COSTE — Terms of Service

Last Updated: March 12, 2026

This document constitutes a legally binding contract between you (hereinafter "User" or "Client") and 合同会社ＣＯＳＴＥ (hereinafter "Company", "we", or "Platform"). Please read all terms carefully before using this platform. By accessing, using this platform, or submitting any commercial inquiry to the Company in any manner, you are deemed to have read, understood, and expressly agreed to be bound by all of the following terms.

1. Acknowledgment and Acceptance of Terms

1.1 Service Definition

合同会社ＣＯＳＴＥ is a comprehensive service team focusing on cross-border business expansion, providing including but not limited to: legal and compliance consulting, tax and financial planning, introduction of high-level talent, Japanese company establishment counseling, and AI-empowered brand localization services.

1.2 Scope of Application

These terms apply to all individuals, corporate entities, and their agents who engage in business contact with the Company through this platform's website, API interfaces, AI consultation chat windows, emails, telephones, or any other channels. This platform is designed exclusively for B2B enterprises and professionals; minors are not permitted to use this service.

1.3 Amendment of Terms

The Company reserves the right to unilaterally amend these terms at any time, and the revised terms will take effect from the date of announcement on this platform. If you continue to use this platform after the amendment, you are deemed to accept the revised terms. You are advised to review this page regularly.

1.4 International Application of Law and Governing Law

This platform provides services to B2B enterprise users globally and complies with the spirit of the following major international data protection laws in utmost good faith:

  • Japan: Act on the Protection of Personal Information (APPI)
  • European Union: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR, applicable to EU/EEA users)
  • California, USA: California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and California Privacy Rights Act (CPRA)
  • Taiwan: Personal Data Protection Act

Conflict Priority Principle: In the event of a conflict between any individual provision of these terms and mandatory legal requirements of the user's jurisdiction, the local mandatory legal requirements shall prevail, but the remainder of these terms shall remain in full force and effect.

2. Disclaimer for AI-Generated Content

2.1 Nature of AI-Generated Content

The initial replies, business suggestions, and related output content produced by the AI consultation system of this platform are generated by Large Language Models (LLMs). Such output content serves only as a preliminary reference and communication aid, and cannot fully represent formal legal or tax professional opinions.

2.2 Disclaimer on Content Accuracy

Although the Company continuously scrubs and optimizes the AI system, it explicitly declares:

  • The Company makes no guarantees or warranties regarding the absolute accuracy, completeness, timeliness, or legal validity of AI-generated content.
  • AI-generated suggestions may exhibit biases due to data cutoff dates, algorithmic limitations, or incomplete user input.
  • The Company expressly disclaims any legal liability for any business losses, direct or indirect, resulting from unilateral reliance on AI-generated content.

2.3 Ultimate Authority of Professional Human Consultation

The formal written and human consulting services provided by our team of senior consultants always constitute the most authoritative source of the Company's services. Any significant business decisions, cross-border tax arrangements, and legal compliance matters must be confirmed by formal contracts and documents signed by the Company's consultants to be effective.

3. System Security, Rate Limiting, and Anti-Abuse Policy

3.1 System Protection Statement

To ensure the stability and availability of this platform's AI consultation servers and to protect the service quality for all legitimate users from malicious behavior, the Company lawfully implements request rate limiting and capacity controls on the platform's interactive interfaces and API access.

3.2 Rate Limiting Details

  • If the system detects any of the following situations, the Company reserves the right to immediately limit, suspend, or permanently terminate the relevant user's access rights:
    • Initiating an unusually high frequency of requests to the AI chat interface within a short period (suspected DDoS attack or automated script abuse)
    • Attempting to bypass the platform's authentication or rate-limiting mechanisms
    • Submitting massive amounts of structured data in an attempt to scrape the platform's analytical capabilities in bulk
    • Using any technical means to engage in competitive intelligence gathering or reverse engineering of this platform

4. Trade Secrets, Data Ownership, and Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA Terms)

4.1 Ownership of User Data

All information entered by the user through this platform—including but not limited to company information, brand strategy, financial data, and other confidential data—remains the absolute property of the user.

4.2 Confidentiality Obligations

The Company assumes strict confidentiality obligations for all user confidential information:

  • Your confidential input data is used solely for the purpose of providing the consultation and advisory business requested by you, and will never be used for any other purpose.
  • The Company will never sell, rent, exchange, or disclose any of your confidential core information to any third party unrelated to service provision.
  • Our cross-border legal and professional consultant teams are strictly bound by contractual and ethical confidentiality obligations.

5. Data Collection, Tracking Behaviors, and Anti-Spam Commitment

5.1 Categories of Data We Collect

In the process of providing services, the Company collects the following necessary functional data:

Data Category Purpose of Collection
Cookies and Local Storage Maintaining user sessions, language preferences, system functions
Email Address Business consultation follow-up, delivery of compliance documents
AI Chat Input Records Providing targeted preliminary business replies and consultation suggestions
Website Traffic Analysis Data Understanding user behavior, optimizing the cross-border network experience

5.2 Anti-Spam Guarantee

Our Commitment: We promise never to send users marketing spam unrelated to their consultation business, nor will we ever provide your email address to external advertisers.

6. Data Retention and User Rights

6.1 Data Retention Policy

  • Consultation information and email correspondence submitted by you on this platform will be kept as the Company's official business records, retained and encrypted on secure servers in accordance with relevant regulatory requirements.

6.2 Your Data Subject Rights

In accordance with applicable law, you have the right to access, the right to rectification, the right to erasure (right to be forgotten), and the right to object to processing, among others. To exercise your rights, please contact us at: contact@coste.jp or service@coste.jp, and we will process your request within the statutory timeframe.

7. Intellectual Property Statement

All architectures, content, interface designs, brand identities, and consulting methodologies of this website belong to 合同会社ＣＯＳＴＥ and are protected by Japanese and international copyright and trademark laws. Unauthorized copying or commercial misappropriation is strictly prohibited.

8. Limitation of Liability

The services of this platform are provided on an "As-Is" basis. Within the limits permitted by law, for any indirect or incidental damages (including loss of profits) arising from the use of this platform, the Company shall not bear compensation liability exceeding the upper limit of the service fees actually paid by you.

9. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

The interpretation and application of these terms shall be governed by the laws of Japan. In the event of a dispute, both parties shall resolve it through good-faith negotiation; if negotiation fails, both parties agree to submit to the Tokyo District Court of Japan as the court of first instance with exclusive jurisdiction.

10. Contact and Notices

If you have any questions regarding these terms or the privacy policy, please contact:

Privacy & Legal Contact: service@coste.jp

Continued use of this platform constitutes your full and unreserved acceptance of these terms.

This document was drafted by the 合同会社ＣＯＳＴＥ Legal and Risk Control Team and is established in reference to APPI and GDPR international standards.

11. Appendix: Technical Architecture & AIO/SEO Declaration

To provide the most exceptional customer experience and search engine visibility in the global market, the underlying technology, multilingual global delivery structure, and AIO (AI Search Optimization) and SEO solutions of this website are all core-technology driven and strategically supported by SmartRich AI.