Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using BookStates, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. These Terms constitute a binding legal agreement between you and BookStates.

2. Description of Services

BookStates offers the following core features:

• Reading Tracker: Allows users to log, track, and view their reading progress.
• AI Insights: Provides motivational blurbs and thoughtful prompts based on your reading patterns and book content.
• Highlight Capture: Enables users to capture, organize, and review excerpts and highlights from physical and digital books.
• Visual Book Discovery: Presents books via interactive visual interfaces for exploration and recommendation.

All features are subject to ongoing updates and improvements. We reserve the right to modify or discontinue any feature without prior notice.

3. User Content and Responsibilities

You are solely responsible for all content you upload, capture, share, or otherwise make available on or through BookStates, including but not limited to book highlights, notes, quotes, thoughts, and metadata ("User Content").

You agree that:

• You will only share content that you have the legal right to share.
• Any excerpts, highlights, or quotes from copyrighted books must comply with the applicable copyright laws and doctrines such as fair use or fair dealing.
• You will not post or share full chapters, entire books, or large excerpts that may infringe upon intellectual property rights.
• You will use BookStates for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms.

We reserve the right, but not the obligation, to remove any User Content that violates these Terms or applicable law.

4. Intellectual Property Rights

All intellectual property rights in the platform, including but not limited to the website, software, design, features, graphics, trademarks, logos, and AI-generated content (excluding User Content), are owned by BookStates or its licensors.

Users retain ownership of their User Content.

4A. Book Database and Shared Content

When you add books to BookStates or contribute book-related information (such as book titles, authors, publication details, cover images, or descriptions), this information becomes part of our shared book database that serves all users of the platform.

Important: Book information added to our database will remain available to other users even if you delete your account. This ensures continuity of service for all users and maintains the integrity of our shared book catalog. When you delete your account, only your personal reading data (such as your reading progress, personal notes, highlights, and library organization) will be removed.

By adding books or book information to BookStates, you acknowledge that this data contributes to our community-driven book database and will persist to benefit other users.

5. AI-Generated Content

BookStates provides AI-generated insights, blurbs, prompts, and recommendations to enhance the user experience. These outputs are generated based on your inputs, reading behavior, and public information about books. AI-generated content is for informational and motivational purposes only and should not be construed as literary, legal, or professional advice.

6. Third-Party Content and Links

BookStates may contain links to third-party websites, services, or book databases. We do not control, endorse, or assume any responsibility for any third-party content or services. Your interactions with third-party websites are governed by their own terms and policies.

7. Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. If you suspect any unauthorized access, you must notify us immediately.

8. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the platform for any unlawful or fraudulent purpose.
• Infringe on intellectual property rights of others.
• Attempt to interfere with the functioning of the platform.
• Upload or transmit harmful code or malware.
• Bypass or breach any security mechanisms.

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless BookStates, its founders, affiliates, partners, and licensors from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or expenses (including attorneys' fees) arising from:

• Your use of the platform;
• Your violation of these Terms;
• Any User Content submitted or shared by you;
• Your violation of any third-party rights, including intellectual property rights.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

The BookStates platform is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied. We do not guarantee that the platform will be error-free, secure, or uninterrupted.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, BookStates and its affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, including but not limited to lost profits, data loss, or business interruption arising out of or related to your use or inability to use the platform.

12. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to update or modify these Terms at any time. If we make material changes, we will notify you via email or platform notifications. Continued use of BookStates after changes become effective constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.

13. Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to BookStates at our discretion, without notice, if you violate these Terms or engage in conduct that may harm us or other users.

14. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of India, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any legal dispute shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in Hyderabad, India.

15. BookStates Pro Subscription and Usage Limits

BookStates operates on a metered usage model with both free and premium (Pro) tiers:

Subscription Terms

• No Free Trial: BookStates Pro does not offer a free trial period. Instead, we provide generous free tier limits so you can experience our features before upgrading.
• Subscription Plans: BookStates Pro is available as monthly or annual subscription plans.
• Platform-Specific Billing: Subscriptions are managed through the respective app stores (Apple App Store for iOS, Google Play Store for Android) or through our web platform for web users.
• Automatic Renewal: Subscriptions automatically renew unless canceled before the renewal date. You will be billed according to your selected payment cycle (monthly or annual).

Cancellation and Refund Policy

• Cancellation: You may cancel your BookStates Pro subscription at any time. For mobile app subscriptions, cancellation must be done through your device's app store settings. For web subscriptions, you can cancel through your account settings.
• Access After Cancellation: Upon cancellation, you will continue to have access to Pro features until the end of your current billing period.
• Refund Policy: We do not offer refunds for BookStates Pro subscriptions. However, you may cancel at any time to prevent future billing. For app store purchases, refund requests are subject to the respective app store's refund policies (Apple App Store or Google Play Store).
• For iOS users: To manage or cancel your subscription, go to Settings → Apple ID → Subscriptions → BookStates
• For Android users: To manage or cancel your subscription, go to Google Play Store → Menu → Subscriptions → BookStates, or Settings → Google → Payments & subscriptions → Subscriptions

Usage Limit Modifications

We reserve the right to modify usage limits for free tier users with reasonable notice. Any changes to these limits will be communicated through the platform or via email. Existing Pro subscribers will not be affected by changes to free tier limits.

16. Contact Us

For any questions, concerns, or feedback regarding these Terms, please contact us at: adit@bookstates.app

For subscription-related inquiries or billing questions, please contact us at: support@bookstates.app