Updated August 15, 2005

Please remember to review the current terms and conditions of The Matrix Online User Agreement and Software License. Thank you.


THE MATRIX ONLINE USER AGREEMENT AND SOFTWARE LICENSE

THIS AGREEMENT DESCRIBES THE TERMS ON WHICH SONY ONLINE ENTERTAINMENT INC. ("SOE") OFFERS YOU ACCESS TO AN ACCOUNT (THE "ACCOUNT") TO PLAY THE MATRIX ONLINE ROLE PLAYING COMPUTER GAME AND ANY EXPANSION PACKS (INDIVIDUALLY AND COLLECTIVELY, THE "GAME"). BY PRESSING THE "I ACCEPT" BUTTON, YOU ACCEPT THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS BELOW. BY PRESSING THE "DECLINE" BUTTON, YOU DECLINE OUR OFFER, IN WHICH CASE YOU SHOULD CONTACT YOUR PLACE OF PURCHASE REGARDING ITS RETURN POLICY FOR THE APPLICABLE PRODUCT. If you have any questions regarding these terms and conditions, please contact customer service at www.station.sony.com/email.

Certain servers may be designated by SOE as enabled for transactions through Station Exchange – all such transactions and eligibility to participate in them are also governed by the Station Exchange Service Agreement (the “Exchange Agreement”).  You agree that SOE retains the unfettered right to modify its games and all aspects of characters, items and monetary units (collectively, “Virtual Goods”) therein.  You acknowledge that SOE has been, is, and will be constantly making changes to its games.  You further acknowledge that SOE can and will, in its discretion, modify features, functions or abilities of any element of the game or any Virtual Goods (which may, among other things, make the Virtual Goods substantially more effective or functional, or less effective or functional, more common or less common, or eliminated entirely).
   

YOU PROMISE, THEREFORE, THAT YOU WILL NEVER ASSERT OR BRING ANY CLAIM OR SUIT AGAINST SOE, ITS LICENSOR(S), ANY SONY COMPANY, OR ANY EMPLOYEES OF ANY OF THE ABOVE, WHICH IS RELATED TO OR BASED ON (I) A CLAIM THAT YOU “OWN” ANY VIRTUAL GOODS IN ANY GAME, (II) A CLAIM FOR THE “VALUE” OF VIRTUAL GOODS IF SOE DELETES THEM (AND/OR TERMINATES YOUR ACCOUNT(S)) IF YOU OR ANYONE ACTING IN CONCERT WITH YOU VIOLATES ANY PROVISION OF THE EXCHANGE AGREEMENT, THIS AGREEMENT, THE GAME’S RULES OF CONDUCT, SOE’S TERMS OF SERVICE AND/OR SOE’S PRIVACY POLICY (ALL OF WHICH ARE POSTED AT A LINK AT [http://sonyonline.com/tos/tos.jsp]), (III) A CLAIM FOR THE “VALUE” OF VIRTUAL GOODS THAT YOU MAY LOSE IF SOE DOES ANYTHING THAT IT IS ENTITLED TO DO PURSUANT TO ANY PROVISION OF THE EXCHANGE AGREEMENT, THIS AGREEMENT, THE GAME’S RULES OF CONDUCT, SOE’S TERMS OF SERVICE AND/OR SOE’S PRIVACY POLICY, OR FOR ANY MALFUNCTIONS AND/OR “BUGS” IN THE GAME, AND/OR (IV) A CLAIM THAT THE “VALUE” OF ANY VIRTUAL GOODS HAS INCREASED OR DECREASED BY VIRTUE OF ANY GAME MODIFICATION THAT SOE HAS MADE OR WILL MAKE.  ALL OF THE ABOVE APPLIES WHETHER ON AN EXCHANGE ENABLED SERVER OR ON A NON-EXCHANGE ENABLED SERVER.

1. Accounts are available only to adults or, in their discretion, their minor child.  If you are a minor, your parent(s) or guardian(s) must complete the registration process, in which case they will take full responsibility for all obligations under this Agreement. By clicking the "I Accept" button and providing us with a credit card number, you represent that you are an adult and are either accepting this Agreement on behalf of yourself or your child. You may not transfer or share your Account with anyone, except that if you are a parent or guardian, you may permit one child to use the Account instead of you (in which case you may not use that Account). You are liable for all activities conducted through the Account, and parents or guardians are liable for the activities of their child. Corporations and other entities are not eligible to procure Accounts.

