Legal Notice, Terms & Privacy

This website is operated by Giovanni van Dam, acting through GVD Holdings (HK) Limited, a company incorporated under the laws of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

GVD Holdings (HK) Limited is the parent entity for consulting activities conducted under the GVDworks brand and technology ventures under Veldspark Labs. References to “we,” “us,” or “our” on this website refer to GVD Holdings (HK) Limited and/or Giovanni van Dam personally, as the context requires.

By accessing and using this website, you accept and agree to be bound by these terms. If you do not agree, please discontinue use immediately.

• You may use this website for lawful, personal, and non-commercial purposes only.
• You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, create derivative works of, publicly display, or exploit any content from this website without prior written consent.
• You may not use automated systems (bots, scrapers, crawlers) to access the website in a manner that sends more requests than a human could reasonably produce.
• You may not attempt to gain unauthorised access to any part of the website, its servers, or any connected systems.
• We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. Your continued use of the website after changes constitutes acceptance.

All content on this website — including but not limited to text, articles, graphics, logos, icons, images, software, source code, design elements, and the selection and arrangement thereof — is the property of Giovanni van Dam and/or GVD Holdings (HK) Limited, and is protected by:

• Hong Kong Copyright Ordinance (Cap. 528)
• Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works (180+ signatory countries)
• EU Copyright Directive (2019/790) and the EU Software Directive (2009/24/EC)
• US Copyright Act (Title 17, USC) and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA)
• Thailand Copyright Act B.E. 2537 (1994)

The brand names “Giovanni van Dam,” “GVDworks,” “Veldspark Labs,” “LeadScoutr,” “TokenPulse,” and “Stowd.it” and their associated logos are trademarks of Giovanni van Dam and/or GVD Holdings (HK) Limited. Unauthorised use of these marks is strictly prohibited.

All SaaS products developed under Veldspark Labs — including their source code, architecture, algorithms, user interfaces, and documentation — are the exclusive intellectual property of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited. Customers are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the software as a service. No ownership of the underlying technology is transferred.

DMCA Notice: If you believe content on this website infringes your copyright, please send a written notice to [email protected] including: identification of the copyrighted work, identification of the infringing material, your contact information, a statement of good faith belief, and a statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate. We will respond promptly to valid notices.

This section sets out the intellectual property ownership provisions that apply to all work performed by Giovanni van Dam and/or GVD Holdings (HK) Limited across all engagements, capacities, and relationships.

4.1 Background IP

All pre-existing intellectual property of Giovanni van Dam and/or GVD Holdings (HK) Limited — including but not limited to tools, frameworks, methodologies, libraries, code repositories, templates, processes, know-how, training materials, and proprietary systems developed prior to or independently of any client engagement (“Background IP”) — remains the sole and exclusive property of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited at all times. No client, employer, partner, or third party acquires any right, title, or interest in any Background IP, regardless of whether it is used in, incorporated into, or referenced during an engagement.

4.2 Foreground IP

All intellectual property created, developed, conceived, or reduced to practice by Giovanni van Dam and/or GVD Holdings (HK) Limited during or in connection with any engagement, in any capacity — including consulting, advisory, directorial, employment, SaaS development, pro bono, or volunteer work (“Foreground IP”) — is and shall remain the exclusive property of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited. This includes, without limitation: code, software, architectures, designs, strategies, business plans, marketing materials, reports, analyses, presentations, documentation, and any derivative works thereof.

4.3 Client Licence

Upon full and final payment of all fees due for a specific engagement, the client is granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable licence to use the specific deliverables produced for that engagement, solely for the client’s internal business purposes. This licence:

• Does not transfer ownership of any intellectual property.
• Does not extend to underlying methodologies, frameworks, tools, or reusable components.
• Is revocable upon material breach of engagement terms or non-payment.
• Does not grant any right to modify, reverse-engineer, sublicence, or redistribute the deliverables.
• Terminates automatically if the client challenges GVD Holdings’ IP ownership.

4.4 Right to Reuse

GVD Holdings (HK) Limited and Giovanni van Dam retain the unrestricted right to reuse, repurpose, adapt, modify, commercialise, publish, and build upon any and all work product, methodologies, frameworks, tools, code, strategies, techniques, concepts, and approaches developed during or in connection with any engagement — across any other client, competitor, product, venture, SaaS offering, publication, training, or purpose whatsoever. No engagement creates an obligation of exclusivity over any work product, methodology, or approach.

4.5 Freedom to Compete

No engagement, contract, advisory relationship, directorship, or other arrangement with Giovanni van Dam or GVD Holdings (HK) Limited creates any implied or constructive:

• Non-compete obligation
• Non-solicitation obligation
• Exclusivity arrangement
• Restriction on serving competitors, similar businesses, or entities in the same industry

Giovanni van Dam and GVD Holdings (HK) Limited are free to engage with, advise, build for, and serve any party at any time, including direct competitors of existing clients. Any restriction on competition must be set out in an explicit, separately negotiated, and signed written agreement referencing this clause.

4.6 Knowledge & Skills

All general knowledge, skills, experience, ideas, concepts, know-how, techniques, and professional expertise acquired or developed by Giovanni van Dam during any engagement are freely retained and usable without restriction. No client, employer, or partner has any claim over general professional development, industry knowledge, or skills gained through working together.

4.7 Pro Bono & Charity Work

The IP ownership provisions in this section apply equally to pro bono, charitable, volunteer, and unpaid work. The absence of payment does not create an implied assignment, transfer, or licence of intellectual property. Charitable organisations and pro bono clients receive the same limited licence described in Section 4.3 (without the payment condition), revocable at GVD Holdings’ discretion.

4.8 Director & Advisory Positions

Where Giovanni van Dam serves as a director, board member, or advisor to a company, all intellectual property created by him in that capacity — including strategies, business plans, technology recommendations, and operational improvements — remains the property of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited, subject to the following carve-out:

• The company’s own pre-existing intellectual property and trade secrets remain the property of that company.
• Giovanni van Dam acknowledges fiduciary duties owed to companies where he serves as a director under the Companies Ordinance (Cap. 622) and equivalent legislation in other jurisdictions. Nothing in this section overrides statutory fiduciary obligations.

For the avoidance of doubt, general strategic advice, frameworks, methodologies, and approaches applied in a directorial or advisory capacity are not trade secrets of the company and remain the IP of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited.

4.9 No Implied Assignment

No intellectual property is assigned by implication, conduct, course of dealing, custom, or operation of law. Any assignment of intellectual property from GVD Holdings (HK) Limited to any third party requires an explicit, signed written instrument specifically identifying the IP to be assigned, executed by a director of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited. Payment of fees alone does not constitute, imply, or evidence an assignment of intellectual property.

We are committed to protecting your personal data in compliance with applicable privacy laws, including:

• Hong Kong Personal Data (Privacy) Ordinance (Cap. 486)
• EU General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
• Thailand Personal Data Protection Act (PDPA) B.E. 2562
• California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) / CPRA

Data Controller

GVD Holdings (HK) Limited is the data controller for personal data collected through this website. Contact: [email protected].

What We Collect

• Contact form submissions: name, email address, and message content — provided voluntarily by you.
• Technical data: IP address, browser type, device information, and pages visited — collected automatically by our hosting infrastructure.

Why We Collect It (Lawful Basis)

• Contact form: To respond to your enquiry (performance of a contract / pre-contractual steps under GDPR Art. 6(1)(b); directly related purpose under PDPO DPP1).
• Technical data: Legitimate interest in maintaining website security and performance (GDPR Art. 6(1)(f); PDPO DPP1).

How Long We Keep It

Contact form submissions are retained for up to 24 months to manage ongoing business relationships, then deleted. Technical logs are retained for up to 90 days. We do not retain personal data longer than necessary for its stated purpose.

