General conditions of use for the Thalys.com website

Acceptance of the general conditions

Thalys.com Users are asked to read these General Conditions carefully. They can be accessed via the hyperlink on each of the pages in our website. You are advised to print them out and keep a copy.

Use of the Thalys.com website implies acceptance of the present general conditions without reserve.

You are therefore strongly advised to reread the present general conditions each time You visit this website as Thalys International reserves the right to change them at any time.

The present general conditions are in addition to the special conditions valid for each type of product or service offered on the site, where applicable, by Thalys’ Partners.

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Definitions

"Thalys" refers to the high-speed train service that runs on four networks in four countries, namely, Belgium, France, Germany and Holland and the various trade marks and other distinctive signs that are used by Thalys International in collaboration with Thalys Nederland.

“Thalys International” refers to the Belgian limited liability cooperative, whose head office is at 20 Place Stéphanie, 1050 Brussels (VAT BE 0455.370.557, RPM Brussels), that operates the Thalys train service and the Thalys.com website.

The “Thalys.com Website” or “Website” refers to the site and the web pages operated under the domain or trade name Thalys.com. In particular, this website offers an interface providing access to the websites of Thalys’ Partners, where You can carry out online transactions (bookings, purchases, rentals, etc) whose management is taken care of exclusively by these Partners.

“Partner(s)” refers to any supplier of products and/or services to which the Thalys.com website offers access.

“You” or “the User” refers to any User of the Thalys.com website who books, orders and/or buys any Product and Service offered by thalys.com or its Partners.

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Responsibility of Thalys International with regard to purchasing and booking transactions

1. Contractual relations

If You make purchases or bookings through the Thalys.com website, You will be directed to the web pages of the Thalys International Partner responsible for these transactions.

Please note that the Partners’ websites and pages are not under the control of Thalys International. Indeed, although the Partners’ websites and pages may have the same style and colours as the Thalys.com website pages, they remain the sole responsibility of the Partner. This means that Thalys International is not responsible for their content and cannot guarantee the quality and efficiency of the products and services on offer there.

The booking and/or purchasing of goods and services offered on Partners’ sites take place directly between You and the Partner that offers You its goods and services.

You agree that Thalys International cannot be held responsible for the application or non-application of the agreement between You and the Partner, or for any fault committed by the latter, or for any error occurring in the booking and/or buying of the Partners’ products or services.

For any guarantee relating to Partners’ products or services or for any complaints or question concerning Partners' pages or websites, You must refer directly to the general or specific conditions of the Partner concerned.

2. Customer service

Any question relating to the services supplied by Thalys may be sent to Customer Services at:

  • Thalys International
    Service Clientèle Thalys
    B.P. 14
    B-1050 Bruxelles 5
  • Thalys Nederland:
    Thalys Klantenservice
    Postbus 2372
    NL - 3500 GJ Utrecht
  • Deutsche Bahn:
    DB Fernverkehr AG
    Kundendialog Thalys
    Postfach 100 613
    D-96058 Bamberg

Comments and suggestions relating to the website may be communicated to Thalys International’s customer service department

  • By post :
    Thalys International, B.P. 14, B-1050 Bruxelles 5 (Belgium).
  • By phone :
    From France: 0825 84 25 97 (0,34€ per minute)
    From Belgium: 070 66 77 88 (0,17€ per minute)
    Other countries: either +33 825 84 25 97 (international rate),
    or 00 32 70 66 77 88 (international rate).

3. Refunding of tickets

The refunding of Thalys tickets may be requested :

  • in France: at any of a station’s ticket desks and in all SNCF shops;
  • in Belgium: in SNCB stations open to international traffic ;
  • in Germany: in DB stations open to international traffic;
  • in Holland: in NS stations open to international trafficl;
  • Whatever the country of purchase, requests for the refunding of tickets bought in a travel agency may only be made to the issuing agency, if the type of ticket that You chose entitles You to a refund.
    Your travel agency may apply administrative fees for refunding.
    You should inquire about this as Thalys shall not assume any responsibility for these fees.

Refunding may take place up to 6 months after the travel date shown on Your ticket.

If You ticket was paid for using a credit card, Your point of sale may perform the refund through the credit organisation.

Special conditions apply for the refunding of Thalys tickets sent to the purchaser’s home address.

Thalys tickets printed out by the purchaser are neither exchangeable, nor refundable.

