Terms & Conditions

Please read these Terms and Conditions (“Terms,” “Terms and Conditions,” or “Agreement”) carefully before using the Flame mobile application and website (collectively, the “Service”) operated by Flame (“Company,” “we,” “us,” or “our”).

By creating an account, accessing, or using the Service in any manner, you (“User,” “you,” or “your”) acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated herein by reference. If you do not agree to any provision of these Terms, you must not access or use the Service and must immediately delete your account if one has been created.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and the Company. Your continued use of the Service following any modification to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of such modifications.

1. Definitions

1.1 “Content” means any text, images, photographs, videos, audio, GIFs, stickers, graphics, game responses, vibe check answers, profile information, collaborative materials, and any other materials or information that a User submits, posts, uploads, transmits, or otherwise makes available through the Service.

1.2 “User Content” means Content that is created, submitted, or uploaded by Users of the Service, as distinguished from Content created or owned by the Company.

1.3 “Service” means the Flame mobile application (available on Apple App Store and Google Play Store), associated website(s), and all related features, functionalities, tools, and services provided by the Company.

1.4 “Account” means the registered user account created by a User to access and use the Service.

1.5 “Intellectual Property” means all patents, copyrights, trademarks, service marks, trade names, trade secrets, know-how, designs, logos, and other proprietary rights.

1.6 “End-to-End Encryption” or “E2EE” means the cryptographic method employed by the Service to encrypt messages on the sender's device such that only the intended recipient can decrypt and read them.

1.7 “Collaborative Profile” means a shared profile created between two Users within the Service, containing joint milestones, photographs, captions, and other shared content.

1.8 “View-Once Media” means photographs or videos sent through the Service that are designed to be viewable only once by the recipient and are thereafter deleted from the Company's servers.

2. Eligibility

2.1 Age Requirement. You must be at least sixteen (16) years of age to create an Account and use the Service. In jurisdictions where the minimum age for consenting to data processing is higher than thirteen (13) years (for example, sixteen (16) years in the European Economic Area), you must meet the applicable minimum age requirement.

2.2 Representation. By creating an Account, you represent and warrant that:

1. You meet the minimum age requirement specified in Section 2.1;
2. You have the legal capacity and authority to enter into this Agreement;
3. You have not been previously suspended, removed, or banned from the Service;
4. Your use of the Service will not violate any applicable law, regulation, or ordinance;
5. All information you provide during registration and throughout your use of the Service is truthful, accurate, and complete.

2.3 Age Verification. During the account registration process, you will be required to provide your date of birth. The Service will not permit the creation of an Account by any individual who does not meet the applicable minimum age requirement. Providing a false date of birth constitutes a material breach of these Terms and grounds for immediate account termination.

2.4 Parental Responsibility. The Service is not designed for or directed at children under the minimum age requirement. If you are a parent or legal guardian and become aware that your child has created an Account without your consent, please contact us immediately at support@flameapp.in. We will take prompt steps to terminate the Account and delete associated data.

3. Account Registration and Security

3.1 Account Creation. To access the Service, you must create an Account by providing a valid phone number and completing the verification process via One-Time Password (OTP) authentication. You may also be required to complete an onboarding process, which may include providing profile information such as your display name, date of birth, photographs, interests, and other details.

3.2 Account Security. You are solely responsible for:

1. Maintaining the confidentiality and security of your Account credentials and the device used to access the Service;
2. All activities that occur under your Account, whether or not authorised by you;
3. Immediately notifying the Company of any unauthorised access to or use of your Account.

3.3 The Company shall not be liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to maintain the security of your Account or device.

3.4 One Account Per User. Each User may maintain only one (1) active Account on the Service. Creating multiple Accounts to circumvent enforcement actions, deceive other Users, or for any other purpose is strictly prohibited and constitutes a material breach of these Terms.

3.5 Account Transferability. Your Account is personal to you and may not be transferred, sold, assigned, or otherwise conveyed to any other person or entity without the prior written consent of the Company.

4. Use of the Service

4.1 Licence Grant. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, the Company grants you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable licence to access and use the Service for your personal, non-commercial purposes.

4.2 Restrictions. You agree not to:

1. Use the Service for any purpose that is illegal, unlawful, or prohibited by these Terms;
2. Reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, publicly perform, republish, download, store, or transmit any Content from the Service, except as expressly permitted;
3. Use any automated system, robot, spider, scraper, data mining tool, or similar technology to access, monitor, copy, or collect Content from the Service;
4. Circumvent, disable, or otherwise interfere with any security-related features of the Service, including features that prevent or restrict the use or copying of Content;
5. Reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to discover the source code, underlying algorithms, or structure of the Service, except to the extent expressly permitted by applicable law;
6. Interfere with or disrupt the integrity, performance, or availability of the Service or its underlying servers and networks;
7. Impersonate any person or entity, or falsely state or misrepresent your identity, age, affiliation, or relationship with any person or entity;
8. Use the Service to send unsolicited communications, spam, chain letters, or promotional materials;
9. Use the Service to stalk, harass, bully, intimidate, threaten, defame, or otherwise harm any person;
10. Use the Service to distribute, upload, or transmit any malware, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, or other malicious code;
11. Attempt to gain unauthorised access to any other User's Account, the Service's servers, or any connected systems or networks;
12. Use the Service in any manner that could damage, disable, overburden, or impair the Service or interfere with any other party's use of the Service.

5. User Conduct and Prohibited Activities

5.1 Community Standards. You agree to interact with other Users in a respectful, lawful, and civil manner. The Service is intended to be a safe and positive social environment.

5.2 Prohibited Content. You agree not to submit, post, upload, transmit, or otherwise make available through the Service any Content that:

1. Is unlawful, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, tortious, defamatory, vulgar, obscene, libellous, or invasive of another's privacy;
2. Constitutes, depicts, promotes, facilitates, or is related to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), Child Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (CSAE), the grooming or sexual solicitation of minors, or any other form of child exploitation;
3. Promotes or incites violence, terrorism, self-harm, suicide, or harm to any person or group;
4. Contains hate speech, discriminatory content, or content that targets individuals or groups based on race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, or medical condition;
5. Contains nudity or sexually explicit material that is non-consensual, unsolicited, or otherwise violates the rights of any person;
6. Infringes upon any third party's Intellectual Property rights, including copyrights, trademarks, patents, trade secrets, or other proprietary rights;
7. Contains false, misleading, or deceptive information intended to defraud or deceive other Users;
8. Contains any other person's personal, private, or confidential information without their express consent, including but not limited to phone numbers, physical addresses, email addresses, government identification numbers, or financial information;
9. Promotes or facilitates any illegal activity, including but not limited to drug trafficking, money laundering, or fraud;
10. Contains malware, viruses, or any other harmful code or technology.

5.3 Zero Tolerance for Child Exploitation. The Company maintains a strict, zero-tolerance policy regarding any Content or conduct related to the sexual exploitation or abuse of children. Any User found to be in violation of this policy will be subject to immediate and permanent Account termination, device-level bans, and reporting to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and applicable law enforcement authorities. For further details, please refer to Section 11 of our Privacy Policy.

5.4 Consequences of Violation. Violation of any provision of Sections 4 or 5 may result in, at the Company's sole discretion:

1. Warning or notice;
2. Temporary suspension of your Account;
3. Permanent termination of your Account and ban from the Service;
4. Device-level ban to prevent re-registration;
5. Removal of offending Content;
6. Reporting to law enforcement or other relevant authorities;
7. Civil or criminal legal action against you.

6. User Content

6.1 Ownership. You retain ownership of all User Content that you submit, post, or upload to the Service, subject to the licence granted in Section 6.2.

6.2 Licence to User Content. By submitting, posting, or uploading User Content to the Service, you grant the Company a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable licence to use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display, and perform such User Content in connection with the operation, provision, improvement, and promotion of the Service. This licence continues for a commercially reasonable period after you remove or delete User Content from the Service, except that the Company may retain and use User Content as necessary for legal compliance, safety, and enforcement purposes as described in our Privacy Policy.

6.3 Licence to Other Users. By making User Content available to other Users through the Service (for example, by including it in your profile or sending it in a chat), you grant those Users a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to view, access, and interact with such User Content through the Service's functionality.

6.4 Representations Regarding User Content. You represent and warrant that:

1. You own or have obtained all necessary rights, licences, consents, and permissions to submit and grant the licences described in this Section;
2. Your User Content does not and will not violate, infringe, or misappropriate any third party's rights, including Intellectual Property rights, rights of privacy, or rights of publicity;
3. Your User Content does not violate any applicable law, regulation, or these Terms.

6.5 No Obligation to Monitor. The Company is not obligated to pre-screen, review, monitor, or edit User Content. However, the Company reserves the right, at its sole discretion, to remove, disable access to, or modify any User Content that it determines, in its sole judgement, violates these Terms or is otherwise objectionable, harmful, or inappropriate, without prior notice to you.

6.6 Feedback. If you provide the Company with any suggestions, ideas, feedback, or recommendations regarding the Service (“Feedback”), you acknowledge and agree that the Company may freely use, reproduce, modify, and incorporate such Feedback into the Service without any obligation to you, including without any obligation of compensation, attribution, or confidentiality.

7. Intellectual Property

7.1 Company Intellectual Property. The Service, including but not limited to its design, layout, look and feel, graphics, logos, icons, trademarks, service marks, trade names, software, code, algorithms, text, images, audio, video, and all other proprietary content and materials (collectively, “Company IP”), is owned by or licensed to the Company and is protected by applicable Intellectual Property laws, including copyright, trademark, and patent laws.

7.2 Restrictions. Except as expressly authorised in these Terms, you may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, transmit, display, perform, create derivative works of, sell, licence, or otherwise exploit any Company IP without the prior written consent of the Company.

7.3 Trademarks. “Flame,” the Flame logo, and all related names, logos, product and service names, designs, and slogans are trademarks of the Company or its affiliates. You may not use such marks without the prior written permission of the Company.

7.4 DMCA and Copyright Complaints. If you believe that any Content on the Service infringes your copyright, please notify us at hello@flameapp.in with the following information:

1. A description of the copyrighted work that you claim has been infringed;
2. A description of where the allegedly infringing material is located on the Service;
3. Your contact information (name, address, telephone number, and email address);
4. A statement that you have a good faith belief that the use of the material is not authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law;
5. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or are authorised to act on the copyright owner's behalf;
6. Your physical or electronic signature.

8. End-to-End Encrypted Communications

8.1 Encryption. The Service implements end-to-end encryption for direct messages between Users, as described in Section 4 of our Privacy Policy. As a result of this encryption, the Company cannot access, read, or decrypt the plaintext content of end-to-end encrypted messages or media.

8.2 User Responsibility. You acknowledge and agree that:

1. You are solely responsible for the content of the messages you send through the Service, including end-to-end encrypted messages;
2. The Company's inability to access encrypted message content does not relieve you of your obligation to comply with these Terms and applicable law;
3. If your cryptographic keys are lost (for example, due to device loss, app uninstallation, or data clearance), previously encrypted messages may become permanently inaccessible, and the Company cannot recover them;
4. End-to-end encryption protects message content in transit and at rest on the Company's servers, but does not protect against threats on the endpoints (for example, if an unauthorised person gains access to your unlocked device).

8.3 Metadata. Message metadata — including sender identifier, recipient identifier, timestamp, and message type — is not end-to-end encrypted and may be accessed by the Company for the purposes described in these Terms and our Privacy Policy.

9. View-Once Media

9.1 Functionality. The Service allows Users to send View-Once Media (photographs and videos) that are designed to be viewable only once by the recipient.

9.2 No Guarantee Against Capture. While the Service is designed to limit the viewing of View-Once Media, you acknowledge and agree that:

1. The Company cannot prevent recipients from capturing, screenshotting, screen-recording, or otherwise preserving View-Once Media through external means;
2. The Company cannot guarantee that View-Once Media will be permanently deleted from the recipient's device after viewing;
3. You should not send any Content as View-Once Media that you would not be comfortable being permanently captured or shared by the recipient;
4. The Company shall not be liable for any damages arising from a recipient's capture, preservation, or further distribution of View-Once Media.

10. Games and Interactive Features

10.1 In-App Games. The Service offers various interactive features and games, including but not limited to FLAMES, vibe checks, and other social games. These features are provided for entertainment and social interaction purposes.

10.2 Game Results. Results generated by in-app games (such as FLAMES results and vibe check compatibility scores) are produced by algorithmic calculations and are intended solely for entertainment. They do not constitute professional advice, psychological assessment, or any other form of expert analysis. The Company makes no representation or warranty regarding the accuracy, reliability, or significance of game results.

10.3 Sharing Game Results. Game results may be shared with other Users as part of the Service's functionality (for example, sending a FLAMES result card in a chat). By using these features, you consent to the sharing of your game results with the intended recipients.

11. Collaborative Profiles

11.1 Creation and Content. Two Users may create a Collaborative Profile containing shared milestones, photographs, captions, pinned moments, and other joint content. Both Users contribute to and share control over the Collaborative Profile.

11.2 Licence. By contributing Content to a Collaborative Profile, you grant the other collaborating User a non-exclusive licence to view, display, and interact with that Content within the context of the Collaborative Profile through the Service.

11.3 Removal. Either User may leave or delete a Collaborative Profile. Upon deletion or departure, the Company may remove or archive the Collaborative Profile and its associated Content in accordance with our data retention practices as described in the Privacy Policy.

11.4 Disputes. The Company is not responsible for resolving disputes between collaborating Users regarding the ownership, use, or removal of Content within a Collaborative Profile. Such disputes are solely between the collaborating Users.

12. Verification Features

12.1 Campus Verification. The Service offers an optional campus verification feature that allows you to verify your affiliation with a college or university by providing a valid institutional email address and completing an OTP verification process. A verification badge may be displayed on your profile upon successful verification.

12.2 Selfie Verification. The Service offers an optional selfie verification feature that requires you to capture a front-facing photograph for the purpose of visual identity verification. This feature is designed to reduce impersonation and catfishing. The selfie photograph is stored securely and is not used for facial recognition, biometric template creation, or any purpose other than visual identity verification.

12.3 No Guarantee. While verification features are designed to increase trust and authenticity on the platform, the Company does not guarantee the identity, truthfulness, or reliability of any User, whether verified or unverified. You acknowledge and agree that:

1. Verification badges indicate only that a User has completed the applicable verification process;
2. Verification does not constitute an endorsement, background check, or guarantee of a User's character, intentions, or conduct;
3. You should exercise your own judgement and caution when interacting with any User, regardless of their verification status;
4. The Company shall not be liable for any harm, loss, or damage arising from interactions with other Users, whether verified or unverified.

13. Third-Party Services and Content

13.1 Third-Party Integrations. The Service integrates with certain third-party services to provide additional functionality, including but not limited to Giphy and Tenor (for GIF and sticker search), The Movie Database (TMDB) (for movie search), and Spotify (for song search). Your use of Content obtained from these third-party services is subject to the respective third party's terms of service and privacy policies.

13.2 Third-Party Links. The Service may contain links to third-party websites, applications, or services that are not owned or controlled by the Company. The Company has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policies, or practices of any third-party websites or services.

13.3 Disclaimer. The Company does not endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for any third-party services, content, products, or advertisements. Your interactions with third-party services are solely between you and the third party.

14. Reporting and Moderation

14.1 Reporting. The Service provides mechanisms for Users to report Content or conduct that violates these Terms, including in-app reporting buttons on User profiles and within chat settings, as well as email reporting to support@flameapp.in.

14.2 Investigation. The Company reserves the right, but is not obligated, to investigate reported Content or conduct. Investigations will be conducted at the Company's sole discretion, and the Company is not required to disclose the results of any investigation to the reporting User or the reported User.

14.3 Enforcement. The Company may take any enforcement action it deems appropriate in response to violations of these Terms, including but not limited to the actions described in Section 5.4.

14.4 False Reports. Submitting knowingly false, frivolous, or malicious reports is a violation of these Terms and may result in enforcement action against the reporting User.

14.5 No Liability for Moderation Decisions. You acknowledge and agree that the Company shall not be liable for any moderation decision, including but not limited to the removal or non-removal of Content, the suspension or non-suspension of an Account, or the outcome of any investigation.

15. Account Suspension and Termination

15.1 Termination by You. You may terminate your Account at any time by using the in-app account deletion feature or by contacting us at support@flameapp.in. Upon termination, your Account will be deactivated and your data will be deleted in accordance with the retention schedule described in our Privacy Policy.

15.2 Termination by the Company. The Company may suspend, restrict, or terminate your Account at any time, with or without cause, and with or without prior notice, including but not limited to the following circumstances:

1. You have violated or are reasonably suspected of violating any provision of these Terms;
2. You have engaged in conduct that is harmful, threatening, abusive, or otherwise objectionable;
3. Your Account is used for fraudulent, illegal, or unauthorised purposes;
4. Continued provision of the Service to you is no longer commercially viable;
5. The Company is required to do so by law, regulation, or legal process;
6. The Company discontinues the Service or any material part thereof.

15.3 Effect of Termination. Upon termination of your Account:

1. Your right to access and use the Service will immediately cease;
2. The licence granted to you in Section 4.1 will automatically terminate;
3. The Company may delete your Account data in accordance with the retention schedule described in our Privacy Policy;
4. Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including but not limited to Sections 6.2, 7, 16, 17, 18, 19, and 20.

15.4 No Liability. The Company shall not be liable to you or any third party for any suspension, restriction, or termination of your Account.

16. Disclaimers

16.1 “As Is” and “As Available.” THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE COMPANY EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, WHETHER EXPRESS, IMPLIED, STATUTORY, OR OTHERWISE, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

16.2 No Warranty of Availability. The Company does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, error-free, or free of viruses, malware, or other harmful components. The Company does not warrant that any defects in the Service will be corrected.

16.3 No Warranty Regarding Users. The Company does not warrant, endorse, guarantee, or assume responsibility for the identity, conduct, intentions, honesty, or reliability of any User. You acknowledge that interactions with other Users are at your own risk, and the Company is not responsible for any harm, loss, or damage arising from such interactions.

16.4 No Warranty Regarding Content. The Company does not warrant the accuracy, completeness, reliability, or usefulness of any Content available through the Service, including User Content, game results, compatibility scores, and any other information or materials.

16.5 No Professional Advice. Nothing in the Service constitutes professional advice of any kind, including but not limited to legal, financial, medical, psychological, or relationship advice. You should seek the advice of qualified professionals for any matters requiring professional guidance.

16.6 Assumption of Risk. You assume all risk associated with your use of the Service, including but not limited to the risk of meeting other Users in person. The Company strongly advises you to exercise caution and good judgement when interacting with other Users, and to meet in public places when meeting someone from the Service for the first time.

17. Limitation of Liability

17.1 TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE COMPANY, ITS DIRECTORS, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AFFILIATES, SUCCESSORS, OR ASSIGNS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE, OR EXEMPLARY DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO DAMAGES FOR LOSS OF PROFITS, GOODWILL, USE, DATA, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH:

1. YOUR ACCESS TO OR USE OF, OR INABILITY TO ACCESS OR USE, THE SERVICE;
2. ANY CONDUCT OR CONTENT OF ANY USER OR THIRD PARTY ON OR THROUGH THE SERVICE;
3. ANY CONTENT OBTAINED FROM THE SERVICE;
4. UNAUTHORISED ACCESS, USE, OR ALTERATION OF YOUR TRANSMISSIONS OR CONTENT;
5. ANY LOSS OR CORRUPTION OF CRYPTOGRAPHIC KEYS, RESULTING IN INABILITY TO DECRYPT MESSAGES;
6. ANY CAPTURE, PRESERVATION, OR FURTHER DISTRIBUTION OF VIEW-ONCE MEDIA BY A RECIPIENT;

REGARDLESS OF THE THEORY OF LIABILITY (WHETHER CONTRACT, TORT, NEGLIGENCE, STRICT LIABILITY, OR OTHERWISE) AND REGARDLESS OF WHETHER THE COMPANY HAS BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

17.2 TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE COMPANY'S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE SHALL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO THE COMPANY, IF ANY, DURING THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS IMMEDIATELY PRECEDING THE DATE ON WHICH THE CLAIM AROSE, OR ONE THOUSAND INDIAN RUPEES (INR 1,000), WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

17.3 THE LIMITATIONS IN THIS SECTION APPLY TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW. CERTAIN JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES. IF THESE LAWS APPLY TO YOU, SOME OR ALL OF THE ABOVE EXCLUSIONS OR LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU, AND YOU MAY HAVE ADDITIONAL RIGHTS.

18. Indemnification

18.1 You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless the Company, its directors, officers, employees, agents, affiliates, successors, and assigns from and against any and all claims, demands, actions, suits, proceedings, losses, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and legal costs) arising out of or relating to:

1. Your use of the Service;
2. Your User Content;
3. Your violation of these Terms;
4. Your violation of any applicable law, regulation, or third-party right;
5. Your interactions with other Users, whether online or offline;
6. Any claim by a third party that your User Content infringes, misappropriates, or otherwise violates that third party's Intellectual Property or other rights.

18.2 The Company reserves the right, at your expense, to assume the exclusive defence and control of any matter for which you are required to indemnify the Company, and you agree to cooperate with the Company's defence of such claims. You shall not settle any claim without the prior written consent of the Company.

19. Dispute Resolution

19.1 Informal Resolution. Before initiating any formal dispute resolution process, you agree to first contact the Company at hello@flameapp.in and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for a period of at least thirty (30) days. Most disputes can be resolved through good-faith informal negotiations.

19.2 Arbitration. If the dispute cannot be resolved informally within thirty (30) days, either party may elect to resolve the dispute through binding arbitration administered under the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996 (India). The arbitration shall be conducted by a sole arbitrator mutually agreed upon by the parties, or, in the absence of agreement, appointed in accordance with the provisions of the Arbitration and Conciliation Act, 1996. The seat of arbitration shall be Bangalore, India. The language of arbitration shall be English. The arbitrator's award shall be final and binding upon both parties.

19.3 CLASS ACTION WAIVER. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, YOU AGREE THAT ANY DISPUTE RESOLUTION PROCEEDINGS WILL BE CONDUCTED ONLY 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.

19.4 Exceptions. Notwithstanding Sections 19.1 and 19.2, either party may seek injunctive or other equitable relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to prevent the actual or threatened infringement, misappropriation, or violation of Intellectual Property rights or confidentiality obligations.

19.5 TIME LIMITATION. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, ANY CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE MUST BE FILED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER SUCH CLAIM OR CAUSE OF ACTION AROSE. FAILURE TO FILE WITHIN THE APPLICABLE TIME PERIOD SHALL RESULT IN THE PERMANENT BARRING OF SUCH CLAIM.

20. Governing Law

20.1 These Terms and any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms (including their existence, validity, interpretation, performance, breach, or termination) shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the substantive laws of the Republic of India, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles.

20.2 Subject to the arbitration provisions in Section 19 and the exceptions therein, any legal proceedings arising out of or in connection with these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts located in Bangalore, India.

20.3 For Users located in the European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, or other jurisdictions where mandatory consumer protection laws apply, this Section does not deprive you of any mandatory legal protections or the right to bring proceedings in the courts of your country of residence as provided by applicable law.

21. General Provisions

21.1 Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any other policies or agreements referenced herein, constitute the entire agreement between you and the Company with respect to the subject matter hereof and supersede all prior and contemporaneous understandings, agreements, representations, and warranties, both written and oral, with respect to the Service.

21.2 Severability. If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable by a court of competent jurisdiction, such finding shall not affect the validity, legality, or enforceability of the remaining provisions. The invalid, illegal, or unenforceable provision shall be modified to the minimum extent necessary to make it valid, legal, and enforceable while preserving the original intent of the parties, or, if such modification is not possible, shall be deemed severed from these Terms.

21.3 Waiver. The failure of the Company to exercise or enforce any right or provision of these Terms shall not constitute a waiver of such right or provision. Any waiver of any provision of these Terms shall be effective only if in writing and signed by the Company.

21.4 Assignment. The Company may assign or transfer these Terms, or any rights or obligations hereunder, in whole or in part, to any person or entity at any time without notice to you. You may not assign or transfer these Terms, or any rights or obligations hereunder, without the prior written consent of the Company.

21.5 Force Majeure. The Company shall not be liable for any failure or delay in the performance of its obligations under these Terms due to causes beyond its reasonable control, including but not limited to acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, riots, embargoes, acts of civil or military authorities, fire, floods, epidemics, pandemics, power outages, telecommunications failures, internet service disruptions, or government action.

21.6 Notices. The Company may provide notices to you through the Service, via email (if available), or by any other reasonable means. You may provide notices to the Company by emailing hello@flameapp.in.

21.7 No Agency. Nothing in these Terms creates any agency, partnership, joint venture, employer-employee, or franchisor-franchisee relationship between you and the Company.

21.8 Headings. The section headings in these Terms are for convenience only and have no legal or contractual effect.

21.9 Language. These Terms are drafted in the English language. In the event of any conflict between the English version and any translation, the English version shall prevail.

22. Contact Information

For questions, concerns, or notices relating to these Terms:

General Inquiries and Notices:
Email: hello@flameapp.in

Support:
Email: support@flameapp.in

Copyright and Intellectual Property Complaints:
Email: hello@flameapp.in

Safety and Child Protection Reports:
Email: support@flameapp.in

By using the Flame application and Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.