Terms of Use
PADICHAT TERMS OF USE
These Terms of Use (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of Padichat, including the website at padichat.com, all associated pages, community features, events, shop, membership services, and any related services (collectively, “the Platform”).
By registering an account, using any part of the Platform, purchasing a product or ticket, or subscribing to a membership, you confirm that:
- You have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms
- You are at least 16 years of age (or the minimum age of digital consent in your jurisdiction, whichever is higher)
- You have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement
- You agree to our Privacy Policy and Community Guidelines
If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not use the Platform.
Padichat is a community platform (“we”, “us”, “our”, “the Company”). The Platform provides:
- An online community forum for registered members to post, discuss, and connect
- A business directory where diaspora and community businesses can list their services
- An events platform for hosting and attending online and in-person community events
- A merchandise shop selling Padichat-branded products fulfilled by Printful
- An OG membership tier with enhanced community features and benefits
- Push notifications, newsletters, and community communications
We are rooted in diaspora and West African culture and are open to global citizens who share our values of authentic, respectful, toxicity-free community connection.
To use Padichat you must:
- Be at least 16 years of age (or the minimum digital age of consent in your jurisdiction)
- Not be prohibited from using the Platform under applicable law
- Not have been previously banned or suspended from Padichat
- Provide accurate and truthful information during registration
2.2 Account creation
- You must register for an account to access the full community, post content, purchase products, or subscribe to a membership
- You may browse public forum content without an account
- You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials
- You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account
- You must notify us immediately at [email protected] if you suspect unauthorised access to your account
2.3 Account accuracy
- You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration
- You agree to keep your account information updated
- Using a false identity, impersonating another person, or providing false information is grounds for immediate account termination
2.4 One account per person
- Each person may hold only one registered account
- Creating multiple accounts to evade a ban or suspension is prohibited and will result in permanent removal from the Platform
Padichat is built on the principle of authentic, respectful connection. By using the Platform, you agree to abide by these rules at all times.
3.1 You MUST NOT:
- Post, share, or promote content that is hateful, racist, sexist, homophobic, transphobic, or discriminatory on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, nationality, or any other protected characteristic
- Bully, harass, intimidate, threaten, or stalk any member, business, or third party
- Post sexually explicit, pornographic, or adult-only content
- Share content that depicts or promotes violence, self-harm, or harm to others
- Share content that sexualises or endangers minors in any way
- Post content that infringes any third party’s intellectual property rights including copyright, trademark, or trade secrets
- Share another person’s private information without their consent (doxxing)
- Impersonate any person, organisation, or entity
- Post spam, chain messages, unsolicited advertising, or repeated promotional content
- Post false, misleading, or defamatory information about any person, business, or organisation
- Attempt to manipulate, deceive, or defraud other members
- Scrape, crawl, or extract data from the Platform without written permission
- Attempt to hack, compromise, or disrupt the Platform or its infrastructure
- Upload malware, viruses, or any malicious code
- Create fake accounts, use bots, or engage in coordinated inauthentic behaviour
- Use the Platform for any illegal purpose under applicable law
- Violate any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation
3.2 Content standards
All content you post must:
- Be relevant to the community and respectful of other members
- Comply with all applicable laws including copyright and defamation law
- Not infringe any third party’s rights
- Not constitute unsolicited advertising or spam
- Be in a language that can be moderated (we primarily moderate in English)
3.3 Business listings
Businesses listed on Padichat must:
- Be legitimate, legally operating businesses
- Provide accurate information about their products and services
- Not make false or misleading claims
- Comply with all applicable consumer protection and advertising standards
- Not use the listing to promote illegal goods or services
4.1 Your content
You retain ownership of the content you create and post on Padichat (“User Content”). By posting User Content, you grant Gocarts Technologies Inc. a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, transferable licence to:
- Display, publish, and distribute your content on the Platform
- Use your content in Padichat marketing materials, social media, and promotional content (with attribution where practical)
- Adapt, resize, or reformat your content for different display formats on the Platform
- Sub-licence these rights to service providers operating the Platform on our behalf
This licence ends when you delete the content or your account, except where:
- Other members have interacted with the content (e.g. replied to a post) in which case we may retain the thread structure
- We are required to retain it for legal, compliance, or safety reasons
- The content has been used in marketing materials already published
4.2 Our content
All content on Padichat that is not User Content, including the platform design, branding, logo, graphics, text, code, and software is owned by or licensed to Padeichat. and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.
You may not copy, reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, or otherwise exploit our content without our prior written permission.
4.3 Padichat brand and trademarks
- “Padichat” and the Padichat logo are trademarks of Gocarts Technologies Inc.
- You may not use our name, logo, or trademarks without our prior written consent
- You may not create content that implies endorsement by or affiliation with Padichat without our permission
You agree not to:
- Access or attempt to access other members’ accounts without authorisation
- Use automated tools, bots, scripts, or crawlers on the Platform without written permission
- Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Platform or its servers
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform or its related systems
- Conduct penetration testing, vulnerability scanning, or security research without our prior written consent
- Engage in any activity that places an unreasonable load on our infrastructure
- Circumvent any technical measures we use to protect the Platform
- Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the Platform
6.1 Our right to moderate
We reserve the right, at our sole discretion and without prior notice, to:
- Remove any content that violates these Terms or our Community Guidelines
- Edit or limit the visibility of any content
- Warn, suspend, or permanently ban any member
- Remove or refuse any business listing
- Cancel any event listing
- Refuse registration to any person
6.2 Enforcement actions
Depending on the severity and frequency of violations, we may take the following actions:
- Warning — notification that your behaviour violates our policies
- Content removal — removal of the violating content
- Temporary suspension — account suspended for a defined period
- Permanent ban — permanent removal from the Platform with no right of return
- Legal referral — referral of serious violations (e.g. illegal content, threats of violence) to law enforcement
6.3 Appeals
If you believe a moderation action was taken in error, you may appeal by contacting us at [email protected] within 14 days of the action. We will review your appeal and respond within 14 business days. Our decision on appeal is final.
6.4 No liability for moderation
We are not liable for any loss you suffer as a result of moderation actions taken in good faith in accordance with these Terms. We are under no obligation to monitor all content on the Platform and are not responsible for content posted by members.
7.1 Shop purchases
- All prices are displayed in USD unless otherwise stated
- Prices are subject to change without notice
- All sales are final unless covered by our Shop / Ecommerce Policy
- Orders are fulfilled by Printful and subject to their production and shipping timelines
- We are not responsible for delays caused by carriers, customs, or events outside our control
7.2 Event tickets
- Event ticket purchases are subject to our Event Terms and Conditions
- Refund eligibility varies by event, see our Event T&Cs
- Tickets are non-transferable unless stated otherwise
7.3 OG membership
- OG membership is a recurring subscription billed monthly or annually
- All membership terms are governed by our Membership / Subscription Policy
- We reserve the right to change membership pricing with 30 days’ notice
- Subscriptions auto-renew unless cancelled before the renewal date
7.4 Business listings
- Business listing fees are billed monthly
- The first month is free for founding businesses
- Listings are subject to our approval and compliance with our Community Guidelines
- We reserve the right to remove a listing that violates our policies without refund
THE PLATFORM IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT ANY WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Gocarts Technologies Inc. expressly disclaims all warranties including but not limited to:
- Warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement
- That the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components
- That the content on the Platform is accurate, complete, reliable, or up to date
- That any defects in the Platform will be corrected
We do not warrant or guarantee the quality, accuracy, or reliability of any content posted by other members or business listings on the Platform. Any reliance you place on such content is at your own risk.
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:
Padichat shall not be liable for any:
- Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
- Loss of profits, revenue, data, business, or goodwill
- Damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Platform
- Damages arising from content posted by other members
- Damages arising from unauthorised access to your account
- Damages arising from events outside our reasonable control (force majeure)
Our total liability to you for any claim arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Platform shall not exceed the greater of:
- The amount you paid to us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or
- USD $100
Nothing in these Terms limits our liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot be excluded or limited by law.
You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Gocarts Technologies Inc., its officers, directors, employees, agents, and service providers from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or in connection with:
- Your use of or access to the Platform
- Your violation of these Terms
- Your User Content
- Your violation of any third party’s rights
- Your violation of any applicable law
The Platform may contain links to third-party websites, services, and resources. These links are provided for convenience only. We have no control over the content, privacy practices, or policies of third-party sites and accept no responsibility for them. Your use of third-party sites is at your own risk and subject to their terms and policies.
12.1 Governing law
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles.
12.2 Dispute resolution
Before initiating formal legal proceedings, you agree to attempt to resolve any dispute with us informally by contacting [email protected]. We will make good faith efforts to resolve the dispute within 30 days.
12.3 Jurisdiction
For any disputes not resolved informally, you agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in California, United States. If you are a consumer in the EU or UK, you retain the right to bring proceedings in your local courts as required by applicable consumer protection law.
12.4 Class action waiver
To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you agree to resolve disputes with us on an individual basis and not as part of any class, collective, or representative action.
13.1 Entire agreement
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, Community Guidelines, and any other policies incorporated by reference, constitute the entire agreement between you and Padichat regarding your use of the Platform.
13.2 Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.
13.3 Waiver
Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not be deemed a waiver of that right or provision.
13.4 Assignment
You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.
13.5 Changes to these Terms
We reserve the right to update or modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will notify you by posting a notice on the Platform and, for registered members, by email. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date of any changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
13.6 Termination
We may terminate or suspend your access to the Platform immediately and without notice if you breach these Terms. Upon termination, all licences and rights granted to you will immediately cease. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnity, and limitations of liability.
For any questions regarding these Terms:
Email: [email protected] General contact: [email protected] Website: padichat.com/contact