Terms of Service

Last updated: March 29, 2026

Overview

These terms govern your use of the services provided by DLKR Inc. ("I," "me," "my"), a Kabushiki Kaisha (K.K.) registered in Japan. By purchasing or using any service, you agree to these terms.

These terms are intended for business-to-business engagements. By purchasing a service, you represent that you're acting in a business capacity (as a founder, business owner, or authorized representative of a company) and not as a private consumer.

Services

I provide brand strategy services: the Brand Diagnostic (a one-time engagement, delivered within 10 business days) and the Brand Partnership (an ongoing monthly subscription that includes a 90-minute kickoff call, weekly 60-minute strategy calls, async access through your client portal with a 48-hour response time, ongoing storytelling production, and website and social profile implementation once your brand foundation is approved). The specific scope, deliverables, and timeline for each service are described on the service pages at thedlkr.com and client.thedlkr.com and in any order confirmation you receive.

All services are delivered remotely via video call, client portal, email, and other digital tools.

After purchase, you'll be asked to complete an intake form through the client portal. The information you provide helps me prepare for your engagement. Submitting the intake form is part of the service process, and the data you provide is handled according to my privacy policy.

Newsletter and digital content

I publish a newsletter with free and paid tiers. Paid tiers are:

• Bronze ($7/month): Comment on articles to ask questions and get personalized answers.
• Silver ($197/month): Everything in Bronze, plus a monthly 30-minute one-on-one strategy call. Recording (with your permission) and action plan delivered together within 3 business days.
• Gold ($497/month): Everything in Bronze, plus a weekly 30-minute one-on-one strategy call. Recording (with your permission) and action plan delivered together within 3 business days.

Newsletter subscriptions and digital content are delivered through the Ghost CMS hosted by Magic Pages. Payment for these subscriptions is processed through Stripe.

License. Paid members receive a personal, non-commercial, non-transferable license to access and use the digital content included with their membership tier. You may not redistribute, resell, or publicly share the content.

Access. Online content (including newsletter posts and member-only articles) is available for the duration of your active membership.

Orders and payment

Currency: All prices are listed and charged in US dollars (USD).

Payment processing for consulting services: Payments for Brand Diagnostic and Brand Partnership services are processed through AgencyHandy.com using Stripe, PayPal, Wise, or other supported methods. I don't directly handle or store your payment credentials.

Payment processing for newsletter subscriptions: Payments for newsletter memberships are processed through Stripe.

One-time services (Brand Diagnostic): Payment is due in full at the time of order, unless a split payment option is offered at checkout.

Subscription services (Brand Partnership): Payment is charged monthly on a recurring basis. Your subscription begins on the date of your first payment and renews automatically each month until you cancel.

Before your subscription begins, you'll receive a confirmation of: the recurring price, the billing frequency (monthly), and how to cancel. Your subscription renews automatically each month at the then-current price until you cancel. I'll notify you by email at least 30 days before any price change takes effect.

Newsletter subscriptions: Your paid newsletter membership renews automatically at the frequency and price confirmed at signup until you cancel. You can manage or cancel your subscription through your account settings.

Taxes: Prices don't include applicable taxes. Any consumption tax, sales tax, VAT, or other taxes required by your jurisdiction are your responsibility. Where required by law, applicable taxes will be calculated and added at checkout.

Cancellation and refunds

One-time services (Brand Diagnostic):

• Before work begins: You may cancel for a full refund within 48 hours of purchase, provided I haven't yet started work on your project.
• After work begins: Once I've started your project (including the start of my review process), refunds aren't available. If circumstances prevent project completion, we'll discuss options in good faith.

Subscription services (Brand Partnership):

• You may cancel or pause your subscription at any time by emailing [email protected]. I'll process your request within 1 business day. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. No refunds for partial months or work already completed.
• Pausing stops future billing until you choose to resume. There's no limit on how long you can pause.

While your subscription is paused, no new work will be started, async access is suspended, and weekly calls are not available. You can still access your client portal and past deliverables while paused. Any work in progress at the time of pausing will be delivered, but new requests won't be accepted until you resume.

Satisfaction (Brand Partnership): If you're not satisfied with the work in any given month, email me at [email protected] before your next billing date. I'll either revise the work or refund the current month — your choice. This doesn't apply to months where the project was paused at your request or where required feedback wasn't provided.

Newsletter subscriptions:

• You may cancel your paid newsletter membership at any time through your Ghost account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period. No refunds for partial periods.
• Access to streaming and online content ends when your membership lapses. Downloadable files you've already saved remain yours.

Intellectual property

Your materials: You keep ownership of everything you provide to me during a project — logos, brand assets, documents, and any other materials.

My deliverables: Upon full payment, I assign to you all copyright in every deliverable I create for you — including drafts, working documents, and final approved materials (strategy documents, identity assets, logo files, written materials). This includes the rights described in Articles 27 and 28 of Japan's Copyright Act (the right to create derivative works and the original author's rights in derivative works). You're free to use, modify, and distribute any of this work as you see fit.

If our engagement ends before completion, I'll provide you with all work completed up to that point, and copyright in that work is assigned to you upon full payment for the period in which it was created.

I agree not to exercise any moral rights (著作者人格権) under Japan's Copyright Act in relation to any deliverables — including the right of attribution, the right of integrity, and the right of first publication. This non-exercise agreement survives the termination of our engagement.

My methodology: I keep ownership of my underlying methods, frameworks, processes, and tools. You receive the output of the methodology, not the methodology itself.

Newsletter and digital content: All content published through my newsletter and playbooks remains my intellectual property. Your paid membership grants you a personal-use license as described in the Newsletter and Digital Content section above — not ownership.

Portfolio use: I may reference the general nature of our engagement (industry, type of work) in my portfolio or marketing materials, without identifying you by name — unless you grant written permission. If you prefer complete confidentiality, let me know and I'll honor that.

Confidentiality

I treat all client information as confidential. I won't share your business information, materials, or project details with third parties without your written consent — except as required by law or as necessary to deliver the services (which I'd discuss with you first).

If you'd like a mutual NDA, I'm happy to sign one before we begin.

This confidentiality obligation survives the end of our engagement and remains in effect for 5 years after the final deliverable is provided or the last service is performed, whichever is later.

Limitation of liability

My services are strategic in nature. I provide professional advice and deliverables based on my experience and judgment. I don't guarantee specific business outcomes, revenue increases, or growth results.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, my total liability for any claim arising from these terms or my services is limited to the amount you paid me for the specific service that gave rise to the claim.

I'm not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, including lost profits, lost data, or business interruption.

Nothing in this section limits my liability for intentional misconduct (故意) or gross negligence (重過失). These exclusions cannot be waived under Japanese law.

Client responsibilities

You're responsible for:

• Providing accurate and timely information, feedback, and materials as needed
• Responding to milestone check-ins and review requests within a reasonable timeframe
• Confirming you have the right to share any materials you provide to me
• Completing the intake form for your purchased service promptly after purchase

Delays in your feedback or approvals may extend project timelines. I'll communicate proactively if this happens, but I'm not responsible for delays caused by late client input.

If I don't receive required feedback or materials within 30 days of a request, I may treat the project as paused. If 90 days pass without a response, I may close the project. In either case, I'll notify you by email at least 7 days before pausing or closing the project. Work completed up to that point is still yours, subject to full payment.

Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold me harmless from any claims, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from: (a) materials you provide to me during an engagement, (b) your use of deliverables in a way that violates applicable law, or (c) a breach of your representations in these terms.

This indemnification obligation survives the end of our engagement.

Dispute resolution

These terms are governed by the laws of Japan.

If a dispute arises, we'll first try to resolve it through good-faith discussion. If we can't reach a resolution, the dispute will be submitted to mediation or, if necessary, to the courts of Tokyo, Japan.

Force majeure

I'm not liable for delays or failure to perform due to events outside my reasonable control — including natural disasters, pandemic-related disruptions, internet or platform outages, government actions, or failures of third-party service providers. If a force majeure event delays your project, I'll notify you promptly and we'll agree on a revised timeline.

Changes to these terms

I may update these terms from time to time. Changes will be posted on this page with an updated revision date. Continued use of my services after changes are posted means acceptance of the updated terms. For significant changes, I'll notify you by email.

Changes don't apply retroactively to services already in progress. If you have an active engagement when terms are updated, the terms in effect at the time of your purchase continue to govern that engagement.

General provisions

Severability: If any provision of these terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force.

Entire agreement: These terms, together with the service descriptions on thedlkr.com and client.thedlkr.com, the commercial disclosure at thedlkr.com/disclosure, any order confirmation you receive, and my privacy policy, constitute the entire agreement between us. In the event of any conflict between these terms and a service description, these terms govern — unless we sign a separate project agreement, which would take precedence.

Assignment: You may not assign your rights or obligations under these terms without my written consent. I may assign mine in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of my business.

Commercial disclosure

Under Japan's Act on Specified Commercial Transactions (特定商取引法), businesses selling services online are required to display certain operator information. The full disclosure — including business name, representative, address, payment methods, delivery timelines, and cancellation terms — is published at thedlkr.com/disclosure. That disclosure is incorporated into these terms by reference.

Contact

If you have questions about these terms:

Email: [email protected]

DLKR Inc.
3F Yazawa Building UFC, 3-1-9 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku, Tokyo 150-0002, Japan