Privacy Policy

Eight Knot Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the “Company”) is committed to the protection and appropriate use of our customers’ and clients’ (hereinafter referred to as “Customers, etc.”) personal information (outlined in Article 2; hereinafter referred to as “Personal Information”). This Privacy Policy (hereinafter referred to as the “Policy”) describes our ongoing obligations to you in respect of how we manage your Personal Information.

1. The Purpose of this Privacy Policy

The purpose of this Policy is as follows: (i) ensure the information regarding specific individuals is protected, thereby providing our Customers, etc. with continued peace of mind; (ii) to set out the rights held by Customers, etc. over their Personal Information; and (iii) to explain how we collect and process Personal Information.

2. The definition of Personal Information

(1) Information provided to us by Customers

The Company collects information that is necessary for us to complete transactions with Customers, etc. This may include the following: (i) name; (ii) address; (iii) phone number; (iv) email address; (v) date of birth; (vi) gender; (vii) nationality; (viii) passport; (ix) visa; (x) marketing information; (xi) information submitted to the Company by Customers, etc. via forms specified by the Company; (xii) information entered by the Company’s staff on behalf of Customers, etc.; (xiii) information provided by Customers, etc. in order to use the Company’s services; and (xiv) credit card details.

(2) Information collected by the Company during visits to the Company’s website

When Customers, etc. browse our website, we may collect the following: (i) device information; (ii) log information; (iii) Cookie and anonymous ID; (iv) location information; and (v) IP address and identification information.

3. Intended use of Personal Information

The Company collects Personal Information from Customers, etc. for the purposes of our legitimate interests, the fulfillment of our legal obligations, and the fulfillment of our contractual obligations with relevant parties (wedding-related businesses and other third parties) and vendors (credit card providers and other third parties), as outlined below.

(1) Contacting Customers, etc. for confirmation of service use, etc.
(2) Providing services, products and/or information to Customers, etc. (Note: we may provide Personal Information to wedding-related businesses, photography businesses and other relevant parties as required in order to facilitate the smooth provision of the above)
(3) Undertaking marketing activities as outlined below:
- (a) Advertising or providing information about products, services, special offers, etc. via physical mail, email, etc. (*1, *2)
- (b) Utilizing behavioral targeting advertising via Google, Yahoo, and other ad distributors (*1, *2)
- (c) Analyzing attribute information and action history collected by the Company in order to understand the hobbies and interests of our Customers, etc. (*3)
- (d) Other activities similar to (a) and (c)
(4) Conducting analysis for service and product improvement
(5) Sending questionnaires regarding the further improvement of our Company’s services
(6) Asking for compliance with the terms and conditions of the use of services provided through the Company’s website and mobile site
(7) Protecting the services provided through the Company’s website and mobile site, as well as Customers, etc.
(8) Verifying the identity of Customers, etc. who request the disclosure of Personal Information in accordance with the Privacy Policy
(9) Fulfilling the Company’s legal obligations (in accordance with the Japanese law and other laws and standards that apply to the venue)
(10) Running competitions, giveaways and other promotions
(11) Fulfilling our contractual obligations with parties that are relevant to the provision of services to Customers, etc. (wedding-related businesses, photography businesses, etc.) and external parties (e.g. credit card providers) (Note: as part of fulfilling our obligations, we may provide Personal Information to wedding-related businesses that are contracted with Customers, etc. and the Company)
(12) Fulfilling other purposes as indicated separately or publicized to Customers, etc.
(13) Keeping records

4. The collection of information

We will use the following methods to collect Personal Information as outlined in Article 2:

(1) Collecting information directly from Customers, etc.

The Company may collect Personal Information listed in Article 2, Clause 1 from Customers, etc. through the following: (i) the service usage application process undergone by Customers, etc.; (ii) the account creation process on the Company’s website; (iii) survey responses; (iv) participation in competitions or giveaways; (v) contact with customer service; and (vi) other similar processes.

(2) Collecting information from devices used by Customers, etc. and the Company’s network

When Customers, etc. use the Company’s website or other content, we may use cookies and other related technologies to automatically collect Personal Information listed in Article 2, Clause 2 from devices used by Customers, etc.

(3) Collecting information from other companies

To ensure our customers’ comfort while using our services, we may collect Personal Information by using selected online services operated by other companies. We may also collect Personal Information belonging to Customers, etc. from the following parties:

(a) Wedding-related businesses engaged by Customers, etc.
(b) Third-party credit card providers used by Customers, etc.

(4) Collecting information from social media

We may collect the following information in events where Customers, etc. proactively take part in social media activities and services hosted by the Company: (i) the Customers, etc.’s contact and identity information; (ii) information related to accommodation stays and purchases; (iii) online activities; (iv) activities on the relevant networks; and (v) profile information and other information posted on social media by Customers, etc.

5. The handling of information

We will manage the Personal Information collected from Customers, etc. appropriately and safely, and will put necessary and reasonable measures in place so that it is not breached, lost, misused, altered or illegally accessed. The Company will also provide SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encrypted communication and other security technologies as necessary against a third party’s interception during communication, so that safety will be ensured when Personal Information is collected by means of communication.

2. We will always manage Personal Information collected from Customers, etc. in accordance with applicable laws.

6. Disclosure and Provision to Third Parties

In order to improve the quality of our services and improve the convenience for our Customers, etc., we may outsource some of the handling of the information entrusted to us by Customers, etc. to an outside company. In such cases, we will instruct and supervise contractors to manage it appropriately.

2. The only cases where Personal Information is disclosed or provided to third parties are described below (excludes the joint use of Personal Information described in Article 8):

(1) Cases in which the consent of the concerned Customers, etc. is obtained
(2) Cases in which we are required by law to do so
(3) Cases in which a person’s physical or financial welfare are in jeopardy and the disclosure of Personal Information is required to protect said person, even if prior approval from Customers, etc. cannot be readily obtained
(4) Cases in which the disclosure of Personal Information is particularly required in order to improve public health or to promote the healthy education of children, even if prior approval from Customers, etc. cannot be readily obtained
(5) Cases in which the disclosure of Personal Information is necessary to cooperate with national organizations, local authorities, or duly authorized persons in order to respond to the implementation of matters required by laws or regulations, and there is a risk that obtaining the consent of the individual would obstruct the performance of such matters
(6) Cases where the Company discloses or provides Personal Information to subcontractors, to the extent necessary to provide services to Customers, etc.
(7) Cases where Personal Information and its management rights are transferred along with other business assets

7. Cookies and other similar related technologies

The Company and other relevant parties are able to use Cookies and other related technologies in order to evaluate and improve the functionality of the Company’s website. In addition, Cookies and other related technologies enable the Company, ad networks, social media companies and other service providers to display ads and customized content.

Customers, etc. are able to change their browser settings to block certain Cookies for advertising purposes, or refer to the user manual of their browser to use other methods of controlling Cookies. The Cookie settings selected by Customers, etc. are unique to each website, device and browser, and will be deleted if Customers, etc. clear their browser cache. Please note that, if Customers, etc. decline the use of Cookies, some features of our website may become unavailable.

2. There may be cases where Customers, etc. are redirected from our website to a third-party website (hereinafter referred to as “External Websites”), e.g. when Customers, etc. visit our website and purchase gifts from online gift websites. In such cases, we bear no administrative rights over these External Websites (except certain websites). As such, if Customers, etc. send their Personal Information directly to External Websites that are outside our sphere of responsibility, we are not liable for the said website’s methods of information collection and privacy policy. Please confirm the External Website’s privacy and security policies before accessing it or providing your personal information.

8. Joint use of Personal Information

The Company does not undertake joint use of Customers, etc.’s Personal Information.

9. Compliance with Legislation

The Company will comply with legislation and guidelines on personal information in order to realize secure protection of Personal Information.

10. International transfers of Personal Information

The Company is based in Japan. As such, if Customers, etc. access our website from a country other than Japan, their Personal Information may be transferred to Japan or another country in which our server or database exists. While we will endeavor to protect Personal Information in an appropriate manner, the laws in Japan and other countries regarding the protection of Personal Information, along with the forms of protection, may not be as secure as those in the country in which Customers, etc. are located.

11. Choices over the provision of information

Customers, etc. are always able to make choices regarding the provision of their Personal Information, such as the types of Personal Information they are willing to provide to the Company, and the ways in which they receive (or decline) any communications from us. Please note that, if Customers, etc. decline to provide Personal Information of some kind, they may be unable to use some of the Company’s services.

The Company may contact Customers, etc. based on the Personal Information provided to us by them, in order to inform them of services or events, etc. that they may be interested in. If Customers, etc. would prefer not to receive such communications, or would like to change the ways in which they are contacted by the Company, they are able to do so at any time by reaching out to us through the contact information listed in Article 16 (hereinafter referred to as “Contact Information”).

12. Retention period

The Company will retain Private Information from Customers, etc. for the period that is necessary to achieve the intended use of the information, in accordance with the following criteria:

(1) If the Company has ongoing business relationships with the Customers, etc. and are providing services to them (e.g. while the Customers, etc. have an open account with the Company, or while the Customers, etc. are continuing to use our services)
(2) If there are legal obligations that the Company must comply with
(3) If it is deemed desirable to retain Personal Information given the Company’s legal status (e.g. statute of limitations, litigation, regulatory investigations)

13. Personal Information of minors

The Company does not provide products or services aimed at minors, and will not deliberately ask Customers, etc. under the age of 18 for their Personal Information.

14. Respect for the rights of Customers, etc.

The Company will respect the rights of our Customers, etc., and if Customers, etc. make the following requests regarding their Personal Information, the Company will verify the identity of the applicant, and accommodate such request to the extent reasonable and necessary: (i) disclosure of Personal Information; (ii) correction of Personal Information; (iii) limitation of Personal Information; (iv) discontinuation of use of Personal Information; or (v) a request for the exercise of a data portability right or objection under a statutory or statutory law. In addition, if Customers, etc. have previously given their consent, they may reach us via our Contact Information in order to rescind their consent.

15. To those residing in California

Customers, etc. residing in California, U.S. may request the following information in accordance with the California Consumer Privacy Act. Consumers, etc. who make the following request will not be treated by the Company in unjust or discriminatory ways.

(1) Rights for access

Customers, etc. are able to contact us for the disclosure of the below Personal Information over the past 12 months:

(a) The categories of Personal Information we collected about you and the categories of sources from which we collected such Personal Information
(b) Specific Personal Information collected
(c) Business or commercial purposes for the collection or sale of Personal Information
(d) Sales of Personal Information (and in cases where such sales occurred, the types of Personal Information that were sold, along with the purchaser’s information)
(e) The types of Personal Information that were shared or disclosed, along with the details of the third party that the Personal Information was shared/disclosed to

(2) Rights for erasure

Customers, etc. are able to contact the Company through the Contact Information to request the erasure of their Personal Information (exceptions apply).

(3) The sale of Personal Information

The Company will not sell the Personal Information of our Customers, etc. to other businesses or third parties. In this Policy, “selling” refers to the following actions taken with the consumers’ Private Information with other businesses or third parties, in exchange for money or any other causes of value: (i) sale, (ii) rental, (iii) publication, (iv) disclosure, (v) dissemination, (vi) provision, (vii) transfer, or (viii) communication via word-of-mouth, writing, or other digital methods.

2. The Company will verify the identity of Customers, etc. through appropriate procedures before handling their requests.

If the Company receives a request from Customers, etc., we will confirm their name, account number, and email address/phone number linked to their account with us (if the Customers, etc. have an account with the Company). If the Customers, etc. do not have an account with the Company, we will confirm their name, booking ID number, and the email address/phone number linked to their booking. Those residing in California may appoint an agent as required to make the requests listed in the previous clause. When making requests through an agent, please confirm that the agent is authorized, and that the agent has the information necessary to verify the identity of Customers, etc.

16. Contact Information

Please contact us with any comments, queries, or requests regarding our Privacy Policy, as well as queries/complaints relating to our use of your information.

Contact Information

Eight Knot Inc.
Personal Information Management Officer Administrative Office
Floor 2, Tokyobashi Building, 1-11-1 Ginza, Chuo City, Tokyo 104-0061, Japan

17. Amendments to the Privacy Policy

The Company may review and make amendments to the Policy as required. If any changes are made to this Policy, the Company will take appropriate measures, e.g. posting the updated Policy on our official website.

April 1, 2022