4. Ticketless General Terms and Conditions

4.1 Preamble.

THALYS INTERNATIONAL, a Limited Cooperative Company, incorporated under Belgian law with a capital of 315,000 euros, with its head office at place Stéphanie, 20 - 1050 Brussels, Belgium, registered at the Banque Carrefour des Entreprises in the Brussels Moral Persons Register, under the company number TVA BE 0455.370.557, has created and manages a passenger service on THALYS® trains named Ticketless (hereafter referred to as the “Service” or “TICKETLESS”). The object of the present article is to establish the terms of operation of the Service. These General Terms and Conditions apply to users of the Ticketless service, whatever means of identification they use (Ticketless card n°, Cybelys, Navigo© Pass…). Any person applying for the Service is deemed to have read and unconditionally accepted the present General Terms and Conditions.

4.2 Purpose of the Service.

TICKETLESS is a service entitling registered Thalys customers to travel, subject to certain conditions, on the international THALYS network, without a physical ticket. TICKETLESS is a virtual ticket and replaces the traditional paper ticket. The underlying transport contracts are dematerialized and information (journey date and time, departure and arrival stations, class…) is recorded electronically and can be visualized through different channels some of which are accessible to registered customers (www.thalys.com).

4.3 Registering for the Service.

Any person wishing to register for TICKETLESS must complete an application form available on the www.thalys.com website. The application is validated when the customer receives an email confirming registration. Members of the Cybelys programme are automatically registered for the Service. Only one application per person is accepted. The applicant guarantees the accuracy of all information supplied when registering and will alone bear all responsibility for any erroneous, incomplete or obsolete information transmitted. Any incomplete application may be considered null and void and any application containing false information may give rise to legal proceedings. Applicants authorize any legal verification of their identity, telephone number and postal and electronic addresses.

To enable us to improve the Ticketless service, Users of the website can take part in experiments conducted on and/or off line, with partners of Thalys International. Users can find out about these experiments in the related website pages.

4.4 Membership Validity.

Once validated, Membership remains valid, subject to the Member’s right to terminate Membership, to the right of THALYS INTERNATIONAL to discontinue the service at any moment and to the right of exclusion exercised by THALYS INTERNATIONAL.

4.5 Issuing and Use of Thalys TICKETLESS cards.

Any person, having legitimately completed an application form, who is not in possession of a Cybelys card or a card issued by a partner which is endorsed by the Ticketless Service and has booked a ticket, will receive a Thalys TICKETLESS card by post, addressed with the contact details indicated on the application form. Thalys TICKETLESS cards are personal and carry the first name and surname of the Member and his or her Thalys number. A TICKETLESS card may be used only by the holder. THALYS INTERNATIONAL reserves the right to carry out checks and customers must provide proof of identity if requested. Any Thalys TICKETLESS card found in the possession of another person other than its holder may be confiscated and/or cancelled by THALYS INTERNATIONAL. In the event of loss or theft of a Thalys TICKETLESS card, Members must inform THALYS INTERNATIONAL as soon as possible by calling the Thalys customer service or making a declaration on the www.thalys.com website. THALYS INTERNATIONAL is the owner of all Thalys TICKETLESS cards and has the right to suspend their use at any time.

Thalys TICKETLESS cards cannot be considered as a means of payment or a travel document.

4.6 Conditions of Access.

The Service is only accessible to customers whose registration for the Service has been validated and who have paid the corresponding fare for the journey. For group travel the Ticketless Service can only be offered if all passengers are Members of the Service. The use of TICKETLESS is optional. Members are free to choose to travel with a paper ticket or TICKETLESS.

4.7 Limits and Scope.

The Ticketless Service is available for certain fares and for all international journeys on the Thalys network.

4.8 Booking and Purchasing Methods.

The Ticketless Service can be purchased via the following distribution channels: from SNCB approved travel agencies in Belgium, from SNCF approved travel agencies in France, by calling the Call Centre International on +32 (0)2 528 28 28 (between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday to Friday, and between 9 a.m. and 5.30 p.m. at weekends and on public holidays) for certain SNCB customers and Members of CYBELYS, having been personally informed, by calling Ligne Directe on + 33 (0) 8 92 35 35 36 (everyday from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m., 0.34€/min, subject to modification by telephone operators), via www.thalys.com or www.b-rail.be.
It is not possible to buy a TICKETLESS from a station ticket office. When buying a TICKETLESS, Members will be asked for their Thalys card number. The card’s validity will then be checked.

