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Platform Service Terms and Conditions

The English version is provided for reference purposes, and the legally binding Korean version shall prevail if there are any conflicts between the English and Korean versions.

Article 1. Purpose

Kakao Corporation (hereinafter, “Kakao”) has prepared the Terms and Conditions to prescribe conditions, procedures and other regulations necessary for members to use platforms that are needed to develop web services, mobile application and other application programs (hereinafter, collectively referred to as “Programs”), as well as the Kakao Developer Website (https://developers.kakao.com, hereinafter, the “Developer Website”), which offers supplemental features that can connect to various services.

Article 2. Definition

① “Service” refers to all services provided by Kakao via the Developer Website to support members when they develop Programs, and includes, but is not limited to, platform API and service API.

② “Member” refers to an individual who has a Kakao Account, has entered into a use agreement with Kakao in accordance to this Terms and Conditions, and is developing a Program via the Developer Website.

③ “API” or Application Programming Interface, refers to the interface that is needed to use technology provided by Kakao on the Member’s application.

④ “Application” collectively refers to the Member’s application, Program or website the Member wishes to apply the API to.

⑤ “Biz App” refers to the Application the business information is registered in.

Article 3. Publication and Modification of the Terms and Condition

① Kakao shall post the Terms and Conditions on the Developer Website’s home page to enable easily access for Members.

② Kakao may modify the Terms and Conditions within a scope that does not contravene the Regulation of Standardized Contracts Act and other relevant laws and regulations.

③ Kakao shall post announcements about any modifications, including the modification application date and reason for modifications, on the Developer Website seven (7) days prior to the effective date. However, if the amendments acts at a disadvantage to the Member, Kakao shall individually send a notification thirty (30) days prior to the effective date, as is prescribed in Article 9 Clause 1.

④ Unless the Member explicitly refuses, the Member shall be presumed to have consented to the amendments, even after Kakao clearly states in the aforementioned announcement or notification that the Member shall be deemed to have expressed their opinion if they fail to do so within a specified period of time.

⑤ Kakao shall not apply the amended Terms and Conditions if the Member does not consent to its application, and in which case, the Member may terminate the use agreement. However, Kakao may terminate the use agreement if the previous Terms and Conditions cannot be applied due to specific circumstances.

Article 4. Interpretation

① Kakao may have a separate Service Operating Policy (hereinafter “Operating Policy”), which shall govern the provision of services.

② Any matters not prescribed in the Terms and Conditions shall be subject to the Operating Policy, relevant laws and regulations or business practices.

Article 5. Approval of Service Member Subscription

① The individual who wishes to become a Member of the Service (hereinafter the “Subscription Applicant”) can subscribe as a Member of the Service by agreeing to the provisions in the Terms and Conditions and submitting a subscription application in accordance with procedures provided by Kakao. The Subscription Applicant will be subscribed to the Service once Kakao approves their application.

② Any Subscription Applicant shall be permitted in principle to use the Service. However, Kakao may withhold or refuse to approve the Subscription Applicants use of the Service, or terminate the use agreement at a later date, if the Subscription Applicant falls under any of the following subparagraphs:
1. The Subscription Applicant previously had their Member qualifications terminated under this Terms and Conditions. However, they shall be allowed to use the Service if Kakao approves of their repeated subscription application 2. The Subscription Applicant used a false name or another person’s identity 3. The Subscription Applicant submitted false information or failed to include information required by Kakao 4. The Subscription Applicant is under the age of 14 or has not acquired approval from their legal representative 5. Approval cannot be granted due to reasons attributable to the Subscription Applicant or the Subscription Applicant submitted an application by violating other regulations

③ Kakao may defer approval if Kakao does not have sufficient equipment for the Service or is experiencing technical or business issues.

Article 6. Modification of Member Information

① The Member can view or update their personal information through the Developer Website at any time.

② If information that was submitted during the subscription process has changed, the Member shall update their information through the Developer Website or notify Kakao of the changes via email or other means.

③ Kakao shall not be responsible for any disadvantages that occur due to the Member’s failure to notify Kakao of the aforementioned changes.

Article 7. Protection of Personal Information

Kakao exerts efforts into protecting our Member’s personal information in accordance with the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection and other related laws and regulations. Related laws and Kakao Developer’s Privacy Policy shall be applied to the protection and use of personal information.