2. To play the Game, you must (a) purchase or receive through an SOE-authorized promotional offer (such as an authentic disc bundled with a game magazine) the Game CD-ROM or DVD-ROM (the "CD-ROM") or applicable files which we may make available for direct download, which includes software required for the Game (the "Software"), (b) have a fully paid Account, and (c) have at least the minimum system requirements to operate the Game and an Internet connection (both of which we do not provide) to access your Account. In addition to any fees described herein, you are responsible for paying all applicable taxes (including those we are not required to collect) and for all hardware, software, service and other costs you incur to access your Account.  Neither this Agreement nor your Account entitles you to any subsequent releases of the Software, nor to any expansion packs or similar ancillary products, without paying applicable charges.  You understand that we may update or otherwise enhance the Software at any time and in doing so incur no obligation to furnish such updates to you pursuant to this Agreement.  You understand that online games evolve over time and, accordingly, system requirements to play the Game may change over time.

3. We may amend this Agreement at any time in our sole discretion. Amendments shall be communicated to you at the time you log into your Account. Such amendments shall be effective whenever we make the notification available for your review.

4. Upon registration, you must select a password. You may not disclose your password to any third party. We never ask you for your password by telephone, in-game communication, live-chat or email, and you should not disclose it this way if someone asks you to do so.  Although we may offer a feature that allows you to "save" or "remember" your password on your hard drive, please note that by using this feature third parties may be able to access your computer and thus your Account.

5. We describe our fees and billing procedures at a hotlink located at www.thematrixonline.com, which are incorporated by reference and are subject to change at any time. All fees are stated in U.S. Dollars unless otherwise specified. All fees are prepaid and non-refundable. Upon your acceptance of these terms, we have the right to automatically charge your credit card the Account fee plus any applicable taxes we are required to collect, and you authorize us to do so. Thereafter, each time your Account comes up for renewal, we have the right to charge your credit card the then-current renewal rate plus any applicable taxes we are required to collect, and you authorize us to do so. If we are unable to process your credit card at a renewal period, your Account may be immediately terminated. If we make a Game Card available and you use a Game Card to pay for your Account, the Game Card shall activate your Account for the period stated on the Game Card and, thereafter, you will either need to provide a valid credit card (in which case your credit card will subsequently be charged as referenced above) or purchase another Game Card for subsequent subscription periods, or your Account will be closed.  You may terminate your Account at any time through the Account registration process.  If you terminate your Account during your initial free period, if any, your account will be closed at the end of the free period and you will not be billed.  If you terminate your Account during any subscription cycle, your Account will be closed at the end of the then-current cycle and you will not be billed again unless you affirmatively reopen the Account.  We do not give full or partial refunds for subscription periods that you have purchased.

6. We may terminate this Agreement (including your Software license and your Account) and/or suspend your Account immediately and without notice: (i) if you violate any provision of this Agreement; (ii) infringe any third party intellectual property rights; (iii) if we are unable to verify or authenticate any information you provide to us; (iv) upon game play, chat or any player activity whatsoever which we, in our sole discretion, determine is inappropriate and/or in violation of the spirit of the Game; (v) upon any violation of the Station Terms of Service and/or the Game Rules of Conduct and/or (vi) upon any violation of the Exchange Agreement. If we terminate this Agreement or suspend your Account under these circumstances, you will lose access to your Account for the duration of the suspension and/or the balance of any prepaid period without any refund.  We may also terminate this Agreement if we decide, in our sole discretion, to discontinue offering the Game, in which case we may provide you with a prorated refund of any prepaid amounts.

7. Subject to the terms of this Agreement, we hereby grant to you a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Software solely in connection with playing the Game via an authorized and fully-paid Account.  You may not copy (except to make one necessary back-up copy), distribute, sell, auction, rent, lease, loan, modify or create derivative works, adapt, translate, perform, display, sublicense or transfer all or any portion of the Software. You may not copy any of the written, digital or electronic materials accompanying the Software unless we expressly permit you to do so in writing, and then only to the extent permitted.  You may not reverse engineer, disassemble or decompile the Software except to the extent that this restriction is expressly prohibited by applicable law. The Software may contain license management software that restricts your use of the Software.