Who We Share It With

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal data. Data may be processed by the following categories of service providers, solely to operate this website:

• Hosting provider (Railway / Vercel)
• Email delivery service (Resend) — for contact form responses only

These providers process data on our behalf under appropriate data processing agreements.

Direct Marketing

We do not use your personal data for direct marketing purposes. We will never send you unsolicited marketing communications without your explicit prior consent.

This website uses only essential, strictly necessary cookies required for the website to function (e.g., theme preference). We do not use tracking cookies, advertising cookies, or third-party analytics cookies.

No cookie consent banner is required because we do not deploy non-essential cookies. If this changes in the future, we will implement a consent mechanism in compliance with the EU ePrivacy Directive, Thailand PDPA, and applicable laws before any non-essential cookies are set.

The information on this website is provided for general informational purposes only. While we endeavour to keep the content accurate and up to date:

• We make no representations or warranties, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability, or availability of the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on this website.
• Any reliance you place on such information is strictly at your own risk.
• This website does not constitute professional, legal, financial, tax, medical, or investment advice.
• Case studies, testimonials, and past results described on this website are specific to those engagements and do not guarantee similar outcomes for future clients.
• We do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free access to this website.
• Services provided by GVD Holdings (HK) Limited and Giovanni van Dam are not available to entities incorporated in, headquartered in, or primarily operating in Hong Kong, whether directly or indirectly.

Giovanni van Dam and GVDworks provide IT strategy, business development, and technology consulting services. In relation to these services:

• Content published on this website (including blog articles, case studies, and service descriptions) is for informational purposes only and does not create a client-advisor relationship.
• Readers should seek independent professional advice tailored to their specific circumstances before making business, legal, financial, or technology decisions.
• We are not a licensed law firm, accounting firm, financial advisor, or regulated professional services entity. Our services relate to IT strategy, business development, and technology implementation.
• Advisory engagements are governed by separate engagement agreements. The terms on this website do not supersede any signed engagement agreement.
• We disclaim liability for business outcomes, market conditions, regulatory changes, or third-party platforms and integrations beyond our control.
• Work Product Ownership: All advisory deliverables, strategies, recommendations, frameworks, tools, and work product created during engagements are the exclusive intellectual property of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited. Clients receive a limited licence as described in Section 4.3. Full provisions are set out in Section 4 (Work Product & IP Ownership).
• No Exclusivity or Non-Compete: No engagement creates an implied non-compete, non-solicitation, or exclusivity obligation. Giovanni van Dam and GVD Holdings (HK) Limited are free to serve any party, including direct competitors, at any time. See Section 4.5 for full provisions.

Software-as-a-Service products developed under Veldspark Labs (including but not limited to LeadScoutr, TokenPulse, and Stowd.it) are subject to the following:

• Ownership: All intellectual property in SaaS products — including source code, architecture, algorithms, user interfaces, APIs, and documentation — is and remains the exclusive property of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited.
• Licence: Subscribers receive a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable licence to access and use the service during their active subscription period. No licence to the underlying source code is granted.
• Customer Data: Customers retain ownership of their data. We process customer data solely to provide the service and do not use it for any other purpose.
• Data Portability: Customers may export their data at any time during their subscription. Upon termination, data will be available for export for 30 days, after which it will be permanently deleted.
• Aggregated & Anonymised Data: GVD Holdings (HK) Limited may collect, aggregate, and anonymise usage data, performance metrics, and behavioural patterns for the purposes of product improvement, analytics, benchmarking, and development of new features. Such aggregated and anonymised data does not identify individual customers and is the exclusive property of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited.
• Custom Development: Any custom features, integrations, modules, or enhancements built for a specific customer remain the intellectual property of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited. The customer receives a licence to use such custom development during their active subscription. GVD Holdings (HK) Limited may incorporate custom developments into the general product offering for all customers at its sole discretion.
• Service Provided “As Is”: To the maximum extent permitted by law, SaaS products are provided on an “as is” and “as available” basis without warranties of any kind, except where prohibited (e.g., the implied term of reasonable care and skill under Hong Kong Cap. 457).
• Reverse Engineering: You may not reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise attempt to derive the source code or underlying algorithms of any SaaS product.
• Specific Terms: Each SaaS product may have its own Terms of Service and Privacy Policy which take precedence over the general terms on this page for that product.

