Terms of Service
Last updated: August 17, 2026
1. Scope
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your use of the Luminous website (“Luminous”, “we”) and the purchase of the virtual currency “Lumies” by registered users (“you”).
2. Contracting Party
The operator of Luminous and your contracting party is the person named in our Impressum (legal notice).
3. User Account
A free user account (email address and password) is required for certain features, including ratings, reviews, lists, and purchasing Lumies. You agree to provide accurate information and keep your password confidential.
4. Lumies — Description
“Lumies” are a virtual, platform-internal unit of account with no independent monetary value. Lumies may only be used within Luminous to purchase cosmetic add-on content (e.g. profile banners, titles). Lumies are not legal tender, not a cryptocurrency, and not an investment.
5. Purchase of Lumies, Pricing, Payment
Lumies can be purchased in fixed package sizes for a monetary price. The applicable price is shown in US Dollars (USD) before you complete a purchase. Payment is processed by our payment provider, Stripe. A contract for the purchase of the displayed amount of Lumies is formed once payment is completed; Lumies are credited automatically and without delay after successful payment.
6. Immediate Delivery and Loss of the Right of Withdrawal
Lumies are digital content not supplied on a tangible medium. Consumers generally have a 14-day right of withdrawal for online purchases. This right expires early, however, once we have begun performing the contract (i.e. crediting the Lumies) after you have
(a) expressly agreed that we begin performance before the withdrawal period ends, and
(b) acknowledged that you thereby lose your right of withdrawal.
We obtain this consent separately before every purchase, as part of the checkout process.
7. Use, Transferability, Forfeiture
Lumies are tied to your individual user account, cannot be transferred to other users, and cannot be exchanged back into real money (“no cash-out”). If your account is deleted — whether by you or by us for good cause — any remaining Lumies and purchased cosmetic content are forfeited without compensation.
8. Cosmetic Add-on Content
Cosmetic content purchased with Lumies or unlocked automatically (e.g. banners, titles, badges) exists purely for visual display within Luminous and confers no rights outside the platform. We may change or expand the cosmetics catalog at any time.
9. Account Suspension
We may temporarily or permanently suspend your account in the event of a breach of these Terms, abusive use (including payment fraud or manipulation of ratings/leaderboards), or suspected fraud.
10. Liability
We are liable without limitation for intent and gross negligence, and under the (German) Product Liability Act. For slightly negligent breaches of material contractual obligations, liability is limited to the foreseeable, typical damage. Liability for slight negligence is otherwise excluded.
11. Changes to these Terms
We may amend these Terms with effect for the future where necessary to reflect changed legal or technical circumstances. We will notify registered users of material changes in an appropriate manner.
12. Governing Law and Final Provisions
Luminous is operated from Germany, and these Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). If you are a consumer, this choice of law does not deprive you of the protection afforded by any mandatory consumer protection provisions of the country in which you have your habitual residence. If any provision of these Terms is or becomes invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions is unaffected.
13. Contact
Questions about these Terms can be directed to the contact address listed in our Impressum.
Note: This text is a draft, not legal advice. Before going live with real payments, we recommend a short review by a qualified lawyer or a specialized service (e.g. IT-Recht Kanzlei, eRecht24 — both German providers, since German law governs this contract).