Dobalo – Terms of Service

1. Introduction

1.1 These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Dobalo platform ("Dobalo", "we", "us", "our"), including our websites, applications, and related services (together, the "Services").

1.2 By creating an account, accessing, or using the Services, you ("User", "you") agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, you may not use the Services.

1.3 Users fall broadly into the following categories:

• Brands – businesses or individuals who create communities and campaigns and fund budgets to receive creator content and pay for verified views.
• Creators – individuals or entities who create, publish, and submit short-form video content and may receive payouts for verified views.
• Admins/Moderators – users with elevated rights for managing communities, campaigns, or the platform itself.

1.4 Additional documents form part of these Terms by reference, including our Privacy Policy, Community Guidelines, Acceptable Use Policy, and any campaign-specific rules (collectively, the "Policies").

2. Eligibility & Accounts

2.1 You must be at least 18 years old, or the age of majority in your jurisdiction, to use the Services as a Brand or to receive payouts as a Creator.

2.2 If you use the Services on behalf of a company or other legal entity, you represent and warrant that you have authority to bind that entity and that the entity accepts these Terms.

2.3 You agree to provide accurate, complete, and up-to-date information when creating your account and to keep your account information current.

2.4 You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activities that occur under your account.

2.5 You must promptly notify us of any unauthorized access or suspected security breach.

2.6 We reserve the right to refuse registration, suspend, or terminate accounts at our discretion, subject to applicable law.

3. Description of the Services

3.1 Dobalo is a marketplace and infrastructure layer that connects Brands and Creators for short-form video campaigns. Brands can create communities and campaigns, define budgets and targeting, and pay for verified views on Creator videos. Creators can discover campaigns, submit links to their content hosted on third-party platforms, and receive payouts based on verified views.

3.2 Dobalo does not operate as a public social network or general-purpose video-hosting service. Creator Content is primarily hosted on third-party platforms (for example, TikTok, Instagram, YouTube). For operational purposes, Dobalo may temporarily download, transcode, and store copies of Creator Content on its own systems (for example, for verification, moderation, analytics, or content library features) and may delete such copies at any time, including based on performance, approval status, or retention rules.

3.3 Where Creator Content is removed, made private, geo-blocked, or materially altered on the relevant third-party platform, Dobalo may, but is not obligated to, reduce, refuse, or claw back payouts associated with that content, particularly where the removal or change affects the Brand’s expected reach or rights. We will act reasonably and in good faith when applying such measures.

3.4 Brands may request that Creators remove or modify Creator Content that was produced in connection with a campaign (for example, where the content is outdated, inaccurate, or otherwise no longer desired by the Brand). Creators agree to comply with such reasonable removal or modification requests within a reasonable period, subject to any applicable platform rules. Repeated or serious failure to comply may result in Quality Score penalties, payout holds, or suspension or termination of the Creator’s account.

3.5 Dobalo does not guarantee any specific results, reach, number of views, earnings, or return on investment for any User.

3.6 Dobalo may update, modify, or discontinue parts of the Services at any time, provided that we do not materially reduce core functionality without reasonable notice.

3.7 Due to legal, regulatory, or payment-partner restrictions (including sanctions regimes), certain features of the Services – in particular payouts and some payment methods – may not be available in all countries or to all Users. We may, at our discretion, restrict, limit, or disable access to parts of the Services for accounts associated with certain persons, entities, or jurisdictions, without this being deemed a representation that the use of the Services is permitted in any specific country.

4. Roles & Responsibilities

4.1 Brands

• Funding their wallet/balance and setting campaign terms (CPM, budget, targeting, rules, timelines).
• Providing clear briefs, examples, and any legally required disclosures (including ad labeling and sponsorship disclosures).
• Reviewing and moderating submissions in a timely manner.
• Ensuring that their campaigns, landing pages, and products comply with applicable laws, advertising standards, and platform rules.
• Not requesting or incentivizing conduct that would breach these Terms, the Policies, or third-party platform policies.

4.2 Creators

• Creating and publishing original or properly licensed content on their own accounts on supported third-party platforms.
• Complying with campaign briefs, these Terms, the Policies, and all applicable laws and platform rules.
• Not engaging in fraudulent, deceptive, or manipulative behavior (including but not limited to bots, fake views, incentivized clicks, or copyright infringement).
• Providing accurate account and payout information and handling their own tax and reporting obligations.

4.3 Dobalo

• Enabling Brands to set up communities and campaigns and to fund budgets.
• Enabling Creators to discover campaigns and submit content links.
• Operating view-verification, reputation scoring, and payout logic based on defined rules.
• Providing reasonable support and moderation within the scope of these Terms.
• Selecting and integrating third-party payment and infrastructure providers.

Dobalo is not a party to contracts between Brands and Creators and does not act as an employer, agent, or joint venture partner of any User.

5. Wallets, Balances & Payments

5.1 Brand Balances

• Brands may pre-fund a wallet/balance on Dobalo ("Brand Balance") that is used to pay for verified views and associated platform fees.
• A Brand Balance is not a bank account, deposit, or investment product and does not accrue interest or other returns.

5.2 Creator Earnings

• Creators may earn payouts ("Creator Earnings") based on verified views and the applicable CPM and revenue share specified by Dobalo and/or the relevant campaign.
• Creator Earnings are recorded in an internal balance and are not guaranteed until they have passed all applicable holds, checks, and eligibility requirements.

5.3 Payment Providers and KYC/AML

• Dobalo may use third-party payment and e-money providers for processing top-ups, holding funds, and executing payouts.
• Use of such providers may be subject to additional terms and identity verification (including KYC/AML checks and sanctions screening).
• You agree that Dobalo may share information with such providers as reasonably necessary to provide the Services and comply with legal obligations.

5.4 Records and Precedence

• Dobalo will maintain internal records showing Brand Balances, Creator Earnings, and associated transactions.
• These records, and not on-platform display errors or cached values, are the basis for any payment calculation, except in cases of manifest error.
• Where there is a conflict between the on-screen balance and our underlying ledger, the ledger will prevail.

5.5 Refunds of Brand Balances

• Unused Brand Balances may, at Dobalo’s discretion and subject to applicable law, be refundable upon written request, provided that:
• (a) no material fraud, abuse, or policy violation is suspected;
• (b) all relevant chargeback, refund, and clawback windows have been taken into account; and
• (c) any applicable fees, adjustments, and outstanding amounts owed to Dobalo or Creators have been deducted.

5.6 Geographic and Sanctions-Related Restrictions

• Because Dobalo relies on external payment providers and is subject to legal and sanctions constraints, we do not guarantee that top-ups or payouts will be available in every country, currency, or at all times.
• In particular, payouts to Users in or connected with certain countries or persons that are subject to sanctions or payment-provider restrictions may be delayed, limited, or not possible.
• In such cases, Dobalo may hold funds, require additional verification, or ask you to provide an alternative payout method.

5.7 Holds on Balances and Earnings

• Dobalo may place temporary holds on Brand Balances or Creator Earnings in connection with suspected fraud, abuse, chargebacks, disputes, compliance checks, sanctions screening, or technical issues.
• Holds may apply to specific transactions or to all or part of a User’s balance.
• Holds may remain in place for the period reasonably necessary to complete our review or to comply with legal, regulatory, or payment-provider requirements.

5.8 Adjustments, Reversals, and Clawbacks

• In cases of confirmed or strongly suspected fraud, abuse, policy violations, technical errors, or chargebacks, Dobalo may adjust, reverse, or claw back previously recorded views, spend, or earnings.
• Dobalo may offset such amounts against Brand Balances, Creator Earnings, or future payouts, where permitted by law.
• You expressly authorize Dobalo to withhold, set off, and deduct such amounts from your balance or future payments for this purpose.

5.9 Taxes and Other Charges

• You are responsible for all taxes, fees, and charges that may arise from your use of the Services, including any payments you receive or make via Dobalo.
• Dobalo does not provide tax advice and does not withhold taxes on your behalf unless we are legally required to do so.

5.10 Service Fees and Revenue Share

• Dobalo may charge Brands service fees, including a percentage-based fee on campaign spend, mark-ups on CPMs, or other transaction-based or subscription fees, as described in the then-current pricing information made available by Dobalo.
• By funding a Brand Balance or launching campaigns, Brands authorize Dobalo to deduct such fees automatically from their Brand Balance or from amounts otherwise payable in connection with the Services.
• Dobalo may adjust its fee structure from time to time, in which case we will provide reasonable notice where required by law.

5.11 Dormant Creator Earnings and Unclaimed Funds

• If a Creator does not initiate a payout, provide or maintain valid payout details, or otherwise claim their Creator Earnings for a continuous period of at least twelve (12) months after the last recorded earning event on their account, Dobalo may treat the corresponding balance as dormant.
• In such cases, and to the extent permitted by applicable law, Dobalo may charge reasonable administrative fees against the dormant balance or may close the account and retain any remaining funds.
• Where applicable law requires that dormant or unclaimed funds be transferred to a public authority or otherwise handled in a specific manner, Dobalo will comply with those requirements.

6. Content & Intellectual Property

6.1 Ownership of Creator Content

As between you and Dobalo, Creators retain ownership of the copyright and other intellectual property rights in the content they create ("Creator Content"), subject to the licenses granted to Dobalo under these Terms and any separate licensing arrangements. Brands do not obtain ownership of Creator Content by using the Services or funding campaigns.

6.2 Representations and Warranties

• By creating or submitting Creator Content in connection with the Services (including by submitting a link to content hosted on a third-party platform), you represent and warrant that:
• (a) you own the rights to the Creator Content or otherwise have all necessary rights, licenses, consents, and permissions to grant the licenses set out in these Terms;
• (b) the Creator Content does not infringe or violate any third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, privacy, or publicity rights; and
• (c) you have complied and will comply with the applicable terms and policies of the third-party platforms where the Creator Content is hosted.

6.3 License to Dobalo

You grant Dobalo a worldwide, non-exclusive, transferable, sublicensable, royalty-free license to:

• (a) access, download, and store the Creator Content (in whole or in part);
• (b) reproduce, adapt, modify, and create derivative works from the Creator Content;
• (c) distribute, publicly display, and publicly perform the Creator Content;
• (d) analyze the Creator Content, including extracting and using metadata and performance data; and
• (e) otherwise use the Creator Content in any media now known or later developed, for the purposes of:
• (i) operating, maintaining, and improving the Services;
• (ii) verifying views and other metrics;
• (iii) providing dashboards, reports, and analytics to Brands and Creators;
• (iv) moderating, enforcing, and resolving disputes; and
• (v) creating, maintaining, and commercializing content libraries, catalogs, showcases, and similar collections available to Brands and other Users of the Services, including via subscription, per-asset licensing, or other access models.

For the avoidance of doubt, the payments a Brand makes in connection with a campaign (for example CPM-based rewards) constitute compensation for the creation and distribution of Creator Content on the Creator’s own channels and for the use of the Services, and do not by themselves transfer or grant any broader intellectual property rights to the Brand beyond those expressly set out in these Terms or in a separate license obtained via Dobalo.

6.4 Base License to Brands (on-platform and internal use only)

Subject to these Terms and applicable campaign rules, you grant Brands that approve or otherwise access your Creator Content through the Services a worldwide, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, royalty-free license to:

• (a) view and access such Creator Content through the Services;
• (b) use thumbnails, previews, and limited excerpts of such Creator Content within the Services; and
• (c) use such Creator Content for internal purposes within the Brand’s organization (for example, internal review, analysis, and reporting), but not to re-post, re-publish, or otherwise exploit the Creator Content outside of the Services or in public-facing marketing channels.

Brands do not obtain any rights to use Creator Content off the Dobalo platform (for example in paid ads, organic posts on their own channels, websites, or apps), unless they acquire such rights through a separate license granted and recorded via Dobalo as described in Section 6.5 or via a separate written agreement with Dobalo.

6.5 Content Libraries, Licensing to Brands, and Resale of Licenses

• (a) Dobalo may compile and offer access to Creator Content (for example as part of a content library, catalog, or subscription product) for Brands and other Users, and may charge fees for such access;
• (b) any license for Brands or other Users to use Creator Content outside of the Services or in public-facing marketing channels (including in paid advertising, organic posts, or on websites and apps) will be granted through Dobalo, either via specific features or products of the Services (such as content library or licensing tools) or via a separate written agreement; and
• (c) to the extent necessary for such products and licenses, you grant Dobalo the right to sublicense and resell the licenses described in this Section 6 to Brands and other Users, on terms determined by Dobalo and without any further consent from you, subject to any additional commercial terms agreed between you and Dobalo.

Nothing in this Section 6 prevents you from granting licenses to your Creator Content outside of the Services, provided that such licenses do not conflict with the rights you have granted to Dobalo under these Terms or with any exclusive licensing arrangements you may separately agree with Dobalo.

6.6 Moral Rights

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, you waive and agree not to assert any moral rights or similar rights in Creator Content against Dobalo or Brands using the Creator Content in accordance with these Terms.

6.7 Infringement and Enforcement

• (a) Users are responsible for ensuring that any content they create, submit, or use does not infringe third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, and privacy or publicity rights.
• (b) Dobalo may remove or disable access to content that we reasonably believe infringes third-party rights or violates these Terms or the Policies.
• (c) Dobalo may apply strikes, Quality Score penalties, payout holds, refunds, or account actions, including suspension or termination, in connection with suspected or confirmed violations.
• (d) Where required by law, Dobalo may cooperate with rights holders and authorities, including by sharing relevant logs and account information.

7. Prohibited Activities

7.1 General

You may not use the Services for any unlawful, harmful, deceptive, or abusive purpose, or in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Services or interfere with any other User’s use of the Services.

7.2 Fraud, Manipulation, and Misuse of Metrics

• (a) buying or selling fake views, likes, followers, or other forms of fake engagement;
• (b) using bots, scripts, click-farms, or other automation to inflate views or engagement;
• (c) artificially inflating or attempting to inflate performance metrics (including views, watch time, clicks, or conversions) through non-human traffic, repeated self-views, incentivized viewing schemes, or other manipulative methods;
• (d) attempting to bypass, disable, or interfere with our verification, reputation, fraud detection, or security systems; and
• (e) submitting the same or substantially similar content or links in a manner that is clearly spammy or abusive.

7.3 Illegal, Harmful, or Infringing Content

• (a) violates any applicable law or regulation;
• (b) infringes or violates any third-party rights, including copyright, trademark, privacy, or publicity rights;
• (c) promotes, glorifies, or depicts violence, terrorism, or self-harm in a manner that is unlawful or excessively graphic;
• (d) promotes, supports, or depicts hate or discrimination against individuals or groups based on characteristics such as race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, disability, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation;
• (e) uses symbols, signs, imagery, or slogans associated with extremist, terrorist, or hate organizations, to the extent prohibited by applicable law;
• (f) relates to illegal products or services, including but not limited to drugs, weapons, human trafficking, or illegal gambling;
• (g) contains explicit adult sexual content or pornography, as further defined in our Acceptable Use Policy; or
• (h) includes knowingly false statements of fact, unfounded allegations, or other content that is defamatory or misleadingly negative about a Brand or product in the context of a campaign that calls for neutral or positive content.

7.4 Chat, Messaging, and Community Conduct

• (a) harass, bully, threaten, or intimidate other Users or Dobalo staff;
• (b) use slurs, insults, or demeaning language targeting protected characteristics, or otherwise engage in hate speech;
• (c) share content that is excessively graphic, violent, or sexual in nature;
• (d) share illegal content, including content involving minors or non-consensual acts;
• (e) use symbols, signs, imagery, or slogans that are reasonably understood to promote or glorify violence, extremism, or hate;
• (f) spam messages, send unsolicited promotional content, or repeatedly post off-topic or disruptive content;
• (g) attempt to phish, scam, or deceive other Users (for example by impersonating brands, Creators, or Dobalo staff); or
• (h) share links or files that contain malware, viruses, or other harmful code.

7.5 Consequences of Violations

• (a) remove or restrict access to specific content or messages;
• (b) restrict, mute, or disable your ability to use chat, messaging, or community features;
• (c) apply strikes, Quality Score penalties, and additional verification requirements;
• (d) place holds on your Brand Balance or Creator Earnings, or adjust, reverse, or claw back amounts associated with suspicious activity;
• (e) suspend or terminate your account, communities, or campaigns; and
• (f) where appropriate, report suspected illegal conduct to payment providers, platform partners, or competent authorities.

7.6 Campaign-Specific Rules

Campaign briefs may include additional content rules, such as requirements for neutral or positive portrayal of a Brand or product, mandatory disclosures, or prohibited angles. Creating content that knowingly violates such rules may result in rejection of submissions, loss of eligibility for payouts related to that content, and other measures under these Terms.

8. Quality Score, Holds & Risk Measures

8.1 Quality Score and Risk Signals

Dobalo may calculate a Quality Score or similar metric for Creators and/or Brands based on factors such as approvals, rejections, disputes, performance, fraud signals, and suspected policy violations. We may also maintain other internal risk scores or flags.

8.2 Nature of the Quality Score

• (a) The Quality Score is an informational and internal signal only and does not create any right to a particular level, campaign access, or earnings.
• (b) Dobalo is under no obligation to disclose the exact calculation, weighting, or thresholds used for Quality Scores or other risk assessments.
• (c) Dobalo may update or change these methods at any time in order to protect the integrity of the Services.

8.3 Use of Quality Score and Risk Measures

• (a) grant or restrict access to certain campaigns, features, or payout options;
• (b) apply longer or shorter payout holds;
• (c) require additional verification or documentation (for example identity, address, or proof of content ownership);
• (d) limit submission volume, daily earnings, or campaign budgets;
• (e) restrict or moderate chat, messaging, or community features; and
• (f) prioritize or deprioritize your content in recommendations or discovery surfaces within the Services.

8.4 Adjustments, Clawbacks, and Binding Determinations

In cases of confirmed or strongly suspected fraud, abuse, policy violations, chargebacks, or technical errors, Dobalo may adjust, reverse, or claw back previously recorded views, spend, or earnings and may offset such amounts against Brand Balances, Creator Earnings, or future payouts, where permitted by law. Dobalo’s good-faith determination based on its logs, metrics, and available evidence will be binding for purposes of platform-level accounting, except in cases of manifest error.

8.5 Account Freezes and Suspensions

• (a) In higher-risk situations, Dobalo may temporarily freeze parts of or all activity on an account (including submissions, campaigns, chat access, and payouts) while we review potential issues.
• (b) If we conclude that there has been serious or repeated misconduct, we may suspend or terminate the account and, where allowed by law, withhold or claw back funds associated with fraudulent or abusive activity.
• (c) We will act in good faith and proportionately, but we are not required to give advance notice of such measures where doing so could increase risk.

8.6 No Duty to Monitor

While Dobalo uses automated and manual systems to detect and mitigate risk, nothing in these Terms imposes a duty on Dobalo to monitor all activity or to discover every instance of fraud, abuse, or policy violation. Our risk measures are designed to protect the platform and its Users as a whole and do not guarantee that every individual issue will be prevented or remedied.