Article 8. Management of Member Accounts

① The Member shall be responsible for managing their own Developer Website account and shall prohibit any third party from using their account.

② The Member shall immediately notify Kakao and follow directions if they become aware that their account has been stolen or is being used by a third party.

③ Kakao shall not be responsible for any damages that result from the Member’s failure to immediately notify Kakao or follow Kakao’s directions after notifying Kakao in the event of the aforementioned Clause.

Article 9. Notification to Members

① Kakao can notify Members through the email the Member provided when subscribing, or via SMS and KakaoTalk messages.

② Kakao may substitute individual notifications with notifications posted on the Developer Website message board if Members cannot be notified individually due to changes in contact information or their failure to provide contact information at the time of subscription, or when notifying multiple unspecified Members.

Article 10. Kakao’s Rights and Obligations

① Kakao shall abide by provisions in the Terms and Conditions and in related laws, and will exert efforts to provide the Service in a continuous and stable manner.

② Kakao shall provide a security system to protect personal information (including credit information) to ensure that the Member can use the Service safely, and also announce and conform to the Privacy Policy.

③ Kakao shall process comments or complaints filed by the Member in regards to the use of the Service if such comments or complaints are deemed justifiable. The resolution process and its results may be shared through a message board in the Developer Website or by email.

④ Kakao may post the Member’s name, logo and/or contents, free-of-charge, in order to promote the Member’s use of the Service. However, the posting can be deleted or modified through mutual agreement upon the Member’s request.

Article 11. Member’s Obligation

① The Member shall abide by related laws, the Terms and Conditions, Operating Policy, user guide and notifications and announcements posted by Kakao, and shall not interfere with Kakao’s business.

② The Member shall not conduct the following activities. Kakao may suspend the Member’s use of the Service or terminate the use agreement without prior notice if the Member conducts any of the activities below:

  1. Illegally use another Member or individual’s Kakao Account
  2. Engage in activities that have criminal intents or activities that are associated with criminal activities
  3. Infringe on the intellectual property rights of others, including Kakao’s
  4. Engage in hacking activities or distribute computer viruses
  5. Access the Service using methods other than those provided by Kakao
  6. Collect and use Kakao user information or provide the information to others without permission
  7. Send for-profit advertisements using the Service while violating related laws
  8. Develop Programs that are of explicit in nature, infringe on copyright laws or otherwise violate related laws
  9. Copy, modify, distribute, sell, transfer, lease, provide as collateral, or allow others to use all services provided by Kakao or portions of the software included in the services, reverse engineer the software or attempt to extract the source code
  10. Use Kakao’s business marks, including but not limited to trademarks and logos, without Kakao’s explicit consent
  11. Enter false information, or incorrect information, as parameter that is required for Service use, including the developer account’s profile (name, email address, company name), information about the Application/service (service name, icon, website domain, package name, market URL, bundle ID). This includes retaining previous information even after the information has been modified and updated, registering a shortened URL, then modifying and using the link of the shortened URL with malicious intent, or any similar actions.
  12. Post contents in lieu of the user, without the user’s approval, such as KakaoStory’s auto posting.
  13. Violate laws that shall be complied with under the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, Article 27-2 (Public Disclosure of Policy on Managing Personal Information) and the Personal Information Protection Act, Article 20 (Notification on Sources of Personal Information Collected from Third Parties), in association with using, providing to a third party, and/or entrusting the process of user’s personal information, which is provided and/or entrusted for process, or collected directly by Kakao and/or the Service.
  14. Use the Service for the main purpose of redirecting users from services operated by Kakao, including KakaoTalk and KakaoStory, to external services
  15. Mention the Member’s relationship with Kakao to media outlets or users (through channels including official press releases and/or website postings) without prior approval from Kakao
  16. Use the Service in Applications and websites that are categorized as those the Service cannot be used in (Categories restricted from Service use is specified in the Operating Policy)
  17. Use the Service on an Application and/or a website that displays/processes specific contents, such as contents that support the discrimination of a certain race or ethnic group (Specifics are determined in the Operating Policy)
  18. Use the Service while exceeding the provided limit (Details on the provided daily and monthly limit, as well as the MAU limits are determined in the Operating Policy, and may be subject to change)
  19. Conduct activities that interrupt, or has the potential to interrupt, stable operation of the Service
  20. Notify users and/or media outlets that an error occurred because of Kakao, when the error actually occurred in a service operated by the Member due to reasons that are unrelated to services provided by Kakao
  21. Use the Service to inflict inconvenience or damages to users of Kakao’s service or the Member’s service (including any that arise in the Member’s service that is connected through the Service)
  22. Actions that violate Article 2 of the Operating Policy
  23. Any other activities that are prohibited, as specified in the (Specifics are determined in the Operating Policy).

