Terms of Use

1. About these terms

These Terms of Use ("Terms") are an agreement between you and Party Hat Games ("we," "us," "our") governing your use of the website at partyhatgames.com, our game The GIF Game (the desktop "host" app), and the web-based controller your guests open on their phones (together, the "Services"). By using the Services, you agree to these Terms. If you don't agree, please don't use the Services.

Buying the game on Steam is also governed by the Steam Subscriber Agreement between you and Valve. These Terms cover how you use the game itself.

2. Who can use the Services

The Services are intended for a general audience and are not directed to children under 13 (or the minimum age required in your country). By using the Services you confirm you meet that age. The host of a game is responsible for who they invite into a room and for choosing a content level appropriate for that group. We're not responsible for what other players in a room say, type, or pick.

3. Your content

The Services let you enter content — nicknames, prompts, text, and GIF selections (your "Content"). As between you and us, you keep ownership of your Content. You're responsible for what you submit and for making sure you have the right to submit it.

You grant us a limited, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, display, and transmit your Content for the sole purpose of operating the Services — for example, showing your prompt and GIF pick to the other players in your room, and, if you choose to create one, displaying a shareable recap of a matchup. This license ends when the Content is deleted, including shareable recaps you chose to create, which are kept for a limited time (about a year) and removed sooner if you ask.

4. Acceptable use

When using the Services, you agree not to:

• submit or share content that is illegal, that you don't have the right to share, or that infringes someone else's intellectual property or privacy;
• harass, threaten, bully, defame, or incite violence against anyone, or share hate speech;
• submit content that sexualizes minors or is otherwise prohibited by law;
• attempt to bypass the game's content filtering to expose people to material they didn't consent to;
• attempt to break, overload, hack, reverse-engineer, scrape, or disrupt the Services, the servers, or the GIF provider;
• use the Services to send spam or to violate any applicable law.

The host of a room can choose how strict the content filter is. Choosing a more permissive level does not remove your responsibility to follow these rules and the law.

5. GIFs and third-party content

GIFs in The GIF Game are supplied by a third-party provider (Klipy). That content belongs to its respective owners and providers, and your use of it is also subject to the provider's terms. We don't create or own that content and aren't responsible for it.

6. Moderation and enforcement

We want the Services to stay fun and safe. We may, at our discretion, remove content, block a connection, or limit or suspend access to the Services — for example to address abuse, illegal content, security threats, or violations of these Terms. Because most game data is deleted automatically within the hour, the most common enforcement is simply ending a session or blocking a connection.

7. Reporting a problem or an IP complaint

If you believe content shared through the Services infringes your rights, or you want a shareable recap removed, email us at partyhatgames@partyhatgames.com with enough detail to identify the content, and we'll review it and act where appropriate.

8. Our intellectual property

The Services themselves — the games, software, website, branding, "Party Hat Games" and "The GIF Game" names, logos, and design — belong to us and are protected by intellectual-property laws. Buying or playing the game doesn't transfer those rights to you. You may not copy, resell, or create derivative works from the Services except as allowed by law or by us in writing.

9. Privacy

Your use of the Services is also covered by our Privacy Policy, which explains the limited information we process and how game data is deleted automatically.

10. Disclaimers

The Services are provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law. We don't promise the Services will always be available, uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, and we're not responsible for the conduct or content of other players. The Services depend on an internet connection and on third-party providers, which we don't control.

11. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Party Hat Games will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for any loss of data, arising out of or relating to your use of the Services. Nothing in these Terms limits liability that cannot be limited under applicable law.

12. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Party Hat Games from claims, damages, and expenses arising out of your Content, your use of the Services, or your violation of these Terms or the law.

13. Changes to the Services and these Terms

We may update, change, or discontinue parts of the Services, and we may update these Terms from time to time. When we update the Terms we'll change the "Last updated" date above. If you keep using the Services after a change, that means you accept the updated Terms.

14. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws applicable in the jurisdiction in which Party Hat Games is established, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules, and you agree that the courts of that jurisdiction will have authority over any disputes, except where applicable law gives you the right to bring a claim elsewhere. If any part of these Terms is found unenforceable, the rest stays in effect.

15. Contact us

Questions about these Terms? Email partyhatgames@partyhatgames.com.