4.9 Methods of Payment for TICKETLESS.

Methods of payment are as follows: at travel agencies, as for paper tickets, through the Call Centre International, Ligne Directe Cybelys or on Internet, payment must be made by credit card. There is no surcharge for TICKETLESS. In the event of any payment default (for whatever reason: bank refusal or other), all booked TICKETLESS journeys will be invalidated. The deadline for purchasing a TICKETLESS is T-10 mins, i.e. ten minutes before the train leaves. The period of validity of a TICKETLESS is identical to that of a corresponding paper ticket. It is not possible to purchase a TICKETLESS from Train Managers on board a train. Members must have booked and paid for their TICKETLESS before boarding the train, otherwise it will be deemed that they are not in possession of a valid ticket. By purchasing a TICKETLESS it is considered that passengers have accepted the distributor’s terms, the rail operator’s general terms and conditions (SNCB, SNCF, DB and NS) and these general terms and conditions.

4.10 Confirmation of a Reservation.

All TICKETLESS purchases or exchanges are confirmed by email by Thalys International within 24 hours of booking. This confirmation enables customers to keep a record of all information concerning their journeys (date, time, train n°, seat n° …). In the event of cancellation of a TICKETLESS, customers will systematically receive a confirmation of cancellation within 24 hours by email. Customers may also consult the www.thalys.com website for all this information and a list of their journeys (journeys purchased, journeys made). Members will also receive a confirmation of purchase by email for on-line bookings or bookings made at travel agencies. Finally, unless otherwise requested, Members will receive an SMS message confirming their seat numbers one hour before the train’s departure and at the latest10 minutes before the train’s departure in the case of purchases made between one hour and 10 minutes before departure. Emails and SMS messages can only be sent on condition that customers provide a mobile telephone number and an email address when registering as a Member of the Service or subsequently to the Thalys customer service or on the www.thalys.com website.
In the event of Thalys traffic disturbance, THALYS INTERNATIONAL can send an email and/or an SMS message to inform registered customers. THALYS INTERNATIONAL cannot however be held responsible if an email and/or SMS message is not sent, for errors in the information given or for any possible consequences.

4.11 Terms of Use.

Virtual tickets are checked and validated by the THALYS service personnel when passengers board the train and/or electronically on board the train by the Train Manager. Verification may simply involve presentation and validation of the Thalys TICKETLESS and/or the Cybelys card and/or the card of a Thalys partner and/or proof of booking including bar code and/or presentation of an official ID card. Members travelling with a TICKETLESS may request an upgrade from Comfort 2 to Comfort 1, or an extension of their journey (with the same conditions as for paper tickets and subject to availability of seats). As with paper tickets, the Train Manager will ask passengers to pay any price difference.

4.12 After-Sales.

All after-sales operations (exchanges or refunds) are subject to the terms and conditions applicable to the fare category. These terms and conditions are identical to those applicable to paper tickets purchased at the same price, except that the deadline for exchanges by telephone is T-10, that is to say 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time. EXCHANGES: TICKETLESS journeys purchased from the Call Centre International and Ligne Directe may be exchanged free of charge from the Call Centre International and Ligne Directe. TICKETLESS journeys purchased from travel agencies in Belgium may be exchanged at the travel agency that issued the ticket. TICKETLESS journeys purchased from travel agencies in France may be exchanged at the travel agency that issued the ticket. In the event of an exchange through the Call Centre International of Comfort, fare or journey for a TICKETLESS purchased on-line, at a travel agency, or via Ligne Directe, the Call Centre International will issue a paper document, which Members must collect from the station. REFUNDS: the following distribution channels may be used to claim refunds: for a TICKETLESS journey purchased at a travel agency, the ticket can be refunded at the agency at which it was purchased; in the case of a TICKETLESS journey purchased on-line or through the Call Centre International, refunds are made by Call Centre International; in the case of a TICKETLESS journey purchased via Ligne Directe, refunds are handled by Ligne Directe. Passengers are advised to claim refunds within 2 months after the scheduled travel date.

4.13 Improper Use, Fraud or Attempted Fraud.

Members are authorised to travel TICKETLESS only if they hold valid cards in their name. To be valid, the TICKETLESS must be registered in the THALYS INTERNATIONAL information system, otherwise it will be deemed that the passenger is without a valid ticket and the situation will be dealt with by the Train Manager. In the event of confirmed fraud on a TICKETLESS journey, any other TICKETLESS journeys that a customer has booked and not yet used will not be refunded. In this event, the same regulations apply as those applicable to paper tickets. The THALYS Customer Service will deal with any complaints regarding the use of the Ticketless Service.

4.14 Disputes regarding the Use of a TICKETLESS Journey.

In the event of a dispute concerning the use of a TICKETLESS journey, Members concerned must lodge complaints with the THALYS Customer Service within one month after the date of the journey. No claims can be accepted after this deadline.

4.15 Lose or Theft of the Thalys TICKETLESS Card.

In the event of loss or theft of a Thalys TICKETLESS card, and if the Member has any TICKETLESS journeys that have not yet been used, he or she must contact the distribution channel through which they were purchased. The relevant channel will refund the cost after having checked that the TICKETLESS journeys in question have not been used in the meantime. If a Member fails to report the loss or theft of his or her Thalys TICKETLESS card, it will be deemed that the TICKETLESS journeys made with his card number have been used by the Member concerned and the cost will not be refunded.

4.16 Change of a Member’s Contact Details.

Any change of name, address, email address or any information necessary for the efficient running of the Ticketless Service must be conveyed as quickly as possible, by telephone, to Thalys Customer Service or via the www.thalys.com website.

4.17 Exclusion of Customers from the Ticketless Service.

THALYS INTERNATIONAL reserves the right to exclude from the Ticketless Service any customer who does not comply with these General Terms and Conditions, or who makes abusive or fraudulent use of the TICKETLESS Service. Exclusion leads to the immediate loss of all advantages and privileges of TICKETLESS Membership. Members who have been excluded from the Service may be excluded from making any future Membership applications. Exclusion will not give rise to any compensation or indemnity.

4.18 Modification and Termination of the Ticketless Service.

THALYS INTERNATIONAL reserves the right to change or modify the Ticketless Service at any time, without prior notice. Members will be informed of these modifications by any means, within a reasonable timeframe. If Members do not accept these modifications, they are free to terminate Membership according to the conditions stated in Article 19 below. THALYS INTERNATIONAL has the right to terminate the Ticketless Service at any time, with a period of 3 months notice. THALYS INTERNATIONAL is not liable for losses, costs or any other damages resulting directly or indirectly from modifications, or the termination of the Ticketless Service.

4.19 Termination by a Member.

Members may, at any time, terminate Membership to the Ticketless Service. In this case, they must inform THALYS INTERNATIONAL of this decision by registered post with acknowledgement of receipt. Membership is terminated on the date on which THALYS INTERNATIONAL receives the registered letter. If a Member passes away, the TICKETLESS Membership and use of related Services and Advantages automatically end. Termination does not give rise to any compensation or indemnity.

4.20 Liability.

THALYS INTERNATIONAL cannot be held liable in the event of any delay, loss or poor distribution of mail or of mail being sent to the wrong address, of unavailability or malfunctioning of the Service or in the event of telephone and Internet connection problems delaying or preventing it from carrying out its obligations within the framework of the Ticketless Service. Although THALYS INTERNATIONAL does everything possible to ensure that all the information provided by Members or to Members is correct, THALYS INTERNATIONAL cannot be held liable for inaccuracies concerning the content of the information or of any consequences of such inaccuracies. THALYS INTERNATIONAL cannot be held liable for any fraudulent use of a TICKETLESS card.

4.21 Validity of Clauses.

In the event that one or more clauses of these General Terms and Conditions is/are declared null and void, illegal, or if they cannot be implemented, all other clauses will remain valid and continue to be binding between the Parties.

4.22 Governing Law – Jurisdiction.

Any disputes concerning the interpretation or implementation of these General Terms and Conditions will be subject to Belgian law and the competent jurisdiction in Brussels.

4.23 Language Versions.

These General Terms and Conditions are available in French, Dutch, English and German. In the event of any clauses in the General Terms and Conditions being translated, the French language version will prevail.

4.24 Data Processing and Freedom.

In accordance with the provisions of the Law of 8th December 1992 regarding the Protection of Personal Data, Members are informed and agree that all information given in the application questionnaire will be processed by automated means by THALYS INTERNATIONAL. This personal data will enable THALYS INTERNATIONAL to convey information concerning new Advantages and Services including Direct Marketing, to consenting Members by electronic means. With the same objective, information concerning the customer can be given to Partners and Service Providers linked contractually to THALYS INTERNATIONAL, with the exception of Navigo and Navigo Découverte pass serial numbers and information that has been recorded during inspection of these passes, which enables a test customer’s journeys to be traced.

The Navigo Pass number corresponds to the manufacturer's serial number and is the only Navigo data recorded. No other data given in the Pass will be read, recorded or processed by Thalys International.

Members are informed that they have the right to access, rectify and delete personal data held by THALYS INTERNATIONAL. This right of direct access, rectification and deletion may be exercised upon written request to THALYS INTERNATIONAL – Service clientèle, Place Stéphanie, 20, B-1050 Brussels, or directly via the www.thalys.com website provided that Members have their email address and password.

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Thalys International’s responsibility with regard to the use of the Thalys.com website

Thalys International accepts no responsibility for direct or indirect damage resulting from a fault or omission on its part, even if the damage is serious, connected with :

  1. The website Thalys.com, including its unavailability or its technical efficiency. Thalys International may stop access to the website, or to part of it, without warning, at its entire discretion.
  2. The information available on the website, its possible inaccuracy and the content and use of websites connected to the Thalys.com site through hypertext links.
  3. Viruses, hacking attacks, computer worms or wrongdoing likely to be qualified as computer crime whose aim is to damage the computer system of one of the site's Users in one way or another, except in the case of wilful misconduct by Thalys.

Thalys International cannot guarantee that the website and the products and services offered there are compatible with the User’s computer hardware.

Thalys International reserves the right, with no obligation to inform You beforehand, to change the functionalities allowing the consulting of this website.

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The Thalyseo service

Thalyseo is a service that enables registered Thalys passengers (hereafter referred to as the “User”), subject to certain conditions, to contact other passengers travelling on the same Thalys trains for business purposes.

Any person wishing to use the Thalyseo service must first register and undertake to respect the following conditions of use. Otherwise, the Thalyseo registration cannot be accepted.

1 Registering with Thalyseo

To sign up for Thalyseo, the User must be over 18 and must complete all the mandatory fields on the registration forms.

Equipment (computers, software, means of telecommunication, etc.) giving access to the Thalyseo service and telecommunication costs relating to their use, are the sole responsibility of the User.

The User guarantees that the information given is accurate and true. The User agrees to provide a real email address, which effectively belongs to him/her. The User agrees not to make any claim and/or pursue legal action against Thalys International in the event of non-receipt of service messages from Thalyseo.

Once registered, the User will be given one or several personal and confidential login(s) and password(s). These must not be communicated to or shared with third parties. Under no circumstances can Thalys International be held responsible for the loss of usernames and/or passwords.

In the event the User uses these elements in any way that is contrary to their purpose, Thalys International reserves the right to terminate the account without prior notice. The User will be solely liable for the use of these authentication elements by third parties or for actions or statements made through his/her account, whether fraudulent or not. The User guarantees not to hold Thalys International responsible for any request to this effect.

Furthermore, Thalys International does not have the means to check the identity of people registering for its services, and cannot be held responsible in the event of identity theft. If the User believes that someone is using his/her account or identity, he/she must inform Thalys International immediately by post at the address below or by email.

When a User wishes to sponsor a contact and provides Thalys International with his/her address, he/she warrants having received this person's prior consent authorizing his/her data to be processed by Thalys International. Furthermore, the sponsor is exclusively responsible to Thalys International for this person and any third parties for the consequences of providing his/her contact information to Thalyseo.
Thalys International reserves the right to deactivate the accounts of Users who have not connected to the service for a period of 6 (six) months or more.

2 Using Thalyseo

Once registered, the User has access to the Thalyseo services.

When using Thalyseo, he/she specifically agrees to respect the following rules:

  • To comply with current laws and respect the rights of third parties and the present clauses.
  • To act loyally towards Thalyseo and other Users.
  • To respect Intellectual Property rights relating to contents supplied by Thalyseo and other Users.
  • Never to use Thalyseo for any other purpose than was initially intended.
  • Not to overload the service in any manner whatsoever. Specifically, no more than 1,000 Thalyseo pages must be loaded during the same day without written authorisation from Thalys International.
  • To communicate to Thalyseo and other Users only information that cannot be considered to be in any way prejudicial.
  • Not to distribute information or contents that are not in accordance with the truth.
  • Not to distribute information or contents circumventing the rights of others or of a defamatory, insulting, obscene, offensive, violent or inciting to violence, political, racist or xenophobic nature and, as a general rule, any content that is contrary to the purpose of Thalyseo, to laws and regulations in effect or to morality.
  • Not to distribute information or contents the effect of which is to diminish, disorganize, prevent the normal use of Thalyseo, disrupting and/or slowing down the normal circulation of communications between Users.
  • Not to take part directly or indirectly in a network aiming to carry out practices similar to pyramid sales or services.
  • Not to take part directly or indirectly in setting up or developing a network aiming to carry out practices similar to Multi-Level Marketing.
    Furthermore, it is prohibited to recruit Independent Direct Sales Consultants for the setting up of a sales network or other similar practices.

In the event of infringement by a User of one or more of these rules, Thalys International reserves the right to unilaterally terminate his/her contract, to block the account of the User in question, to automatically delete litigious messages, to prevent the posting of all or part of a User's profile, and/or to block his/her access to all or part of the services, on a temporary or permanent basis, without any compensation.

Thalys International cannot be held liable for false statements made by a User. Thalys International disclaims all responsibility related to any meetings between Thalyseo Users, on Thalyseo or during meetings between Users and/or non-Users, following the use of its site and services.

3 Advertisers space / Lead Space

Information liable to be collected on Thalyseo is exclusively designed to allow the User to extend his/her business network.

4 Data confidentiality

The Thalys.com website respects its Users’ right to privacy and was the object of a declaration registered with the "Commission de la Protection de la Vie Privée", B.P. 4, Brussels 37 B-1000 Brussels.

Certain information, indications or contents (particularly photographs) that Users may supply can, under the responsibility of the User concerned, reveal his/her ethnic origins, nationality and/or religion. By supplying information such as this, all of which is optional, the User concerned demonstrates his/her wish and, consequently gives his/her explicit consent for this “sensitive” information to be processed by Thalys International and unreservedly takes exclusive responsibility.

In accordance with Belgian law regarding the protection of the right to privacy, the User has a right of access, modification, rectification and deletion of data concerning him/her.

This right may be exercised:

  • Either by writing to:
    Thalys International
    Thalys.com Customer Service – Users
    B.P. 14
    B-1050 Brussels 5
  • or by consulting "your Thalyseo data" on the Thalys.com website.

The information provided is used for our various services. All precautions have been taken to store this data in a secure environment. The information entered by the User concerning him/her will not be communicated to a third party, sold or exchanged.

During the creation and/or modification of a profile common to Thalyseo/Viadeo, the User acknowledges and accepts that the data he/she provides is processed simultaneously by Thalys International and Viadeo.

Due to the very nature of a website, some non-personal data may be collected such as the version of the browser (Netscape, Internet Explorer, etc...), operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux, etc...) and IP address.

Thalyseo uses cookies when the User visits the site, so that he/she does not have to enter the same information every time he/she consults a page. The use of cookies can be deactivated by changing the preferences in the Internet browser. In this case, certain Thalyseo features may not be accessible.

Profile information is accessible on Thalyseo. The User therefore expressly authorizes Thalyseo to reproduce and distribute the data relating to him/her throughout all or part of Thalyseo or by email. If the User does not want Thalyseo to reproduce or distribute this data, he/she may terminate his/her Thalyseo account according to the conditions set forth in the present article. The User may also delete this information directly on the site.

5 Intellectual Property

The trademarks, logos, graphics, photographs, animations, videos and texts included on the www.thalys.com website are the intellectual property of Thalys International or its partners and may not be reproduced, used or represented by third parties without the express authorisation of Thalys International, otherwise they will be prosecuted.

User rights are granted by Thalyseo only in digital form on the User’s computer for the viewing of the pages consulted by his/her software browser. Printouts are authorised for private copies for the exclusive use of the person who has made the copies. Any other use is prohibited without prior written consent from Thalys International.

Users are specifically prohibited from modifying, copying, reproducing, downloading, distributing, transmitting, commercially exploiting and/or distributing in any manner whatsoever the services, pages from the www.thalys.com website or the computer codes of the items making up the services and the www.thalys.com website.

Thalys International is licensed to use the intellectual property rights associated with the content provided by Users for the purpose of communication on the www.thalys.com website. This license specifically grants Thalys the right to reproduce, represent, adapt, translate, digitize, use for advertising, commercial or non-commercial purposes, to sub-license or surrender any of the content concerning the User (information, description, etc.).

The User expressly authorises Thalys International to modify the aforementioned contents to respect the graphic charter of the www.thalys.com website or other communications media cited above and/or make it compatible with its technical performance requirements or the formats of related media.

6 Liability

The information provided by a User must be accurate and true. The consequences of its disclosure on his/her life and/or on that of other Users are his/her exclusive responsibility. The User waives the right to any legal action against Thalys International, and specifically on the basis of potential impairment to his/her right of personal image, honour, intimacy of private life, resulting from the distribution or disclosure of any information concerning him/her.
Thalys International cannot be held liable for the accuracy or inaccuracy of information and content provided by other Users, visitors to the site and/or the User himself/herself. Furthermore, Thalys International cannot be held liable for contents distributed by a User that may infringe the rights of one or several other Users.
The quality of the www.thalys.com website sought by Thalys International and its Users, implies the respect of certain ethics in the expression and conduct of Users, the respect of third party rights, and the respect of current laws and regulations. In an aim to achieve this level of quality, individual responsibility and ethics, Users can inform Thalys International on the www.thalys.com website of any data (photographs, texts), conduct or comments of any User that they consider infringe the current laws and rules, undermine the image or the object of Thalys International, third party rights or good moral practices. Consequently, Users acknowledge and agree that the information they provide, their conduct and their comments can be the object of a report by other Users and modification and/or inspection by Thalys International, on the basis of objective appreciation criteria. In the event that this report and/or inspection reveals a violation by the User of the current laws and rules and his/her contractual obligations, the clauses of these Conditions of Use, particularly article 2 – “Using Thalyseo” could be applied.

In the event that the liability of Thalys International is evoked because a User has failed to respect the obligations under the terms of the law or the present Conditions of Use, the aforementioned User guarantees not to hold Thalys International responsible for any proceedings taken against him/her. This guarantee covers any fines and lawyer fees or legal costs that the User has to pay.

7 Operation of Thalyseo

The User must possess the skills, hardware and software required for Internet use and acknowledge that the characteristics and limitations of the Internet do not make it possible to guarantee the security, availability and integrity of Internet data transmissions.
Thalys International does not guarantee that the services will function without any interruption or error. They may be momentarily interrupted for reasons of maintenance, update or technical improvement, or for the upgrade of their content and/or presentation.
Where possible, Thalys International will inform Users before any maintenance or update operations take place. The User waives the right to hold Thalys International responsible for the operation and exploitation of the www.thalys.com website.

In the same way, Thalys International will not be held liable in the event of failure, access denial, or poor conditions of use of the Thalys.com website due to inadequate equipment, to interruptions attributable to the User's access provider, to Internet network congestion, and/or any other reason out of Thalys International’s control.

Thalys International will not under any circumstances be responsible for indirect damages incurred, and specifically for the loss of data (including copies) or recordings that the User might have performed.

8 Thalyseo Modifications

Thalys International reserves the right to modify or to upgrade at any time the pages located on the www.Thalys.com website, its services, or their applicable terms of use.
These modifications will become effective as soon as they are put online on the www.thalys.com website without prejudice to the possibility of any User to terminate his/her Thalyseo subscription.
If the User does not terminate his/her subscription, he/she will be deemed to have accepted these modifications by continuing to use the www.thalys.com website. Users are therefore invited to view the most recent online version on the site. A User’s presence on the site implies his or her full acceptance of any revision or modification of the www.thalys.com website.

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Protecting of the website

The content and presentation of the Thalys.com website (text, layout, graphic elements, logos, etc), the trade name “Thalys” and the trademarks and other elements making up this website are protected by intellectual property rights held by Thalys International.

Any copying or communicating to the public, by whatever means, or any adapting, translating, processing or use, even if this is partial, of the content of the website, is prohibited without the prior written agreement of Thalys International.

Thalys reserves the right to authorise or prohibit the creating of a hypertext line between Your website and Thalys.com.
For any request for authorisation, please contact Thalys international at the following address link@web.thalys.com.

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Protecting of website Users’ data privacy

Thalys International wishes to ensure the data privacy of its website Users. To this end, it has implemented security measures designed to prevent any loss, improper use or alteration of any personal information relating to website Users to which Thalys International may have access.

Each time a User visits the site, the Thalys International web server automatically recognises Your IP address and/or Your domain name.

1. personnal data

Thalys international shall retain the following personal data when You visit our website :

  • Your e-mail address when You send messages/questions to the site ;
  • Any information that You have voluntarily communicated to Thalys International (for example, requests for information and/or website registrations).