③ The Member shall not, without prior approval from Kakao, copy, duplicate, modify, translate, publish, broadcast, enter into a search engine or directory, or use other means to use, or provide any third person with, information (including data, secret key, access token) that was acquired while using the Service and/or the Developer Website. However, such information can be shared if a confidentiality agreement is entered into through a representative.

④ The Member shall faithfully comply with any requests Kakao makes for resources, accessing authorities or justifications of related facts in order to verify whether the Service is provided or if any violations have been made in regards to the Terms and Conditions.

⑤ The Member shall regularly check for version updates on features Kakao provides through the Service, including software development kits (SDK).

⑥ The Member shall abide by all of the following in order to protect personal information in Programs the Member operates. If Kakao becomes aware that the Member violated any of the obligations below, Kakao may restrict that Member from using the Service or terminate the use agreement:

  1. Enter information in the Member Program’s consent items admin screen, which is located in “Settings” in the Developer Website, so that it is identical to the Member’s actual Program or contents of the actual service
  2. Encrypt personal information provided by Kakao when transmitting or receiving the personal information
  3. Destroy the user’s personal information in its entirety if the Member uses a user’s personal information provided by Kakao to confirm whether the user has subscribed to the Program the Member operates, but the user does not ultimately subscribe or does not subscribe within 24 hours
  4. Provide a menu in the Member’s Program that users can use to delete their account and destroy all of the user’s personal information once the user account is deleted
  5. Faithfully abide by all of the Member’s obligations that are prescribed by the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection and other related laws and regulations associated with protecting personal information.

⑦ The Member shall abide by the Personal Information Protection Act, the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection, other related laws and regulations, as well as policies and guidelines provided by associated organizations if the Member provided Kakao with the service user’s data while using technology or API that can collect/analyze user data.

⑧ If the user’s personal information was provided to Kakao as data, as specified in the above Clause 7, the Member shall acquire the user’s consent to provide personal information to a third party, as is stipulated in the Act on Promotion of Information and Communications Network Utilization and Information Protection.

⑨ Kakao may file claims for damages against the Member if Kakao experiences damages due to the Member’s violation of the obligations in this Article.

Article 12. Contents of the Service

① Services are classified as follows:

  1. Platform API: Service that provides Kakao platform’s user admin features, as well as other base features, including the push alert, app log analysis and storage services.
  2. Service API: Services, from those provided individually by Kakao, which offers APIs Members can use.

② The Member can acquire authority of the Biz App by developing the Application and registering the Member’s business information, allowing them to use APIs offered by the Service that needs to be connected to the Member’s company.

③ Kakao may announce information on how to subscribe and use the Service, as well as provide other details about the Service, through the Developer Website. The Member shall review the information carefully before using the Service.

Article 13. Provision of the Service

① Services provided by Kakao may be provided differently depending on the Member’s qualifications and/or the Application’s status.

② If Kakao offers a premium Service, the Member shall use the premium Service after agreeing to a premium use agreement. Specifics of a premium Service is detailed in the premium use agreement, as well as the premium policy description section in the Developer Website.

③ As a rule, use of the Service shall continue 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, unless specific failures in Kakao’s business or technology makes Service use unavailable.

④ Kakao may temporarily suspend the provision of the Service due to reasons including maintenance, replacement, malfunction and/or failures of communication of information and communication facilities, including computers, due to loss of communication or reasonable operational issues. In such an event, Kakao shall notify the Member using methods stated in Article 9. However, Kakao may notify the Member ex post facto if situations prohibit Kakao from posting notifications in advance.

⑤ Kakao may conduct regular maintenance if it is necessary to provide the Service. Maintenance shall be conducted at the time that is posted on the Developer Website.

⑥ If Kakao transmits information upon the request of Programs, Kakao may also send information that is deemed necessary by Kakao, including ads or webpages that are linked to ads.

Article 14. Modification of the Service

① Kakao may modify the Service’s contents, operational and/or technical components in order to provide the Service in a stable manner.

② Kakao shall post a notification of any Service modifications and the modification execution date on the Developer Website in advance.

③ Kakao may update, suspend, or modify parts or the whole of the Service, which is provided free-of-charge, if it is necessary for Kakao’s policy or operational needs. Kakao shall not provide separate compensation to the Member, unless specified in provisions of related laws.

Article 15. Ownership of Rights

① The copyright and intellectual property right of the Service shall belong to Kakao. However, this excludes postings and Programs uploaded and developed by the Member.

② Kakao shall only grant the Member the right to use the account and Developer Website in accordance with conditions defined by Kakao, and the Member shall not transfer, sell, provide as collateral, or dispose of such rights in any way.

Article 16. Termination of the Service Use Agreement and Compensation for Damages

① The Member may access the Developer Website and request to terminate the Service use agreement at any time, and Kakao shall immediately process the Member’s request, as is defined in related laws.

② If the Member’s use agreement is terminated, Kakao shall delete all of the Member’s information, unless Kakao owns the Member information as prescribed in related laws and the Privacy Policy.

③ If the Member’s Service use agreement is terminated, the Member’s information may not be re-used to subscribe again, as is prescribed in the Service Operating Policy.

④ If the Member does not submit a Service request through the Program for six (6) consecutive months or more, Kakao may notify the Member and terminate the Member’s account for Service stability purposes.

⑤ If Kakao or a Member’s violation of provisions in the Terms and Conditions results in damages to the other party, the violating party shall compensate for damages experienced by the other party.

⑥ If a third party other than a Member files for appeals, including claims for damages or lawsuits, against Kakao due to a Member’s illegal activity or violation of the Terms and Conditions, the Member at fault shall burden all costs and responsibilities to exempt Kakao and compensate for any resulting damages.

Article 17. Restriction of Use

① Kakao may gradually limit the Member’s rights to use the Service, through warnings, data deletion requests, temporary suspensions (including limiting developer and app’s access to Platform features), and terminate the use agreement if the Member violates obligations defined in the Terms and Conditions and the Operating Policy or interrupts the normal operations of the Service.

② Kakao may immediately terminate the Service use agreement if the Member violates existing laws, despite the provisions in the Clause above.

③ Kakao shall provide notifications to the Member in accordance with provisions in Article 9 if use of the Service is restricted or the use agreement is terminated in accordance with this Article.

④ The Member may submit a formal objection to the restriction of use using procedures defined by Kakao. If Kakao deems the objection to be justifiable, Kakao shall immediately restore the Member’s ability to use the Service.

Article 18. Limitations in Liabilities

① Kakao shall be exempt from any responsibilities related to the provision of the Service if Kakao is unable to provide the Service due to natural disasters, DDOS attacks, IDC failures, telecommunication service provider circuit failures or other force majeure.

② Kakao shall not be responsible for failures that occur due to reasons that are attributable to the Member during the use of the Service.

③ Kakao shall not guarantee the reliability, accuracy or legitimacy of the service developed by the Member, and shall not be responsible for any associated issues that may arise.

④ Kakao only provides supplemental features needed to develop the Member’s Programs through the Service, and does not guarantee any improvement in results through the use of the Service.

⑤ Kakao shall not be responsible for the use of the Service, which is provided free-of-charge, unless provisions specified in related laws state otherwise.

Article 19. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

① Disputes that arise between Kakao and the Member shall be governed by the laws of the Republic of Korea.

② Lawsuits surrounding disputes that arise between Kakao and the Member shall be brought to the competent court stated in the Civil Procedure Act.

Appendix

① The Terms and Conditions shall become effective on September 1, 2020. However, the Terms and Conditions shall be applied to new Members on the day they subscribe to the Service if they subscribe between the Terms and Conditions announcement date and one (1) day prior to the effective date.

View previous versions of Kakao Developers Terms and Conditions