Terms of Use

1. Agreement to Terms

These Terms of Use ("Terms") constitute a legally binding agreement between you ("you," "your," or "user") and Bluepine Technology Foundation ("AESC," "we," "us," or "our") governing your access to and use of the AESC website located at aescnet.com (the "Site"), the AESC blockchain network (the "Network"), and all related tools, documentation, APIs, testnet environments, smart contracts, and services (collectively, the "Services").

By accessing or using the Services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, as well as our Privacy Policy and Disclaimers, which are incorporated herein by reference. If you do not agree to these Terms, you must not access or use the Services.

These Terms apply to all visitors, users, developers, validators, and others who access or interact with the Services in any capacity.

2. Eligibility

By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you:

• Are at least 18 years of age, or the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction, whichever is higher
• Have full legal capacity and authority to enter into and comply with these Terms
• Are not located in, incorporated in, or a citizen or resident of any jurisdiction where the use of blockchain networks, digital assets, or the Services would violate any applicable law or regulation
• Are not subject to any sanctions administered or enforced by any governmental authority, including but not limited to the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, or any equivalent governmental body
• Will not use the Services if the laws of your country or jurisdiction prohibit you from doing so in accordance with these Terms
• Will comply with all applicable local, state, national, and international laws and regulations when using the Services

We reserve the right to limit, suspend, or terminate access to the Services for any user who fails to meet these eligibility requirements, or who we reasonably believe is using the Services in violation of these Terms or applicable law.

3. Description of Services

AESC is a Layer 1 blockchain network designed for parallel settlement of real-world economic activities. The Services include, but are not limited to:

• Access to the AESC blockchain network and its associated protocols
• Testnet environments for development, testing, and evaluation purposes
• Developer documentation, APIs, SDKs, and tooling
• Informational and educational content about the AESC ecosystem
• Community programs, testnet campaigns, and ecosystem initiatives
• Wallet connections and on-chain interactions through the Site

The Services are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. Access to certain features may require wallet connections, identity verification, registration, or participation in specific programs. We reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Services at any time, with or without notice.

4. Account and Wallet Security

Interaction with the AESC network may require the use of a cryptocurrency wallet. You are solely responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality and security of your wallet private keys, seed phrases, and passwords
• All activity that occurs through your wallet address, whether or not you authorized such activity
• Ensuring that your wallet software is up to date and obtained from legitimate sources
• Verifying the accuracy of all transaction details before confirming any on-chain transaction

We do not have access to your private keys and cannot recover lost keys, reverse transactions, or restore access to your wallet. Loss of private keys will result in permanent and irrecoverable loss of access to any digital assets associated with that wallet.

5. Prohibited Uses

You agree not to use the Services to:

• Violate any applicable law, statute, regulation, or ordinance, including laws relating to anti-money laundering, counter-terrorism financing, sanctions, securities regulation, tax, or data protection
• Engage in money laundering, terrorist financing, sanctions evasion, tax evasion, or any other financial crime
• Conduct, facilitate, or participate in market manipulation, wash trading, front-running, or any form of fraudulent trading activity
• Gain or attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Services, other users' accounts or wallets, or any connected systems or networks
• Introduce malicious code, viruses, trojans, worms, logic bombs, or any other material that is malicious or technologically harmful
• Engage in any denial-of-service attack, distributed denial-of-service attack, or other attack designed to disrupt or impair the Services
• Use automated means (bots, scrapers, spiders, crawlers) to access the Services in a manner that exceeds reasonable use or imposes unreasonable load on infrastructure
• Reproduce, duplicate, copy, sell, resell, or otherwise exploit any portion of the Services or Site content without express prior written permission
• Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or otherwise misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with any security, access control, compliance, or identity verification features of the Services
• Use the Services to create, list, promote, or distribute any counterfeit, stolen, or fraudulent digital assets
• Engage in any activity that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the functioning of the Services or interfere with any other party's use of the Services

6. Digital Assets and Tokens

The AESC network involves digital assets, including the AESC governance token and AEX utility token. By using the Services or interacting with these tokens, you acknowledge and understand that:

• Volatility: Digital assets are inherently volatile. Their value may fluctuate significantly and may decline to zero. You may lose some or all of the value of your digital assets.
• Irreversibility: Transactions on the AESC blockchain are irreversible once confirmed. We cannot undo, reverse, or modify confirmed transactions under any circumstances.
• Key management: You are solely responsible for the custody and security of your private keys. We do not hold, manage, or have access to your private keys or wallet credentials.
• No guarantee of value: We do not guarantee that any token will maintain any particular value, utility, or listing status on any exchange or marketplace.
• Regulatory classification: The regulatory status of digital assets varies across jurisdictions and may change over time. Changes in regulatory classification may adversely affect the tokens, the Network, or your ability to use the Services.
• Not securities: AESC and AEX tokens are not intended to be securities, equity, shares, or investment contracts. They do not represent any ownership, dividend, profit-sharing, voting (except protocol governance), or other financial rights in Bluepine Technology Foundation or any affiliated entity.
• Tax obligations: You are solely responsible for determining and fulfilling any tax obligations arising from your use of the Services or your transactions involving digital assets.

7. Testnet

The AESC testnet is a pre-production environment provided for development, testing, and evaluation purposes. You acknowledge and agree that:

• Testnet tokens and assets have no monetary value and are not redeemable for mainnet tokens or any other consideration
• The testnet environment may be reset, upgraded, modified, or discontinued at any time without prior notice
• Performance, features, security, and behavior on the testnet may differ materially from the mainnet
• Data, contracts, and assets deployed on the testnet may be lost during resets or upgrades
• Participation in testnet campaigns does not guarantee any allocation, airdrop, or reward on the mainnet

8. Intellectual Property

Unless otherwise indicated, the Site, its content (including text, graphics, logos, icons, images, audio, video, software, and design elements), and the compilation thereof are owned by or licensed to Bluepine Technology Foundation and are protected by international copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, and other intellectual property laws.

You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Site for personal, non-commercial purposes, subject to these Terms. This license does not include the right to:

• Modify, reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works based on the Site content
• Use any data mining, robots, or similar data gathering or extraction methods
• Download or cache (other than browser caching) any portion of the Site without prior written consent
• Use the AESC name, logo, or trademarks without prior written permission

Open-source components of the AESC protocol and related software are governed by their respective open-source licenses. Nothing in these Terms restricts rights expressly granted under applicable open-source licenses.

9. Third-Party Services and Links

The Services may contain links to, integrate with, or reference third-party websites, protocols, wallets, exchanges, bridges, oracles, or other services ("Third-Party Services"). These Third-Party Services are not under our control, and we:

• Do not endorse, sponsor, or assume responsibility for any Third-Party Services
• Are not responsible for the accuracy, legality, security, or content of Third-Party Services
• Are not liable for any loss or damage arising from your use of or reliance on Third-Party Services

Your interactions with Third-Party Services are governed by their respective terms and policies. We encourage you to review the terms and privacy policies of any Third-Party Services before using them.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICES ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

• WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT
• WARRANTIES THAT THE SERVICES WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, TIMELY, SECURE, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES OR OTHER HARMFUL COMPONENTS
• WARRANTIES REGARDING THE ACCURACY, RELIABILITY, OR COMPLETENESS OF ANY INFORMATION PROVIDED THROUGH THE SERVICES
• WARRANTIES THAT THE SERVICES WILL MEET YOUR REQUIREMENTS OR EXPECTATIONS
• WARRANTIES ARISING FROM COURSE OF DEALING, COURSE OF PERFORMANCE, OR USAGE OF TRADE

No advice or information, whether oral or written, obtained from AESC or through the Services shall create any warranty not expressly stated herein.

11. Assumption of Risk

You expressly acknowledge and assume the following risks in connection with your use of the Services:

• The risk of loss in value of digital assets due to market conditions, regulatory changes, or technological failures
• Risks associated with blockchain technology, including but not limited to software bugs, smart contract vulnerabilities, consensus failures, chain reorganizations, and 51% attacks
• Risks related to private key management, including permanent loss of access to your assets
• Risks of regulatory actions that may affect the Network, the tokens, or your ability to use the Services
• Risks arising from the experimental nature of blockchain technology and the potential for unknown vulnerabilities
• Risks associated with third-party services, including bridges, wallets, exchanges, and oracles

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL AESC, BLUEPINE TECHNOLOGY FOUNDATION, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, PARTNERS, OR AFFILIATES BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

• LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES
• LOSS OF OR DAMAGE TO DIGITAL ASSETS, TOKENS, OR CRYPTOCURRENCY
• UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS TO OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR DATA
• STATEMENTS OR CONDUCT OF ANY THIRD PARTY ON THE SERVICES
• ANY BUGS, VIRUSES, OR OTHER HARMFUL CODE THAT MAY BE TRANSMITTED THROUGH THE SERVICES
• ANY INTERRUPTION, SUSPENSION, OR TERMINATION OF THE SERVICES

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR AGGREGATE LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICES EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE TOTAL AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED U.S. DOLLARS (USD $100).

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IN SUCH JURISDICTIONS, OUR LIABILITY SHALL BE LIMITED TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless AESC, Bluepine Technology Foundation, and its directors, officers, employees, agents, partners, and affiliates from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees and expenses) arising out of or in connection with:

• Your access to or use of the Services
• Your violation of these Terms or any applicable law or regulation
• Your violation of any rights of a third party, including intellectual property rights
• Any content or information you submit, post, or transmit through the Services
• Any digital asset transactions you conduct through the Network

14. Modification and Termination

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time in our sole discretion. When we make material changes, we will update the "Last updated" date at the top of this page and, where appropriate, notify you through the Site or other channels. Your continued use of the Services following the posting of amended Terms constitutes your acceptance of those changes.

We may, at any time and for any reason, with or without cause or notice, suspend, restrict, or terminate your access to all or any part of the Services. You may cease using the Services at any time. All provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including limitations of liability, disclaimers, and indemnification obligations.

15. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the jurisdiction in which Bluepine Technology Foundation is established, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Any dispute, controversy, or claim arising out of or relating to these Terms, or the breach, termination, or invalidity thereof, shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If the dispute cannot be resolved through negotiation within thirty (30) days, it shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with applicable arbitration rules, except where prohibited by local law, in which case the courts of competent jurisdiction shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

You agree that any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted on an individual basis and not in a class, consolidated, or representative action. You waive any right to participate in a class action lawsuit or class-wide arbitration, to the fullest extent permitted by applicable law.

16. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect. The invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision shall be interpreted and enforced to the maximum extent possible to reflect the original intent of the parties, or if not possible, shall be severed from these Terms.

17. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Disclaimers, constitute the entire agreement between you and AESC regarding your use of the Services. These Terms supersede all prior agreements, understandings, communications, and proposals, whether oral or written, between you and AESC with respect to the Services.

18. Waiver

The failure of AESC to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. Any waiver must be in writing and signed by an authorized representative of AESC to be effective.

19. Contact

For questions, concerns, or notices regarding these Terms, contact us at: