Terms of Service

Hong Kong AI International Film Festival Association

Effective Date: 1 July 2026 · Last Updated: 1 July 2026

Article 1 — Acceptance of Terms

Welcome to the Hong Kong AI International Film Festival Association ("HKAIIFF", "we", "us", or "our") and its asset-indexing platform, Festival, Hackathon, and related websites, applications and services (collectively, the "Services"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Services.

By creating an account, clicking "Agree", or using the Services in any way, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, please stop using the Services.

1.1 Eligibility. You may use the Services only if:

you are at least sixteen (16) years of age;
if you are under eighteen (18), you have obtained the explicit consent of a parent or legal guardian;
you have the legal capacity to enter into a binding contract; and
use of the Services is not prohibited under the laws of your jurisdiction.

Article 2 — Accounts

2.1 Registration. Certain features require an account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information and to keep it up to date.

2.2 Account security. You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials and for all activity under your account. Do not transfer, sell, or share your account. Notify us promptly at legal@hkaiiff.io of any unauthorized use.

2.3 Email sign-in. The Services use email-based sign-in: you log in by requesting a one-time verification code (OTP) sent to your email address. You are responsible for keeping access to your email account secure. We may use an email-delivery provider to send these codes.

2.4 Suspension and termination. We may suspend or terminate your access if you breach these Terms, provide false information, engage in unlawful or harmful activity, or after prolonged inactivity. You may close your account at any time.

Article 3 — The Services and AI Features

3.1 What the Services do. The Services let you:

register asset information across four index libraries — AI Film (AIF), Workflow (WF), Character & IP (IP), and World (WLD);
obtain, after review and purchase, a permanent INDEX record and public address for an asset;
participate in the Festival and Hackathon and related activities;
use AI-assisted tools to help organize and present submitted information.

3.2 AI features and your content — no-training commitment. When you submit files, our AI reads them only to help extract and structure the information you are registering, and the original uploaded content is then discarded — it is not retained for long-term storage. We do not use your uploaded works or their content to train AI models. AI-generated suggestions may contain inaccuracies; you should verify all AI output, and you remain fully responsible for the works you submit, including their accuracy, ownership, and legal compliance.

3.3 AI-participation disclosure. Where a submission enters Festival or Hackathon competition, you must accurately disclose the degree of AI involvement in accordance with our published guidelines. Misrepresenting AI involvement may result in disqualification.

Article 4 — What an INDEX Record Is and Is Not

4.1 Nature of the record. An INDEX record is a technical, timestamped index and integrity record (including a content hash and version history) that helps you reference and present an asset. It is a record created and maintained by HKAIIFF as a private indexing service.

4.2 Important limitations. You acknowledge and agree that an INDEX record:

is not a government-issued or government-endorsed certificate, and does not represent any official or governmental status;
is not a copyright registration and is not equivalent to, or a substitute for, registration with any copyright office or authority;
does not constitute a determination, adjudication, or resolution of any ownership, authorship, or rights dispute; and
does not by itself confer, prove, or guarantee any legal right, and is not a legally enforceable instrument.

Nothing in the Services should be relied upon as legal advice or as a substitute for registration, legal protection, or professional advice you may need for your works.

Article 5 — User Content and Intellectual Property

5.1 You keep your rights. You retain all ownership and intellectual-property rights in the content you submit ("User Content"). These Terms do not transfer ownership of your work to us.

5.2 Limited license to operate the Services. You grant HKAIIFF a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide license to host, store, display, and reproduce your User Content solely to operate and provide the Services (for example, to display your public asset page, generate the INDEX record, and promote the Festival/Hackathon in which you participate). This license ends when you remove the content or close your account, except to the extent the content must be retained to maintain the integrity of an already-issued INDEX record or as required by law.

5.3 Copyright protection and complaints. Content on the platform may be protected under the Hong Kong Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528) and applicable law. We respect intellectual-property rights and will respond to valid infringement complaints. To report infringement, email legal@hkaiiff.io with sufficient detail to identify the work and the allegedly infringing material.

5.4 Your representations. You represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary rights to the User Content you submit, that it is accurate, and that it does not infringe the rights of, or cause harm to, any third party.

Article 6 — Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

upload or distribute content that violates applicable law, or that is defamatory, hateful, discriminatory, or otherwise unlawful;
infringe any copyright, trademark, or other intellectual-property right;
create or distribute deepfakes using another person's likeness or voice without consent, or generate disinformation;
misrepresent the degree of AI involvement in a competition submission;
access the Services through unauthorized automated means, or interfere with, disrupt, or attempt to breach the security of the Services or other users' accounts.

Article 7 — Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

7.1 "As is". The Services are provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including as to availability, accuracy of AI-generated content, or fitness for a particular purpose, to the maximum extent permitted by law.

7.2 No guarantee of legal effect. Consistent with Article 4, we make no representation that any INDEX record, asset page, or other output of the Services has any legal, governmental, or registration effect.

7.3 Limitation of liability. To the maximum extent permitted by law, HKAIIFF will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages. Our total aggregate liability arising out of or relating to the Services will not exceed the greater of the total fees you paid to us in the twelve (12) months before the event giving rise to the claim, or HKD 1,000.

Article 8 — Fees and Payments

8.1 Paid features. Certain features (such as unlocking a permanent INDEX, or Pro/Platinum subscriptions, or Festival/Hackathon participation fees) are paid. Prices are shown at the point of purchase.

8.2 One-time unlocks. One-time purchases (such as a Stable Index unlock) are, unless stated otherwise at purchase or required by law, non-refundable once the corresponding record has been issued.

8.3 Subscriptions. Subscriptions (Pro / Platinum) renew automatically for the stated period until cancelled. If a subscription lapses or is cancelled, paid recurring features may stop, but your already-issued INDEX record, public address, and base asset information are retained. You may cancel at any time; cancellation takes effect at the end of the current paid period.

8.4 Changes to fees. We may change fees prospectively with reasonable notice.

Article 9 — Changes to the Services and Terms

We may modify the Services or these Terms. Material changes will be notified through the platform or by email. Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Article 10 — Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Disputes shall be resolved first through good-faith negotiation; failing which, through mediation and, if necessary, arbitration administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC). The place of arbitration is Hong Kong.

Article 11 — Contact

Questions about these Terms: legal@hkaiiff.io