2. Data kept for processing purposes

This personal data is used to :

  • Improve the contents of the Thalys.com website ;
  • Inform You about website updates ;
  • Contact You for marketing purposes.

Thalys International may employ personal data for new uses that are not yet provided for in the general conditions. In this case, and before employing Your data for these new uses, Thalys International will contact You to inform You of the changes made to its rules relating to personal data and give You the chance to oppose these new uses.

Using the data available to Thalys International, Thalys International may in particular send You the Thalys Information Letter, and any other commercial information, by post and/or e-mail.

3. Transferring of personal data

Thalys International reserves the right to communicate the personal data relating to You to its Partners or to contractually bound organisations that offer products or services likely to interest You.
This information is strictly for usage by Thalys International only and will not be disclosed to third parties without your prior permission.

4. Information letter

Thalys.com offers the website’s Users, free of charge, a service named “Information letter”. This letter's aim is above all instructional and informative. It contains information allowing Users to make better use of the Thalys.com website and promotes its new products and services. Website Users who no longer wish to receive the Information Letter can unsubscribe with a simple click of the mouse.

5. Right of access, correction and deletion

In accordance with Belgian law relating to the protection of data privacy, You are entitled to access, modify, correct and delete information about You.

You may exercise this right :

  • Either by sending a letter to :

    Thalys International
    the customer service - Thalys.com Users
    B.P. 14
    B-1050 Bruxelles 5

  • Or by consulting « your Thalys data » on the Thalys.com website.

6. Droit d’opposition

You have a right of opposition that may be exercised :

  • Either by sending a letter to :

    Thalys International
    the customer service - Thalys.com Users
    B.P. 14
    B-1050 Bruxelles 5

  • Or by consulting « your Thalys data » on the Thalys.com website.

To unsubscribe from the Information Letter, the right of opposition may also be exercised :

  • By clicking on the link at the bottom of the Information letter: “If You no longer wish to receive the information letter, click here.
  • Or by consulting « your Thalys data » on the Thalys.com website.

If Users have expressed their refusal to receive the Thalys.com Information Letter, they may return to the site as many times as they wish to make a booking or order on the Website with the same address, but they will only receive the Information Letter if they expressly request this.

7. Cookies

Browsing on the Site may entail the installing of cookies in Your computer. These make visiting the website simpler and improve the ergonomics of the dialogue between the computer and the site.

You may refuse the installing of the cookie on Your computer, but such a refusal may prevent access to some of the Website’s services.

You may prevent the recording of "cookies" by configuring Your browser as follows :

  • If you surf the internet using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6: click on “Tools”, “Internet options”, “Privacy”, “Advanced” ; select “Prompt”, or “Block” from the available options.
  • If you surf the internet using Mozilla Firefox 1.5: click on “Tools”, “Options”, “Privacy”, “Cookies” and set the options according to your preferences.
  • If you surf the internet using Opera 8.5: click on “Tools”, “Preferences”, “Advanced”, “Cookies” and set the options according to your preferences.
  • If you surf the internet using Camino 1.0: click on “Camino”, “Preferences”, “Privacy” and select “Don’t accept any cookies” or “Accept cookies only from sites you visit”.
  • If you surf the internet using Safari 2.0: click on “Safari”, “Preferences”, “Security” and select “Accept Cookies: Never”.

8. Data privacy protection commission

You may obtain additional information from the Commission de la Protection de la Vie Privée (data privacy protection commission), boîte postale no. 4, Bruxelles 37, B-1000 Bruxelles, to whom Thalys has declared the data that is processes.

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Obligations of the website’s Users

The User undertakes :

  1. (a) not to use the Thalys.com website for illegal purposes or purposes that may damage the rights of Thalys International or third-parties, and in particular, not to use the site to distribute damaging or illegal information, or information that is distasteful, discriminatory or offensive towards Thalys International or third-parties;
  2. (b) not to disrupt access to the Thalys.com website, access Thalys International’s computer systems, modify the site, use it to transmit computer viruses, hacking attacks, computer worms, etc, or commit misdemeanours likely to be qualified as computer crimes;
  3. (c) comply with the present general conditions of use.

If a website User does not comply with these obligations, Thalys International reserves the right to immediately prohibit and block access to its website, prohibit access to its network with no refunding of any tickets paid for and claim for damages.

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Applicable law and competent court

Any dispute relating to the validity, interpretation, application or non-application of the rights and obligations connected with the use of the Thalys.com website is subject to Belgian law. Disputes may only be brought before the Brussels courts.