Wolfx Project Terms of Service

Wolfx Project Terms of Service (TOS)

1. Definitions and Acceptance

In these Terms, unless the context otherwise requires:

"User" refers to any individual or organization that uses the services provided by this Project.
“Services” means the Project’s websites, public APIs, WebSocket services, earthquake and earthquake early warning information, SeisJS, network tests, and other related tools.
“Privacy Policy” means the separately published document concerning the Project’s handling of information.
“Service-Specific Documentation” means documentation, usage conditions, technical limits, and other notices applicable to a particular Service, API, or data source.

By using the Services, a User agrees to these Terms. A User who does not agree to these Terms must not use the Services.

2. Scope of Services and Service-Specific Documentation

Wolfx Project provides public-interest network services to users worldwide. Content, connection methods, usage limits, data formats, and usage conditions may differ between Services. Users must review and comply with the applicable Service-Specific Documentation.

If Service-Specific Documentation conflicts with these Terms, it controls for the relevant Service. It does not, however, limit the safety warnings in these Terms or any right that cannot lawfully be excluded. For information handling details, please see the Privacy Policy.

This priority does not relax the obligations in Section 6 concerning free access to features, attribution, or independent data provision. Any exception for independent data provision requires the operator's express, individual permission under that Section. Ordinary technical documentation or third-party terms alone must not be interpreted as permission from the Project for independent data provision. The third-party rights and applicable conditions in Section 7 continue to apply.

3. Independent and Unofficial Service

Wolfx Project is an independently operated, unofficial project. It is not affiliated with and does not represent any government agency, meteorological agency, earthquake monitoring organization, earthquake warning authority, or other official organization. Unless expressly stated otherwise, references to third-party names or data sources do not imply partnership, endorsement, warranty, or official authorization.

4. Earthquake Information and Emergency Use

The Services provide a supplementary means of obtaining information and are not a substitute for earthquake information, earthquake early warnings, evacuation notices, or other emergency information issued by a government or official authority. Users should verify official sources whenever possible and must not use the Services as the sole source of information for decisions concerning life safety, medical care, transportation, evacuation, equipment or engineering control, or any other emergency matter.

5. Data Sources, Accuracy, and Availability

Information provided through the Services may be based on multiple public or otherwise lawfully available data sources. Delays, interruptions, omissions, errors, duplication, format changes, or differences between sources may occur because of communications, upstream sources, analysis, or system conditions.

Processing or forwarding data through a third party's own servers may introduce additional delays and failures. Such use is subject to the distinction between ordinary information use and independent data provision in Section 6 and the applicable conditions in Section 7.

The Project uses reasonable efforts to maintain and improve the Services but does not guarantee that information will always be complete, accurate, immediate, continuously available, or suitable for any particular purpose.

6. Reasonable Use and Prohibited Conduct

Users may use the Services at no charge in accordance with these Terms and the Service-Specific Documentation. Reasonable caching, ordinary automated access, and public-interest development allowed by the applicable documentation are not prohibited merely because they are automated.

Individuals, nonprofit organizations, companies, and other commercial organizations may use the Wolfx Project APIs free of charge. Use in websites or apps with advertising, paid memberships, subscriptions, or other revenue-generating activities is not prohibited merely because the service operates commercially. Such use remains subject to these Terms, Service-Specific Documentation, and applicable data-source conditions. Permission for commercial use does not authorize data resale or independent data provision as defined in this Section.

The corresponding features provided to end users on the basis of Wolfx Project data must be fully and promptly available to all users free of charge, without differential restrictions based on payment status. Direct or indirect monetization of access to those features is prohibited, including:

charging for the feature, requiring the purchase of a paid membership, subscription, or other paid entitlement, or making it available only to paying users;
limiting data content, feature completeness, usage counts, earthquake events, warning categories, or the seismic intensity information provided according to payment status or subscription tier; and
deliberately delaying information for free users while providing it in real time to paying users, or imposing other differential restrictions based on payment status.

The absence of a separate price for a feature is insufficient if a paywall for the app as a whole or the route used to access the feature prevents ordinary users from using it free of charge. Features (including separate premium features), products, or services unrelated to Wolfx Project data do not have to be free. Advertising revenue is not prohibited in itself.

Data-Source Attribution

When providing information based on Wolfx Project data to third-party end users, Users must clearly identify "Wolfx Project" as the data provider in a way those end users can reasonably access. A consolidated attribution on a fixed, easy-to-find information page within the service, such as an About page, satisfies this general attribution requirement. Where such attribution is provided, separate attribution to Wolfx Project is not required on each page, information card, map marker, popup, or push notification. Push notifications are not required to link to the attribution page.

Users must not deliberately conceal Wolfx Project's role as a data provider or pass its data off as original or official information issued by the User. Users must distinguish the original issuing authority, Wolfx Project as the data provider, and their own role in presentation, notifications, or other processing. Users must not impersonate any official organization, describe Wolfx Project as an official earthquake warning authority, present Wolfx Project or their own service as an official organization's service, or imply any official partnership, certification, approval, authorization, or guarantee unless expressly confirmed. Stricter attribution conditions imposed by an upstream data source must still be followed. The unofficial status and safety warnings in Sections 3 and 4 also apply.

Ordinary Information Use and Independent Data Provision

Reasonable reception, copying, processing, conversion, caching, storage, display, or transmission of information from the Services to provide a User's own product, app, website, or other service for end users constitutes ordinary information use requiring no individual permission from the operator, provided it does not constitute independent data provision as defined below. This rule does not depend on commercial status, direct connection to a Wolfx Project API, the use of the User's own servers or internal processing and storage, or the means of delivering information to end users. Transmission between the User's own backend and clients using that service does not in itself constitute independent data provision. Users must still comply with these Terms, Service-Specific Documentation, and applicable data-source conditions.

In these Terms, "independent data provision" means supplying data obtained through the Services externally as a data source, data supply service, or something with a substantially equivalent function, from which third parties can obtain data independently of the User's information service for end users and use or integrate it into their other products, apps, systems, or businesses. Without prior express permission from the Wolfx Project operator, Users must not engage in independent data provision or grant third parties rights to reuse or sublicense data for that purpose.

Whether an activity constitutes independent data provision is determined by its substantive function and purpose, rather than solely by data format, interface name, communication method, server routing, authentication or access restrictions, or whether a fee is charged. Where the substance remains that of an independent data source, format conversion, field renaming, simple processing, access restrictions, or incorporation into the User's own app or website do not remove the requirement for prior permission.

The operator may grant express individual permission for independent data provision in writing or electronically for a specified service, purpose, and scope. Permission is limited by the authorized entity, product or service, data types and APIs, purpose, distribution method, recipients, clients or platforms, scope and duration, and any other conditions. Permission does not automatically extend to other products, services, businesses, or other Wolfx Project APIs operated or used by the same entity. Independent data provision, resale, or sublicensing beyond the authorized scope requires separate express consent. Concealing or falsifying attribution and violating the original rights holder's applicable conditions are prohibited as well.

Entities holding individual permission must take reasonable technical measures appropriate to their service architecture, such as authentication, access controls, necessary permission restrictions, and measures against abuse, to prevent third parties from independently supplying or using the data as a data source beyond the authorized scope. This does not require a guarantee that third-party access is technically impossible.

If the conditions of individual permission are violated, the Project may restrict, suspend, or revoke permission in accordance with these Terms and the applicable conditions of that permission. Existing valid individual permissions are governed by their express scope and conditions and are not automatically revoked retroactively merely by this revision. No permission waives the third-party rights or applicable conditions in Section 7.

Other Prohibited Conduct and Technical Limits

Users must not:

attack, damage, or interfere with a system, exploit a vulnerability, or obtain unauthorized access;
bypass a rate limit, security mechanism, or access restriction;
adversely affect the Services or other users through automated requests, concurrent connections, or resource consumption that is clearly beyond a reasonable level;
use the Services for unlawful conduct or violate these Terms, Service-Specific Documentation, or applicable data-source terms;
impersonate Wolfx Project, an official organization, or a data source; deliberately falsify data sources or official warnings; deliberately tamper with data and provide it as authentic original information; misrepresent a partnership, certification, or endorsement; or present or provide data from the Services as an official warning; or
violate this Section's conditions on free access to features, attribution, or independent data provision, or otherwise reuse data in a manner not permitted by Service-Specific Documentation or applicable data-source terms.

The Project may set or adjust reasonable rate, connection, and other technical limits to maintain service stability and fair use. Material changes affecting ordinary use will be shown in the Service-Specific Documentation or on the website where reasonably practicable. Access that creates a security, stability, or legal risk may be restricted or suspended without prior notice.

7. Third-Party Data and Intellectual Property

Rights in software, text, images, logos, documentation, interface designs, and other content created by the Project belong to the Project or the applicable rights holder. These Terms do not grant a right to copy, modify, distribute, or commercially exploit such content beyond the scope of an express permission.

Rights in data, names, trademarks, and content originating from JMA, CENC, USGS, or another third party remain with their respective rights holders and are subject to their applicable terms. Where Service-Specific Documentation applies to an API or data source, it controls the use of that API or data source. The Project does not warrant the rights or scope of permission granted by a third party.

This priority is subject to Section 2. The Project can grant permission only to the extent it lawfully has the right to do so. Neither ordinary information use allowed under Section 6 nor individual permission under that Section replaces third-party permission or provides a basis for circumventing upstream restrictions. Internal storage, display to end users, and provision to third parties of original messages or other restricted data must each comply with the upstream conditions applicable to the respective form of use. Users must not publicly redistribute original upstream messages or other restricted data without the necessary permission of the relevant rights holder, or assume that the Project holds sublicensing rights to all third-party data.

8. Data Submitted by Users

A User who submits information through SeisJS or another feature must have the right to submit it lawfully. The User retains the rights they hold under applicable law and permits the Project to process the information only to the extent necessary to provide, maintain, secure, and improve the relevant Service.

9. Service Operation and Availability

The Project will use reasonable efforts to operate and restore the Services. This is not a formal service level agreement, a guarantee of availability, or a promise of compensation. Planned maintenance will be announced in advance where reasonably practicable, and information about emergency outages will be provided as appropriate to the circumstances.

10. Changes, Suspension, and Discontinuation of Services

The Project may change, suspend, or discontinue all or part of a Service because of maintenance or upgrades, a security incident, changes to an upstream data source, legal or licensing requirements, abuse, force majeure, or changes in operating resources. Notice will be given in advance where reasonably practicable or promptly afterward where an emergency or other circumstances make advance notice impracticable.

The Project may restrict or suspend access where a User violates these Terms or Service-Specific Documentation, or where the access creates a security, stability, or legal risk.

11. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

The Services are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis. Users are responsible for independently checking official information and maintaining safeguards and alternative information sources appropriate to their intended use.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, the Project is not liable for indirect, special, incidental, or consequential loss arising from use of or inability to use the Services, delayed, incorrect, or missing information, loss of data, third-party services, or force majeure. This provision does not exclude or limit liability for the Project’s intentional misconduct or gross negligence, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited, and it does not affect consumer-protection rights that cannot be excluded in the User’s place of habitual residence.

12. Governing Law and Disputes

The formation, validity, and interpretation of these Terms are governed by the laws of Japan. This choice does not exclude any consumer-protection rule or other mandatory law that cannot lawfully be excluded in the User’s place of habitual residence. Any dispute relating to the Services will be submitted at first instance to a court having jurisdiction under applicable law.

13. General Provisions

If any part of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining parts will continue in effect. A failure by the Project to exercise a right under these Terms immediately does not waive that right. The relationship between these Terms and Service-Specific Documentation is governed by Section 2.

Governing Language and Translations

The Japanese-language version of these Terms is the authoritative text. The Simplified Chinese and English versions are provided as translations for users' convenience. In the event of any discrepancy in content or interpretation between language versions, the Japanese-language version shall prevail, except where otherwise required by applicable law. This provision does not limit any user rights that cannot lawfully be excluded.

14. Changes to These Terms

These Terms apply from the date of publication unless a separate effective date is specified. The Project may update them in response to changes in the Services or applicable law. Updated Terms and their effective date will be published on this website, and material changes will be highlighted through reasonable means. Use of the Services after the effective date of updated Terms constitutes acceptance of those Terms unless applicable law provides otherwise.

The document revision date does not indicate the actual publication or effective date. Application of an update is governed by this Section and applicable law; stating a revision date alone does not apply the update retroactively to existing use.

15. Contact and Feedback

If you have any questions or suggestions regarding these Terms or the Services, please contact us by email at: [email protected]

Last revised: October 30, 2026