Terms of use

1. Who we are

Netplots (www.netplots.com) is run by Netplots. In these terms “we”, “us” and “our” mean Netplots, and “you” means anyone who uses the site. To get in touch, email support@netplots.com.

By creating an account or buying a plot you agree to these terms, our content and forum rules and our refunds policy. Our privacy policy explains how we use your information.

2. Your account

• You must be 18 or over to create an account or buy plots.
• Give us a real email address and keep your password safe. You're responsible for what happens on your account.
• One person, one account. Don't create accounts to get around a ban or to boost likes or badges.
• Your username, profile picture, bio, badges, plots, images and forum posts are public. Don't choose a username or picture that pretends to be someone else.

3. What you get when you buy a plot

Every plot costs £10, whatever its size (Small, Medium, Large or XL). When your payment goes through, the plot is assigned to your account straight away. You then get:

• a personal, non-exclusive right to show one image and one link on that plot, once we've approved them;
• the right to change your image and link later (each change is checked again);
• the option to move the plot to any free plot of the same size, once every 30 days. Moving takes down any image on the old plot, and the plot keeps its maintenance date;
• your name on the plot, on your public profile and in the live feed.

You keep these rights for as long as Netplots runs and your plot's maintenance is paid (see section 4).

A plot isn't property. It's a space on our website, not land, a domain, a token or a financial product. It has no guaranteed value, we don't promise you'll be able to sell it, and you shouldn't buy plots expecting to make money. You can't transfer or resell a plot outside of the marketplace (see section 5a) or other features we provide on the site for that purpose.

4. Maintenance fees

Keeping a plot on the map has an ongoing maintenance fee, charged per plot. Every plot includes 30 days of maintenance from the day it becomes yours. After that you top up from your account page, choosing how long to pay for each size of plot you own. Prices per plot:

• A top-up covers every plot you own of the sizes you choose. The smallest top-up is £1. Each plot gets the extra days added to the date it's paid until; a plot that has already run out restarts from the day you pay.
• If maintenance on a plot runs out, its image is hidden from the map until you top up. If it stays unpaid for 7 days, we take the plot back and it goes on sale again, with no refund for the plot.
• Founders: the first 100 people to complete a purchase become Founders. Every plot in a Founder's first purchase is a “founding plot” that never needs maintenance, for as long as they own it (moving it keeps this; if it's taken back or leaves their account, it ends). This won't be withdrawn even if maintenance prices change. Founder spots go in the order payments complete. Plots bought in later purchases need maintenance as normal.
• We'll email you before your maintenance runs out, when it runs out, and before a plot is taken back.
• Maintenance starts as soon as you pay, so at checkout you confirm you want it straight away and understand you lose the 14-day right to cancel. Top-ups aren't refundable except as described on our refunds page.
• We may change maintenance prices in future. Any change won't affect time you've already paid for, and we'll give at least 30 days' notice by email.

5. Buying

• Prices are in pounds sterling and include any taxes we have to charge.
• Payments are handled by Stripe. We never see or store your full card details.
• Plots you select are held for you for about 30 minutes while you pay. If someone else's payment for the same plot goes through first, we'll refund you for any plot we couldn't give you.
• Gifts: you can buy plots for someone else. We hold them for the person you name and email them a link to claim them; once claimed they're theirs, not yours. Their maintenance-free period starts when they claim. Gifts can't be refunded once paid, and don't count towards Founder spots for either of you.
• Referrals: when someone signs up through your invite link it counts towards your invite badges. When they make their first purchase, you both get 30 extra days of maintenance on the plots you own at that moment, and you get £2 of credit off future plot purchases. Credit has no cash value, can't be withdrawn or transferred, and can't be combined with discount codes on the same purchase. We may change or end the referral scheme at any time, and we'll remove rewards gained by cheating it (for example with fake accounts).
• Shop items (plot effects like a glowing border, and profile looks like backgrounds, frames and name effects) are digital items that go into your inventory on Netplots. They aren't physical goods or collectibles, have no cash value, and can't be sold, traded or moved to another account (they stay in your inventory if you sell a plot). A plot effect can be on one of your images at a time and you can move it whenever you like. Some items are limited to a set number, only on sale for a set time, or only for Founders or for inviting friends: once those are gone we won't sell more of the same item, but we may make different items. Unlocked items are given while the scheme runs, and we'll remove ones gained by cheating. Items start straight away, so they can't be cancelled or refunded once paid. Animated images are still checked before going live. If we close your account for breaking these terms, its items go with it.
• Discount codes are offered at our discretion, can't be exchanged for cash and may be withdrawn at any time.

