Terms and Conditions of Use

1. General

These terms and conditions of use (hereinafter referred to as ‘Terms’) are applied to the network service vapaaehtoistyo.fi (hereinafter referred to as ‘Service’) maintained by Kirkkopalvelut ry and Kansalaisareena ry (hereinafter referred to as ‘Service Providers’). The terms are applied to the relationship between the Service Providers and the user (hereinafter referred to as ‘User’) of the Service regardless of the terminal device used by the User.

The purpose of the Service is to create a meeting place for those interested in volunteer tasks and those providing volunteer tasks and to support volunteers and volunteer task providers in finding each other as effortless as possible.

A possible relationship related to volunteer work is always created between the volunteer and the provider of the volunteer task. The Service Provider is not a party involved in such a relationship formed via the Service, and the Service Provider does not provide helpers, help, or any other kind of activity.

The Service Provider maintains the user database. The database provides information about the number of Users, their age and gender, the attractiveness of the themes of the volunteer tasks and the number of tasks in the Service.

The Service Provider aims at providing as high-quality Service as possible, but this does not guarantee that the Service or its functions or features are error free at any given time.

The Service is provided to the User ‘as is’ and ‘as available’. The Service Providers reserve the right to modify or delete functions or features of the Service or to modify the Service or to terminate the Service fully or partly. The Service Providers reserve the right to refuse providing the Service to a User for valid reasons. If discontinuing the Service is not due to a breach of the Terms by the User and the User has made prepayments, the Service Providers will refund the User such prepaid fees that have not benefitted the User in using the Service.

2. Software and Network Connection

The use of the Service requires a browser and other software and devices to establish a network connection. The User is responsible for the costs of these software and devices.

The Service Providers aim at making the Service available with the up-to-date versions of most common browsers, but the Service Providers do not guarantee that the Service is available with any specific browser or version of a browser or that the Service is compatible with a specific browser add-on.

The Service Providers are not responsible for errors or damages to software of devices related to the use of the Service, and the Service Providers are not under any circumstances responsible for possible damages to the User’s computer system or data (including different data protection risks, such as viruses and data theft).

3. Registration

Submitting volunteer tasks to the Service requires registration.

The Service has public sections that can be used without registration, for example, applying for a volunteer task. Where applicable, these Terms are applied to the use of such public sections.

Registered Users must comply with the following regulations:

  • The User must not provide any false personal information in the Service or create a user account for anyone other than themselves.

  • The User must not create several personal user accounts.

  • Only Users who are at least 13 years old and whose legal capacity has not been restricted are allowed to use the Service.

  • The User’s contact information must be accurate and up to date.

  • The Service Providers reserve the right to delete, modify or take over a user account chosen by the User if the Service Providers deem it inappropriate (for example, in a situation where a trade mark owner complains about a username that is not directly linked to the User’s real name.)

4. Rights

The content of the Service has been protected by the copyright law and the international agreements protecting copyrights and rights related to copyright.

The Service Providers reserve all rights to the Service and its content.

The rights to computer software used to provide the Service are with the respective license holders.

The Service Providers give the User the right to use the Service according to these Terms and the practices described in these Terms.

The User does not have the right to use the Service for commercial purposes, such as advertising. All data and content submitted to the Service by the User remains the property of the User or the third party who owns the respective data or content. When the User submits data or other content to the Service:

  • the User grants the Service Providers the following explicit authorisations concerning content covered by intellectual property rights, such as written texts, images, and videos (hereinafter referred to as ‘IP content’): non-exclusive, transferable, sub-licensable, free of charge, worldwide license (hereinafter referred to as “IP license”) to use any IP content published in the Service.

  • the User grants the Service Providers the right to modify, copy, publish, or not to publish IP content or other data submitted to the Service by the User.

  • the User grants the Service Providers the right to delete any content submitted by the User if the content in question is claimed to violate copyrights, other immaterial rights, or the rights of third parties, or deemed inappropriate by the Service Provider or contradictory with the purpose of the Service.

