TERMS OF USE

Effective Date: 2026/8/8

1. Introduction

Welcome to 果园外文出版社（Boomgaard Foreign Languages Publishing Company）（KVK42131222）. These Terms of Use ("Terms") are a legally binding agreement between you ("User" or "you") and 果园外文出版社（Boomgaard Foreign Languages Publishing Company）（KVK42131222） ("we," "us," "our"), a sole proprietorship (eenmanszaak) registered in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, with its registered office at Goese Dieplaan 18, 4463LA, Goes, Zeeland, The Netherlands.

By accessing or using the website www.boomgaard.org (the "Site") and any related services, features, or content (collectively, the "Service"), you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, by our Privacy Policy, and by our Code of Conduct. If you do not agree, you must not use the Service.

2. Our Mission and Nature of the Service

Our primary mission is to guide, engage in, and ensure the scientific research, accurate translation, and conscientious dissemination of Communist and Socialist theoretical works and educational materials with significant intellectual and literary value. We make these works available to scholars, writers, researchers, publishing and research organisations, universities, and the general public for collective learning and intellectual exchange — without cost, location, or access barriers.

The Service consists of an online library and resource platform that provides high-quality, authentic editions of such works in their original context. The Service is free of charge; we do not sell products, subscriptions, or memberships.

3. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent that you meet this age requirement and that you have the legal capacity to enter into a binding agreement under the laws of your country of residence.

4. Account Registration

Certain interactive features (such as newsletters, personalised reading lists, or donation tracking) may require you to provide an email address or create an account. You agree to:

Provide accurate, current, and complete information.

Maintain the security of your account credentials.

Notify us immediately of any unauthorised use of your account.

You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

5. Intellectual Property Rights

All content made available through the Service — including texts, translations, annotations, research papers, graphics, logos, site design, and software — is owned by or licensed to 果园外文出版社（Boomgaard Foreign Languages Publishing Company）（KVK42131222） and is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Benelux Union, the European Union, and international treaties.

a. Content License – CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

Unless otherwise explicitly marked on specific items, all literary and educational content published on the Site (the "Works") is licensed to the public under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0). The full license text is available at the Creative Commons website.

Under this license, you are free to:

Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, provided you comply with the following terms:

Attribution — You must give appropriate credit to 果园外文出版社（Boomgaard Foreign Languages Publishing Company）（KVK42131222） and the original source, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests we endorse you or your use.

NonCommercial — You may not use the material for commercial purposes. "Commercial purposes" means any use that is primarily intended for or directed toward commercial advantage or monetary compensation.

NoDerivatives — If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material. This means you may not modify, adapt, translate, or create derivative works from the content and then distribute those modified versions. You may, however, make personal annotations for your own private use.

Any use outside the scope of this license requires prior written permission from us or the applicable rights holder. For clarity, you may not:

Remove, obscure, or alter any copyright, trademark, or other proprietary notices that are part of the Works.

Impose any additional restrictions or legal terms that prevent others from doing anything the license permits.

b. Site Software, Design, Trademarks, and Registered Name

The Site’s underlying software, design elements, logos, and trademarks are not licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 and remain the exclusive property of 果园外文出版社（Boomgaard Foreign Languages Publishing Company）（KVK42131222）. This exclusive ownership also extends to the official registered name itself and any translated, transliterated, or adapted version of that name in any language, including but not limited to "Boomgaard Foreign Languages Publishing Company," "果园外文出版社," and all variations thereof. You may not use our name, or any translation or adaptation of it, in any manner that suggests endorsement, affiliation, or sponsorship, or for any other purpose, without our express prior written permission.

c. User Suggestions and Feedback

If you send us recommendations, suggestions, or inquiries by email (as described in Section 7 below), you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free licence to use, implement, or adapt such feedback without compensation or obligation to you, solely in furtherance of our mission.

6. User Conduct and Prohibited Activities

In using the Service, you agree not to:

Violate any applicable local, national, or international law or regulation.

Infringe the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of us or any third party.

Upload or transmit any malware, viruses, or other malicious code.

Attempt to gain unauthorised access to the Site, its servers, or databases.

Interfere with the proper working of the Service or impose an unreasonable load on our infrastructure.

Use the Service to disseminate false, misleading, defamatory, or discriminatory content.

Impersonate us, our staff, or any other person or entity.

In addition to these Terms, your use of the Service is governed by our Code of Conduct, which sets out the standards of behaviour we expect from all users and participants. The Code of Conduct is available at the Code of Conduct page and is incorporated by reference into these Terms.

We reserve the right to suspend or block access to any user who violates these rules or the Code of Conduct, at our sole discretion.

7. User Communications – Inquiries, Recommendations, and Partnerships

We welcome and encourage correspondence from users, scholars, institutions, and the general public via the contact methods provided on the Site. This includes, but is not limited to:

General inquiries and questions about our mission, operations, and daily functioning.

Recommendations for works to be included in our collection.

Formal inquiries about collaborations, partnerships, and cooperative projects.

Questions regarding the implications of our funding and how we are resourced.

We are open to engaging in partnerships that are consistent with our primary mission, particularly those that advance collective learning and intellectual exchange and involve collaboration with schools, universities, and other educational organisations and facilities.

By sending us any content, suggestions, or proposals, you warrant that:

You have the right to share any material you submit.

Your communication does not violate any third-party rights or applicable laws.

We do not guarantee that all recommendations or proposals will be acted upon, and we are not responsible for reviewing unsolicited content beyond what is reasonably necessary to assess its relevance to our mission.

8. Donations and Support

We rely on voluntary donations, contributions from collaborating organisations, government subsidies, private equity support, and the invaluable work of volunteers to sustain our mission. Monetary donations are accepted via direct bank transfer to our business bank account or through third-party donation and payment service providers (including any government subsidy or financial service platforms we may use).

Bank account number: [IBAN / bank account number]

a. No Exchange for Goods or Services

A donation is a voluntary, gratuitous contribution. We provide no goods, services, or preferential access in return for any donation, unless explicitly stated in a specific campaign.

b. Third-Party Payment Processors

Donations processed by a third party are subject to that processor’s terms and privacy policies. We are not liable for any errors, delays, or additional fees charged by the processor. Please review their terms before making a donation.

c. Refunds

As donations are voluntary contributions to a non-profit mission, we generally do not offer refunds. However, if you believe a donation was made in error or without your authorisation, contact us promptly at the address in Section 19, and we will assess the situation in good faith.

d. Tax Deductibility

We may hold the status of a public benefit organisation (ANBI). Donations may be tax-deductible in the Netherlands or other jurisdictions according to applicable laws. We recommend you consult a tax advisor.

9. AI-Assisted Readability Tools

In pursuit of our mission to make knowledge accessible, we may integrate strictly regulated artificial intelligence tools to help present our content in a way that is easier to read for people of all reading proficiency levels. When we do so:

The AI is only permitted to work with the exact terminology and information already published on the Site.

The AI does not add external information, alter the substantive meaning of the works, or introduce any commentary not present in the original.

Any AI-generated simplifications or summaries are clearly marked as such and are intended as aids; the authoritative source is always the original, unabridged text on the Site.

You may not rely on AI-generated simplifications as a substitute for the original work in academic or professional contexts.

10. Third-Party Services and Social Media

We maintain official accounts on several third-party platforms — including Bluesky, Lemmy, Mastodon, Discord, GitHub, GitLab, 微信 (WeChat), 小红书 (Xiaohongshu), 微博 (Weibo), and QQ — for public updates, customer service, and community engagement.

Your use of these platforms is governed by the respective platform’s terms of service and privacy policies, not by these Terms.

We do not control, and are not responsible for, the content, functionality, or privacy practices of those third-party platforms.

Any communication you have with us through those channels will be treated in accordance with our Privacy Policy, but the security and handling of your data on the platform itself remains subject to the platform’s rules.

The Site may also contain links to other external websites and resources. We provide these links solely for your convenience and do not endorse or assume liability for the content of any linked site.

11. Privacy

Our collection, processing, and storage of personal data are governed by our Privacy Policy, available at the Privacy Policy page. The Privacy Policy is incorporated by reference into these Terms and describes how we handle your information in compliance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and other applicable laws.

12. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Service and all content are provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis, for general educational and informational purposes only. While we strive for accuracy, authenticity, and high scholarly standards, we make no warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to:

Accuracy, completeness, or reliability of the content.

Fitness for a particular purpose (including academic or professional reliance).

Uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free operation.

Non-infringement of third-party intellectual property rights, although we undertake good-faith efforts to clear all necessary rights.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law, we disclaim all statutory and implied warranties.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by Dutch law, we, our owner, employees, volunteers, and affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with your use of, or inability to use, the Service.

In any event, our total aggregate liability to you for all claims arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall not exceed the total amount of donations you have made to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim. If you have made no donations, our liability shall be limited to the amount of one euro (€1.00), solely to the extent that such a limitation is permissible under applicable law.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits our liability for death or personal injury arising from negligence, or for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or for any other liability that cannot be excluded under mandatory Dutch or EU consumer law.

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless us, our owner, employees, volunteers, and agents from and against any and all claims, damages, losses, costs, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising out of or related to:

Your breach of these Terms.

Your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.

Any misuse of the content or the Service under your account.

15. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, without prior notice or liability, if:

You breach these Terms.

We are required to do so by law.

We decide, in our sole discretion, to discontinue the Service or to restructure our operations.

Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. The provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive (including intellectual property, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and governing law) will continue to apply.

16. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms and any dispute arising out of them shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

a. Jurisdiction

For any dispute that cannot be resolved amicably, the courts of Middelburg, Zeeland, the Netherlands, shall have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to:

If you act as a consumer within the EU: You may also bring proceedings in the courts of your country of residence, and you may benefit from mandatory consumer protection laws that cannot be waived by contract.

We encourage you to contact us first through the channels listed in Section 19 to seek an informal resolution.

17. Changes to These Terms

We may modify these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our practices, legal obligations, or the nature of the Service. When we do, we will:

Post the updated Terms on the Site with a new Effective Date.

For material changes, provide additional notice, such as a banner on the homepage or, where possible, an email notification.

Your continued use of the Service after the Effective Date of the updated Terms constitutes your acceptance of the changes. If you do not agree, you must stop using the Service.

18. General Provisions

Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and the Code of Conduct, constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service, superseding any prior agreements.

Severability: If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be deemed a waiver of that right.

Assignment: You may not assign or transfer your rights or obligations under these Terms without our written consent. We may assign our rights freely.

Language: These Terms are drafted in English. In the event of any inconsistency between the English version and a translation, the English version prevails.

19. Contact Information

If you have any questions, concerns, or legal notices regarding these Terms, please contact us:

果园外文出版社（Boomgaard Foreign Languages Publishing Company）（KVK42131222）

Legal and Copyright Affairs: legal@boomgaard.org

Urgent Matters & Administrative Office: office@boomgaard.org

Postal address: Goese Dieplaan 18, 4463LA, Goes, Zeeland, The Netherlands

Last updated: 2026/8/5