5a. The marketplace (buying and selling between owners)

• Who you're dealing with. A marketplace sale is between the seller and the buyer. We run the marketplace, take payment through Stripe and move the plot, but we aren't the seller. Sellers set their own prices; we don't value plots or promise anything will sell.
• Selling. To sell you set up payouts with Stripe Connect and agree to Stripe's terms. Netplots keeps a 10% fee from each sale and Stripe sends the rest to your bank. You're responsible for any tax on what you earn. You can take a listing off sale at any time, except while a buyer is paying or during the 48 hours after you accept an offer.
• Offers. Offers end after 7 days if the seller doesn't answer. If the seller accepts, the plot is held for that buyer for 48 hours; an accepted offer isn't a binding promise to buy until it's paid.
• What the buyer gets. The plot moves to the buyer as soon as payment goes through, with the same rights as any plot (section 3). Its paid-up maintenance carries over, and is at least 7 days from the sale. Founder plots lose their free maintenance when sold, and the buyer gets 30 days. After that, normal maintenance fees apply (section 4). Any image on the plot is taken down; the seller's Shop items stay with the seller. Buying a plot on the marketplace doesn't make you a Founder.
• If a sale can't complete (for example the plot was sold to someone else or taken back while you were paying), we refund you in full.
• Like other purchases, marketplace purchases start straight away, so they can't be cancelled once paid (section 6). We may remove listings, cancel sales or close the marketplace to stop fraud, abuse or breaking these terms.

6. Your right to cancel

Usually, when you buy something online in the UK you have 14 days to change your mind. Plots are digital and are given to you immediately, so at checkout we ask you to confirm that you want your plots straight away and that you understand you lose that right once they're yours. Maintenance top-ups work the same way: they start as soon as you pay, and so do Shop items and plots bought on the marketplace. This doesn't affect your other legal rights, for example if something goes wrong on our side. See our refunds policy for when we do give refunds.

7. Your images, links and posts

• You keep ownership of what you upload. You give us a free, worldwide licence to store, resize, display and share it on Netplots (including in screenshots and previews of the site) for as long as it's on the map, and in our records afterwards.
• You confirm you have the right to use everything you upload, and that it follows our rules.
• We review every image and link before it goes live and may reject anything, without having to give a reason. Approval doesn't mean we endorse your content or the website you link to.
• Links on the map take visitors to other websites. We're not responsible for those websites.

8. Taking down content, plots and accounts

If you break these terms or the rules, we may (depending on how serious it is):

• remove an image, link, post, profile picture or bio;
• take back some or all of your plots;
• suspend or ban your account.

If we take plots back because you broke the rules, you won't get a refund. If we ever have to remove a plot for a reason that isn't your fault, we'll offer you a replacement plot or a refund.

9. Keeping Netplots running

We intend to keep Netplots online for a long time, but we can't promise it will be available forever or without interruptions. We may update the design and features of the site, including how plots look. If we ever decide to close Netplots for good, we'll give at least 30 days' notice on the site and by email.

10. Our responsibility to you

Nothing in these terms limits our responsibility for anything the law doesn't allow us to limit, including death or personal injury caused by our negligence, or fraud. Otherwise, we're responsible for loss you suffer that's a foreseeable result of us breaking these terms, and our total responsibility to you is limited to the amount you've paid us. We're not responsible for business losses, or for losses caused by events outside our control.

11. Changes to these terms

We may update these terms from time to time, for example when we add new features. We'll change the date at the top and, if the changes are significant, let you know by email or on the site. If you keep using Netplots after a change, the new terms apply.

12. The law

These terms are governed by the law of England and Wales, and any dispute can be dealt with by the courts of England and Wales. If you live in Scotland or Northern Ireland you can also bring a claim in your local courts.

If you have a problem, please talk to us first: email support@netplots.com. We'll do our best to put it right.