Terms of Service — The Playground

Effective Date: 21 May 2026  ·  Last Updated: 21 May 2026

1. Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing, accessing, or using The Playground ("the App"), you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms") and our Privacy Policy.

If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the App.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and Pedro Ferreira Azevedo ("Developer", "we", "us", "our"). The App is currently in a pilot testing phase as part of a Master's dissertation at Universidade de Aveiro.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to create an account and use the App.

  • You are 16 years of age or older
  • You have the legal capacity to enter into this agreement
  • You will use the App in compliance with these Terms and all applicable laws

If we discover that a user is under 16, we reserve the right to suspend or permanently delete their account without notice.

3. Account Registration

3.1 Registration. You must create an account to access the core features of the App. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information at registration and to keep that information up to date.

3.2 Credentials. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activities under your account.

3.3 Unauthorised access. Notify us immediately at help@theplaygroundapp.pt if you become aware of any unauthorised access to your account.

3.4 One account per person. You may not create multiple accounts or use another person's account without their permission.

3.5 Suspension. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, at our sole discretion.

4. The Service

The Playground allows users to:

  • Discover existing basketball courts on a map
  • Add courts that are not yet listed
  • Upload photos of basketball courts
  • Check in to confirm presence at a court
  • Organise and manage pickup basketball games
  • Browse and join games organised by other users
  • Connect with other players

Beta / Pilot Status. The App is in an early pilot testing phase. Features may be incomplete, change without notice, or be temporarily unavailable. You acknowledge that you are participating in a pilot and may encounter bugs or errors.

5. User-Generated Content

5.1 Your content. "User Content" means any information, data, text, or images you submit, upload, or post to the App, including court information and photos.

5.2 Ownership. You retain full ownership of your User Content. We do not claim ownership over it.

5.3 Licence you grant us. By submitting User Content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable licence to use, store, display, reproduce, and distribute that content within the App and in anonymised or aggregated form for academic research.

5.4 Your responsibility. You confirm that you have the right to submit the content, it does not infringe third-party rights, and photos do not contain clearly identifiable individuals without their explicit consent.

5.5 Moderation. We reserve the right to review, edit, or remove any User Content at any time and without notice.

5.6 Accuracy disclaimer. Court information is submitted by users and is not independently verified. Always exercise your own judgement before travelling to any location shown in the App.

6. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to use the App to:

  • Violate any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation
  • Upload false, misleading, defamatory, offensive, or inappropriate content
  • Impersonate any person, organisation, or entity
  • Harass, bully, threaten, or harm other users
  • Collect or harvest other users' personal information without their consent
  • Transmit spam, unsolicited messages, or advertising
  • Introduce viruses, malware, or any other harmful code
  • Attempt to probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of the App or its infrastructure
  • Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of the App
  • Use automated tools (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to access the App
  • Use the App for any commercial purpose without our prior written consent

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Our IP. The App, including its design, source code, features, graphics, and text content (excluding User Content), is the intellectual property of the Developer.

7.2 Restrictions. You may not reproduce, copy, modify, distribute, sell, or create derivative works based on the App without our prior written permission.

7.3 Feedback. If you submit feedback or suggestions, you grant us the right to use that feedback without compensation or obligation.

8. Academic Research Disclosure

The App is developed as part of a Master's dissertation at Universidade de Aveiro. Usage data may be collected, analysed, and reported in anonymised, aggregated form as part of academic research. Your identity will never be disclosed in any academic publication.

9. Disclaimers

9.1 No warranty. The App is provided "as is" and "as available", without warranties of any kind, express or implied.

9.2 Beta status. We do not warrant that the App will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that defects will be corrected.

9.3 User content. We do not warrant the accuracy or reliability of any User Content. Always exercise your own judgment.

9.4 Safety. Physical sporting activities carry inherent risks. We are not responsible for any injury or harm arising from activities organised through the App.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Developer shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, or consequential damages, including loss of data, revenue, profit, physical injury, or damages arising from service interruption or reliance on User Content.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, for fraud, or for any other liability that cannot be excluded under Portuguese or EU law.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Developer from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from your use of the App, your User Content, or your violation of these Terms or any third-party rights.

12. Termination

12.1 By us. We may suspend or terminate your access at any time if we believe you have violated these Terms.

12.2 By you. You may stop using the App and delete your account via Profile → Settings → Delete Account.

12.3 Effect of termination. Upon termination, your right to use the App ceases immediately. Sections 7, 9, 10, 11, and 13 survive termination.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of Portugal, subject to applicable EU law (including GDPR). Any dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Lisbon, Portugal.

14. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, it shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force.

15. Changes to These Terms

We will notify you of material changes by in-app notification and/or email. Continued use of the App after that date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

16. Contact

Pedro Ferreira Azevedo
Email: help@theplaygroundapp.pt
Institution: Universidade de Aveiro
Address: Lisbon, Portugal