Terms of Service for Dorsal Hub LTD

Effective Date: 2025-12-10
Last Updated: 2025-12-10

PLEASE READ THESE TERMS OF SERVICE CAREFULLY. BY ACCESSING OR USING THE SERVICE, YOU AGREE TO BE BOUND BY THESE TERMS. IF YOU DO NOT AGREE TO ALL OF THESE TERMS, DO NOT ACCESS OR USE THE SERVICE.

1. Introduction

These Terms of Service ("Terms") form a legally binding agreement between you ("User," "you," "your") and Dorsal Hub LTD, a company registered in the United Kingdom ("DorsalHub," "we," "us," "our"). These Terms govern your access to and use of the DorsalHub website (dorsalhub.com), all related services, and the Application Programming Interface (API) (collectively, the "Service").

These Terms do not apply to the source code of the Dorsal Python library itself, which is a separate piece of software made available to you under the Apache 2.0 Licence.

2. The Dorsal Client Library

DorsalHub provides a Python client library named Dorsal (the "Library") to facilitate interaction with the Service.

  • 2.1. License: The Library is an open-source project, and your rights to use, copy, modify, and distribute the Library's source code are governed exclusively by the terms of the Apache 2.0 Licence, a copy of which is included with the Library's source code.
  • 2.2. Use with the Service: When you use the Library to connect to, access, or otherwise interact with the DorsalHub Service (e.g., by running dorsal push), your use of the Service remains subject to these Terms of Service. The Apache 2.0 Licence governs the software on your machine; these Terms govern your interaction with our servers.

3. User Accounts

  • 3.1. Eligibility: You must be at least 18 years of age to create an account and use the Service. By creating an account, you represent and warrant that you meet this requirement.
  • 3.2. Account Security: You are responsible for safeguarding your account password and any API keys assigned to you. You agree not to disclose your password or API keys to any third party. You must notify us immediately at contact@dorsalhub.com upon becoming aware of any breach of security or unauthorized use of your account.
  • 3.3. Account Types: The Service offers several account tiers, including "User" (Free), "Power User," and "Business," as detailed on our Pricing Page. A "Business" account allows for the creation of a managed "Organization" profile. The user who creates an Organization acts as its administrator and is responsible for managing its members and content.

4. Content and Data Rights

  • 4.1. Content Definition: Your "Content" consists of file metadata, annotations, tags, and any data derived from your files (such as text extracts, transcripts, or summaries) that you submit to the Service. For clarity, you do not upload the raw files themselves to the Service, only the data derived from them. The primary method for indexing data, the Dorsal client library, is open-source, allowing for full transparency of the data being transmitted to the Service.
  • 4.2. Ownership: You retain full ownership of the Content you create and submit to the Service.
  • 4.3. License Grant to DorsalHub: To operate the Service, you grant Dorsal Hub LTD a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, store, display, reproduce, modify (for formatting purposes), and distribute your Content solely for the purposes of operating, developing, providing, and improving the Service.
  • 4.4. Public and Private Records:
    • By default, all Content you index is Private and accessible only to you.
    • If you choose to mark Content as Public, you acknowledge that this Content will be accessible to other users of the Service who may access it via its unique file hash or through search features.
  • 4.5. Account Deletion and Data Retention:
    • You may request the deletion of your account by contacting us through the provided form on our website. We will process these requests within a reasonable timeframe.
    • Upon account deletion, we will permanently delete all of your Private records.
    • Public Records & Ownership Transfer:
      • If you are the sole contributor to a Public record, that record and all its associated metadata will be permanently deleted from the Service.
      • If other users have independently indexed the same file hash, the record will persist to ensure service continuity for them. However, your specific contributions (including your tags, annotations, and filename submissions) will be permanently removed. The system will recalculate the record's metadata based solely on the remaining contributors, and "ownership" of the record will automatically transfer to the next earliest contributor.

5. Acceptable Use Policy

You agree not to do, or attempt to do, any of the following:

  • (a) Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of any system or network, or attempt to access another user's private records without authorization.
  • (b) Use automated tools (e.g., scrapers, spiders) to access or collect data from the website in a way that is excessive or outside the bounds of legitimate API use.
  • (c) Resell, lease, or sub-license access to the DorsalHub API or any part of the Service without a specific written commercial agreement with us.
  • (d) Knowingly submit malicious or malformed data intended to disrupt, overload, or compromise the integrity or security of the Service.
  • (e) Use information obtained from the Service to send unsolicited communications, promotions, or spam to other users.
  • (f) Use the Service's data, API, or proprietary features to create a product or service that directly and substantially replicates the core offering of DorsalHub.

6. Payments, Subscriptions, and Refunds

  • 6.1. Subscriptions: Certain features of the Service are only available through paid subscription plans ("Power User," "Business," and "Enterprise"). Details of these plans are available on our Pricing Page.
  • 6.2. Billing: Subscriptions are offered on a Monthly and Annual billing cycle. By purchasing a subscription, you authorize us (and our third-party payment processor) to charge your payment method on a recurring basis.
  • 6.3. Refund Policy:
    • Payments for monthly subscription plans are non-refundable.
    • For annual subscription plans, you may request a full refund within 14 days of the initial purchase date. After this period, annual plans are non-refundable.
    • No refunds will be provided for accounts terminated due to a violation of these Terms.

7. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability

  • 7.1. "AS IS" Service: The Service is provided "AS IS," without warranty of any kind. We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free.
  • 7.2. Limitation of Liability: TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, DORSAL HUB LTD AND ITS AFFILIATES, OFFICERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES, RESULTING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.
  • 7.3. Liability Cap: IN NO EVENT SHALL THE AGGREGATE LIABILITY OF DORSAL HUB LTD EXCEED THE GREATER OF ONE HUNDRED POUNDS STERLING (£100) OR THE AMOUNT YOU PAID DORSAL HUB LTD, IF ANY, IN THE PAST TWELVE MONTHS FOR THE SERVICES GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM.

8. Dispute Resolution and Governing Law

  • 8.1. Governing Law: These Terms and any action related thereto will be governed by the laws of England and Wales, without regard to its conflict of laws provisions.
  • 8.2. Informal Dispute Resolution: We want to address your concerns without needing a formal legal case. Before filing a claim against Dorsal Hub LTD, you agree to try to resolve the dispute informally by contacting contact@dorsalhub.com. We'll try to resolve the dispute informally by contacting you via email. If a dispute is not resolved within 30 days of submission, you or Dorsal Hub LTD may bring a formal proceeding.

9. General Terms

  • 9.1. Changes to Terms: We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. If we make a change that, in our sole discretion, is material, we will notify you via email to the address associated with your account and by posting a notice on our website. Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of the new Terms constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.
  • 9.2. Contact: All notices and other communications related to these Terms should be directed to contact@dorsalhub.com.