Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

2. Nature of the Service

Spicebound is a book-discovery tool. We display high-level book metadata — including AI-generated classifications such as spice level, tropes, creatures, subgenres, age level, and series status — and we provide links to third-party retailers.

• We do not sell, host, distribute, or lend books or any book content. Purchases happen on third-party sites, subject to their terms.
• Classifications are AI-generated estimates and may be inaccurate, incomplete, or out of date. They are provided for informational and entertainment purposes only and are not a substitute for your own judgment. Age-level and spice indicators are estimates, not content certifications or parental-control guarantees. Do not rely on them as the sole basis for any purchase or reading decision.

3. Eligibility and Accounts

• You must be 18 years of age or older to create an account, purchase a subscription, or otherwise use the Service. By using the Service, you represent that you are 18 or older.
• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.
• You agree to notify us promptly of any unauthorized access or security breach.
• You may not use another person's account without permission.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if we reasonably believe you have violated these Terms or engaged in behavior that may harm the Service or other users.

4. License and Permitted Use

We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service for your personal, non-commercial use, subject to these Terms.

You agree not to:

1. Copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Service;
2. Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code from any software associated with the Service;
3. Use automated systems (e.g., bots, scrapers) to access or interact with the Service without our prior written consent;
4. Use the Service in a way that violates any applicable law or infringes any third party's rights;
5. Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or data, or interfere with the proper functioning of the Service.

We reserve all rights not expressly granted to you in these Terms.

5. User Content

Some parts of the Service may allow you to submit text, ratings, reviews, notes, or other content ("User Content").

You retain ownership of your User Content. By submitting it, you grant Spicebound a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, modify (for formatting and display), publish, and display that content solely to operate, provide, secure, and improve the Service. This license ends within a commercially reasonable time after you delete the relevant User Content or your account, except that (a) we may retain residual copies in routine backups for a limited period, and (b) the license survives for User Content you have shared with others who have not deleted it.

You represent and warrant that:

• You own or have the rights to submit such content;
• Your User Content does not violate any law or infringe others' intellectual property, privacy, or other rights; and
• Your User Content is not unlawful, defamatory, harassing, hateful, obscene, or otherwise objectionable.

We may, but are not obligated to, monitor or remove User Content that violates these Terms or is otherwise harmful.

6. Paid Plans, Subscriptions, and Billing

Certain features require payment ("Paid Plans"). The following terms apply when you purchase a Paid Plan:

• Authorization and auto-renewal. Paid Plans are billed in advance on a recurring monthly or annual basis, as selected by you at checkout. By subscribing, you authorize us and our payment processor to charge your payment method on a recurring basis until you cancel. The renewal term, billing frequency, and price are disclosed clearly and conspicuously before you complete your purchase, and your enrollment requires your affirmative consent to those terms.
• Renewal. Subscriptions automatically renew at the then-current price for the same term unless you cancel before the renewal date.
• Cancellation. You may cancel at any time, online and without contacting us, through your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and you retain access until then.
• Refunds. Except where required by law, payments are non-refundable. We may consider refund requests on a case-by-case basis at our discretion.
• Price and plan changes. We may change fees, features, or billing cycles. We will give you reasonable advance notice before any change takes effect for your next billing period, and the change will not apply retroactively. If you do not agree, you may cancel before the change takes effect.
• Free trials and promotions. If we offer a free trial or promotional price, we will disclose the terms before you enroll, including when the trial or promotional price ends and what you will be charged afterward unless you cancel.
• Payment processing. Payments are processed by a third-party provider (currently Stripe). We do not store full payment card numbers. You agree to provide accurate payment information and are responsible for applicable taxes, currency conversions, and bank fees.

7. Intellectual Property

All content, software, design, branding, and other materials provided by or through the Service ("Spicebound Content") are owned or licensed by us and protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

You may not use Spicebound's name, logos, or marks without our prior written consent. Except for your own User Content, you may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from any Spicebound Content without authorization.

If you provide suggestions, ideas, or feedback ("Feedback"), you agree that Spicebound may use that Feedback freely, without compensation or obligation to you.

8. Third-Party Links and Services

The Service contains links to third-party websites and services (e.g., Amazon and external data sources). These are not controlled by us, and we are not responsible for their content, policies, or practices. Your interactions with third-party sites are solely between you and those parties, and we are not liable for any damages or losses arising from them. We may earn affiliate commissions on qualifying purchases made through outbound links; see our Privacy Policy for details.

9. Copyright Complaints (DMCA Policy)

If you believe content on the Service infringes your copyright, please send a notice to hello@readspicebound.com containing:

1. Your physical or electronic signature;
2. A description of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed;
3. The URL or description of the infringing material and its location on the Service;
4. Your contact information (name, address, phone, email);
5. A statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
6. A statement, under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner.

We may remove or disable access to allegedly infringing material and will terminate repeat infringers in appropriate circumstances.

10. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without cause, notice, or liability, including if you violate these Terms.

Upon termination:

• Your right to use the Service will immediately cease;
• We may delete your account and associated data in accordance with our Privacy Policy; and
• Sections that by their nature should survive (e.g., intellectual property, disclaimers, limitations of liability, indemnification, and dispute resolution) will remain in effect.

You may stop using the Service at any time by deleting your account or ceasing access.

11. Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Spicebound and its members, officers, employees, contractors, agents, and licensors from any claims, damages, liabilities, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

• Your access to or use of the Service;
• Your violation of these Terms;
• Your User Content; or
• Your violation of any third party's rights or any applicable law.

12. Disclaimers

The Service and all content provided through it are offered on an "as is" and "as available" basis, without warranties of any kind.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, and accuracy. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, secure, or free from harmful components.

As noted in Section 2, book data, ratings, classifications, and recommendations are AI-generated, informational only, and may contain inaccuracies or omissions. You rely on them at your own risk.

Some jurisdictions do not allow limitations on implied warranties, so some of the above may not apply to you.

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Spicebound and its affiliates will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, punitive, or special damages, including loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of the Service.

Our total liability for any claim related to the Service will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) $50 USD.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so these may not apply to you.

14. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Florida, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles.

Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Palm Beach County, Florida, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction and venue of those courts.

Nothing in these Terms removes any mandatory consumer-protection rights you may have under the laws of your place of residence.

15. Changes to the Service

We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any feature or part of the Service at any time, with or without notice. We will not be liable to you or any third party for any modification, suspension, or discontinuance.

16. No Waiver and Severability

Our failure to enforce any provision does not waive our right to enforce it later. If any provision is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect to the fullest extent possible.

17. Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and any supplemental product terms, constitute the entire agreement between you and Spicebound and supersede all prior or contemporaneous agreements relating to your use of the Service.

18. Contact

For questions or notices regarding these Terms:

Email: hello@readspicebound.com