Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Bookwise ("the Service"), operated at bookwiseapp.com, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Use. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not use the Service.

We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. Continued use of the Service after changes are posted constitutes your acceptance of the revised terms.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use Bookwise. If you are under 18, you must have parental or guardian consent to use the Service. By using Bookwise, you represent that you meet these requirements.

3. Account Responsibilities

When you create a Bookwise account, you agree to:

• Provide accurate and complete information during registration
• Maintain the security of your account credentials
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to your account
• Accept responsibility for all activities that occur under your account

Your account is managed through Clerk, our authentication provider. You may sign in using email, social logins, or other methods supported by Clerk.

4. Acceptable Use

You agree not to use Bookwise to:

• Post content that is illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, vulgar, or otherwise objectionable
• Impersonate any person or entity
• Spam, advertise, or promote products or services without authorization
• Upload malicious code, viruses, or any destructive content
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other user accounts or our systems
• Scrape, crawl, or use automated means to access the Service without permission
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or its infrastructure
• Abuse the AI Book Companion to generate harmful, misleading, or inappropriate content
• Manipulate ratings or reviews through fake accounts

We reserve the right to remove content and suspend or terminate accounts that violate these rules at our sole discretion.

5. User Content

5.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of content you create on Bookwise, including reviews, notes, ratings, and book club messages. By posting content, you grant Bookwise a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to display, distribute, and use your content in connection with operating the Service.

5.2 Public Content

Reviews, ratings, and profile information you choose to make public are visible to other Bookwise users and may appear in search results. You can control the visibility of certain content through your account settings.

5.3 Book Club Content

Content posted in book clubs (messages, nominations, reading discussions) is visible to club members based on the club's privacy settings (private or invite-only). Club administrators and co-administrators have moderation capabilities.

6. Book Data and Intellectual Property

Book metadata displayed on Bookwise (titles, authors, descriptions, cover images) is sourced from the Open Library API and is used under their terms. Bookwise does not claim ownership of this data.

The Bookwise platform, including its design, features, code, and branding, is the property of Bookwise. You may not copy, reproduce, or create derivative works based on the Service without our written permission.

7. AI Features

Bookwise offers AI-powered features including the AI Book Companion, book summaries, discussion prompts, reading insights, and personalized recommendations. These features are powered by Anthropic's Claude API. By using AI features, you acknowledge:

• AI-generated content is provided for informational and entertainment purposes only
• AI responses may not always be accurate, complete, or up to date
• AI conversations are stored and may include context about your reading progress to provide spoiler-aware responses
• You should not rely solely on AI-generated content for important decisions
• We are not responsible for the accuracy of AI-generated book summaries, quotes, or insights

8. Data Import and Export

Bookwise supports importing reading data from Goodreads (CSV export) and Kindle (via bookmarklet). By importing data, you confirm that you have the right to transfer this data and that the import does not violate any third-party terms of service.

You may export your Bookwise data at any time through the import/export feature in your account settings.

9. Subscriptions and Payments

9.1 Plans

Bookwise offers a free plan with limited features and a paid subscription plan ("Bookwise Plus") with additional features. Details of what is included in each plan are described on our pricing page. We reserve the right to modify plan features and pricing at any time with reasonable notice to subscribers.

9.2 Free Trial

New accounts receive a 14-day free trial of Bookwise Plus with full access to all features. No credit card is required to start the trial. After the trial period, your account will automatically revert to the free plan unless you subscribe.

9.3 Billing

Bookwise Plus subscriptions are billed on a recurring basis (monthly or annually) through Stripe, our third-party payment processor. By subscribing, you authorize Stripe to charge your selected payment method at the beginning of each billing cycle. All prices are in US Dollars unless otherwise stated.

9.4 Cancellation and Refunds

You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings. Upon cancellation, you will retain access to Bookwise Plus features until the end of your current billing period. After that, your account will revert to the free plan. We do not provide prorated refunds for partial billing periods. Your data is preserved regardless of your plan status.

9.5 Price Changes

We may change subscription prices with at least 30 days' notice. Price changes will take effect at the start of your next billing cycle. If you do not agree with a price change, you may cancel your subscription before the new price takes effect.

10. Account Termination

9.1 Voluntary Deletion

You may request account deletion at any time from your account settings. Deletion follows a 30-day grace period during which you can cancel the request. After 30 days, your account and all associated data are permanently removed.

9.2 Termination by Bookwise

We may suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms of Use, engage in abusive behavior, or if required by law. We will make reasonable efforts to notify you before termination, except in cases of severe violations.

11. Advertisements

Bookwise may display advertisements from third-party ad networks. These advertisements may be targeted based on your usage of the Service or information collected by advertising partners through cookies and similar technologies. We are not responsible for the content of third-party advertisements.

12. Disclaimer of Warranties

Bookwise is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied. We do not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted or error-free
• Book metadata from Open Library will be accurate or complete
• AI-generated content will be accurate, appropriate, or free of errors
• Your data will never be lost (though we take precautions to prevent this)

13. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Bookwise and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of or related to your use of the Service, including but not limited to:

• Loss of data or reading history
• Inaccurate book information or AI-generated content
• Unauthorized access to your account
• Service interruptions or downtime
• Actions taken based on AI recommendations or insights

14. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Bookwise and its operators from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from your use of the Service, your content, or your violation of these Terms.

15. Governing Law

These Terms of Use are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the United States. Any disputes arising from these terms shall be resolved in the courts of competent jurisdiction.

16. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision shall be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

17. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms of Use, please contact us at:

Email: legal@bookwiseapp.com

You can also reach us through our contact page.