HIKEUNITY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & COPYRIGHT POLICY

Effective Date: September 27, 2026

Last Updated: September 27, 2026

HikeUnity respects intellectual property rights and expects its users to do the same.

This Intellectual Property & Copyright Policy (“IP Policy”) explains rules concerning copyrights, trademarks, User Content, infringement reports, and related intellectual-property matters on HikeUnity.

This IP Policy supplements the HikeUnity Terms of Service.

1. USER OWNERSHIP

You retain ownership of intellectual-property rights you hold in content you create and upload to HikeUnity.

Depending on the feature, User Content may include:

• photographs;
• videos;
• route descriptions;
• reviews;
• comments;
• Activity descriptions;
• GPS routes;
• original written content; and
• other materials.

Uploading content to HikeUnity does not transfer ownership of your copyright to HikeUnity.

2. LICENSE TO HIKEUNITY

When you upload, publish, submit, or otherwise make User Content available through HikeUnity, you grant HikeUnity a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, reproduce, display, distribute, communicate, format, technically modify, and otherwise use that content as reasonably necessary to:

• operate HikeUnity;
• display the content to users according to your settings;
• provide Platform features;
• technically process or optimize the content;
• distribute the content through HikeUnity;
• maintain backups;
• protect the Platform;
• improve HikeUnity; and
• promote publicly available HikeUnity content and the HikeUnity Platform, subject to applicable law and the HikeUnity Privacy Policy.

This license does not transfer ownership of your User Content to HikeUnity.

Where content has been shared with other users or incorporated into Platform functionality, limited copies may remain as reasonably necessary after deletion, subject to the Terms of Service, Privacy Policy, applicable law, and technical requirements.

3. YOUR RESPONSIBILITY FOR CONTENT

You may upload or publish content only if you have the necessary rights to do so.

You represent that your User Content does not knowingly violate another person's:

• copyright;
• trademark;
• publicity right;
• privacy right; or
• other applicable intellectual-property right.

Do not assume that content found elsewhere on the internet is free to copy.

4. PHOTOGRAPHS

Upload photographs only when you own the applicable rights or have appropriate permission or another lawful basis to use them.

Do not copy photographs from:

• another hiking application;
• another user's profile;
• a photographer's website;
• social media;
• a travel website;
• a map provider; or
• another source

merely because the photograph is publicly visible online.

Public availability does not necessarily mean the content is free to reuse.

5. ROUTES AND ROUTE CONTENT

Users may create, record, or upload routes where they have the right to provide the applicable content.

A GPS track may involve different intellectual-property considerations from photographs, written descriptions, proprietary map tiles, or another platform's database content.

Users must not copy protected content from another service in violation of copyright, database rights, contractual restrictions, or other applicable rights.

In particular, users must not reproduce another service's proprietary:

• photographs;
• written trail descriptions;
• map tiles;
• reviews;
• curated databases; or
• other protected materials

without authorization or another lawful basis.

6. GPX, KML AND OTHER FILES

Users may upload GPX, KML, or similar route files where HikeUnity supports such functionality.

The ability to technically upload a file does not mean that the user has legal permission to distribute it.

Users are responsible for ensuring they have the necessary rights to upload and share the file and any protected content contained within it.

7. REVIEWS AND ORIGINAL WRITING

Users retain applicable rights in original reviews and other original written content they create.

By publishing that content through HikeUnity, the user grants the license described in this IP Policy and the HikeUnity Terms of Service.

Users must not copy reviews or substantial protected text from other platforms without permission or another lawful basis.

8. HIKEUNITY INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

Except for User Content and third-party materials, HikeUnity and its licensors retain applicable rights in the HikeUnity Platform and its original materials.

These may include:

• software;
• source code;
• application design;
• interface elements;
• original graphics;
• databases;
• branding;
• logos;
• trademarks;
• text;
• Platform architecture; and
• other HikeUnity materials.

Use of HikeUnity does not transfer ownership of HikeUnity intellectual property to users.

9. HIKEUNITY NAME AND BRANDING

Users may not use HikeUnity's name, logo, branding, or other protected identifiers in a manner that falsely suggests:

• sponsorship;
• endorsement;
• employment;
• partnership;
• certification; or
• official affiliation.

An Organizer may accurately state that an Activity is listed or booked through HikeUnity where appropriate, but may not claim that HikeUnity itself organizes or operates the Activity unless HikeUnity expressly authorizes that representation.

10. THIRD-PARTY TRADEMARKS

Names, logos, trademarks, and service marks belonging to third parties remain the property of their respective owners.

Reference to a third-party product, park, company, service, or organization does not necessarily imply sponsorship or endorsement.

11. COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT

If you believe content available through HikeUnity infringes copyright that you own or are authorized to enforce, you may submit a copyright complaint.

Until HikeUnity publishes separate designated-agent information, copyright concerns may be sent to:

info@hikeunity.com

Your notice should include information reasonably sufficient to allow HikeUnity to understand and investigate the claim.

12. COPYRIGHT NOTICE INFORMATION

A copyright infringement notice should generally include:

1. identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed;

2. identification of the HikeUnity material claimed to be infringing, together with information reasonably sufficient to locate it;

3. your contact information;

4. a statement that you have a good-faith belief that the disputed use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or law;

5. a statement that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner;

6. where applicable, the statement required under penalty of perjury; and

7. a physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or authorized representative.

HikeUnity may request additional information where reasonably necessary.

13. REMOVAL OR DISABLING ACCESS

HikeUnity may remove or disable access to content where:

• a valid infringement notice is received;
• HikeUnity has appropriate knowledge of infringement;
• the content violates HikeUnity policies;
• removal is required by law; or
• HikeUnity otherwise has a lawful basis to restrict the content.

Removal of content does not necessarily mean HikeUnity has made a final legal determination concerning ownership or infringement.

14. NOTICE TO THE USER

Where appropriate and legally permitted, HikeUnity may notify the user whose content was removed because of a copyright complaint.

The user may have an opportunity to respond or submit an applicable counter-notification.

15. COUNTER-NOTIFICATION

If you believe your content was removed because of a mistake or misidentification, you may contact HikeUnity and, where applicable, submit a counter-notification meeting applicable legal requirements.

A legally effective DMCA counter-notification generally requires information including:

• identification of the removed material;
• its prior location;
• a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief the material was removed because of mistake or misidentification;
• required contact information;
• applicable consent to jurisdiction and service-of-process language; and
• your physical or electronic signature.

HikeUnity may provide additional instructions appropriate to the applicable process.

16. RESTORATION OF CONTENT

Where applicable law provides a notice-and-counter-notice procedure, HikeUnity may restore content following a valid counter-notification unless the original complaining party timely provides legally sufficient notice that appropriate legal action has been filed.

HikeUnity may continue to restrict content where another independent basis for restriction exists.

17. REPEAT INFRINGERS

HikeUnity may suspend or terminate accounts of users who repeatedly infringe intellectual-property rights in appropriate circumstances.

HikeUnity may consider relevant circumstances, including:

• repeated valid infringement notices;
• repeated unauthorized uploads;
• attempts to evade prior removals; and
• other credible evidence of repeated infringement.

18. FALSE OR ABUSIVE COPYRIGHT CLAIMS

Do not knowingly submit false, fraudulent, or materially misleading copyright complaints or counter-notifications.

Users may be legally responsible for material misrepresentations made through formal copyright procedures.

19. TRADEMARK COMPLAINTS

If you believe content on HikeUnity infringes your trademark rights, contact:

info@hikeunity.com

Include information such as:

• the trademark;
• relevant registration information where applicable;
• the allegedly infringing content;
• where the content appears;
• your contact information; and
• an explanation of the alleged infringement.

HikeUnity may request additional information.

20. OTHER INTELLECTUAL-PROPERTY COMPLAINTS

For concerns involving other intellectual-property rights, contact:

info@hikeunity.com

Provide enough information for HikeUnity to identify the content and understand the claimed right.

21. NO DUTY TO PRE-APPROVE ALL USER CONTENT

HikeUnity may moderate or review User Content but does not promise to pre-screen every route, photograph, review, Activity, message, or other item before publication.

Users remain responsible for content they submit.

HikeUnity may use reporting, moderation, technical measures, or other processes to address violations.

22. PRESERVATION OF INFORMATION

HikeUnity may preserve relevant information concerning an intellectual-property complaint where reasonably necessary for:

• investigation;
• dispute resolution;
• repeat-infringer enforcement;
• legal compliance; or
• legal claims.

Such information will be handled according to the HikeUnity Privacy Policy and applicable law.

23. CHANGES TO THIS POLICY

HikeUnity may update this IP Policy as the Platform or applicable requirements change.

The current version will identify its effective and last-updated date.

Material changes may be communicated through the Platform or another appropriate method.

24. CONTACT

Intellectual-property questions may be sent to:

HikeUnity

Email: info@hikeunity.com

Formal DMCA notices should be sent to the designated DMCA agent once HikeUnity publishes and registers designated-agent information.

END OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY & COPYRIGHT POLICY