8. We and our licensors and suppliers shall retain all rights, title and interest, including, without limitation, ownership of all intellectual property rights relating to or residing in the CD-ROM, the Software and the Game, all copies thereof, and all game character data in connection therewith. You acknowledge and agree that you have not and will not acquire or obtain any intellectual property or other rights, including any right of exploitation, of any kind in or to the CD-ROM, the Software or the Game, including, without limitation, in any artwork, music, character(s), item(s), monetary unit(s) or other material or property, and/or any compilation or copyrightable arrangement of any of the above (collectively, “Rights”), and that all such property, material, items and Rights are exclusively owned by us – except solely as SOE may permit you to exploit Virtual Goods in connection with Station Exchange.

9. You may not use any software to modify the Software to change Game play. You may not create, facilitate, host, link to or provide any other means through which the Game may be played by others, such as through server emulators. You may not decrypt or modify any data transmitted between client and server and you may not use, post, host or distribute macros, “bots” or other programs which would allow unattended game play or which otherwise impact game play. You may not take any action which imposes an unreasonable or disproportionately large load on our infrastructure. Except in connection with Station Exchange (to the extent we may that service available to you) and subject to all of the provisions of the Station Exchange Service Agreement, you may not buy, sell or auction (or host or facilitate the ability to allow others to buy, sell or auction) any Game account, characters, items, monetary units or copyrighted material or any other intellectual property owned or controlled by us or our licensors without first obtaining our express written permission.

10. To obtain an Account, you will be required to choose both a login name and a player name. While you are encouraged to use a pseudonym, especially if you are a minor, you may not pick a name that violates anyone's trademarks, publicity rights or other proprietary rights.

11. As part of your Account, you can upload content to our servers in various forms, such as in the selections you make for the Game, in-game posts and chat, and in chat rooms and similar user-to-user areas (collectively, your "Content"). Your Content shall not: (a) infringe any third party intellectual property, other proprietary or publicity/privacy rights; (b) violate any law or regulation; (c) be defamatory, profane, obscene, child pornographic or harmful to minors; or (d) contain any viruses, trojan horses, worms, time bombs, cancelbots or other computer programming routines that are intended to damage, detrimentally interfere with, surreptitiously intercept or expropriate any system, data or personal information. We may take any action with respect to your Content if we believe it may create liability for us or may cause us to lose (in whole or in part) the services of our ISPs or other suppliers. You hereby grant to us a worldwide, perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, sublicenseable (through multiple tiers) right to exercise all rights of any kind or nature associated with your Content, including, without limitation, all intellectual property rights, and all ancillary and subsidiary rights thereto, in any languages and in any media now known or not currently known.

12. We cannot ensure that your private communications and other personally identifiable information will not be disclosed to third parties. For example, we may be forced to disclose information to the government or third parties under certain circumstances, or third parties may unlawfully intercept or access transmissions or private communications.  Additionally, we can (and you authorize us to) disclose any information about you to private entities, law enforcement or other government officials as we, in our sole discretion, believe necessary or appropriate to investigate or resolve possible problems or inquiries. Furthermore, if you request any technical support, you consent to our remote accessing and review of the computer you load the Software onto for purposes of support and debugging. You agree that we may communicate with you via telephone, email and any similar technology for any purpose relating to the Game, the Software and any services or software which may in the future be provided by us or on our behalf. You may choose to visit www.thematrixonline.com, www.station.sony.com, or other SOE web sites if such web sites offer services such as a Matrix Online themed chat room or other services of interest to you.  You are subject to the terms and conditions, privacy customs and policies of SOE while on such web sites and in connection with use of your Account and the Game, which terms and conditions, policies and customs are incorporated herein by this reference.  Since we do not control other web sites and/or privacy policies of third parties, different rules may apply to their use or disclosure of the personal information you disclose to others. Solely for the purpose of patching and updating the Game and/or Software and ensuring the integrity of the Game, you hereby grant us permission to (i) upload Game-related file information and data from the Game directory and (ii) download Game files to you.  You acknowledge that any and all character data is stored and is resident on our servers, and any and all communications that you make within the Game (including, but not limited to, messages solely directed at another player or group of players) traverse through our servers, may or may not be monitored by us or our agents, you have no expectation of privacy in any such communications and expressly consent to such monitoring of communications you send and receive. You acknowledge and agree that we may transfer Game and your Account information (including your personally identifiable information and personal data) to the United States or other countries or may share such information with our licensees and agents in connection with the Game.
   

13.  WE PROVIDE THE CD-ROM, THE SOFTWARE, THE ACCOUNT, THE GAME AND ALL OTHER SERVICES "AS IS."  WE AND OUR SUPPLIERS EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS, IMPLIED OR STATUTORY, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF TITLE, NONINFRINGEMENT, MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. Without limiting the foregoing, we do not ensure continuous, error-free, secure or virus-free operation of the CD-ROM, the Software, the Game, your Account or continued operation or availability of any given server. Some states do not allow limitations as to how long an implied warranty lasts and/or exclusions or limitations of consequential damages, so the above limitations and/or exclusions of liability may not apply to you.  This warranty gives you specific legal rights and you may also have other legal rights which vary from state to state.

We are not liable for any delay or failure to perform resulting from any causes beyond our reasonable control. Further, we cannot and do not promise or ensure that you will be able to access your Account whenever you want, and there may be extended periods of time when you cannot access your Account.  You assume the entire risk as to the results and performance of the Software and the Game in connection with your hardware and software, and you assume the entire cost of all servicing, repair and/or correction of your hardware and software.

14. IN NO EVENT SHALL WE, OUR PARENT, OUR LICENSORS, OUR AFFILIATES OR OUR SUPPLIERS, AND EACH OF OUR AND THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS, BE LIABLE TO YOU OR TO ANY THIRD PARTY FOR ANY LOST PROFITS OR SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, INDIRECT OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES (HOWEVER ARISING, INCLUDING NEGLIGENCE) ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE POSSESSION, USE, OR MALFUNCTION OF THE SOFTWARE, YOUR ACCOUNT, THE GAME, OR THIS AGREEMENT, INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMIATION, DAMAGE TO PROPERTY AND—TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW—DAMAGES FOR PERSONAL INJURY, EVEN IF WE, OUR LICENSORS AND EACH OF OUR RESPECTIVE AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES OR LOSS. THE LIABILITY OF SOE, OUR LICENSORS OR ANY OF OUR OR THEIR RESPECTIVE PARENT OR AFFILIATED COMPANIES TO YOU OR ANY THIRD PARTIES IS LIMITED TO $100. YOU AGREE TO WAIVE ANY RIGHT TO EQUITABLE RELIEF INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, INJUNCTIVE RELIEF AGAINST SOE, ITS LICENSORS, THEIR PARENTS OR AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES AND AGENTS TO ENFORCE THE TERMS HEREOF; HOWEVER, THE FOREGOING SHALL NOT PRECLUDE SOE AND/OR ITS LICENSORS FROM SEEKING ANY INJUNCTIVE RELIEF. Some states do not allow the foregoing limitations of liability, so they may not apply to you.

15. You shall comply with all applicable laws regarding your use of the Software, the CD-ROM, your access to your Account and your playing of the Game. Without limiting the foregoing, you may not download, use or otherwise export or re-export the Software except in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including, without limitation, the laws of the United States.

16. This Agreement is governed in all respects by the substantive laws of the State of Delaware and of the United States of America. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Section 17(b) below shall be governed by the Federal Arbitration Act.  The UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods is expressly disclaimed. Our failure to act with respect to a breach by you or others does not waive our right to act with respect to subsequent or similar breaches. You may not assign or transfer this Agreement or your rights hereunder, and any attempt to the contrary is void. This Agreement sets forth the entire understanding and agreement between us and you with respect to the subject matter hereof. Except as provided in section 3 herein, this Agreement may not be amended except in a writing signed by both parties.

17.        Resolution of Disputes
   

       In order to expedite and control the cost of disputes, you and SOE agree that any legal or equitable claim relating to this Agreement (referred to as “Claim”) will be resolved as follows:
    

a. Informal Resolution.

