Terms of Service

1. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service. If you are between 13–18, you may only use the Service under the supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms on your behalf.

2. User Accounts and Registration

2.1 Account Creation

Certain features require an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information;
• Maintain the security of your account credentials;
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use.

You are fully responsible for all activity under your account.

2.2 Verification

We may require verification of your identity at any time to access or continue using the Service. Refusal or failure to verify may result in suspension.

3. User-Generated Content (“UGC”)

3.1 Definition

UGC includes text, data, papers, comments, media, summaries, research notes, databases, and any material you upload or post on the Service.

3.2 Your Responsibility

You retain ownership of your UGC. However, you represent and warrant that:

• You have the right to submit the content;
• The content does not violate any law or third-party rights.

4. Plagiarism, Public Mode, and Use of UGC

Your use of the Service may include features that make your UGC viewable by others (“Public Mode”). Public Mode content is searchable and can be indexed by third-party services.

4.1 No Control Over Third-Party Uses

ScholarLedger is not responsible for:

• Plagiarism of your publicly posted content by other users or external parties;
• Misappropriation, copying, or misuse of your content once made public;
• Third-party indexing or archival of publicly available UGC.

You understand and agree that once content is posted publicly:

• ScholarLedger loses control over that content;
• Other users may copy, store, republish, or adapt the content;
• We cannot guarantee your content will not be used without attribution or permission.

4.2 Plagiarism Prevention Tools

We may provide plagiarism detection tools, similarity reports, and content history logs. These are solely tools and do not prevent plagiarism. You agree:

• ScholarLedger does not guarantee plagiarism detection or prevention accuracy;
• Tools may produce false positives or negatives;
• You are responsible for interpreting and acting on results.

4.3 No Liability for Public Content Outcomes

ScholarLedger is not liable for:

• Damages arising from unauthorized use of your Public Mode content;
• Loss of reputation, income, or intellectual property due to plagiarism or redistribution.

You agree to assume all risks associated with publication of your content.

5. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Violate intellectual property rights;
• Upload unlawful, defamatory, obscene, harmful, or malicious content;
• Interfere with security or network integrity;
• Engage in data mining, scraping, or automated collection without explicit permission.

We may remove content or terminate accounts for violations.

6. DMCA and Copyright

If you believe your copyrighted material is used without authorization, you may submit a DMCA takedown request to our designated agent:

DMCA Agent: yavinfickel at gmail dot com

Takedown requests must include:

1. Your contact information;
2. Identification of the copyrighted work;
3. Identification of the infringing material;
4. A statement under penalty of perjury;
5. Electronic signature.

We will respond in compliance with applicable law.

7. Privacy and Data Use

Your use of the Service is subject to our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference. The Privacy Policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, and how we use it.

We may collect data including:

• Account information;
• Usage analytics;
• Metadata associated with Public Mode UGC;
• IP address and device identifiers.

We treat content in Public Mode differently from private content. Public Mode content may be stored indefinitely and accessible to others.

8. Intellectual Property Rights

8.1 ScholarLedger IP

All Service software, design, brand marks, logos, text, and compilations are owned by us or our licensors.

8.2 Your Content

You retain ownership of your original content. You grant us the rights described in Section 3.

9. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SCHOLARLEDGER DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING:

• MERCHANTABILITY;
• FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE;
• NON-INFRINGEMENT;
• ACCURACY OR RELIABILITY OF CONTENT OR TOOLS.

We do not promise:

• That the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure;
• That plagiarism detection tools are comprehensive or infallible;
• That Public Mode content will be protected from misuse.

10. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, SCHOLARLEDGER SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY:

• INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, SPECIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES;
• LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, GOODWILL, REPUTATION, OR USE;
• CLAIMS ARISING FROM PUBLIC UGC MISUSE OR PLAGIARISM.

IN NO EVENT SHALL SCHOLARLEDGER’S TOTAL AGGREGATE LIABILITY EXCEED $100 USD.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold ScholarLedger harmless from all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including attorneys’ fees) arising out of:

• Your use of the Service;
• Your UGC;
• Your violation of these Terms.

12. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time for:

• Violation of these Terms;
• Fraud, abuse, or harmful conduct;
• Legal obligations.

You may terminate by deleting your account, subject to the retention provisions of the Privacy Policy.

Surviving provisions include Sections: 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 13.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Connecticut, U.S.A. Without regard to conflict of laws.

Any dispute shall be resolved:

• First through good-faith negotiations;
• Then through binding arbitration under the American Arbitration Association rules.

You waive any right to class actions.

14. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will post revisions with a new “Last Updated” date.

If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Service.

15. Contact

For questions about these Terms:

yavinfickel at gmail dot com