To the fullest extent permitted by applicable law:

• Our total aggregate liability for any claims arising out of or related to this website or our services shall not exceed the total fees paid by you to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or HKD 10,000, whichever is greater.
• We shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, or punitive damages, including but not limited to loss of profits, loss of data, loss of business opportunity, or reputational damage.
• Nothing in these terms excludes or limits liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law (including the Hong Kong Control of Exemption Clauses Ordinance, Cap. 71).
• Nothing in these terms affects the implied terms under the Hong Kong Supply of Services (Implied Terms) Ordinance (Cap. 457) to the extent they cannot be excluded.

Depending on your location, you have the following rights regarding your personal data:

All Jurisdictions (HK PDPO, GDPR, PDPA, CCPA)

• Right to access your personal data
• Right to correct inaccurate data
• Right to request deletion / erasure
• Right to withdraw consent at any time

EU/EEA Residents (GDPR)

• Right to restriction of processing
• Right to data portability
• Right to object to processing
• Right not to be subject to automated decision-making
• Right to lodge a complaint with a supervisory authority (e.g., Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens in the Netherlands)

Thailand Residents (PDPA)

• Right to data portability
• Right to restrict processing
• Right to object to processing
• Right to lodge a complaint with the Personal Data Protection Committee (PDPC)

California Residents (CCPA/CPRA)

• Right to know what personal information is collected
• Right to request deletion
• Right to opt out of sale or sharing of personal information
• Right to non-discrimination for exercising your rights

We do not sell or share personal information as defined under the CCPA.

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at [email protected]. We will respond within 30 days (or within the timeframe required by applicable law).

As we operate across multiple jurisdictions (Hong Kong, Netherlands, Thailand, United States), your personal data may be transferred to and processed in countries outside your country of residence.

Where such transfers occur, we ensure appropriate safeguards are in place, including:

• EU Standard Contractual Clauses (SCCs) for transfers from the EU/EEA
• PCPD recommended Model Contractual Clauses for transfers from Hong Kong
• Adequate protections as required under the Thailand PDPA for cross-border transfers
• EU-US Data Privacy Framework adequacy decision where applicable

This website may contain links to third-party websites, including client websites, partner organisations, and external resources. These links are provided for convenience and informational purposes only.

We have no control over the content, privacy practices, or availability of third-party websites and do not endorse or accept responsibility for them. Visiting any linked website is at your own risk, and we recommend reviewing the terms and privacy policies of any third-party site you visit.

These terms, together with any non-contractual obligations arising out of or in connection with them, are governed exclusively by the laws of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

Exclusive Jurisdiction

Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these terms, this website, or any services provided by GVD Holdings (HK) Limited and/or Giovanni van Dam shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Each party irrevocably submits to the exclusive jurisdiction of those courts and waives any objection to proceedings in such courts on the grounds of venue or on the grounds that proceedings have been brought in an inconvenient forum.

Arbitration

At the sole election of GVD Holdings (HK) Limited, any dispute may alternatively be resolved through arbitration administered by the Hong Kong International Arbitration Centre (HKIAC) under the HKIAC Administered Arbitration Rules. The seat of arbitration shall be Hong Kong, the language shall be English, and the arbitral award shall be final and binding on both parties with no right of appeal. The decision to elect arbitration rests exclusively with GVD Holdings (HK) Limited.

We reserve the right to update this legal page at any time. The “Last updated” date at the top of this page will be revised accordingly. Material changes will be highlighted on the website. Your continued use of the website after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

For any questions regarding these terms, your personal data, or to exercise your data rights, please contact: