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These terms apply to all contracts for placements on podiumwar.com between Robert Macu, Zillestraße 2A, 60488 Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland, email securobity@proton.me ("provider") and the users of the platform ("users").
A consumer is any natural person who enters into the contract for purposes that are wholly or mainly outside their trade, business, craft or profession. A trader is anyone acting for purposes relating to their trade, business, craft or profession. Provisions that apply to consumers only are marked as such.
Use of the platform is only permitted for persons aged 18 or over.
Each entry is governed by the version of these terms and of the mechanics described on the rules page that applies at the time of the respective payment. Later changes apply only to contracts concluded afterwards (new purchase or top-up), never retroactively to running entries.
For each country the provider operates a public ranking ("country board", available at podiumwar.com/<country code>). Against payment, an entry of the user (display name, target URL, optionally a logo and a short description) is shown on the country board expressly named in the payment form and linked to the target URL. A payment applies to that one board only.
The position results from the ranking value of the entry compared with the other active entries on the same board. The ranking value initially equals the amount paid and, outside ranks 1 to 3, decreases according to the scheduled value decay (clause 6). Where ranking values are equal, the older entry stays ahead.
In addition, the payment secures a minimum duration on ranks 1 to 3 ("podium") depending on the amount paid, including a refund of the unused share under clause 5. The guaranteed minimum duration and the click target of the selected price tier are shown in the form before payment.
Short descriptions are shown on the podium only. From a certain board size, entries in the lower price range outside the podium may be displayed slightly blurred. Position, target link and clickability remain unchanged.
The provider owes the visibility described. The user has no claim to any particular number of clicks, visitors, enquiries or sales.
The subject matter of the contract is exclusively the visibility service described in clause 2. There is no prize of any kind, no winnings and no other benefit of money or money's worth beyond the placement purchased. All rules are published in advance and are deterministic, there is no element of chance and no draw.
Repayments under these terms never exceed the amount the respective user has paid themselves. They are made exclusively from the provider's own funds and never from payments of other users. No amounts are transferred between users.
The user fills in the form of the chosen country board, selects an amount from the minimum price shown, gives the two declarations on the right to cancel (clause 8) and clicks "Continue to payment". On the following payment page of our payment service provider Stripe, the service and the final price are summarised again. Until clicking the pay button, the user can correct their entries using the browser's back function or in the form, or cancel the process.
By clicking the pay button, the user makes a binding offer. The contract is concluded as soon as the payment has been processed successfully and the entry has been activated. The user then receives a confirmation by email with these terms and the cancellation information attached. The provider stores the contract data (entry, amount, times, version of these terms). The contract language is the language of this version.
All prices are total prices. The provider is a small business within the meaning of Section 19 of the German VAT Act (UStG); therefore no VAT is charged or shown. No further costs apply. Payment is processed exclusively via Stripe.
If the required amount changes between display and completion of payment (for example because another person has paid more in the meantime) and the entry therefore cannot be created as shown, the payment is refunded automatically and in full.
There is no limit on the number of places. A new entry is placed according to its amount. The entry previously in that position moves down exactly one place and remains active, visible and linked. Rank 1 requires an amount above the current top price. The required markup is tiered and shown in a table on the rules page. If a chosen amount lies between the top price and this threshold, the entry is placed on rank 2 at the top price and only that amount is charged. The form shows this before payment.
The guaranteed minimum duration is used up as follows. Time share: billable hours since the start of the placement divided by the guaranteed hours of the price tier. The first 30 minutes are not billable (grace period). The grace period shortens proportionally with the first clicks, down to zero once a small, price-dependent number of clicks is reached. Click share: clicks since the start of the placement divided by the click target of the price tier. The share used is the sum of both shares, at most 100%. The guarantee ends when the share used reaches 100%, and at the latest after 720 billable hours (30 days).
Clicks are a measure of the visibility already provided, not the subject matter of the contract themselves. Redirects via the platform to the target URL are counted. Repeated clicks from the same IP address on the same entry within 10 minutes count once. As long as click counting for a country board is not technically classified as reliable, the click share remains zero.
As long as the guarantee is running, the user can exit early at any time via their personal link from the confirmation email, in particular after being displaced from the podium. The entry is then removed. The refund claim is determined from the outset as follows: unused share = amount paid × (1 − share used). The amount paid out is the unused share minus 10%, at most minus €2.00. No deduction applies if a refund has already been made for the same entry within the last 48 hours. If the unused share is less than €1.00, there is no refund claim. Refunds are made to the original payment method.
If an entry is displaced from the podium while the guarantee is still running, the provider informs the user by email. If the user does not make a claim, the entry remains unchanged, active, visible and linked. The user can see the current status (clicks, elapsed time, amount of any current claim) at any time via their personal link.
On ranks 1 to 3, the ranking value stays unchanged. From rank 4, a countdown of 7 days starts, shortened to 2 days while the ranking value is below 5% of the current top price on the same board. If the countdown expires without the entry having returned to the podium, the ranking value decreases by 20% (value below €1.00), 10% (below €10.00), 5% (below €1,000.00) or 1% (from €1,000.00), after which the countdown starts again. If the ranking value falls below €0.50, the entry is removed.
Value decay only affects the ranking comparison with other entries, not the payment already made. Its purpose is to keep the ranking current so that an early one-off amount does not block a place permanently.
If an entry is removed through value decay without having received a single click during its entire time on the board, the provider refunds automatically: (amount paid minus amounts already refunded) × (remaining time in the window below the podium ÷ length of this window). The window starts with the payment and is twice as long as the guaranteed hours of the price tier, at most 1,440 hours (60 days). Deduction and minimum claim as in clause 5. If the entry received at least one click, or if click counting on the board is not classified as reliable, the removal takes place without a refund.
Via the personal link from the most recent confirmation email (valid for 30 days, renewed with each top-up), the user can raise their existing entry to a higher amount. The difference to the amount already paid is payable as shown, at least €1.00. The share of the previous guarantee already used is credited as a euro amount against the new, higher guarantee. The top-up is a separate contract to which clauses 4 and 8 apply accordingly.
Without this link, the user can instead buy a new, independent entry. The existing entry then remains unchanged alongside it.
Consumers have a statutory right to cancel. Details, model cancellation form and online cancellation: cancellation information.
The entry is activated immediately after payment. Before payment, the user therefore declares, by means of two separate boxes that are not pre-ticked, first, that the provider should begin performance before the cancellation period expires, and second, that they acknowledge they will lose their right to cancel once the contract has been fully performed. The service is fully performed once the guaranteed hours of the price tier (at most 720) have elapsed since conclusion of the contract.
If the consumer cancels before then, they receive the amount paid back, minus an amount for the service provided up to cancellation. This amount is purely proportional to time: amount paid × (hours elapsed since conclusion of the contract ÷ guaranteed hours of the price tier, at most 720). Clicks, the deduction under clause 5 and the minimum claim do not apply.
Display name, target URL, logo and short description must not infringe applicable law or third-party rights (in particular trade mark, name, copyright and personality rights). Also not permitted are chat and invite links (such as Telegram, WhatsApp, Discord, Messenger, Signal), sexual content, link shorteners and offers relating to illegal substances or weapons. The full list is on the rules page.
Before payment, an automatic filter checks display name, target URL, logo address and short description for obvious infringements. Anyone can submit notices of illegal content via the report form or by email to securobity@proton.me. Reports are reviewed by a human.
If, after review, it is established that an entry breaches this clause, the provider removes it without a refund. The user receives a reasoned statement by email setting out the facts, the legal ground or rule, whether automated means were involved, and the available means of redress (reply to securobity@proton.me requesting a new review, court proceedings). If the provider removes an entry for reasons for which the user is not responsible, it refunds the unused share under clause 5 without deduction and without minimum claim.
Point of contact under Articles 11 and 12 of Regulation (EU) 2022/2065 (Digital Services Act) for authorities and users: securobity@proton.me, languages German and English and the language of the respective country board.
The user warrants that they are entitled to use the content submitted. For the duration of display, they grant the provider the simple, free-of-charge right to show this content publicly on the platform and in automatically generated preview images for shared links.
If the user culpably infringes third-party rights, they shall indemnify the provider against resulting third-party claims, including reasonable costs of legal defence.
The provider endeavours to keep the platform continuously available. If a country board is unavailable for more than one hour at a time for reasons for which the provider is responsible, the provider will, on request to securobity@proton.me, extend the guaranteed minimum duration by the downtime or refund the corresponding share.
If the provider discontinues a country board, it refunds the unused share under clause 5 for all entries with a running guarantee, without deduction and without minimum claim.
Anyone who refers another person to a payment via their personal referral link receives a commission equal to the percentage of the amount paid that was shown when the link was created. The programme has a single level: commissions are paid only for one's own direct referrals, never for referrals by other partners. No commission arises on one's own purchases. If the referred payment is refunded in whole or in part, the commission is reduced in the same proportion. The commission becomes payable 30 days after receipt of payment and is currently paid out on request.
Participation is additionally subject to the terms that must be expressly accepted when signing up at /partner, in particular the obligation to label paid recommendations as advertising. No commercial agency relationship is created.
The provider sends contract-related messages (confirmation, displacement, refund, moderation) to the email address provided. Some of these emails also contain information about top-ups. The user can object to this at any time free of charge via the unsubscribe link in every email or by message to securobity@proton.me; contract-related messages will continue to be sent.
German law applies. For consumers, this choice of law applies only insofar as it does not deprive them of the protection afforded by the mandatory provisions of the country of their habitual residence.
The provider is neither willing nor obliged to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board.
Robert Macu, Zillestraße 2A, 60488 Frankfurt am Main, Deutschland, securobity@proton.me. Further details: legal notice.