Effective as of 6 February 2025

Terms of Use

By using the Piecelet App, you agree to these terms and the Apple Licensed Application EULA.

Agreement to Terms

These Terms and Conditions constitute a legally binding agreement made between you ("you") and the Piecelet App ("we," "us" or "our"), concerning your access to and use of the Piecelet for NeoDB application ("Piecelet App"). For clarity, throughout this document:

  • "Piecelet App" refers to our software application and related services.
  • "NeoDB Instance" (also known as "NeoDB site" or "NeoDB server") refers to any server running NeoDB software that you choose to connect to. The term "Instance" here has the same meaning as in Mastodon Instance, referring to a self-hosted server in the federated universe.
  • "Instance Provider" refers to the NeoDB Instance as a whole, including its operators, administrators, and the site itself. All content and services are provided by the Instance as an entity, not by individual administrators.

By accessing or using the Piecelet App, you agree that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by all of these Terms and Conditions.

If you do not agree with all of these Terms and Conditions, you must immediately discontinue your use of the Piecelet App. We reserve the right to modify these terms at any time. We may, but are not obligated to, notify users of any changes through the Piecelet App, our social media accounts, or other communication channels. It is your responsibility to periodically review these Terms and Conditions. Your continued use of the Piecelet App after any modifications constitutes your acceptance of the updated terms.

Service Description and NeoDB Relationship

The Piecelet App is an independent, third-party client application developed by a single developer for accessing NeoDB, which is a decentralized federated universe platform for tracking books, movies, music, games, and performances. Users explicitly acknowledge and agree that:

  • All information accessed through the Piecelet App comes exclusively from your chosen NeoDB Instance, not from the Piecelet App.
  • The Piecelet App does not host, control, moderate, or store any content from any NeoDB Instance.
  • Users are solely responsible for selecting their NeoDB Instance and all consequences of that choice.
  • Users must comply with their Instance Provider's Terms of Service, community guidelines, and all applicable laws.
  • The Piecelet App bears absolutely no responsibility for the content, policies, practices, or availability of any NeoDB Instance or Instance Provider.

Users have both the responsibility and obligation to select a NeoDB Instance that complies with the laws of their place of residence or jurisdiction (hereinafter referred to as "residence"). If a user's chosen NeoDB Instance violates the laws of their residence, the user must not use that NeoDB Instance and bears full responsibility for any use thereof. Similar to Mastodon Instances, anyone can set up their own NeoDB Instance. The Piecelet App cannot review and is not responsible for users' choices, therefore users bear full responsibility for their selections.

Content Disclaimer and Legal Compliance

As an open-source software application, the Piecelet App functions solely as a client interface for accessing NeoDB Instances. Content moderation and legal compliance responsibilities lie with the Instance Providers, who are the actual service providers hosting and distributing content. Users explicitly acknowledge and agree that:

  • Instance Providers, as content service providers, are legally responsible for content moderation and compliance with applicable laws on their respective instances.
  • All content accessed through the Piecelet App is hosted, controlled, and moderated by Instance Providers, not the Piecelet App.
  • Any illegal, offensive, or harmful content, including but not limited to Child Sexual Abuse Material (CSAM), is the direct responsibility of the Instance Provider hosting such content.
  • Users must report any illegal content to their Instance Provider, who has the legal obligation and technical capability to address such issues.
  • Instance Providers, as network service providers, bear the responsibility for content transmitted through their services.
  • Users are responsible for choosing Instance Providers that comply with applicable laws and maintaining appropriate content moderation policies.
  • Users must comply with all applicable local, national, and international laws and regulations when using any NeoDB Instance.
  • Users agree not to bring any claims, demands, or legal actions against the Piecelet App for any content, actions, or policies of their chosen Instance Providers.
  • The Piecelet App reserves the right to terminate access to the application for users who violate these terms.

This disclaimer of liability for Instance Provider content does not affect any legal rights or remedies you may have against the Piecelet App for issues directly related to the application's functionality or our own actions.

Data Processing and Privacy

Regarding data handling and privacy, users explicitly acknowledge and agree that:

  • All user data is transmitted directly and exclusively to their chosen NeoDB Instance.
  • The Piecelet App assumes no responsibility for any data breaches, privacy issues, or security incidents related to any NeoDB Instance or Instance Provider.
  • The Piecelet App collects anonymous usage data solely for application improvement purposes, with all data anonymized before transmission.
  • The complete source code of the Piecelet App is publicly available on GitHub for transparency.
  • Users are responsible for reviewing and understanding their Instance Provider's privacy policies.
  • Users acknowledge that the Piecelet App's Privacy Policy, available at https://piecelet.app/privacy, provides detailed information about our specific data practices.

Intellectual Property Rights

The Piecelet App is open-source software released under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 (AGPL-3.0). Users acknowledge that:

  • The Piecelet App name, logo, and branding are the exclusive property of the Piecelet App.
  • The software is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind.
  • Users may use, modify, and distribute the software in accordance with the AGPL-3.0 license.
  • If users modify the software and provide it as a network service, they must make their modified source code available to users of that service.
  • Users must prominently display appropriate copyright notices and a copy of the AGPL-3.0 license.
  • Users must retain all copyright notices, attributions, and license information in any distribution or modification.
  • Any modifications or derivative works must also be licensed under AGPL-3.0.

In the event of any discrepancy between the license terms described here and the license file in the Piecelet App's GitHub repository, the license terms in the GitHub repository shall prevail.

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law:

  • The Piecelet App is provided "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" without any warranties of any kind.
  • The Piecelet App disclaims all liability for any damages arising from use of the application.
  • Users agree to hold the Piecelet App harmless from any claims arising from their use of the application.
  • The Piecelet App is not liable for any service interruptions, data loss, or technical issues.

Piecelet+ Subscription and Refunds

If you have purchased Piecelet+ (in-app premium features available through monthly, annual, or lifetime subscription plans) and these Terms of Use are updated, you may be eligible for a refund if you do not accept the changes. Refund eligibility is determined by Apple's policies. For more information about requesting refunds, please refer to:

Apple Licensed Application EULA

In addition to these Terms of Use, the Piecelet App is also subject to the Apple Licensed Application End User License Agreement ("Standard EULA" - https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/). In the event of any conflict between the Piecelet App Terms of Use and the Standard EULA, the Piecelet App Terms of Use shall prevail.

Contact Information

For questions about these Terms and Conditions or any other inquiries, you can contact us through the following channels:

Jurisdiction

These Terms of Use and any disputes arising out of or related to these Terms of Use or the Piecelet App shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles. You agree that any legal action or proceeding between you and the Piecelet App shall be brought exclusively in a court of competent jurisdiction located within Delaware, United States.

Revision History

  • February 6, 2025: Updated terms to include Piecelet+, clarified Instance Provider responsibilities, updated contact information, and added Apple EULA compliance.
  • January 25, 2024: Initial release.