9. Disputes Between Users

• Brands and Creators are encouraged to resolve issues regarding campaigns, submissions, approvals, or payouts in good faith via the tools provided in the platform.
• If a dispute cannot be resolved between Users, Dobalo may, but is not obligated to, review available data and make a good-faith determination for the purposes of applying platform rules (including adjustments to balances or earnings). Any such determination is made solely for the operation of the Services and does not constitute legal advice or a formal arbitration or adjudication.
• Dobalo is not obliged to act as an arbitrator or mediator in every dispute and is not a party to the underlying commercial relationship between Brands and Creators.
• Nothing in this Section 9 prevents Users from pursuing their own legal remedies against each other. Dobalo’s internal decisions and adjustments are without prejudice to any rights Users may have under applicable law, but Dobalo will not be required to reverse or modify such internal decisions unless legally compelled to do so.
• To the maximum extent permitted by law, Dobalo is not liable for any loss, damage, or cost arising from disputes between Users, except to the extent caused directly by Dobalo’s own willful misconduct or gross negligence.

10. Termination & Suspension

• We may suspend or terminate access to the Services, or remove content, if we reasonably believe there is a violation of these Terms, a violation of law, or a risk to Users, third parties, or the platform.
• We may apply temporary payout holds, Quality Score penalties, or other protective measures in connection with suspected fraud, abuse, or disputes.
• You may terminate your account at any time, subject to settling any outstanding obligations and subject to our rights to retain certain records as required by law or for legitimate business purposes.
• Upon termination, certain provisions of these Terms will survive, including those relating to intellectual property, payments, limitations of liability, and dispute resolution.
• Except where required by law, Dobalo is not obliged to refund any fees, spent budgets, or forfeited or clawed-back amounts in connection with termination or suspension, particularly where termination or suspension results from your breach of these Terms or applicable law.
• Dobalo may retain and use aggregated or anonymized data derived from your use of the Services after termination, provided that such data does not identify you personally.

11. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

• The Services are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, express or implied, to the extent permitted by law.
• Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, Dobalo does not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components, or that any results or metrics will be accurate or reliable in all circumstances.
• To the maximum extent permitted by law, Dobalo will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with the Services or these Terms, even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages.
• To the extent Dobalo is found liable despite the foregoing, our aggregate liability arising out of or in connection with the Services or these Terms will be limited to the greater of (a) the total fees paid by the relevant Brand to Dobalo in the three (3) months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) [EUR X], except where prohibited by law.
• Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law, including liability for intent, gross negligence, injury to life, body, or health, or under applicable product liability laws. In such cases, the statutory provisions apply.

12. Data Protection & Privacy

• Dobalo processes personal data in accordance with its Privacy Policy, which forms part of these Terms. The Privacy Policy describes, among other things, the categories of personal data we collect, the purposes for which we use it, and the rights Users may have under applicable data protection laws.
• Users are responsible for complying with applicable data protection laws when using the Services, including when they export, share, or otherwise process personal data obtained via the platform.
• Dobalo is not responsible for how Brands or Creators choose to use personal data they obtain through the Services, and you agree to indemnify Dobalo for any claims arising from your unlawful or non-compliant processing of personal data, except to the extent caused directly by Dobalo’s own willful misconduct or gross negligence.

13. Changes to These Terms

• We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date and, where appropriate, provide additional notice (for example by email or in-product notification).
• We will notify you of material changes in a manner we consider reasonable under the circumstances.
• If you do not agree with the updated Terms, you must stop using the Services.
• Continued use of the Services after the updated Terms become effective constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

14. Governing Law & Jurisdiction

• These Terms are governed by the laws of Germany, without regard to conflict of laws principles.
• If you are a business user, any disputes arising out of or in connection with these Terms or the Services will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Hamburg, Germany.
• If you are a consumer, mandatory consumer protection laws and your local jurisdiction rules may provide you with additional rights.