Terms of Service

Effective Date: 11/16/2025

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Rare Reads ("the Service", "our app"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use our Service. These Terms apply to all users of the Service.

2. Description of Service

Rare Reads is a digital platform that provides:

  • Book Collection Management: Tools to catalog and organize your personal book collection
  • Book Identification: AI-powered book recognition through camera scanning
  • Appraisal Services: Estimated market values and rarity assessments
  • Collection Analytics: Reports and insights about your collection
  • Cloud Synchronization: Secure backup and cross-device access to your data

Important: Appraisals provided are estimates for informational purposes only and should not be considered professional valuations for insurance, legal, or commercial purposes.

3. User Accounts and Google OAuth

Account Creation

To use our Service, you must:

  • Sign in using your Google account through OAuth
  • Provide accurate and complete information
  • Maintain the security of your account credentials
  • Be at least 13 years of age

Account Responsibilities

You are responsible for:

  • All activities that occur under your account
  • Maintaining the confidentiality of your Google account
  • Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized use
  • Ensuring your Google account information remains current

4. Acceptable Use Policy

Permitted Uses

You may use our Service to:

  • Catalog and manage your personal book collection
  • Obtain estimates of book values for personal reference
  • Generate reports about your collection
  • Share collection information as permitted by the app

Prohibited Uses

You may NOT use our Service to:

  • Upload content you don't own or have rights to
  • Violate any laws or regulations
  • Infringe on intellectual property rights
  • Attempt to reverse engineer or hack the Service
  • Use automated tools to access the Service without permission
  • Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
  • Impersonate others or provide false information
  • Use the Service for commercial purposes without authorization

5. User Content and Data

Your Content

You retain ownership of all content you upload, including:

  • Photos of your books
  • Collection data and organization
  • Personal notes and descriptions

License to Us

By uploading content, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to:

  • Store and process your content to provide the Service
  • Use book images for AI identification purposes
  • Create backups and ensure data security
  • Improve our book recognition algorithms (using anonymized data)

Data Portability

You can export your collection data at any time through the app's export features.

6. Privacy and Data Protection

Your privacy is important to us. Our collection, use, and protection of your personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

7. Intellectual Property Rights

Our Rights

Rare Reads and its licensors own all rights to:

  • The Service software and technology
  • Trademarks, logos, and branding
  • Proprietary algorithms and processes
  • Service design and user interface

Third-Party Content

Book metadata, covers, and information may be sourced from third parties and are subject to their respective copyrights and terms.

8. Disclaimers and Limitations

Service Availability

We strive to maintain high availability but cannot guarantee:

  • Uninterrupted access to the Service
  • Error-free operation
  • Compatibility with all devices or browsers
  • Permanent availability of all features

Appraisal Disclaimers

IMPORTANT: Book appraisals and valuations provided are:

  • Estimates based on available market data
  • For informational purposes only
  • Not professional appraisals for insurance or legal purposes
  • Subject to market fluctuations and condition assessments
  • Not guaranteed to reflect actual sale prices

AI Recognition Accuracy

Book identification using AI may not always be 100% accurate. Users should verify all automatically identified information.

9. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

  • We provide the Service "AS IS" without warranties of any kind
  • We are not liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages
  • Our total liability is limited to the amount you paid for the Service in the past 12 months
  • We are not responsible for decisions made based on appraisal estimates
  • We are not liable for data loss, though we implement reasonable backup measures

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold us harmless from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from your use of the Service, violation of these Terms, or infringement of any rights of another party.

11. Termination

By You

You may terminate your account at any time by:

  • Deleting your account through the app settings
  • Revoking Google OAuth access
  • Contacting our support team

By Us

We may suspend or terminate your account if you:

  • Violate these Terms of Service
  • Engage in prohibited activities
  • Provide false or misleading information
  • Fail to comply with applicable laws

Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

  • Your access to the Service will cease
  • Your data may be deleted after a reasonable period
  • You may export your data before termination
  • Certain provisions of these Terms will survive termination

12. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of significant changes via email or through the Service. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you disagree with changes, you should discontinue use of the Service.

13. Governing Law and Disputes

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

Dispute Resolution

For any disputes:

  • First, contact us to attempt informal resolution
  • If unresolved, disputes will be handled through binding arbitration
  • Class action lawsuits are waived where legally permissible

14. Miscellaneous

Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remainder of these Terms remains in effect.

Entire Agreement: These Terms and our Privacy Policy constitute the complete agreement between us.

No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any provision does not waive our right to do so later.

Assignment: We may assign these Terms; you may not assign your rights without our consent.

15. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms of Service, contact us:

Email: legal@rarereads.app

Support: support@rarereads.app

Address: [Your Business Address]

Response Time: We aim to respond within 5 business days

These Terms of Service are effective as of 11/16/2025 and were last updated on 11/16/2025.