1. Purpose of this Policy
Vmemoo is a social network dedicated to preserving and sharing memories of people, pets, lives, relationships, experiences and events.
In addition to Memorials and Memories created by users, Vmemoo Limited ("Vmemoo", "we", "us" or "our") may from time to time independently create and publish selected Memorials for deceased persons and Memories concerning significant events through an official Vmemoo account.
Memorials independently created and published by Vmemoo are referred to in this Policy as "Vmemoo-Created Memorials."
Vmemoo-Created Memorials are intended to honour, commemorate and preserve the memory of deceased persons and to provide appropriate factual, historical or informational context about their lives.
Vmemoo may independently create Memorials for individual deceased persons whose deaths or lives are considered appropriate for memorialisation under this Policy. Vmemoo may also create Memories concerning significant events, including events involving one or more deceased persons. The creation of a Memory concerning an event does not prevent Vmemoo from also creating individual Memorials for persons associated with that event.
This Policy explains the principles under which Vmemoo selects, researches, prepares, publishes, reviews, corrects and, where appropriate, restricts or removes Vmemoo-Created Memorials and related Vmemoo-created Memories.
2. Core Editorial Principle
The fundamental principle governing every Vmemoo-Created Memorial is:
"Vmemoo does not invent the factual basis of a Vmemoo-Created Memorial. Vmemoo creates it from information already published or officially announced by reliable external sources."
Vmemoo may independently verify, select, summarise, organise and present factual information obtained from reliable sources when preparing an original Memorial.
Reliance upon a particular source does not mean that Vmemoo adopts every statement, opinion, interpretation or characterisation contained within that source.
Vmemoo seeks to distinguish established factual information from allegations, speculation, commentary and opinion. Vmemoo does not knowingly present unsupported assumptions, rumours or independently invented factual claims as established facts.
3. Confirmation Before Publication
Before creating a Vmemoo-Created Memorial, Vmemoo will take reasonable steps to establish that the person concerned is deceased. Where Vmemoo creates a Memory concerning an event, Vmemoo will similarly take reasonable steps to establish that the event occurred substantially as described.
Confirmation may be obtained from sources including:
Vmemoo does not intend to create Memorials based solely upon rumours, speculation, unverified social-media posts or unsupported claims that a person may have died.
Where Vmemoo cannot reasonably establish the reliability of the underlying information, publication may be postponed or declined.
- an announcement by the person's family, estate or authorised representative;
- an official representative or organisation associated with the person;
- a government body, public authority or emergency service;
- a recognised professional, sporting, educational, cultural or other institution;
- an established news organisation;
- multiple independent reliable publications;
- authoritative historical or reference materials; or
- another source that Vmemoo reasonably considers reliable in the circumstances.
4. Editorial Independence
A Vmemoo-Created Memorial is independently prepared and published by Vmemoo.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, creation of a Vmemoo-Created Memorial does not mean that:
Vmemoo will not knowingly represent a Memorial as family-authorised, estate-authorised or otherwise officially endorsed unless Vmemoo has an appropriate basis for making that representation.
The fact that a Memorial is published by an official Vmemoo account identifies Vmemoo as its publisher. It does not, by itself, mean that the Memorial has been authorised by the deceased person's family or estate.
- the deceased person created or approved the Memorial;
- the deceased person's family created or approved the Memorial;
- the person's estate created or approved the Memorial;
- an executor, representative or rights holder created or approved the Memorial;
- an employer, organisation, foundation or institution approved the Memorial;
- any such person or organisation sponsors or endorses Vmemoo;
- Vmemoo represents the deceased person's family or estate; or
- a commercial relationship exists between Vmemoo and the deceased person's family, estate or representatives.
5. Purpose of Vmemoo-Created Memorials
Vmemoo-Created Memorials are prepared and published for memorial, commemorative, historical and informational purposes.
Their purpose is to recognise that a person lived, preserve factual information concerning that person's life and provide a place within Vmemoo where that person's memory may be respectfully preserved.
Vmemoo does not create a Vmemoo-Created Memorial for the purpose of commercially exploiting the deceased person's identity or falsely suggesting that the deceased person endorsed, sponsored, supported or promoted Vmemoo.
Publication of a Vmemoo-Created Memorial does not grant Vmemoo the right to represent that the deceased person supported or had any relationship with Vmemoo during their lifetime.
Vmemoo may operate as a commercial platform and may separately provide paid products or services. The commercial nature of the wider platform does not alter the stated memorial, commemorative, historical and informational purpose for which a particular Vmemoo-Created Memorial is prepared.
6. User Interaction With a Vmemoo-Created Memorial
Following publication, users may independently interact with a Vmemoo-Created Memorial through features generally available within the Vmemoo platform.
Depending upon the functionality available at the relevant time, users may choose to pray, react, contribute Memories, leave appropriate content, send available virtual items, share the Memorial or otherwise interact with it.
Such activity represents the independent actions of the relevant users.
Ordinary user interaction with a Vmemoo-Created Memorial does not mean that the deceased person, their family, estate or representatives have entered into an endorsement, sponsorship or commercial relationship with Vmemoo.
User-generated content and user activity remain subject to Vmemoo's Terms of Service, Community Guidelines and other applicable policies.
7. Sources
Vmemoo may consult one or more reliable external sources when preparing a Vmemoo-Created Memorial.
Sources may include official public announcements, recognised news organisations, government and public-authority information, institutional publications, established reference resources, historical archives, professional or sporting organisations, and other sources that Vmemoo reasonably considers reliable.
Vmemoo may maintain internal records identifying the sources consulted when preparing a Memorial.
A source supports the factual basis of a Memorial. Use of a source does not automatically give Vmemoo ownership of that source's copyright, photographs, videos, recordings or other intellectual property.
"Public availability of information does not, by itself, mean that the underlying article, photograph, video, recording or other protected work is free for Vmemoo to copy or reproduce."
Vmemoo therefore treats factual sourcing and intellectual-property rights as separate considerations.
8. Original Vmemoo Editorial Content
Where Vmemoo prepares biographical, descriptive, historical or contextual text for a Vmemoo-Created Memorial, Vmemoo aims to prepare its own original presentation using established facts.
Vmemoo does not claim copyright ownership over underlying facts merely because Vmemoo describes, organises or presents those facts within a Memorial.
Vmemoo will not intentionally reproduce substantial protected portions of another publisher's article, obituary, biography or other copyrighted work without an appropriate licence, permission or other lawful basis.
Reliable sources may establish factual matters such as a person's date of birth, place of residence, profession, achievements, participation in events, awards or date of death.
Vmemoo may independently use established factual information of this kind when preparing an original Memorial without representing another publisher's original written expression as Vmemoo's own.
9. Photographs, Video and Other Media
Media used within Vmemoo-Created Memorials is treated separately from factual information.
The fact that a photograph, video or other media appears in a news article, appears in search results, appears on social media, is publicly viewable, depicts a public figure, or concerns a deceased person does not, by itself, establish that Vmemoo has the right to copy, reproduce or publish that material.
Vmemoo therefore seeks to use photographs, video and other media where an appropriate legal basis exists, including ownership, permission, licence, public-domain status, an applicable open licence or another lawful basis appropriate to the circumstances.
Where a licence requires attribution or imposes other conditions, Vmemoo should comply with those conditions.
Copyright in a photograph, video, recording or other creative work may continue after the death of the person depicted in that material.
Vmemoo does not treat a person's death as terminating copyright or other intellectual-property rights held by photographers, publishers, estates, agencies or other rights holders.
10. Accuracy
Vmemoo aims to publish accurate factual information within Vmemoo-Created Memorials.
However, external sources may occasionally contain incorrect, incomplete, outdated or conflicting information.
Vmemoo therefore does not guarantee that every external source consulted will always be complete or error-free.
Where credible information indicates that material factual information contained within a Vmemoo-Created Memorial is incorrect, Vmemoo may investigate the matter and, where appropriate, correct or clarify the information, update the Memorial, remove particular information, replace or remove media, restrict the Memorial, or remove the Memorial.
Vmemoo may retain an internal record of significant editorial corrections where appropriate.
11. Speculation and Unsupported Claims
Vmemoo-Created Memorials should not knowingly present speculation, rumours, unsupported assumptions or independently invented factual claims as established facts.
Particular care should be taken regarding disputed causes of death, criminal allegations, responsibility for accidents or tragedies, medical conditions, suicide or self-harm, substance use, intimate relationships, family disputes, financial circumstances, religious or political beliefs, private correspondence, allegations of misconduct, ongoing investigations, and other information capable of causing serious reputational, personal or legal harm.
Where information remains disputed, uncertain, developing or unnecessary to the Memorial's purpose, Vmemoo may omit it even where that information has been published elsewhere.
The existence of an external source does not require Vmemoo to repeat everything contained in that source.
12. Information Concerning Living Persons
A Memorial concerning a deceased person may also contain information relating to people who are still living.
Vmemoo treats the interests and rights of those living persons separately.
The fact that information concerning a living person appears within an obituary, news report, biography or other public source does not mean that Vmemoo must reproduce that information within a Memorial.
Vmemoo should generally avoid unnecessary disclosure of personal information concerning living relatives, partners, children, witnesses, victims or other third parties.
Where information concerning a living person is relevant to the Memorial, Vmemoo should consider whether its inclusion is necessary, proportionate, accurately sourced and consistent with applicable law.
13. Sensitive Circumstances
Additional editorial care may be appropriate where a Vmemoo-Created Memorial concerns a recently deceased person, a child or young person, suicide or self-harm, murder or violent crime, terrorism, war or armed conflict, a mass-casualty incident, a serious accident, an ongoing criminal investigation, disputed circumstances surrounding a death, graphic or traumatic circumstances, or another highly sensitive situation.
The fact that details have been publicly reported does not require Vmemoo to reproduce those details.
Vmemoo may deliberately publish less information than is publicly available where doing so better protects dignity, accuracy and the purpose of the Memorial.
14. Memories Concerning Events
Vmemoo may create a Memory concerning a significant event.
Where an event involves one or more deceased persons, Vmemoo may also create individual Memorials for those persons where appropriate.
An event Memory and an individual Memorial are separate forms of Vmemoo content, and the creation of one does not prevent the creation of the other.
This may apply to disasters, accidents, historical events, terrorist attacks, wars or conflicts, mass-casualty events, community tragedies, or other events of public, historical or commemorative significance.
A Vmemoo-created Memory should follow the same fundamental principles of source verification, factual accuracy, responsible presentation and intellectual-property compliance that apply to Vmemoo-Created Memorials.
Where facts remain uncertain or continue to develop, Vmemoo may delay publication or limit the information included.
Vmemoo should not use an event Memory to assign legal or moral responsibility where responsibility has not been reliably established.
15. Historical Memorials and Memories
Vmemoo may create Memorials concerning historical persons and Memories concerning historical events.
Such content may be based upon reliable historical, archival, academic, institutional and reference sources.
Historical accounts may legitimately differ.
Where material historical uncertainty exists, Vmemoo may acknowledge that uncertainty rather than presenting one disputed account as unquestionably established.
The passage of time does not automatically eliminate copyright or other intellectual-property considerations concerning photographs, publications, recordings or other material used within a Memorial or Memory.
16. Artificial, Synthetic or Manipulated Media
Vmemoo should not knowingly present an artificial, reconstructed, materially manipulated or AI-generated depiction of a deceased person as though it were an authentic photograph, video or recording.
Where synthetic, reconstructed or materially modified content is used in an appropriate context, Vmemoo should consider whether clear disclosure is necessary to avoid misleading users.
Vmemoo may impose internal restrictions on synthetic depictions of deceased persons that are stricter than the minimum requirements of applicable law.
Vmemoo should exercise particular caution with realistic synthetic depictions of recently deceased persons.
17. No Ownership Claim Over a Deceased Person's Identity
Creating a Vmemoo-Created Memorial does not mean that Vmemoo claims ownership of a deceased person's name, image, likeness, voice, signature, personality, biography, reputation or identity.
Vmemoo's rights in original Vmemoo-created text, graphics, layouts, software and other original material are separate from any rights belonging to third parties.
Nothing in this Policy should be interpreted as Vmemoo claiming ownership of third-party intellectual property merely because that material or information relates to a Vmemoo-Created Memorial.
18. No False Endorsement
Vmemoo will not intentionally present a Vmemoo-Created Memorial in a manner that falsely suggests the deceased person endorsed, sponsored, promoted or participated in Vmemoo.
Vmemoo should similarly avoid using the deceased person's identity in advertising in a manner that falsely suggests endorsement, sponsorship or a commercial relationship where none existed.
The truthful statement that Vmemoo created or published a Memorial is distinct from representing that the deceased person or their family endorsed Vmemoo.
Unless expressly stated otherwise, publication of a Vmemoo-Created Memorial should not be interpreted as evidence of family, estate or representative endorsement.
19. Family and Estate Concerns
Vmemoo recognises that Memorials may be deeply personal to surviving relatives and others close to the deceased person.
A family member, estate representative or other person with a legitimate concern may contact Vmemoo regarding a Vmemoo-Created Memorial.
Vmemoo may request reasonable information necessary to understand or verify the nature of a request, particularly where a person asks Vmemoo to take significant action based upon their relationship with or authority concerning the deceased person.
A family relationship does not automatically establish ownership over all factual information concerning a deceased person or over independently created Vmemoo content.
Nevertheless, Vmemoo may give appropriate weight to legitimate family and estate concerns when determining whether a Memorial should be corrected, modified, restricted or removed.
20. Correction Requests
A person who reasonably believes that a Vmemoo-Created Memorial contains a material factual error may contact Vmemoo and request review.
Where reasonably possible, a correction request should identify the relevant Memorial, the information believed to be incorrect, the correction being requested, and any reliable supporting source or evidence.
Vmemoo may independently investigate the matter using reliable sources.
Where Vmemoo determines that a correction is appropriate, Vmemoo may determine the wording, format and manner in which that correction is made, subject to applicable law.
21. Copyright and Intellectual-Property Concerns
A copyright owner, rights holder or authorised representative who reasonably believes that material appearing within a Vmemoo-Created Memorial infringes their rights may use Vmemoo's copyright, reporting or legal-contact process.
A notice should provide sufficient information to allow Vmemoo to identify the Memorial concerned, the material at issue, the right claimed, the basis of the claim, and the person or organisation making the request.
Vmemoo may temporarily restrict or remove disputed material while a credible intellectual-property claim is reviewed.
Nothing in this Policy limits rights or remedies that cannot lawfully be limited.
22. Removal and Restriction
Vmemoo may modify, restrict, unpublish or permanently remove a Vmemoo-Created Memorial where Vmemoo considers such action appropriate.
Relevant considerations may include factual inaccuracy, mistaken identity, inadequate confirmation of death, copyright or intellectual-property concerns, privacy interests concerning living persons, applicable legal obligations, court or regulatory orders, credible family or estate concerns, safety concerns, impersonation, false endorsement concerns, inappropriate or insensitive presentation, inadequate source reliability, changed circumstances, or Vmemoo's reasonable editorial judgment.
Publication of a Vmemoo-Created Memorial does not create an obligation on Vmemoo to maintain that Memorial indefinitely.
23. No Right to a Vmemoo-Created Memorial
No person, family, estate, organisation, institution or Vmemoo user has an automatic right to require Vmemoo to create a Memorial for a particular deceased person.
Vmemoo is likewise not required to create Memorials for every person who may appear to meet similar circumstances or selection criteria.
Selection of Vmemoo-Created Memorials is discretionary.
The existence or absence of a Vmemoo-Created Memorial should not be interpreted as a judgment by Vmemoo concerning the importance, character, reputation or worth of any person.
24. Vmemoo-Created Memorials and User-Created Memorials
This Policy principally governs Memorials independently created and published by Vmemoo.
A Memorial created by a Vmemoo user remains user-created content and does not become Vmemoo editorial content merely because it appears on the Vmemoo platform.
User-created Memorials and Memories remain governed by Vmemoo's Terms of Service, Community Guidelines, Memorial & Deceased-Person Policy and other applicable policies.
Vmemoo's moderation, review, restriction or removal of user-created content does not make Vmemoo the original author of that content.
25. Privacy and Deceased Persons
The legal treatment of information concerning deceased persons differs between jurisdictions.
Accordingly, Vmemoo does not rely upon a universal assumption that information concerning a deceased person is automatically unrestricted merely because the person has died.
Vmemoo may consider, as appropriate, the nature of the information, its source, the purpose for which it is being used, the interests of living persons, applicable privacy or data-protection requirements, intellectual-property rights, personality or publicity rights, confidentiality obligations, and other applicable legal requirements.
Information concerning a deceased person may also reveal personal information about living individuals, and Vmemoo may therefore apply additional safeguards where appropriate.
26. Editorial, Historical and Informational Purposes
Vmemoo-Created Memorials are prepared through an editorial process intended to support accurate, responsible and respectful memorialisation.
That process may include identifying reliable sources, verifying material facts, comparing information across sources, independently preparing original text, reviewing photographs and other media, distinguishing established facts from allegations or opinion, and conducting a human review before publication.
Different jurisdictions may distinguish editorial, journalistic, literary, artistic, historical, informational or other forms of expression from commercial uses of a person's identity or information.
Vmemoo's editorial standards are intended to support responsible publication.
Nothing in this Policy represents that every Vmemoo-Created Memorial necessarily qualifies for any particular statutory exemption, defence or legal classification. That determination remains subject to applicable law and the circumstances of the particular Memorial.
27. Publicly Available Information
Vmemoo may use factual information that has already been publicly reported, published or officially announced by reliable external sources.
"Publicly available information is not necessarily free of copyright, privacy, intellectual-property or other legal rights."
Accordingly, Vmemoo distinguishes between the factual information obtained from a source and the protected expression or media through which another person or organisation communicated that information.
For example, Vmemoo may independently use an established factual date contained within a reliable news report without assuming that Vmemoo may also reproduce the report's written article or photograph.
Vmemoo's source policy therefore addresses reliability and factual verification, while the right to reproduce protected material is assessed separately.
28. Identity, Likeness and Publicity Rights
Some jurisdictions recognise legal rights relating to the commercial use of a person's name, image, likeness, voice, identity or other characteristics.
In some jurisdictions, certain rights may continue after the person's death.
Vmemoo therefore distinguishes between creating a Memorial for memorial, commemorative, historical and informational purposes and using a deceased person's identity to falsely imply endorsement, sponsorship or commercial association.
Vmemoo-Created Memorials are not created for the purpose of commercially exploiting a deceased person's identity.
Vmemoo does not rely solely upon wording within this Policy to determine the legal nature of a particular use.
The actual purpose, presentation and circumstances of the Memorial remain relevant.
Where additional restrictions apply under applicable law, Vmemoo may modify, restrict or decline publication accordingly.
29. Internal Source and Provenance Records
Vmemoo may maintain internal records supporting the preparation and publication of Vmemoo-Created Memorials.
Depending upon the circumstances, those records may include source URLs, source names or publishers, official announcements, dates on which information was checked, dates of publication, factual points relied upon, media sources, licence or copyright information, attribution requirements, editorial notes, correction history, review decisions, and other information reasonably relevant to demonstrating the basis upon which the Memorial was created.
These records may be retained for editorial, legal, security, evidentiary or compliance purposes in accordance with applicable Vmemoo policies and law.
Internal source records do not necessarily need to be displayed publicly within the Memorial.