  • the User grants the Service Providers the right to utilise the feedback concerning the Service and suggestions to improve the Service without any obligation to compensate the User of such use.

5. Responsibility for User Identification

The User agrees to maintain the confidentiality of the username and password and not to disclose them to any third party.

In case of loss or suspected disclosure of the username or password to a third party, the User must immediately inform the Service Providers via email at [email protected].

The User is fully responsible for all activities that occur under their username and password, including all costs and damages caused by these activities, until the User has submitted the aforementioned notice to the Service Provider and the Service Provider has confirmed to have received the User’s notice.

6. Responsibility for Content

Content provided by the Service Providers:

The Service Providers are responsible for their content, copyrights, and other immaterial rights. The Service Providers are not responsible for other content of the Service or content that may be accessed or provided via the Service.

Content provided by the User:

The Service Providers are not responsible for material submitted to the Service by the User or services or content of other service providers, copyrights or other immaterial rights even if this material is accessible through a link on the Service or by utilising the Service otherwise.

The User of the Service is responsible for the data they have submitted to the Service or shared with other network users by utilising the Service and that the use of such material does not violate the copyrights, industrial property rights or other protected rights of third parties or that the use is not contrary to these Terms, the law or accepted principles of morality or does not harm the network, the Service Providers, the Service or third parties. The User is responsible for ceding the Service Providers the rights stated under section 4 to the material they have submitted to the Service.

If the User submits image or video material to the Service, the User must be sure that they have all rights necessary to such material, including copyrights and the right to edit, further disclose and publish the material. Usually it is required that the User has taken the photo or filmed the video themselves and that they have received consent from all natural persons or a primary carer of a minor seen in the photo or video to publish the material.

The User commits to compensating for all damages caused to the Service Providers resulting from material used in connection to the Service that has violated these Terms.

Suspected violation of immaterial rights

If the User notices data in the Service that might violate the copyrights or other immaterial rights of the User or third party, the User is requested to immediately inform the Service Providers about the suspected violation via [email protected].

7. Processing of personal data

The Service Providers process the User’s personal data in compliance with the Service’s [privacy policy] and [data protection statement] and the legislation on privacy protection.

8. Use of Cookies and Other Techniques

The Service uses cookies and other techniques that track the use of the Service specified in the [data protection statement]. The purpose of the use of cookies and other similar techniques is to develop the Service, improve the Service experience, and gather statistics on the use of the Service.

By accepting these Terms, the User gives their consent to the Service to use cookies and other similar techniques that track the use of the Service for the aforementioned purposes.

9. Service Outages

The Service providers aim at making the Service available 24/7 every day, but the Service Providers do not guarantee that the Service would be always available.

The Service will experience outages that may be caused by a planned or an unplanned maintenance need, excessive server load, or other reason, such as cyber-attack. The Service Providers aim at informing the User about long-term outages.

If the Service provides the User a time-based service in which a payment made by the User grants the User temporary access rights to the Service, a single Service outage exceeds 24 hours or monthly outages of such service exceed 96 hours, the Service providers will extend the User’s access rights according to the duration of outages described above. The Service Providers do not have a broader responsibility of the Service outages.

10. Limitations of Service Use

The User of the Service is not allowed to:

  • publish unauthorised commercial messages (such as junk mail).

  • collect data on Users or content, or otherwise use the Service with automated tools (such as collection bots, robots, search agents, or scrapers).

  • practice online marketing, such as multi-level marketing, in the Service.

  • upload viruses to the Service or other damaging software code.

  • attempt to acquire login details of other Users or login to a user account belonging to another User.

  • bully, threaten or harass other Users.

  • publish content that contains hate speech, nudity, or violence or is threatening or pornographic by its nature or violates accepted principles of morality or is unpolite against other Users or incites to violence or hatred.

  • use the Service to illegal, misleading, hostile, or discriminatory activity.

  • practice activity that can prevent, overload, or damage the Service or its appearance, such as denial-of-service attack or activity that can affect the layout, features, or functions of the Service.

  • support or courage activity violating these Terms.

  • modify, create derivative work, decipher, or attempt to decipher the source code of the Service.

11. Changes to Terms and Payments

The Service Providers reserve the right to change these Terms, the practices relating to the Service, and payments and their amounts charged for the use of the Service.

The User will be informed of minor changes to the Terms, practices, or payments in the Service.

The User will be informed of significant changes to the Terms, practices or payments in the Service and via email, and in addition to this, the User will have the opportunity to read through the changed Terms, practices and payments in the Service before continuing the use of the Service. If the User continues the use of the Service after having received the notice of change, the User is deemed to have accepted the changed Terms, practices, and payments.

12. Termination

The Service Providers reserve the right to terminate providing the Service or its features or functions to the User if the User violates these Terms or their spirit or presents a risk of exposing the Service Providers or other Users to legal sanctions.

The Service Providers will inform the User about the termination of the Service via email or in the Service when the User attempts to login to their user account. The User can delete their user account or terminate using the Service at any given time.

The User will not be compensated for the payments they have made to the Service.

13. Disputes

This contract is governed by the Finnish law excluding rules of conflict.

Any dispute under this contract shall be settled as first instance in the District Court of Helsinki.

If any party pursues a claim against the Service Providers related to the content published by the User or otherwise related to the User’s activity in relation to the Service, the User commits to compensating the Service Providers for all damages, losses and expenses (including moderate legal fees and expenses) that are related to such claim.

Although the Service Providers lay down the rules concerning the activity of Users, the Service Providers do not oversee or control the activity of the Users in the Service, and the Service Providers are not responsible for any information or content the Users publish or share in the Service. The Service Providers are not responsible for derogatory, inappropriate, illegal, or otherwise objectionable content that may appear in the Service. The Service Providers are not responsible for the conduct of the Users online or elsewhere.

The Service Providers aim at keeping the Service as functional and safe as possible, but despite of this, the User uses the Service at their own risk. The Service is provided to the User ‘as is’ and ‘as available’, and the Service Providers cannot guarantee that the Service is always error free, functioning, or available. The Service Providers are not responsible for the activity of the Service’s Users or other third parties, or the content or information they publish in the Service. The User of the Service commits to not pursuing any claim that is related to claims between the User and another User or a third party related to the Service against the Service Providers or their employees. The Service Providers are not responsible for any indirect damage, including without limitation loss of revenue, production, use, data, or loss caused by another contract. The Service Provider’s aggregate maximum liability is in all circumstances limited to 100 euros. These limitations of liability are not applied to the extent that they are deemed to be contrary to mandatory legislation, in which case the liability of the Service Providers is limited to the minimum permitted by the mandatory legislation.

14. Other

The Service contains links to websites of third parties. These services and website of third parties are governed by the terms and conditions of use and other terms of the third parties in question.

The Terms constitute the entire contract between the User and the Service Provider concerning the use of the Service, and they replace all previous contracts.

If any individual paragraph in the Terms is deemed invalid, other paragraphs in the Terms will remain in force unchanged.

The User does not reserve the right to transfer the rights or obligations under these Terms to any third party without a prior written consent from the Service Providers.

The Service Providers reserve the right to transfer all rights and obligations under these Terms in case of a merger, acquisition, sale of assets, or under the law or otherwise.

Nothing in these Terms prevents the Service Providers complying with the law or regulations laid down by the authorities.

None of the regulations in these Terms constitute a contract in favour of a third party.

The Service Providers reserve all rights that have not been expressly and in writing granted to the User.

When using the Service, the User commits to complying with all applicable laws, acts, and regulations laid down by the authorities.

© 2015 Kirkkopalvelut ry. Updated 2020.