You and SOE agree that we will first try to resolve any Claim informally. Accordingly, neither of us may start a formal proceeding (except for Claims involving any violation of the federal trademark or copyright laws, or for injunctive relief) for at least 30 days after one of us notifies the other of a Claim in writing.  SOE will send its notice to your billing address, with a copy via email to your email address.  You will send your notice to Sony Online Entertainment, 8928 Terman Court, San Diego, CA  92121  Attn: Legal Department.
    

b.         Formal Resolution – US Residents

(1) Agreement to Arbitrate.

Except as provided in Section 17(b)(3) below, if we cannot resolve a Claim informally, we agree that any and all Claims either of us asserts shall be resolved solely through binding arbitration.  The arbitration will be conducted under the rules of the Judicial Arbitration and Mediation Service (“JAMS”) that are in effect at the time the arbitration is initiated, including the rules for the exchange of non-privileged and relevant information, and under the rules set forth in this Agreement.  If there is a conflict between JAMS rules and the rules set forth in this Agreement, the rules set forth in this Agreement will govern.  If you initiate the arbitration, you agree to pay a fee of $125 or, if less and you tell SOE in writing, the amount that you would pay to initiate a lawsuit against SOE in the appropriate court of law in your state.  Other fees will be paid in accordance with JAMS rules.  The arbitration will be held at a location in your hometown area (meaning, the closest JAMS dispute resolution center to your hometown) unless you and SOE both agree to another location. In the arbitration proceeding, the arbitrator must follow applicable law, and any award may be challenged if the arbitrator fails to do so.  Forms and other information on filing such a Claim can be found at www.jamsadr.com.

BY AGREEING TO ARBITRATE AS SET FORTH HEREIN, YOU UNDERSTAND THAT WE ARE BOTH WAIVING OUR RIGHT TO SUE IN COURT AND HAVE A JURY TRIAL.

(2) Special Rules.

You and SOE agree that the type of arbitration in which we both agree to participate is between SOE and you as an individual.  YOU AND SOE ARE AGREEING THAT NEITHER OF US WILL UTILIZE OR ATTEMPT TO UTILIZE CLASS ACTION ARBITRATION PROCEDURES IN ANY ARBITRATION.

(3) Exceptions.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, (i) any Claim involving a violation of the federal trademark or copyright laws, or a Claim for injunctive relief, may be decided only by a federal court (or, for injunctive relief, federal or state court) in the County of San Diego, State of California, and (ii) neither you nor SOE shall be precluded from filing a Claim in small claims court for disputes within the small claims court jurisdictional level.

c.         Formal Resolution – International Residents

Both parties submit to personal jurisdiction in California and further agree that any Claim shall be exclusively brought in the County of San Diego, State of California, United States of America, in the appropriate state or federal court.

d.         Severability

You and SOE agree that if Section 17(b)(1) is found to be unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, it shall be severed from this Agreement and – in that event -- you and SOE agree to submit to personal jurisdiction in California and agree that any Claim shall be exclusively brought in the appropriate state or federal court in the County of San Diego, State of California.  You and SOE also agree that if Section 17(b)(2) is found to be unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, then – regardless of the enforceability of Section 17(b)(1) -- any class action Claim shall be exclusively brought in the appropriate state or federal court in the County of San Diego, State of California and you agree to submit to personal jurisdiction in California.

18. All services hereunder are offered by Sony Online Entertainment Inc., located at 8928 Terman Court, San Diego, California 92121.  Our phone number is (858) 537-0898. Current rates for using the Game may be obtained from a hotlink at www.thematrixonline.com, and such rates are subject to change at any time. If you are a California resident, you may have this same information emailed to you by sending a letter to the foregoing address with your email address and a request for this information.

The Complaint Assistance Unit of the Division of Consumer Services of the Department of Consumer Affairs may be contacted in writing at 400 R Street, Sacramento, CA  95814, or by telephone at (800) 952-5210.

Parental control protections (such as computer hardware, software, or filtering services) are commercially available that may assist you in limiting access to material that is harmful to minors. If you are interested in learning about these protections, information is available at http://www.worldvillage.com/wv/school/html/control.htm or other similar sites providing information on such protections.

The Software is a "commercial item" if acquired under agreement with the U.S. Government or any contractor therewith in accordance with 48 CFR 12.212 of the FAR and, if acquired for Department of Defense (DoD) units, 48 CFR 227-7202 of the DoD FAR Supplement, or any succeeding similar regulations.