30. Editorial Discretion
Vmemoo may apply editorial standards that are stricter than the minimum standards required by law.
The fact that information may lawfully be publishable does not mean that Vmemoo must publish it.
Vmemoo may decline to publish or may omit information that Vmemoo reasonably considers unnecessarily intrusive, sensational, inadequately verified, disproportionate, disrespectful, unsafe, misleading, irrelevant to the Memorial's purpose, or inconsistent with Vmemoo's policies or editorial standards.
Vmemoo may exercise this discretion both before and after publication.
31. Changes to a Vmemoo-Created Memorial
A Vmemoo-Created Memorial may be updated as additional reliable information becomes available.
Vmemoo may add factual information, remove information, correct information, clarify information, change photographs or other media, add historical or factual context, restrict particular material, or otherwise revise the Memorial.
The fact that Vmemoo updates a Memorial does not necessarily mean that its previous version was unlawful, negligent or intentionally inaccurate.
Vmemoo may also update a Memorial to improve accuracy, clarity, sensitivity or presentation.
32. Applicable Law
Vmemoo-Created Memorials are subject to applicable law.
Nothing in this Policy is intended to exclude, waive, restrict or override any legal right, obligation or remedy that cannot lawfully be excluded, waived, restricted or overridden.
Where mandatory applicable law conflicts with this Policy, mandatory applicable law prevails.
Vmemoo may restrict, modify or remove particular content, or decline to publish particular content, where Vmemoo considers such action necessary or appropriate to comply with applicable law.
Vmemoo may also adopt jurisdiction-specific internal standards where appropriate.
33. Relationship With Other Vmemoo Policies
This Policy should be read together with Vmemoo's other applicable legal documents and policies, including:
Where this Policy establishes a stricter editorial standard specifically for a Vmemoo-Created Memorial, Vmemoo should apply that stricter standard to its own publication.
Nothing in this Policy reduces obligations imposed by another Vmemoo policy or by applicable law.
- Terms of Service;
- Privacy Policy;
- Community Guidelines;
- Memorial & Deceased-Person Policy;
- Copyright & Intellectual Property Policy;
- Safety, Reporting & Moderation Policy; and
- other applicable Vmemoo policies or notices.
34. Reporting a Concern About a Vmemoo-Created Memorial
A person may contact Vmemoo regarding a legitimate concern involving a Vmemoo-Created Memorial.
Such concerns may include incorrect factual information, mistaken identity, copyright or other intellectual-property concerns, a family or estate concern, privacy concerns involving a living person, sensitive content, misleading presentation, a request for correction, a request for removal, or another legal or safety concern.
Vmemoo may request reasonable additional information where necessary to understand, authenticate or assess a request.
Submission of a request does not guarantee a particular outcome.
Vmemoo will determine the appropriate response based upon the circumstances, available evidence, Vmemoo's policies and applicable law.
35. Contact
Questions, correction requests or other concerns regarding a Vmemoo-Created Memorial may be submitted using the reporting, support or contact mechanisms provided through Vmemoo or its official website.
Vmemoo Limited
Ireland
Website: vmemoo.com
Email: info@vmemoo.com
Where Vmemoo provides a dedicated copyright, privacy, legal or safety contact method, users and rights holders may also use the relevant channel.
When contacting Vmemoo about a specific Memorial, providing the Memorial's URL or other identifying information may assist Vmemoo in locating and reviewing the relevant content.
36. Changes to this Policy
Vmemoo may update this Policy from time to time to reflect changes to the Vmemoo service, changes in Vmemoo's editorial practices, changes in applicable law or regulatory guidance, the introduction of new functionality, experience gained from operating the Vmemoo Official Memorial Programme, or other legal, safety, operational or policy considerations.
Where appropriate, Vmemoo may identify the current version and effective date of this Policy.
Material changes may be communicated through Vmemoo's normal policy-update procedures.
The version published through Vmemoo's official Legal Center or other designated legal-policy location will constitute the current version of this Policy.