Terms of Service
1. Introduction and Acceptance of Terms
These Terms and Conditions ("Terms") govern your access to and use of brick.news ("the Platform"), accessible at brick.news. brick.news is an independent online publishing platform dedicated to the LEGO hobby and the adult fan of LEGO (AFOL) community.
By accessing, registering on, or otherwise using the Platform, you ("User", "you") agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with these Terms, you must not use the Platform.
These Terms are governed by Portuguese law, including the Código Civil Português, Lei n.º 7/2004 (Lei do Comércio Electrónico), Lei n.º 24/96 (Lei de Defesa do Consumidor), and applicable European Union legislation.
2. Description of the Platform
brick.news is a multi-author content platform providing:
- Editorial articles covering LEGO news, reviews, guides, and interviews
- A public commenting system for registered users
- A user registration and authentication system with multiple roles (reader, author, editor, administrator)
- A search function for discovering content on the Platform
- Optional email and push notifications for new content
The Platform is offered free of charge to readers. We reserve the right to modify, expand, or discontinue any feature at any time with reasonable prior notice where possible.
3. User Accounts and Registration
3.1 Eligibility
To register for an account, you must be at least 16 years of age. By registering, you represent and warrant that you meet this age requirement. We reserve the right to terminate accounts of users found to be underage.
3.2 Account Creation
When you create an account, you agree to:
- Provide accurate, complete, and current registration information
- Keep your password confidential and not share it with any third party
- Notify us immediately at hello@brick.news if you suspect any unauthorised use of your account
- Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account
3.3 Account Deletion by You
You may request deletion of your account at any time by contacting us at hello@brick.news. Upon account deletion, your personal data will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
3.4 Account Termination by Us
We reserve the right to suspend or permanently terminate your account, without prior notice, if you violate these Terms or engage in conduct we reasonably determine to be harmful to the Platform, other users, or third parties. Where possible, we will inform you of the reason for termination.
4. User Conduct and Acceptable Use
4.1 Permitted Use
You may use brick.news solely for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms — to read, engage with, and contribute to LEGO-related content in good faith.
4.2 Prohibited Conduct
You must not:
- Post content that is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable
- Infringe any intellectual property rights, including copyright or trademark, belonging to us, the LEGO Group, or any third party
- Impersonate any person or entity, or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
- Post spam, unsolicited commercial messages, or advertisements
- Introduce malware, viruses, or any other malicious code
- Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the Platform or its infrastructure
- Scrape, crawl, or harvest data from the Platform without our express written consent
- Use the Platform to collect or harvest personal data of other users
- Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Platform
- Post content that violates Portuguese law or applicable EU law, including Lei n.º 26/2015 on cybercrime
4.3 Content Moderation
We reserve the right to moderate, edit, remove, or refuse any user-submitted content at our sole discretion, without notice and without liability. Repeated violations may result in account suspension or termination.
5. User-Generated Content
5.1 Your Content
You retain ownership of any comments or other content you submit to the Platform ("User Content"). By submitting User Content, you grant us a non-exclusive, royalty-free, worldwide, perpetual licence to use, reproduce, display, distribute, and adapt your User Content in connection with the operation and promotion of the Platform.
5.2 Representations and Warranties
By submitting User Content, you represent and warrant that:
- You own the content or have all necessary rights and permissions to submit it
- Your content does not infringe the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party
- Your content complies with applicable law and these Terms
5.3 Liability for User Content
We do not endorse any User Content and expressly disclaim all liability in connection with it. You are solely responsible for your User Content and the consequences of submitting it. We act as a hosting service provider within the meaning of Article 14 of the EU e-Commerce Directive (2000/31/EC) and its Portuguese implementation.
6. Intellectual Property
6.1 Platform Content
All editorial content on brick.news — including articles, reviews, guides, interviews, graphics, and the Platform design — is protected by copyright and other intellectual property rights. Such content is owned by us or licensed to us by the respective authors. Nothing in these Terms grants you any right to use our content outside the scope of normal personal, non-commercial reading.
6.2 LEGO® Trademark Notice
LEGO® is a registered trademark of the LEGO Group. brick.news is an independent fan platform and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by the LEGO Group. All references to LEGO products are for editorial and descriptive purposes only.
6.3 Reporting Infringement
If you believe that content on the Platform infringes your intellectual property rights, please send a written notice to hello@brick.news with sufficient information to identify the allegedly infringing content and your claim.
7. Disclaimer of Warranties
The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without any warranties of any kind, express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.
We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free from harmful components. We make no representation as to the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of any content on the Platform.
Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes our liability for fraud, personal injury caused by our negligence, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by Portuguese law.
8. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by applicable Portuguese and EU law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of your use of or inability to use the Platform.
Our total liability to you for any claim arising under these Terms shall not exceed EUR 100 (one hundred euros). This limitation does not apply to liability for death or personal injury, fraud, or any other liability that may not be limited under Portuguese law.
9. Third-Party Links and Content
The Platform may contain links to third-party websites or resources. Such links are provided for your convenience only. We have no control over the content of those sites and accept no responsibility for them or for any loss or damage arising from your use of them. Accessing third-party sites is at your own risk.
10. Availability and Maintenance
We do not guarantee that the Platform will always be available or uninterrupted. We may suspend, restrict, or terminate access for maintenance, security, or operational reasons. Where possible, we will provide advance notice of planned maintenance. We shall not be liable for any loss or inconvenience caused by unavailability of the Platform.
11. Advertising
brick.news may display advertisements served through our own ad management system. Advertisements are clearly distinguished from editorial content. We do not permit advertisers to influence editorial decisions, and we do not share your personal data with advertisers for behavioural targeting purposes.
12. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Portugal, without regard to its conflict of law principles.
In the event of a dispute arising from these Terms or your use of the Platform, we ask that you first contact us at hello@brick.news so we may attempt to resolve the matter informally within 30 days. If unresolved, the parties agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Portugal.
If you are a consumer resident in the European Union, you may also access alternative dispute resolution mechanisms. Information is available at the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform: ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr.
13. Consumer Rights (EU / Portuguese Consumers)
If you are a consumer resident in Portugal or the European Union, you benefit from mandatory consumer protection rights that cannot be waived by these Terms, including those arising under:
- Lei n.º 24/96 de 31 de julho (Lei de Defesa do Consumidor)
- Directive 2011/83/EU on Consumer Rights, as implemented in Portugal by Decreto-Lei n.º 24/2014
- Directive 2019/770/EU on digital content and digital services
Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer under applicable Portuguese or EU law.
14. Modifications to These Terms
We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will notify registered users by email and/or by a prominent notice on the Platform at least 15 days before the changes take effect. Your continued use of the Platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.
If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Platform and may request deletion of your account.
15. Severability
If any provision of these Terms is found to be unlawful, void, or unenforceable, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.
16. Entire Agreement
These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and brick.news with respect to your use of the Platform, and supersede any prior agreements, representations, or understandings.
17. Contact Information
For any questions about these Terms and Conditions, please contact: