Source? Manga Academy

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Terms of Service

Effective Date: 01.11.2026
Last Updated: 24.09.2026

Source? Manga Academy Terms of Use

These Terms of Use (these “Terms”) set out the conditions for use of “Source? Manga Academy” (the “Service”), a manga learning and work-submission platform provided by amborder Co., Ltd. (the “Company”). Please use the Service only after agreeing to these Terms.

Application

  1. These Terms define the rights and obligations between the Company and Users regarding use of the Service and apply to all relationships between the Company and Users relating to use of the Service.
  2. Guidelines, policies and other individual rules posted by the Company on the Service (the “Individual Rules”) form part of these Terms. If these Terms conflict with the Individual Rules, these Terms prevail unless the Individual Rules expressly provide otherwise.
  3. If a User enters into an IP Agency Agreement or another individual agreement with the Company (an “Individual Agreement”), the Individual Agreement prevails over these Terms.
  4. The Company may establish additional terms applicable to Users residing in a specific country or region (a “Regional Addendum”). A Regional Addendum prevails over these Terms in relation to Users residing in that country or region.

Definitions

In these Terms, the following terms have the meanings set out below.

  • “User” means an individual or entity that has agreed to these Terms and completed registration for the Service.
  • “Artist” means a User who submits Posted Works to the Service.
  • “Posted Works” means manga, illustrations, storyboards, characters, setting materials, text and any other content that an Artist submits, uploads or posts to the Service.
  • “Profile Information” means the name, pen name, career history, portfolio, self-introduction and other information about a User registered on the Service.
  • “Partner” means a publisher, video production company, game company, corporation, brand, production company, investor or any other third party to which the Company introduces Posted Works or Artists.
  • “Introduction Activities” means activities by which the Company presents, introduces or recommends Posted Works and Profile Information to Partners, or proposes opportunities for commercialization.
  • “Deal” means a transaction for the commercial use of Posted Works or of an Artist’s creative activities, including publication, serialization, film or video adaptation, game adaptation, merchandising, translated publication, licensing and commissioned production.
  • “IP Agency Agreement” means the separate agreement concluded between the Company and an Artist in relation to a Deal.
  • “Affiliate” means a company belonging to the same corporate group as the Company (including amborder Co., Ltd.).
  • “Intellectual Property Rights” means copyright (including the rights provided in Articles 27 and 28 of the Copyright Act of Japan), trademark rights, design rights, patent rights and all other intellectual property rights (including the right to acquire such rights and the right to apply for their registration).

Registration

  1. A person wishing to use the Service shall apply for registration by the method prescribed by the Company after agreeing to these Terms. Registration is complete when the Company approves the application, at which time a contract for use of the Service on these Terms (the “User Agreement”) is formed between the Company and the User.
  2. Users shall provide true, accurate and current registration information and shall promptly update it upon any change.
  3. The Company may decline to approve, or may cancel after approval, the registration of an applicant who falls under any of the following. The Company is not obliged to disclose its reasons.
  • the applicant has provided false information;
  • the applicant has previously been suspended or deregistered for breach of these Terms or otherwise;
  • the applicant does not satisfy the requirements of Article 5;
  • the applicant is an adult ward, a person under curatorship or a person under assistance and has not obtained the consent of the guardian, curator or assistant;
  • the applicant is, or has a relationship with, an anti-social force (meaning organized crime groups, their members and similar persons; the same applies hereinafter); or
  • the Company otherwise determines that registration is inappropriate.
  1. Users shall not hold multiple accounts and shall not transfer, lend or share an account with any third party.
  2. A User who uses the Service on behalf of a corporation or other business represents and warrants that the User has authority to agree to these Terms on behalf of that business, in which case the business is also deemed to have agreed to these Terms.

Account Management

  1. Users shall manage their accounts and passwords at their own responsibility and shall not allow any third party to use them.
  2. Any act performed using an account is deemed to be an act of the User holding that account, except where caused by reasons attributable to the Company.
  3. Users shall immediately notify the Company if account information may have been leaked or used without authorization.
  4. Where a User logs in to the Service using a third-party service (such as a social media account), the Company is not liable, except in cases of its willful misconduct or gross negligence, for any damage to the User caused by a failure, specification change or account deletion of that third-party service.

Use by Minors

  1. Persons under [13] years of age may not use the Service.
  2. Minors (meaning persons who have not reached the age of majority under the laws of the User’s country or region of residence; the same applies hereinafter) shall use the Service only with the consent of a parent or other legal representative, and the Company may require confirmation of that consent by the method it prescribes.
  3. A minor Artist may enter into an IP Agency Agreement or other Individual Agreement only with the consent of the Artist’s legal representative.
  4. If a User who was a minor continues to use the Service after reaching the age of majority, the User is deemed to have ratified all acts relating to use of the Service performed while a minor.

User Environment

  1. Users shall prepare and maintain, at their own cost and responsibility, the devices, software, communication environment and other equipment necessary to use the Service.
  2. Users shall take appropriate security measures in their own environment against computer viruses, unauthorized access, information leakage and similar risks. The Company is not responsible for a User’s environment.

Content of the Service

  1. The Service includes the following functions. The Company may change, add to or terminate any function at its discretion. Where a change or termination is expected to have a material impact on Users, the Company will endeavor to give prior notice to the extent possible.
  • learning content, courses, assignments and reviews relating to manga creation;
  • submission, storage, publication and viewing of Posted Works;
  • screening, evaluation of and feedback on Posted Works by the Company or by judges designated by the Company;
  • contests, awards and other programs;
  • the IP agency functions set out in Chapter 3; and
  • other functions provided by the Company on the Service.
  1. The Company may provide part of the Service for a fee. The content, fees and payment methods of paid services are set out in the Individual Rules.
  2. The Company may temporarily suspend or terminate all or part of the Service without prior notice in the event of system maintenance or inspection, a failure, a communication line fault, a natural disaster, a change in law or other unavoidable circumstances.

Prohibited Conduct

Users shall not engage in any of the following in using the Service:

  • conduct that violates laws or public order and morals;
  • conduct that infringes the Intellectual Property Rights, portrait rights, privacy, honor or other rights or interests of the Company, other Users, Partners or any third party;
  • submitting another person’s work as the User’s own Posted Work, or submitting Posted Works that infringe third-party rights by tracing, copying or other means;
  • submitting content created using generative AI or similar means without the labeling required by the Individual Rules;
  • reproducing, reposting, modifying or otherwise using another User’s Posted Works obtained through the Service without that User’s permission;
  • dealing directly with a Partner identified through the Company’s Introduction Activities without following the procedure in Article 14;
  • submitting Posted Works containing excessively violent or sexually explicit expression, expression that promotes discrimination, or other Posted Works that the Company deems inappropriate;
  • placing excessive load on, or gaining unauthorized access to, the network or systems of the Service;
  • using the Service for commercial advertising, solicitation or spam;
  • providing benefits to, or otherwise cooperating with, anti-social forces;
  • impersonating the Company or a third party, or using another User’s account;
  • reverse engineering, decompiling or otherwise analyzing the source code of the Service, or circumventing its security functions;
  • improperly collecting, disclosing or transmitting personal information of other Users or third parties;
  • using a user name or pen name likely to be confused with the Company, another User, a well-known author, a company or a work;
  • submitting derivative works based on a third party’s work, except where permitted by the Company in the Individual Rules; or
  • other conduct that the Company deems inappropriate.

Representations and Warranties regarding Posted Works

Each Artist represents and warrants, with respect to the Artist’s Posted Works, that:

  • the Posted Works are the Artist’s own creation (and, where jointly created, the other joint authors have consented to the use and licenses under these Terms);
  • the Posted Works and their use under these Terms do not infringe any Intellectual Property Rights or other rights of any third party;
  • where the Posted Works contain third-party works, likenesses, trademarks or similar material, the necessary permissions have been obtained;
  • submission of the Posted Works and their use under these Terms do not breach any agreement between the Artist and a third party (including exclusive agreements with publishers); and
  • the Posted Works do not contain defamatory, unlawful or other content contrary to these Terms.

Ownership of Rights in Posted Works

  1. Copyright and other Intellectual Property Rights in Posted Works belong to the Artist (or to a third party that has licensed such rights to the Artist). Nothing in these Terms transfers any Intellectual Property Rights in Posted Works to the Company.
  2. The Company will not use Posted Works beyond the scope of the license granted in Article 11.

