain times, and change this maximum threshold amount at any time without advance notice.
If you wish to cancel your account, Toben will notify you of the amount of Bonus Payments, Minimum Remittance Amount and whether you are permitted to withdraw. If you terminate your account, your Bonus Payments will automatically expire, regardless of whether the amount of Bonus Payments reached the Minimum Remittance Amount.
X. ELIGIBILITY FOR WITHDRAWAL OF BONUS PAYMENT. You must meet the requirements set out in these Creator Terms to be eligible for a Withdrawal. For the avoidance of doubt, World Coin acquired in other ways (such as World Coin obtained from a referral bonus, a purchase of World Coin, trading/selling Virtual Items that you did not create, etc.) is not eligible for a Withdrawal. Bonus Payments cannot be used on the Platform other than to be considered for a Withdrawal. If you satisfy all of the eligibility requirements for a Withdrawal, Toben will decide in its sole discretion whether to offer you a Withdrawal and how much you are eligible to receive in a Withdrawal.
To be considered for a Bonus Payment withdrawal, you must meet the following minimum requirements:
The following additional limitations apply to Withdrawals:
XI. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS AND FURTHER AGREEMENTS. As a Creator on the Platform, you further acknowledge and agree to the following:
i. Submitting a request for a Withdrawal does not guarantee that you are eligible to, in fact, receive a Withdrawal. When you submit a request for a Withdrawal, Toben will then determine whether you meet the eligibility requirements and whether to provide a Withdrawal at Toben’s sole discretion.
ii. Prior to any Withdrawal being made, Toben requires you to have an IRS form W-9 (for U.S. taxpayers) or W-8 (for non-U.S. taxpayers) on file with Us. All payments made to U.S. Creators (other than for certain limited exceptions due to reporting requirements) will be reported to the IRS and to you using a form 1099. Payments made to non-U.S. Creators will not be reported to their home countries. All Creators (whether you live in the U.S. or elsewhere) are responsible for ensuring that all payments received are reported to the proper taxing authorities. Income that Minor Creators, acting in the capacity of a Creator, earn can impact their Guardian’s tax returns. The Minor Creators’ Guardian should contact their own tax professional for advice on such an impact.
iii. Withdrawals will incur fees that will be paid from any amounts that would otherwise be owed to you as part of the Withdrawal. Tipalti charges those fees for processing the Withdrawal to your bank account. Toben does not charge fees in connection with Withdrawals other than this fee by Tipalti.
iv. Prior to any Withdrawal being made, Toben may require that you register with a designated third party for identity verification and fraud prevention.
v. Toben reserves the right to modify, amend, or cancel the Withdrawal feature, add, remove, or modify the eligibility requirements for a Withdrawal and change the current exchange rate for World Coin, all at any time and for any or no reason. The existence of the Withdrawal feature today in no way creates an obligation for Toben to continue the Withdrawal feature in the future, nor does it guarantee that World Coin will be eligible for a Withdrawal in the future. Toben reserves the right to review activity on accounts to assess the validity of World Coin balances, and to deny payment to any Creator that We feel has violated the terms or the spirit of the Withdrawal feature.
vi. Toben reserves the right to suspend or terminate Withdrawals or the availability of any CGC on the Platform at any time, without cause or prior notice to you.
XII. Third-Party Processing. All aspects of the exchange of the Bonus Payment for fiat currency and payment of fiat currency to you will be managed by the third-party financial institution, Tipalti Inc. (“Tipalti”). Tipalti may withhold, deduct, or set off any amounts payable by you to Tipalti against such remittances to you. All payments to you will be sent by Tipalti to the bank account you designate at the time you request such payment. If an error occurs in connection with any such payment, you authorize Tipalti to correct such error by debiting or crediting your designated bank account or any other bank account or payment card you have on file with Toben in the amount of such error, plus any fees charged by your bank or payment provider for declined transactions, provided that We do so in accordance with applicable law. Payments from Tipalti to you and any other related services may be subject to additional terms and conditions established by Tipalti.
XIII. Taxes. You are responsible for calculating and paying any and all taxes and duties owed or required to be collected for any reason in connection with any transaction with respect to your CGC or a Withdrawal, including any applicable sales, use, excise, import, export, value added, withholding, or other similar taxes and duties. Toben considers Withdrawal to be payments for the services you have provided. Toben has no responsibility to determine whether any such taxes or duties apply to any transactions related to your CGC or to pay such taxes or duties or report any information with respect to such transactions or associated taxes or duties to any third party. You (whether you live in the US or elsewhere) are responsible for ensuring that all payment received are reported to the proper taxing authorities. Income that minors earn can impact their parents’ tax returns.
XIV. CREATOR REPRESENTATIONS AND WARRANTIES. You represent and warrant that (a) you are the creator and owner of, and/or have obtained all licenses, rights, consents, and permissions necessary to provide and to authorize Us to reproduce, distribute, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, sell, offer for sale, import, export, and otherwise fully exploit the CGC you make available through the Services in accordance with the licenses that you grant to Us hereunder; and (b) such CGC, and the provision and use of such CGC as contemplated by these Creator 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 privacy, publicity or other rights of any person; (iii) contain any viruses, adware, spyware, back-doors, time bombs, drop dead devices, worms, Trojans, or other malicious code, content, or files that allow you or any third party to circumvent any security features of the Services (including without limitation any privacy settings), or obtain unauthorized access to any computer or other device; or (iv) cause Toben or any user of such CGC to violate any law or regulation; (c) Creators shall not collect, store, disseminate, or publish other Players' or Creators’ personal information through the Services without Toben's prior consent.
XV. Group.
Creators can create groups (the “Group(s)”) in the Platform, in which case the Creator is granted group leader position. Other Creators may become Group members and create CGC together with the Group leader. However, even in this case, the rights/obligations as a Creator under CGC and these Terms shall be deemed to arise from the Group leader's relationship with Toben (the relationship between the Group leader and the Group members shall be determined by the Group leader and the Group members themselves, and Toben shall not be involved or responsible for it).
Group leader may invite Group members, transfer Group leader rights, and remove Group members at their option. If the Group leader does not transfer the Group leader privileges and leaves the Group, the earnings in the Group will be processed according to the provisions of these Creator's Terms or EULA.
XVI. CGC Limited External Use Permission. For-profit monetization of CGC outside the Platform is prohibited. If you wish to use CGC outside the Platform for purposes such as advertising and promotion, then you must obtain a written permission in advance and in a manner specified by Toben. Toben may impose separate conditions for off-Platform use in this case, and if you violate such conditions, the CGC license may be immediately revoked or terminated.
XVII. CREATOR INDEMNITY. You hereby agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Toben, its Affiliates, and their respective employees, officers, directors, and representatives from and against any and all claims, actions, proceedings, liabilities, damages, fines, penalties, and other losses and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or relating to (a) alleged infringement or misappropriation of any intellectual property rights or violation of other third party rights by your CGC or the provision, distribution, display, or other use thereof in accordance with these Creator Terms; (b) any dispute between you and any user or purchaser of the CGC you make available through the Services; (c) any taxes or duties imposed or due in connection with transactions related to your CGC or your failure to collect, pay, or report any such taxes or duties; (d) your breach of any agreements entered into between you and any other User or other third party, including any failure to provide refunds promised or otherwise owed to purchasers of your CGC; (e) your breach of any warranty under these Creator Terms; and/or (f) your failure to comply with any other applicable law or regulation. We reserve the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter for which We are entitled to indemnification under this section (without limiting your indemnification obligations with respect to that matter). In such event, you shall provide Us with such cooperation as We reasonably request. You may not enter into any settlement or compromise of any such claim without Toben’s approval, which shall not be unreasonably withheld or delayed.