MerlinRead Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By downloading, installing, or using MerlinRead (the “Service”), you agree to these Terms of Service and to the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not access or use the Service. MerlinRead (“we,” “us,” or “our”) may update these Terms at any time; the “Last updated” date above reflects the most recent version.

2. Scope of the Service

The Service includes the MerlinRead mobile applications, associated application programming interfaces, websites, and customer support channels. Features may include curated access to public-domain books, reading progress synchronization, and optional conversational guidance. We may modify or discontinue any part of the Service at our discretion.

3. Parent/guardian responsibilities and accounts

• The Service is intended for children’s reading. A parent or legal guardian must create and manage the account, provide any necessary consent, and supervise the child’s use.
• The registering adult affirms that they are legally authorized to act for the child and, where required by law (e.g., COPPA in the United States or similar regulations elsewhere), that they consent to MerlinRead’s processing of the child’s data.
• The parent or guardian must maintain control over authentication credentials (Google Sign-In, Apple Sign‑In, or other methods), ensure the device remains secure, and monitor all interactions, including prompts submitted to conversational tools.
• We may suspend or terminate accounts if we reasonably believe a parent/guardian is not supervising use or if any of these Terms are violated.

4. Limited license and acceptable use

We grant you a personal, revocable, non-transferable, non-exclusive license to use the Service for educational and entertainment purposes. You may not:

• Copy, distribute, modify, reverse engineer, or create derivative works from the Service except as permitted by law.
• Bypass or interfere with security or access controls.
• Upload or transmit unlawful, defamatory, infringing, or harmful content.
• Use the Service to mine data, train competing models, or provide services to third parties.
• Access the Service in a manner intended to disrupt, overload, or damage our infrastructure.

5. Public-domain content and Project Gutenberg compliance

• Books within the Service are primarily sourced from Project Gutenberg. Their license requires you to confirm that accessing each title is legal in your jurisdiction.
• All Project Gutenberg trademark notices and license text embedded in an EPUB must remain intact if you download, export, or share the file.
• We provide informational prompts reminding users to confirm local legality. We do not provide legal advice and cannot guarantee that a given work is permitted in every country.

6. Subscriptions, billing, and refunds

• Premium features, if offered, are billed through the Apple App Store or Google Play using RevenueCat as our subscription management provider.
• Prices, promotional offers, billing frequency, and applicable taxes are displayed before purchase. The relevant app store’s terms govern payment processing, renewals, and refunds.
• You may cancel auto-renewing subscriptions through your store account settings. Amounts already billed are non-refundable unless required by applicable law or the app store’s policies.

Apple App Store End User License Agreement (EULA)

For iOS and iPadOS downloads, your license to use MerlinRead is also governed by Apple’s Standard End User License Agreement. Nothing in these Terms overrides the rights and obligations set out in Apple’s EULA.

7. Conversational guidance and educational content

• The Service may provide AI-assisted explanations, summaries, or character simulations. These responses may be incomplete, inaccurate, or inappropriate for a child unless reviewed by an adult.
• All conversational guidance is provided for entertainment and literacy support only. It is not a substitute for professional, educational, legal, or medical advice.
• Parents/guardians must supervise prompts and review responses with the child.

8. User content and feedback

“User Content” includes chat prompts, voice transcripts, reading annotations, and other material transmitted through the Service. You retain ownership of your User Content but grant MerlinRead a worldwide, royalty-free license to host, use, reproduce, adapt, and display that content solely to operate, secure, and improve the Service. You agree that any feedback you provide may be used without obligation to you.

9. Prohibited conduct

• Attempting to access another user’s account or data.
• Sharing harmful software, spam, or unauthorized commercial solicitations.
• Using the Service in violation of export controls or sanctions.
• Infringing intellectual property or privacy rights.
• Introducing content that is hateful, harassing, or otherwise inappropriate for children.

10. Third‑party services

The Service integrates with third-party providers, including Firebase (authentication, analytics), Google and Apple sign-in services, RevenueCat (subscriptions), Sentry (diagnostics), OpenAI/Groq (language processing), and hosting partners. Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms, and we are not responsible for third-party failures beyond our reasonable control.

11. Suspension and termination

• You may stop using the Service at any time and request deletion of associated data by emailing support@mail.merlinread.com.
• We may suspend or terminate access immediately if you breach these Terms, misuse Project Gutenberg material, or compromise the safety of other users.
• Upon termination, the license granted to you ends, but sections that by their nature should survive (e.g., disclaimers, liability limits, indemnities) remain in force.

12. Disclaimer of warranties

The Service is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, or quiet enjoyment. We do not warrant uninterrupted or error-free operation or that all content is lawful in every jurisdiction.

13. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, MerlinRead will not be liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for loss of profits, goodwill, or data, even if advised of the possibility. Our aggregate liability for claims arising out of or relating to the Service will not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts you paid to us in the six months preceding the claim or (b) fifty U.S. dollars (USD $50).

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless MerlinRead, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses arising from your misuse of the Service, violation of these Terms, or infringement of any third-party rights.

15. Governing law and venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the state where MerlinRead primarily operates, without regard to conflict-of-law principles. Mandatory consumer protections of your jurisdiction still apply. Any dispute must be brought in the state or federal courts located in that state, unless applicable law requires a different forum.

16. Changes

We may revise these Terms or any portion of the Service. When we do, we will update the “Last updated” date and, if the changes are material, provide additional notice (for example, via in-app messaging). Continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance.

17. Contact

Questions regarding these Terms, Project Gutenberg compliance, or parental consent may be sent to support@mail.merlinread.com.