License to the Company

  1. Each Artist grants the Company a royalty-free, worldwide, non-exclusive license to use Posted Works and Profile Information (including by reproduction, translation, adaptation, public transmission, making transmittable, screening, exhibition, distribution and other uses) to the extent necessary for the following purposes:
  • operating, providing, maintaining and improving the Service, and advertising the Service and the Company;
  • storing, backing up, displaying, delivering and converting the format of Posted Works;
  • screening, reviewing and giving feedback on Posted Works, and conducting contests and similar programs;
  • Introduction Activities (including translation, summarization, excerpting, thumbnail creation and preparation of proposals and other materials to the extent necessary for presentation to Partners); and
  • compliance with law, response to rights infringement and performance of the Company’s other legal obligations.
  1. For the purpose of paragraph 1(4), the Company may present Posted Works and Profile Information to Partners to the extent necessary for consideration of a Deal and may sublicense to Partners the right to view and reproduce them within that scope. The Company will take reasonable measures with Partners to ensure that Posted Works presented to them are not used for purposes other than consideration of a Deal.
  2. The Company may sublicense the uses under this Article to its Affiliates within the scope of the purposes in paragraph 1.
  3. The license under this Article is effective while the Posted Work is posted on the Service and survives deletion of the Posted Work or withdrawal of the User to the following extent:
  • use in connection with Deals in progress at the time of deletion or withdrawal, and materials already presented to Partners in connection with such Deals;
  • retention of backup data remaining on the Company’s systems (which the Company will delete within a reasonable period);
  • use in advertising materials for the Company or the Service already created at the time of deletion or withdrawal; and
  • use necessary for compliance with law and handling of disputes.
  1. The Company is not obliged to pay any consideration to Artists for use under the license in paragraph 1.

Moral Rights

  1. Each Artist consents to the Company, its Affiliates and Partners sublicensed by the Company making minor modifications to Posted Works within the scope of the purposes in Article 11, such as translation, summarization, excerpting, trimming, resizing, format conversion, text replacement and changes in resolution, and agrees not to exercise moral rights in respect of such modifications.
  2. Other than the modifications described in paragraph 1, the Company will obtain the Artist’s prior consent before making any modification to the essential elements of a Posted Work, such as its story, characters or world setting. The conditions on which a Partner may make such modifications in a Deal are set out in the agreement for that Deal.
  3. When using Posted Works, the Company will endeavor to display the Artist’s pen name or other credit to a reasonable extent, except where space constraints or other reasonable circumstances prevent it.
  4. This Article applies to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

IP Agency Functions and Introduction Activities

  1. The Company may, at its discretion, conduct Introduction Activities for Posted Works and Profile Information with Partners. The Company is not obliged to conduct Introduction Activities and does not guarantee that any Deal will be concluded or the content or outcome of any Deal.
  2. The Company’s Introduction Activities are non-exclusive and do not prevent an Artist from marketing or promoting the Artist’s Posted Works personally or through third parties.
  3. An Artist may exclude all or part of the Artist’s Posted Works from Introduction Activities using the settings prescribed by the Company.
  4. An Artist who has an exclusive agreement or other agreement with a publisher, agent or other third party that restricts Introduction Activities for a Posted Work shall notify the Company by the method it prescribes, and the Company will exclude that Posted Work from Introduction Activities.
  5. The Company will notify the Artist when a Posted Work comes under consideration by a Partner through Introduction Activities.
  6. The Company may contact Users using their registered e-mail address or other contact details for the purpose of proposing Deals, communicating about Introduction Activities and otherwise operating the Service, and Users consent to this.

Formation of Deals and IP Agency Agreement

  1. When consideration of a specific Deal with a Partner begins as a result of the Company’s Introduction Activities, the Company will notify the Artist of that fact and of an outline of the Deal.
  2. An Artist who wishes to proceed with such a Deal shall enter into an IP Agency Agreement with the Company. The amount, calculation method and payment terms of the Company’s success fee and commission for Deals concluded through the Company’s Introduction Activities are set out in the IP Agency Agreement.
  3. The Company will not charge any fee or commission for Deals that an Artist obtains personally or through third parties without the Company’s Introduction Activities.
  4. Where an Artist proceeds with a Deal with a Partner identified through the Company’s Introduction Activities, the Artist shall do so through the Company and shall not deal directly with that Partner without notifying the Company. If an Artist breaches this paragraph, the Company may suspend the Artist’s use of the Service or take other measures.
  5. The Company will disclose to the Artist any circumstances that may give rise to a conflict of interest with the Artist, including where the Company receives consideration from a Partner in connection with a Deal.

Parties to Deal Agreements

  1. Agreements for Deals are concluded between the Artist and the Partner. Unless otherwise provided in the IP Agency Agreement, the Company will not become a party to, or conclude on the Artist’s behalf, any agreement for a Deal.
  2. The quality, content, delivery schedule, rights clearance and other conditions of Posted Works in a Deal, and responsibility for them, are set out in the agreement for that Deal. The Company is not responsible for the performance of agreements between Partners and Artists.

Intellectual Property Rights in Learning Content

  1. Intellectual Property Rights in the learning content, courses, assignments, teaching materials, programs, designs and other content constituting the Service (excluding Posted Works) belong to the Company or its licensors.
  2. Users may use such content only for personal learning within the scope of the purpose of the Service and shall not reproduce, repost, distribute, modify, sell or otherwise use it.
  3. Content submitted by Users to the Company as assignments is treated in the same manner as Posted Works.

Other Users’ Posted Works

Users shall not use other Users’ Posted Works published on the Service beyond viewing them.

Storage of and Access to Posted Works

  1. The Company is not obliged to store or back up Posted Works or other content transmitted by Users to the Service. Users shall back up their Posted Works at their own responsibility.
  2. The Company is not obliged to monitor Posted Works, but may view Posted Works to confirm compliance with these Terms and otherwise for the proper operation of the Service.
  3. The Company may view, store or, to the extent necessary, disclose content that a User has set as non-public on the Service (including drafts, works submitted for screening and messages exchanged with the Company) in any of the following cases:
  • with the User’s consent;
  • where necessary to identify and resolve technical problems with the Service;
  • upon a request from a court, the police or another public authority made under applicable law;
  • where the Company determines that confirmation of content is necessary because of an actual or suspected breach of these Terms;
  • where the Company determines that there is an imminent risk to life, body or property; or
  • where otherwise necessary for the proper operation of the Service.

Infringement Reports and Removal

  1. A person who believes that a Posted Work infringes that person’s rights may file a report with the contact point designated by the Company, stating the matters prescribed by the Company (the reporter’s contact details, the nature and basis of the right infringed, identification of the Posted Work, etc.).
  2. Upon receiving such a report, or upon being informed by a public authority, an attorney or another expert that a Posted Work infringes the law or third-party rights, the Company will review the matter within a reasonable period and, if it finds a suspected infringement, may remove or hide the Posted Work or take other measures. The Company will notify the Artist who submitted the Posted Work of any such measure.
  3. An Artist who receives such notice may object by the method prescribed by the Company. The Company will decide whether to maintain or lift the measure taking into account the objection and any response from the reporter.
  4. The Company will suspend or deregister Users who repeatedly infringe rights.
  5. The Company is not liable, except in cases of its willful misconduct or gross negligence, for damage to the User or the reporter arising from measures under this Article.

Content Moderation

  1. The Company may use automated tools to detect breaches of these Terms or the Individual Rules for the safe operation of the Service.
  2. Removal or hiding of Posted Works, suspension of use and other measures adverse to Users are not decided solely by automated tools but are confirmed by personnel of the Company.
  3. Upon an inquiry or objection from a User regarding a measure, the Company will re-evaluate the Posted Work in accordance with the Individual Rules.

Personal Information

  1. The Company handles Users’ personal information in accordance with its separately established Privacy Policy. Users consent to Profile Information being provided to Partners to the extent necessary for Introduction Activities.
  2. The Company may send e-mails advertising or promoting the Service or the business of the Company or its Affiliates to registered e-mail addresses, and Users consent to this. Users may opt out of such e-mails by the method prescribed by the Company.

Confidentiality

Users shall not, without the Company’s written consent, disclose to third parties or use for purposes other than use of the Service the content and terms of Deals, Partners’ internal information or other non-public information disclosed by the Company or a Partner in connection with use of the Service.

Suspension and Deregistration

  1. The Company may, without prior notice, remove Posted Works, suspend use of the Service, deregister the User or take other measures it deems necessary if the User:
  • breaches these Terms or the Individual Rules;
  • has provided false registration information;
  • is the subject of a report or notice under Article 19 and the Company finds a suspected infringement;
  • has not used the Service for [12 months] or more;
  • fails to respond to an inquiry or request from the Company within [7 days];
  • suspends payments, becomes subject to bankruptcy proceedings or a similar event;
  • is found to be, or to have a relationship with, an anti-social force; or
  • is otherwise determined by the Company to be unsuitable to use the Service.
  1. The Company is not liable, except in cases of its willful misconduct or gross negligence, for damage to the User arising from measures under paragraph 1.

Withdrawal

  1. Users may withdraw from the Service at any time by the procedure prescribed by the Company.
  2. The treatment of Posted Works and the survival of licenses after withdrawal are as set out in Article 11, paragraph 4.
  3. Where a Deal is in progress at the time of withdrawal, the IP Agency Agreement for that Deal continues in accordance with its terms.
  4. The Company is not obliged to continue to retain a withdrawn User’s Posted Works or other content.

Disclaimer of Warranties

  1. The Company does not warrant that the Service is fit for any particular purpose of a User, has the functions, value, accuracy or usefulness expected, is free from interruption or error, or does not infringe third-party rights. The Service is provided “as is”.
  2. The Company gives no warranty that any Deal will be concluded through Introduction Activities, that an Artist will earn revenue from a Deal, or as to the content or terms of any Deal.
  3. The Company is not responsible for the conduct of Partners or for the content or performance of agreements between Partners and Artists.

Limitation of Liability

  1. The Company is not liable for damage to Users arising from use of or inability to use the Service, except in cases of the Company’s willful misconduct or gross negligence.
  2. Even where the Company is liable, it is not liable for lost profits, loss of business opportunity, loss of data, or indirect, special, incidental or consequential damage, and the Company’s total liability is limited to the greater of (a) the total consideration paid by the User to the Company during the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the damage and (b) JPY 10,000.
  3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 do not apply to damage caused by the Company’s willful misconduct or gross negligence, or to liability that cannot be limited under the Consumer Contract Act of Japan or other applicable mandatory law.
  4. Where a User uses the Service as or for a business, the Company is liable only in cases of its willful misconduct or gross negligence and is not liable for indirect, special, incidental or consequential damage or lost profits.

Disputes with Third Parties

Users shall resolve, at their own responsibility and expense, any dispute with other Users, Partners or other third parties arising in connection with use of the Service. The Company will not be involved in and is not liable for such disputes.

Indemnity

If the Company receives a claim from a third party or suffers damage due to a User’s breach of these Terms or due to a Posted Work, the User shall compensate the Company for the damage suffered (including reasonable attorneys’ fees).

Amendment of these Terms

  1. The Company may amend these Terms where:
  • the amendment serves the general interests of Users; or
  • the amendment is not contrary to the purpose of the User Agreement and is reasonable in light of the necessity for the amendment, the appropriateness of the amended content and other relevant circumstances.
  1. When amending these Terms, the Company will notify Users of the amendment, the amended content and its effective date at least [30 days] before the effective date, by posting on the Service and by sending an e-mail to the registered e-mail address and notifying on the website.
  2. A User who does not agree to the amended Terms may withdraw before the effective date. A User who uses the Service on or after the effective date is deemed to have agreed to the amended Terms.

Notices

  1. Notices from the Company to Users are given by posting on the Service, by e-mail to the registered e-mail address or by other means the Company deems appropriate, and are deemed to have been received when sent by the Company.
  2. Communications from Users to the Company shall be made through the inquiry form designated on the Service or by another method prescribed by the Company. The Company does not accept communications by telephone or in person.

Assignment

  1. Users may not assign or provide as security their status under the User Agreement or any rights or obligations under these Terms without the Company’s prior written consent.
  2. If the Company transfers the business relating to the Service to a third party (including by merger, corporate split or other reorganization, or by succession to an Affiliate), the Company may transfer to the transferee its status under the User Agreement, its rights and obligations under these Terms and Users’ registration information, and Users consent to this in advance.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force, and the invalid or unenforceable provision is deemed replaced by a valid provision that most closely reflects its intent.

Language

The English version of these Terms is the authoritative text. The Japanese version and any other translations are provided for reference only. In the event of any inconsistency, the English version prevails unless contrary to applicable mandatory law.

Governing Law and Jurisdiction

  1. These Terms and the User Agreement are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Japan.
  2. Any dispute between the Company and a User relating to these Terms or the Service is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Tokyo District Court as the court of first instance.
  3. Paragraphs 1 and 2 do not limit any rights granted to a User under the mandatory laws of the User’s country or region of residence (including the right to bring proceedings before the courts of that country or region).
  4. For Users residing in specific countries or regions, the dispute resolution procedures set out in a Regional Addendum may apply in priority to this Article.

Supplementary Provision

These Terms take effect on November 1, 2026.

Contact

If you have questions about these Terms or the Services, you may contact us at:

      • Support (general/app): contact@sourcemangaacademy.com

      • Legal notices: legal@sourcemangaacademy.com

      • Copyright/IP complaints: legal@sourcemangaacademy.com

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