Convention Rules & Policies

Registration Policies

Please take a moment to read our rules and policies. By registering, you agree to comply with Otakuthon at Home rules and policies. Failure to follow these rules may result in banning your account from the online venue without a refund.

1. Refund Policy

Registrations are non-refundable and badges may not be resold - this includes your account as well as any paid extras (ex: mailed badges, T-shirts).

2. Price and Payment

Registrations must be paid in full to access the event. Only participants living in Canada or the US who register prior to July 15 will be mailed a badge and commemorative postcard. Please do not send cash through the mail - we are only accepting credit payments through PayPal.

3. Minimum age requirement

Due to the requirements on the part of our online platform suppliers, you must be at least 16 years old to register. When you register, you will be provided with a login to access the online venue.

4. Account usage

Login accounts are associated with an individual and may not be shared or resold. The platform provider uses mechanisms to detect duplicate logins and will automatically deactivate accounts found to be in violation of this policy. Attempts to circumvent this technology will result in the account being disabled without a refund.

5. Information accuracy

Attendees must provide complete and accurate registration information. Otakuthon will not be held responsible in the event that an attendee cannot be contacted or confirm their identity with the provided information.

Convention Rules

General

If you aren’t allowed to do it outside of Otakuthon, it isn’t allowed at Otakuthon.

Otakuthon strives to create an environment that caters to the anime/cosplay/gaming community culture but would like to remind attendees that they are still expected to be law-abiding and responsible. Attendees who violate these rules may be subject to expulsion from Otakuthon without a refund and may be banned from attending all Otakuthon events in subsequent years.

Online Venue

Otakuthon at Home is powered by vFairs.com and Zoom. By attending Otakuthon at Home, you agree to vFair’s and Zoom’s Terms of Service and Privacy Policies:

• https://www.vfairs.com/terms-of-service/
• https://www.vfairs.com/privacy-policy/
• https://zoom.us/terms

Behaviour

All attendees must conduct themselves with proper decorum.

Attendees must behave respectfully towards individuals from other groups attending events being held by the online venue as well as Otakuthon staff and venue representatives. Attendees acting disrespectfully or disruptively on the site of the convention may be expelled from the Otakuthon event. Violence against staff or online venue personnel will not be tolerated and will result in immediate expulsion and permanent ban from the event.

Any behaviour considered to be harassment such as bullying, unwanted advances or other similar behaviours will not be tolerated and may result in permanent expulsion from the online venue without refund.

Any activities deemed to be nuisances to Otakuthon or the online venue, including but not limited to denial of service attacks, Zoom bombing, social engineering, misrepresentation or behaviour considered generally disruptive, dangerous, or damaging, will result in expulsion from the online venue and the event by moderators security and may result in further civil and criminal liability.

Online conduct

Due to the new platform, attendees can interact with each other online.

• Moderation will be online and public chats will be monitored.
• Display names which are inappropriate may be flagged and changed to a generic name.

Registration

Due to the requirements on the part of our online platform suppliers, you must be at least 16 years old to register. When you register, you will be provided a login to access to the online venue.

Registrations are non-refundable and may not be resold.

Login accounts are associated with an individual and may not be shared or resold. The platform provider uses mechanisms to detect duplicate logins and will automatically deactivate accounts found to be in violation of this policy. Attempts to circumvent this technology will result in the account being disabled without refund.

Participants who live in Canada or the US who register prior to July 15, 2020, will be mailed a souvenir badge and postcard with their registration.

Attendees must provide complete and accurate registration information. Otakuthon will not be held responsible in the event that an attendee cannot be contacted or confirm their identity with the provided information.

Badges

During the online event, badges are not mandatory but should still be worn while attending the event when convenient so that people in the room can identify you as participating in the event. It is also a nice decoration that attendees can keep as a souvenir of their experiences of the event. 😄

Sales

Due to the online nature of this event, vendors may offer up products for sale and will be available by chat. Attendees may use the platform to express their desire to purchase items from vendors. Such requests relayed through the platform are sent to vendors via email who will follow up with the attendee but do not constitute a reservation or guarantee stock of said items.

By using such service, the attendee agrees that Otakuthon will share their contact information with the vendor to facilitate their requests and understands that there are no guarantees implied in said requests. It is understood that except for registration, no purchases or sales are being made directly on the platform—all transactions taking place are considered private sales between the attendee and vendor and are solely the responsibility of the vendor or other third party. Otakuthon and its agents will not be held responsible for any loss or damages that may arise from such transactions.

The following guidelines must still be observed when offering products for sale:

• Unlicensed reproductions of copyrighted works (ie: “bootlegs”, “fansubs”, “Hong Kong versions”, etc.) may not be offered for sale. This includes video tapes, CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, computer software, collectibles, apparel or printed artwork not produced under licence by the original copyright holder, or any other unlawful reproduction of works. If it is not visibly authentic, don’t bring it.
• The sale and display of explicit material to minors is strictly forbidden. Sellers may have a sign indicating adult materials are available, but they must be kept out of sight and restricted from minors.
• Prices may be listed in either CAD or USD.
• Sellers are responsible for the collection of taxes and acquisition of any applicable permits and licences.
• Items which contravene Canadian or international laws may not be offered for sale.
• Only original, personal fan works created by the selling artist may be sold in the Artists’ Area. The sale of commercial goods such as video tapes, CDs, DVDs, Blu-rays, posters, scrolls, pens, etc., is prohibited unless you or the group you represent are the copyright owner or licensors of said works. The advertising of any such restricted goods or services is also forbidden. Violation will lead to expulsion from the Artists’ Area.

All exhibitors must obey the policies as outlined in their respective Otakuthon exhibitor kit.

Costuming, Props and Dress Code

Cosplay is highly encouraged, but some restrictions apply:

• Costumes that are deemed to be indecently revealing (the “no costume is not a costume” principle), as well as costumes or props that are deemed to be offensive or otherwise unacceptable by Otakuthon community standards, are prohibited. An attendee who is wearing a costume or carrying a prop that does not meet these requirements may be asked to change into either street clothes or another costume.
• While we are not enforcing a Weapons Check this year, costume contests may still impose restrictions on weapons and large props.

Photography, Video and Recording

Tip: Always ask for permission before photographing, screen capping or recording anyone.

• Photography and recordings may be permitted during workshops, panels, guest sessions and in the Artists’ Area at the discretion of the host(s)/artists involved. If you are unsure whether photography or videography is allowed during a particular event or in a particular area, ASK PERMISSION FROM STAFF FIRST.
• Otakuthon reserves the right to prohibit photography and/or videotaping of any event or area.
• Convention staff may review and/or demand deletion of any unauthorized photographs or video recordings.

Alcohol, Drugs and Smoking

While Otakuthon at Home is a virtual event, it targets a PG audience and is an alcohol, drug and smoking-free event.

Privacy

By attending our events, you grant Otakuthon permission to publish, electronically or in print, your name and photograph, as well as any names and logos of your company, group or other organization (e.g. cosplay circle, team, club, etc.) for the purpose of promotion, documentation and/or record-keeping. Any additional information gathered will only be disclosed for legal compliance, to third parties contracted to act on Otakuthon’s behalf, or anonymized in aggregate.

Liability

The liability to any attendee by Otakuthon for any damage or loss suffered at or caused by Otakuthon, its staff or assigns, shall not exceed the registration fees paid by that attendee.

Each attendee agrees to indemnify, hold and save harmless Otakuthon and its staff or assigns against any damages or losses suffered by third persons for which the attendee is responsible to any extent. In the event of litigation, all parties agree that the only judicial district applicable is the judicial district of Montreal, Quebec in Canada.