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gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

mastergamerx-details
Scratcher
100+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

For the drafts, maybe change scratch.mit.edu to scratch.org?
gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

mastergamerx-details wrote:

For the drafts, maybe change scratch.mit.edu to scratch.org?
It's probably best to wait until the migration to do that
mastergamerx-details
Scratcher
100+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

gem1001 wrote:

mastergamerx-details wrote:

For the drafts, maybe change scratch.mit.edu to scratch.org?
It's probably best to wait until the migration to do that
Okay. I was just saying since the current terms use scratch.org and the new help email has been help@scratch.org for a while.
gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

Taking into account the feedback on the previous draft, here is the new draft!
1.¦Introduction
  1. Welcome¦to¦Scratch!

  2. These¦Terms¦are¦an¦agreement¦between¦you¦and¦the¦Scratch¦Team¦(‘us’,¦‘we’)¦that¦governs¦your¦use¦of¦scratch.mit.edu,¦scratch.org,¦any¦computer¦programmes¦downloaded¦from¦the¦said¦websites,¦and¦associated¦services,¦collectively¦‘Scratch’.¦Please¦read¦these¦Terms¦carefully,¦and¦if¦you¦don’t¦agree¦with¦them,¦please¦don’t¦use¦Scratch.¦Please¦also¦read¦our¦Privacy¦Policy,¦which¦describes¦how¦Scratch¦uses¦your¦data,¦and¦the¦Community¦Guidelines,¦which¦provide¦a¦general¦guide¦on¦how¦to¦behave¦in¦the¦Scratch¦Community.¦When¦using¦Scratch,¦please¦keep¦in¦mind¦that¦Scratch¦is¦used¦by¦people¦of¦all¦ages.¦You¦agree¦that¦you¦will¦follow¦the¦Community¦Guidelines,¦and¦that¦you’re¦comfortable¦with¦our¦Privacy¦Policy.

  3. When¦signing¦up¦for¦an¦account,¦you¦will¦be¦asked¦to¦provide¦some¦information,¦like¦your¦email,¦username,¦and¦password,¦as¦described¦in¦our¦Privacy¦Policy.
2.¦Rules
  1. Don’t¦use¦someone¦else’s¦Scratch¦account¦without¦permission.

  2. Don’t¦promote¦hate¦or¦prejudice.

  3. Don’t¦threaten¦or¦attack¦anyone,¦whether¦they¦use¦Scratch¦or¦not.

  4. Don’t¦share¦sexually¦explicit¦content¦or¦graphic¦violence.

  5. Don’t¦tell¦people¦how¦to¦commit¦crimes.

  6. Don’t¦ask¦people¦for¦personally¦identifying¦information,¦contact¦details,¦or¦passwords.

  7. Don’t¦leak¦people’s¦personally¦identifying¦information,¦contact¦details,¦or¦passwords¦without¦their¦permission.

  8. Don’t¦post¦content¦made¦to¦crash¦the¦Scratch¦website¦or¦editor.

  9. Don’t¦link¦to¦malware.

  10. Don’t¦promote¦browser¦add-ons/extensions¦or¦userscripts,¦as¦the¦Scratch¦Team¦cannot¦verify¦the¦security¦of¦these.¦You¦can¦still¦use¦them,¦however.

  11. Don’t¦spam¦by¦posting¦the¦same¦thing¦over¦and¦over.

  12. Don’t¦use¦alternate¦accounts¦to¦manipulate¦site¦statistics.

  13. Don’t¦post¦links¦to¦external¦sites,¦if¦doing¦so¦would¦violate¦these¦Terms.

  14. Only¦use¦Scratch¦legally.

  15. Don’t¦impersonate¦people.

  16. Don’t¦try¦to¦disrupt¦Scratch¦or¦gain¦unauthorised¦access¦to¦Scratch.

  17. You’re¦responsible¦for¦making¦sure¦you¦have¦the¦rights¦to¦use¦any¦content¦you¦post¦on¦Scratch.

  18. Don’t¦upload¦projects¦to¦Scratch¦that¦aren’t¦meant¦to¦be¦viewed¦with¦an¦official¦version¦of¦Scratch.

  19. Don't¦use¦user-generated¦content¦(as¦defined¦in¦3.2)¦for¦training¦AI¦models.

  20. Don’t¦claim¦that¦AI-generated¦content¦was¦not¦made¦by¦AI.

  21. You¦can¦only¦sign¦up¦for¦a¦Scratch¦account¦if¦you’re¦either¦old¦enough¦to¦have¦a¦social¦media¦account¦in¦your¦region,¦or¦have¦the¦permission¦of¦a¦parent¦or¦guardian.¦You¦may¦also¦have¦to¦be¦a¦certain¦age¦before¦you¦can¦sign¦up¦even¦with¦parental¦permission¦in¦your¦region.
3.¦Licensing
  1. The¦Scratch¦Team¦owns¦the¦Scratch¦code,¦visual¦interfaces,¦graphics,¦design,¦products,¦software¦services,¦and¦all¦other¦copyrightable¦components¦of¦Scratch¦(the¦‘Scratch¦Materials’).¦The¦source¦code¦of¦Scratch¦and¦ScratchJr¦is¦available¦for¦download¦and¦is¦subject¦to¦the¦GNU¦Affero¦General¦Public¦Licence¦Version¦3¦(the¦‘AGPLv3’).¦This¦licence¦requires¦you¦to¦provide¦credit¦to¦the¦original¦author.¦When¦using¦the¦source¦code¦of¦Scratch¦or¦ScratchJr,¦please¦use¦the¦following¦attribution:¦‘Scratch¦is¦developed¦by¦the¦Scratch¦Foundation,¦its¦partners,¦and¦its¦affiliates.¦See¦https://scratch.mit.edu.¦Except¦as¦explicitly¦stated¦in¦this¦section,¦you¦must¦not¦use¦the¦Scratch¦Materials¦or¦Scratch¦Team¦Marks.

  2. Any¦projects,¦comments,¦forum¦posts,¦or¦links¦to¦third-party¦websites¦(‘user-generated¦content’)¦that¦you¦post¦to¦Scratch¦will¦be¦licensed¦under¦the¦Creative¦Commons¦Attribution¦ShareAlike¦4.0¦licence.¦This¦licence¦allows¦anyone,¦including¦the¦Scratch¦Team,¦to¦view,¦share,¦or¦modify¦your¦content¦anywhere,¦with¦credit¦given¦to¦you.¦If¦you¦don’t¦want¦your¦content¦to¦be¦under¦this¦licence,¦don’t¦share¦it.¦Despite¦this,¦we¦will¦not¦use¦any¦of¦your¦user-generated¦content¦for¦the¦training¦of¦AI¦models¦without¦your¦explicit¦consent.¦This¦explicit¦consent¦must¦be¦issued¦after¦these¦Terms¦come¦into¦effect.

  3. Scratch¦provides¦various¦support¦materials¦to¦help¦users¦make¦Scratch¦projects,¦which¦are¦still¦licenced¦under¦their¦original¦licences,¦which¦you¦must¦still¦follow.¦Screenshots¦of¦Scratch¦are¦also¦under¦the¦Creative¦Commons¦Attribution¦ShareAlike¦4.0¦licence.¦This¦licence¦requires¦you¦to¦provide¦credit¦to¦the¦original¦author¦for¦any¦work¦under¦it¦that¦you¦use.¦When¦providing¦credit¦to¦the¦Scratch¦Foundation,¦please¦use¦this¦attribution:¦‘Scratch¦is¦developed¦by¦the¦Scratch¦Foundation.¦See¦https://scratchfoundation.org.

  4. The¦Scratch¦name,¦Scratch¦logo,¦Scratch¦Cat,¦Gobo,¦Nano,¦Giga,¦Pico,¦Tera,¦Zepto,¦and¦Milli¦are¦trademarks¦owned¦by¦the¦Scratch¦Team.¦Don’t¦use¦them¦to¦promote¦any¦third-party¦products¦or¦services,¦however¦you¦can¦use¦them¦for¦educational¦or¦non-commercial¦purposes¦in¦a¦Scratch¦project.¦You¦may¦also¦use¦the¦Scratch¦name¦and¦logo¦to¦refer¦to¦Scratch.¦

  5. The¦support¦materials¦may¦contain¦content¦owned¦or¦trademarked¦by¦third¦parties.¦Their¦inclusion¦does¦not¦affect¦the¦rights¦of¦their¦owners,¦so¦don’t¦use¦them¦to¦promote¦any¦third-party¦products¦or¦services.
4.¦Account¦suspension¦and¦deletion
  1. If¦you¦want¦to¦delete¦your¦account,¦you¦can¦select¦‘I¦want¦to¦delete¦my¦account’¦in¦your¦Account¦Settings,¦and¦if¦you¦want¦to¦temporarily¦disable¦your¦account,¦you¦can¦contact¦the¦Scratch¦Team¦directly¦at¦help@scratch.org.

  2. Scratch¦has¦the¦right¦to¦suspend¦your¦account¦if¦you¦violate¦the¦Community¦Guidelines¦or¦these¦Terms.¦If¦you¦do¦so¦multiple¦times,¦your¦account¦may¦be¦deleted.

  3. Scratch¦reserves¦the¦sole¦right¦to¦determine¦what¦is¦a¦violation¦of¦the¦Community¦Guidelines¦or¦these¦Terms,¦and¦to¦delete¦any¦accounts¦used¦to¦bypass¦suspension¦or¦deletion¦of¦an¦account.

  4. You¦can¦appeal¦a¦suspension¦or¦deletion¦at¦appeals@scratch.org.
5.¦DMCA
  1. If¦you’re¦a¦copyright¦holder¦who¦believes¦that¦some¦user-generated¦content¦on¦Scratch¦violates¦your¦copyright¦and¦want¦to¦send¦a¦DMCA¦notification¦to¦the¦Scratch¦Team,¦please¦send¦it¦to¦copyright@scratch.org,¦over¦the¦phone¦to¦+1¦(857)¦233-5422,¦or¦in¦the¦post¦to
    Mark¦Ferrell
    Scratch¦Foundation
    459¦Columbus¦Avenue¦Unit¦#1112
    C/O¦Maria¦Janelli
    New¦York
    NY¦10024

  2. For¦more¦information,¦see¦our¦DMCA¦policy¦and¦the¦text¦of¦the¦DMCA¦itself,¦17¦USC¦§¦512.

  3. If¦you’re¦a¦Scratch¦user¦and¦believe¦your¦content¦shouldn’t’ve¦been¦taken¦down,¦you¦can¦send¦a¦notification¦to¦copyright@scratch.org.
6.¦Liability
  1. Despite¦the¦Scratch¦Team’s¦efforts,¦some¦inappropriate¦user-generated¦content¦might¦appear¦on¦the¦Scratch¦Website.¦If¦you¦see¦any¦such¦user-generated¦content,¦please¦report¦it¦with¦the¦‘Report’¦button.

  2. The¦Scratch¦team¦neither¦endorses,¦nor¦is¦responsible¦for,¦any¦user-generated¦content.¦You¦agree¦that¦the¦Scratch¦Team¦is¦not¦responsible¦for¦any¦liability¦caused¦by¦user-generated¦content.

  3. Scratch¦cannot¦control¦the¦content¦of¦third-party¦websites.¦Scratch¦is¦neither¦responsible¦for¦the¦content¦of¦third-party¦websites¦linked¦in¦user-generated¦content,¦nor¦is¦it¦liable¦for¦any¦issue¦arising¦out¦of¦a¦third-party¦website’s¦use.

  4. You¦agree¦that¦you¦will¦hold¦Scratch,¦the¦Scratch¦Team,¦the¦Scratch¦Foundation,¦and¦any¦affiliates¦(the¦‘Scratch¦Entities’)¦harmless¦from¦any¦claim¦or¦liability¦(including¦legal¦fees)¦caused¦by¦your¦use¦of¦Scratch¦or¦violation¦of¦these¦Terms,¦to¦the¦extent¦permitted¦by¦applicable¦law.

  5. Scratch¦is¦provided¦‘as-is’,¦and¦disclaims¦all¦warranty¦of¦any¦kind,¦to¦the¦extent¦permitted¦by¦applicable¦law.¦The¦Scratch¦Entities¦do¦not¦guarantee¦that¦no¦information¦will¦be¦lost¦in¦the¦use¦of¦Scratch,¦or¦that¦no¦malware¦will¦be¦transmitted¦through¦Scratch.¦The¦Scratch¦Entities¦will¦not¦be¦liable¦to¦you¦for¦any¦damages¦of¦any¦kind,¦especially¦damages¦caused¦by¦user-generated¦content,¦to¦the¦extent¦permitted¦by¦applicable¦law.
7.¦Miscellaneous
  1. You¦can’t¦change¦your¦account’s¦name.¦If¦you¦want¦a¦new¦account¦name,¦you¦must¦manually¦move¦to¦a¦new¦account.

  2. You’re¦solely¦responsible¦for¦keeping¦your¦password¦safe.¦If¦you¦think¦your¦account¦has¦been¦compromised,¦change¦your¦password¦immediately.¦If¦you’re¦locked¦out,¦email¦us¦at¦help@scratch.org.

  3. Scratch¦is¦offered¦from¦the¦Scratch¦Foundation’s¦facilities¦in¦the¦United¦States.¦We¦do¦not¦guarantee¦that¦Scratch¦can¦be¦used¦in¦any¦other¦location.¦You’re¦responsible¦for¦following¦the¦laws¦in¦your¦region.¦You¦agree¦that¦these¦Terms¦will,¦for¦all¦purposes,¦be¦governed¦in¦accordance¦with¦the¦laws¦of¦the¦State¦of¦Delaware,¦unless¦you’re¦a¦government¦entity¦in¦the¦United¦States¦using¦Scratch¦in¦an¦official¦capacity¦and¦cannot¦accept¦this¦term¦for¦legal¦reasons.

  4. If¦the¦Scratch¦Team¦provides¦you¦with¦a¦version¦of¦the¦original¦English¦version¦these¦Terms,¦the¦Privacy¦Policy,¦or¦any¦other¦such¦policy¦translated¦into¦another¦language¦(a¦‘translated¦version’),¦then¦you¦understand¦that¦it¦is¦provided¦only¦for¦informational¦purposes¦and¦does¦not¦overrule¦the¦original¦English¦version.¦If¦the¦original¦English¦version¦and¦a¦translated¦version¦ever¦contradict,¦the¦original¦English¦version¦will¦govern.

  5. If¦the¦Scratch¦Team¦waives¦any¦part¦of¦these¦Terms,¦then¦you¦understand¦that¦it¦is¦for¦the¦one¦time¦and¦does¦not¦continue¦for¦future¦cases¦in¦any¦way.¦You¦also¦understand¦that¦any¦failure¦by¦the¦Scratch¦Team¦to¦enforce¦these¦Terms¦is¦not¦a¦waiver¦of¦the¦Terms.¦

  6. You¦must¦contact¦the¦Scratch¦Team¦for¦permission¦before¦attempting¦to¦use¦Scratch¦in¦a¦way¦that¦would¦violate¦these¦Terms.

  7. We¦may¦change¦these¦Terms¦from¦time¦to¦time,¦but¦you¦can¦find¦the¦latest¦version¦at¦[insert¦link].
Now uses @scratch.org emails and mentions how to appeal, and section 4 is renamed to ‘Account suspension and deletion’.
IloveRoblox003
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

There is one major issue I see with this

The Rules are NOT specific enough. There are too many loopholes (I will address where they are with paratheses). For example..

By these rules, I am allowed to:
- Share my own identifying information (2.7)
- With the alias of someone outside the US, commit a US crime on Scratch that is allowed in my current area (2.14)
- Same thing above but instead of doing crimes, explaining crime procedures (in detail, too) (2.5)
- Spam via unrelated and unwanted content (2.11)




I do have a fix for one of them, though.
Replace 2.14 with the current TOS's 11.1
use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law;
Thats way more clear than just “legally”

Last edited by IloveRoblox003 (June 6, 2026 00:01:51)

gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

There is one major issue I see with this

The Rules are NOT specific enough. There are too many loopholes (I will address where they are with paratheses). For example..

By these rules, I am allowed to:
- Share my own identifying information (2.7)
You agree that you will follow the Community Guidelines

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

- Spam via unrelated and unwanted content (2.11)
You agree that you will follow the Community Guidelines

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

- With the alias of someone outside the US, commit a US crime on Scratch that is allowed in my current area (2.14)
- Same thing above but instead of doing crimes, explaining crime procedures (in detail, too) (2.5)
I do have a fix for one of them, though.
Replace 2.14 with the current TOS's 11.1
use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law;
Thats way more clear than just “legally”
Would
Don't use Scratch in any way that's illegal in the US or your home country
and
Don't tell people how to do anything that's illegal in the US or their home country
work?
IloveRoblox003
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

gem1001 wrote:

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

There is one major issue I see with this

The Rules are NOT specific enough. There are too many loopholes (I will address where they are with paratheses). For example..

By these rules, I am allowed to:
- Share my own identifying information (2.7)
You agree that you will follow the Community Guidelines

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

- Spam via unrelated and unwanted content (2.11)
You agree that you will follow the Community Guidelines
For one, the CG is vague (and is meant to be vague). TOS isnt supposed to be vague (and isn't supposed to rely on anything).
the terms of use are supposed to contain all the information about the use of scratch, and the CG is nothing more than a community interpreter for it.

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

- With the alias of someone outside the US, commit a US crime on Scratch that is allowed in my current area (2.14)
- Same thing above but instead of doing crimes, explaining crime procedures (in detail, too) (2.5)
I do have a fix for one of them, though.
Replace 2.14 with the current TOS's 11.1
use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any local, state, national, or international law;
Thats way more clear than just “legally”
Would
Don't use Scratch in any way that's illegal in the US or your home country
and
Don't tell people how to do anything that's illegal in the US or their home country
work?
no. keep in mind the terms LOCAL and STATE.

Last edited by IloveRoblox003 (June 8, 2026 13:11:38)

gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

For one, the CG is vague (and is meant to be vague). TOS isnt supposed to be vague (and isn't supposed to rely on anything).
the terms of use are supposed to contain all the information about the use of scratch, and the CG is nothing more than a community interpreter for it.
Fair enough.
Would
Don’t leak yours or anyone else's personal information, contact details, or passwords.
work for 2.7?

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

no. keep in mind the terms LOCAL and STATE.
Would ‘local area’ work then?
IloveRoblox003
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

gem1001 wrote:

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

For one, the CG is vague (and is meant to be vague). TOS isnt supposed to be vague (and isn't supposed to rely on anything).
the terms of use are supposed to contain all the information about the use of scratch, and the CG is nothing more than a community interpreter for it.
Fair enough.
Would
Don’t leak yours or anyone else's personal information, contact details, or passwords.
work for 2.7?
Yep

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

no. keep in mind the terms LOCAL and STATE.
Would ‘local area’ work then?
there are also international laws to keep track of
gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

there are also international laws to keep track of
Isn't violating international law also illegal in local areas?
mastergamerx-details
Scratcher
100+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

gem1001 wrote:

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

there are also international laws to keep track of
Isn't violating international law also illegal in local areas?
I'm probably wrong but I think some areas don't recognize or explicitly mention international law?
mastergamerx-details
Scratcher
100+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

I have another suggestion, you should probably remove all contractions from the current draft, since you shouldn't use contractions in a contract.
nembence
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

IloveRoblox003 wrote:

For one, the CG is vague (and is meant to be vague). TOS isnt supposed to be vague (and isn't supposed to rely on anything).
the terms of use are supposed to contain all the information about the use of scratch, and the CG is nothing more than a community interpreter for it.
The current ToS says that it includes “Additional Terms” and it gives a very vague description on where that might be found. It can be anywhere on the page and it can also be on other pages. (and I think it also includes the Community Guidelines)
Additional Terms.
Your use of the Service is subject to all additional terms, policies, rules, or guidelines applicable to the Service or certain features of the Service that we may post on or link to from the Service (the “Additional Terms”). All Additional Terms are incorporated by this reference into, and made a part of, these Terms.
gem1001
Scratcher
1000+ posts

Re-rewrite the Terms of Service

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