Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Umwelt (“Service”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you disagree with any part of these terms, you may not access the Service.

2. Description of Service

Umwelt is a research analysis platform that uses AI technology to help teams transcribe, analyze, and discover insights from user research. The Service includes:

• Audio and video transcription
• AI-powered chat and analysis
• Auto-generated insights
• Team collaboration features
• Organization-wide search capabilities

3. Account Registration

To use the Service, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old
• Provide accurate, current, and complete information
• Maintain the security of your account credentials
• Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access

4. Acceptable Use

You agree NOT to use the Service to:

• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Infringe on intellectual property rights
• Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to systems
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service
• Use the Service for illegal surveillance or data collection
• Resell or redistribute the Service without authorization
• Reverse engineer or attempt to extract source code

5. User Content and Data

Your Ownership

You retain all rights to the research data, files, and content you upload (“User Content”). We do not claim ownership of your User Content.

License to Us

By uploading User Content, you grant us a limited license to process, store, and analyze your content solely to provide the Service. This includes transcribing audio, generating embeddings, and creating AI-powered insights.

Your Responsibilities

You are responsible for:

• Ensuring you have rights to upload and process User Content
• Obtaining necessary consents from research participants
• Complying with data protection laws (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
• Not uploading sensitive personal data without appropriate safeguards

6. Subscription and Billing

Paid Plans

Paid subscriptions are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis. You authorize us to charge your payment method for all fees.

Usage Limits

Plans include specified limits for transcription hours, storage, and AI queries. Overages may result in additional charges or service limitations.

Cancellation and Refunds

You may cancel your subscription at any time. Cancellations take effect at the end of the current billing period. We do not provide refunds for partial months or unused services.

Price Changes

We may change pricing with 30 days notice. Continued use after price changes constitutes acceptance of new pricing.

7. Intellectual Property

The Service, including its code, design, features, and content (excluding User Content), is owned by Umwelt and protected by copyright, trademark, and other laws. You may not copy, modify, or create derivative works without our permission.

8. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates with third-party AI providers (OpenAI, Pinecone) to provide transcription and analysis features. Your use of these features is subject to our terms and the third-party providers' terms.

9. Service Availability

We strive for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may:

• Perform maintenance with or without notice
• Modify or discontinue features
• Impose usage limits
• Suspend access for violations of these Terms

10. Disclaimers and Limitations

No Warranty

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND. We do not guarantee:

• 100% accuracy of transcriptions or AI-generated insights
• That the Service will meet your requirements
• That the Service will be error-free or secure

Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, Umwelt SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE. Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the 12 months prior to the claim.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold Umwelt harmless from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from: (a) your use of the Service, (b) your User Content, (c) your violation of these Terms, or (d) your violation of any rights of another party.

12. Data Backup and Deletion

You are responsible for maintaining backups of your User Content. If you delete content or close your account, data is permanently removed within 30 days and cannot be recovered.

13. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms, fail to pay fees, or engage in harmful conduct. You may terminate your account at any time through the platform settings.

14. Dispute Resolution

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of [Your Jurisdiction], without regard to conflict of law provisions.

Arbitration

Any disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration rather than in court, except you may assert claims in small claims court. You waive the right to participate in class actions.

15. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes via email or platform notification. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

16. Miscellaneous

• Entire Agreement: These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Umwelt
• Severability: If any provision is found invalid, the remaining provisions remain in effect
• No Waiver: Failure to enforce any provision does not waive our right to enforce it later
• Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without our consent. We may assign them freely.

17. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, contact us at: