Game Regulations
Violations and Penalties：
Release Date: January 16, 2013
At Gamesofa, we appreciate all of our users and would like to sincerely thank you for joining and entering the world of Gamesofa. The following game regulations (the
“Regulations”) ensure that all users are able to have an enjoyable experience with
Gamesofa. We appreciate your cooperation in creating an optimal gaming
environment with us.
In the event that the personal information provided by a user during registration (the
“information”) does not match up with the information of the actual user, Gamesofa
reserves the right to terminate all user services (including but not limited to: username
and password setup, all related game services and requests, in-game events and
prizes, etc.).
If a user provides false information and/or transfers, delivers, or leaks their username,
password, and other aspects of their account to another person, Gamesofa reserves
the right to terminate the agreement with said user. The user will bear full responsibility
of damages, including compensation to Gamesofa for any losses or injuries. These
Regulations are a part of the Terms of Service and hold the same binding effects. All
Gamesofa users must abide by the conditions outlined in these Regulations.
PLEASE NOTE:
- Gamesofa strictly prohibits users engaging in unauthorized games and other illegal：
If you are found to be using any improper methods including but not limited to
- any unauthorized software, technical loopholes, or other means to gain an unfair advantage in game play and/or
- severely disrupting game play (please read the detailed penalty descriptions) to gain game points, illegally modifying game coin amount, using the Service or other services to engage in illicit behavior, causing damage to the virtual goods of other users, or unfairly taking part in tournaments, Gamesofa reserves the right to dispense penalty without notice, depending on the severity of your conduct. All users involved or associated with the violation of these Regulations will face the same consequences.
- Recently, there have been an upsurge in unlawful coin sellers and we urge all our users to be extra cautious. Most of these coin sellers hack into other user accounts to obtain their game coins/chips and resell them. This is considered a misappropriation of others’ virtual goods. As these illegal coins/chips are viewed as stolen property, both the coin seller and buyer must give up all the coins/chips in question for inspection (see Appendix 6). The account of the seller will be terminated while the account of the buyer will be temporarily suspended at least for the duration of the investigation.
- When communicating and interacting in public forums within the game, all users should note the following: please refrain from using any content or language that is abusive or threatening to other users; all personal issues should be resolved by regular means in your own personal time. Gamesofa provides a casual gaming platform for the enjoyment of all users and is committed to protecting and ensuring a healthy game environment. Any unlawful or improper dialogue is subject to the consequences listed in these Regulations. We appreciate your cooperation with this matter.
- To maintain normal game operation and to avoid illicit transfers of virtual currencies, fraud, or gambling, our system will automatically scan the site for messages that may be related to the transfer of virtual currencies. If such messages are found, we will further perform a scan for certain keywords or check the messages manually. If evidence of illegal behavior is discovered, the affected player(s) will be treated in accordance with these Regulations.
- If you have any objections or suggestions regarding our Regulations, you can contact our customer service via e-mail at service@gamesofa.com or via phone at (02) 66329888. We will reply as soon as possible within no longer than seven days.
- In the case of user account suspension, Gamesofa grants the affected user to enter an objection within 30 days starting with the day of the suspension.
| Offense | First Violation | Second | Third | Fourth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Using an improper username or nickname (Appendix 1) | Warning and modification deadline | 7 day suspension and modification deadline | Account termination | |
| Using vulgar or improper language (no specific target) (Appendix 2) | 3 day verbal ban | 7 day verbal ban | 30 day verbal ban | 90 day verbal ban with possibility of further penalties |
| Using obscene language directly harassing or insulting other users (Appendix 2) | 7 day verbal ban | 30 day verbal ban | 90 day verbal ban | 90 day verbal ban with possibility of further penalties |
| Intentionally using the Service improperly to gain an unfair advantage or obtain coins (Appendix 3) | 30 day suspension | Account termination | ||
| Posting advertisements for other games (Appendix 4) | Suspension or account termination, depending on circumstances | |||
| Spreading or making suggestions about false rumors (Appendix 5) | Account termination and possible police report | |||
| Posing as an official staff member of Gamesofa (Appendix 5) | ||||
| Unlawfully using or taking another user’s username, information, or game coins (Appendix 6) | ||||
| Promoting or engaging in unauthorized in-game selling of game coins/chips and other virtual items (Appendix 7) | ||||
Reporting a Violation
To ensure a safe and equal gaming environment for all users, game moderators will be making daily inspections of game records and all related materials of the previous day. If a user ’ s game history show signs of possible cheating and/or suspicious activity, the user will be placed on a list for further investigation. If evidence of illegal behavior is discovered, all Gamesofa services will be suspended for the user (please see detailed descriptions of violations and consequences above). If you suspect another user of violating the Regulations, you may report it back to Gamesofa and we will immediately begin investigations. If evidence of illegal behavior is discovered, all Gamesofa services will be suspended for the user in question. For all suspended users to ensure their user rights, please fax or send us relevant materials to prove your identity as the original user.
◆ When sending a report, please include:- Username (if you are reporting someone, please include their username/nickname)
- Subject
- Time and place (i.e. game zone or event name) of occurrence
- Please note: if you are reporting someone, the statute of limitation is within one month of the occurrence. Reports past one month of the initial occurrence will not be handled.
- Customer Service
Appendix 1
- Users are prohibited from updating or creating new usernames/nicknames that include vulgar language, unrecognizable words or symbols, or contain content that is otherwise harmful to others or has titles (i.e. giving off the wrongful impression that you are a staff member or moderator) and violators will be subject to penalties accordingly.
- Based on the severity of the violation, game moderators will send a warning letter containing a deadline for making changes.
- Gamesofa reserves the right to terminate any account with a username that contains obscene or vulgar language.
Appendix 2
- Promote or distribute commercial solicitations, advertisements, or pornographic content
- Infringe upon the rights of third parties and/or their privacy
- Engage in verbally abusive behavior in public areas of communication
- Engage in illegal conduct or violate common codes of courtesy
- Includes slandering, insulting, sexual harassment, ethnic and racial discrimination, or setting a bad example for children
- Promoting behaviors deemed illegal by the legal system of Taiwan (R.O.C.) to encourage misconduct in others
- Infringing upon the rights of any third-party user’s virtual goods, copyrights, or public/personal rights
- Intentionally spamming or disrupting the normal flow of dialogue within the in-game lobby
- Game moderators will evaluate the severity of the violation to decide the duration of penalty
- All users are held legally responsible for their own actions and behaviors.
- Gamesofa provides a gaming platform for all users. Any personal conflicts should be resolved by regular means independently. Should any personal issues result in a user ban, the maximum penalty given is up to 90 days.
Appendix 3
- Any users who take part in or cooperate with openly designating a winner, calling out tiles, or asking for a certain tile are subject to penalties.
- Example: User A publicly announces the tile they want or directly designates a winner. Should a user file a report about such circumstances, a game moderator will investigate the situation and take action accordingly.
- Users who conspire with other users to deliberately sabotage the game, resulting in the
loss of other users’ game money (coins, poker chips, etc.) are subject to penalties. All users
who took part in this violation are also subject to the penalties.
- Example: User A and User B obtain an unauthorized method of communication and conspire to form an advantage for themselves, resulting in unfair play for other users. Should a user file a report about such circumstances, a game moderator will investigate the situation and take action accordingly.
- Mahjong-based Example: User A already has a legal hand (i.e. 7萬7萬7萬8條 8條8條 4筒5筒6筒7筒8筒9筒發發發中中) but chooses to break it and give a tile to another user to form a meld and/or win the game.
- Big Two-based Example: User A has a Full House (A-A-A-2-2) but chooses to give up e.g. the three aces and draw new ones to deliberately break up his good hand and give another user an advantage.
- Users who run multiple copies of the game simultaneously to gain an unfair advantage.
- Example: User A and User B are playing the same round and are running multiple copies of the game or using other methods to boost their rankings or coins and other virtual goods. Should a user file a report about such circumstances, a game moderator will investigate the situation and take action accordingly.
- Users who freely allow others to access their account and find that it has been improperly used take all responsibility for those actions as if they were their own.
- Users who unfairly obtain in-game benefits will face suspension and have all those benefits revoked.
- Game moderators will evaluate the severity of the violation to decide the suspension duration.
- Using illegal or unauthorized means to send game coins to other users
- Example: Users A and B make use of certain game functions such as losing or leaving a round to make coin/chip transactions.
- According to law, all criminals of fraud are subject to anywhere from 1 to 7 years in federal prison. In addition, criminals who illegally obtain and/or make use of digital records are subject to up to 5 years in federal prison.
Appendix 4
Depending on the circumstances, users face suspension or, if the advertisements are found to be for specific gaming companies, account termination.
Appendix 5
Any users who pose as a game moderator or staff member to threaten others or spread false rumors will be subject to account termination.
Appendix 6
- Users who discover that their account has been hacked or otherwise infringed upon in
any way should contact a game moderator immediately to ensure that protective measures
are taken in a timely manner. These measures do not suggest in any way that you will be
given any compensation or guarantees. We do not take responsibility for your actions in
regards to protecting your account. However, users who have been hacked can request a
record of their gaming history for further police investigation.
- Fraudulent use of an account to steal virtual goods and modify other users’ digital gaming records, thus resulting in damages and loss to the other party, is subject to the penalties listed in the Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 359.
- Using the account of another individual to exchange, sell, keep, or other illegal uses of the Service will result in account termination. Such users and any accomplices are subject to the federal Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 358: users who use accounts not their own, who infringe upon the security measures on a computer, or take advantage of technological errors or glitches are subject to up to 3 years of imprisonment, detainment, and/or a fine maximum of $100,000 NT.
- Illegal methods of obtaining account information of other users to engage in game play
include:
(1)using Trojan software or other outside software to hack other computers;
(2)using unauthorized server monitors;
(3)sharing an account with others for illicit purposes.
- Benefits by Fraud: Users who illegally obtain virtual goods and are detected to have unfair ownership benefits are subject to Taiwan’s Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 339 Section 2 “Benefits by Fraud”: users who illegally obtain goods personally or for a third-party are subject to up to 3 years of imprisonment, detainment, or a fine maximum of $10,000 NT.
- Offense of Violence: Users who obtain virtual goods and property by threats of violence, harassment, and/or obscenity are subject to the Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 328, Section 2, “Benefits by Forceful Obtainment.”
- Users who maliciously make use of bugs in the game system, unauthorized software, or make any changes to the original programming of the game system in order to obtain game records or affect the fairness of the game, thus resulting in any harm or damage to the game and all related materials, are subject to account suspension and further investigation. In severe cases of violation that affect other users or the activity of the game server, Gamesofa will terminate said user’s account and file a court petition.
- Taiwan Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 360: Users who use software programs or any other digital methods to interfere with other users’ computers or related devices, causing damage to another individual or the public, are subject to up to 3 years imprisonment, detainment, and/or a fine maximum of $100,000 NT.
Article 362: Users using any software or engaging in behaviors categorized as a violation by
these Regulations are subject to up to 5 years imprisonment, detainment, and/or a fine
maximum of $200,000 NT.
Article 363: Crimes described in Articles 358 through 360 will not have a trial without complaint.
Appendix 7
- Any users who engage in any sort of in-game selling of virtual goods or monetary items (such as coins or chips) will be given a notice of account termination.
- Please do not buy any game coins from an unauthorized source (most sellers are hackers who sell coins/chips taken from other users) and/or sell them to anyone else in turn. Such actions are an infringement upon others’ virtual goods. Regardless of seller or buyer, all items obtained through illegal and/or unauthorized means will be revoked for investigation
- Please do not give away your account information freely for others to use, as many coin sellers will take other people’s accounts to engage in illicit activities. Users who freely allow others to access their account and find that it has been improperly used take all responsibility for those actions as if they were their own.
- If you find that you have been wrongly subject to a notice of account termination due to coin purchases or other reasons, please send proof of an authorized transaction (or related evidence) to our customer service (please include all your basic profile information).
- Code of Criminal Procedure, Article 349: Users who willingly accept stolen goods are subject to up to 3 years of imprisonment, detainment, and/or a fine maximum of $500NT. Users who transport, store, or buy stolen goods are subject to up to 5 years of imprisonment, detainment, and/or a fine maximum of $1000 NT.
Appendix 8
The use of any unauthorized software or hardware (like cheat engines, automatic trainers, speed-up programs etc.) to play the game, to exploit bugs, to crack the game package (records will show abnormal behavior) as well as using any software or hardware to interfere with the normal operation of the game or obstruct players and/or moderators are considered a major violation. If evidence of illegal behavior is discovered, Gamesofa will immediately terminate the related account(s) in accordance with the Regulations.