Terms of Service
Effective: September 23, 2025
These Terms of Service ("Terms") together with our Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy form the agreement between Sebastian Vauth ("ResearchCast", "we", "us", "our") and you ("you", the "User"). By accessing or using our website, web application, and related services, including any audio content we provide (collectively, the "Service"), you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
We may update these Terms from time to time. Where required by law, we will notify you before material changes take effect. Your continued use after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. You can always stop using the Service and delete your account.
1) Eligibility & Accounts
You must be at least 16 years old (or the age of digital consent in your country if higher) to use the Service.
You are responsible for your account and for keeping your credentials secure. Do not share access or attempt to use anyone else's account.
You can delete your account at any time from settings. Deletion removes your profile and initiates purge of user‑owned storage; residual copies may persist for a limited time in provider backups used for disaster recovery (see our Security & Compliance page for details).
2) Your Content & Permissions
"Your Content" includes any files, links, prompts, instructions, or metadata you submit or provide to us (including "openly accessible" source links).
Your rights. We claim no ownership over Your Content. You represent and warrant that you have the rights necessary to provide Your Content to the Service for the intended use.
License to operate the Service. You grant us a worldwide, non‑exclusive, royalty‑free, sublicensable license to host, process, transcribe, analyze, and transform Your Content as needed to operate and improve the Service for you, including to generate scripts, summaries, and audio, and to stream or otherwise make available resulting outputs to you and (where you choose public distribution features) to your authorized audience. This license ends when Your Content is deleted from our systems, subject to reasonable backup retention and copies required for legal compliance.
IP complaints. We may remove or disable access to content alleged to be unlawful or infringing and will process notices sent to copyright@[your‑domain] (see "Illegal Content Notices" below).
3) Our Content & License to You
ResearchCast (and our licensors) own the Service and all content we create or provide (software, design, branding, templates, episode scripts, and audio episodes), excluding third‑party content and Your Content.
We grant you a personal, non‑exclusive, non‑transferable, revocable license to access and use the Service and any audio you obtain through it for your own use.
You may not resell, re‑host, or redistribute subscriber‑only audio outside the Service without our written permission (unless a separate license attached to a particular episode expressly allows it).
4) Acceptable Use
You agree not to:
- use the Service for unlawful purposes or to infringe others' rights;
- upload, generate, or request content that is illegal or that incites violence or hatred;
- scrape, harvest, or attempt to bypass technical restrictions, paywalls, or rate limits;
- test or probe the Service except through an approved coordinated disclosure channel.
We may suspend or terminate access for material breaches or where required for security or by law.
5) AI & Information Accuracy
We use generative models to assist with script drafting and text‑to‑speech. Outputs can be inaccurate or incomplete and are provided for information only. They are not professional advice (legal, medical, financial, etc.). You are responsible for evaluating outputs before relying on them.
6) Plans, Payments, and Cancellations
We may offer free and paid plans. If you purchase a subscription:
Auto‑renewal. Subscriptions renew automatically for the then‑current term unless canceled. You can cancel from settings; access continues until the end of the billing period.
Pricing. We may change prices with prior notice where required. Taxes/VAT may apply based on your billing details.
Refunds. Fees are non‑refundable except where required by law.
Consumers in the EEA/UK — right of withdrawal
If you are a consumer, you typically have 14 days to withdraw from an online contract without giving a reason. For digital content not supplied on a tangible medium (e.g., streaming audio), you may lose this right once performance begins with your prior express consent and acknowledgement. We present these prompts at checkout where applicable.
7) Service Availability & Changes
We aim for high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted operation. The Service may be suspended or changed for maintenance, updates, or events beyond our control. We may add or remove features at any time. We are not responsible for third‑party service failures outside our reasonable control.
8) Intellectual Property & Feedback
Except for Your Content and third‑party materials, all rights in the Service (software, design, branding, and produced content) are owned by us or our licensors. You may not copy, modify, or reverse engineer the Service except as permitted by law.
If you send us feedback, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty‑free license to use it without restriction.
9) Content Sourcing & IP Compliance (high‑level)
We often use openly accessible links (e.g., public repositories, author sites, open‑access publishers) as input signals. Our episodes are original summaries and commentary created by or for ResearchCast; we do not include substantial verbatim readings of third‑party text or embed third‑party copyrighted figures in subscriber content. When longer quotations, TTS readings of third‑party prose, or figure reuse are desired, we either (i) confirm that the source license permits such commercial use and comply with conditions (e.g., attribution, share‑alike, no‑DRM), or (ii) obtain permission. We provide clear attribution and links in episode notes.
10) Illegal Content Notices (EU DSA)
If you believe information on our Service is illegal, send a notice to legal@[your‑domain] with: the URL, why you believe it is illegal, and your contact details. We process good‑faith notices and act where appropriate. This "notice and action" channel is intended to comply with Article 16 DSA for hosting services.
11) Disclaimers
The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". We disclaim all warranties to the maximum extent permitted by law, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non‑infringement. This section does not limit statutory rights that cannot be excluded.
12) Limitation of Liability (German/EU compliance)
Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability (i) for intent (Vorsatz), (ii) for gross negligence, (iii) for injury to life, body, or health, or (iv) under the Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz).
For slight negligence, we are liable only for breach of essential contractual duties (Kardinalpflichten) and then limited to the foreseeable damage typical for this type of contract. Otherwise, we are not liable for slight negligence. Where a cap is permitted, our aggregate liability is limited to the fees you paid in the 12 months before the claim.
13) Governing Law & Venue
These Terms are governed by the laws of Germany. Courts in Germany shall have jurisdiction.
If you are a consumer resident in the EEA/UK, any mandatory consumer protections of your home country remain applicable; a choice of law must not deprive you of those protections.
14) Termination
You may stop using the Service at any time. We may suspend or terminate access if you materially breach these Terms, to protect the Service or other users, or where required by law.
15) Miscellaneous
No waiver / severability. Failure to enforce a term is not a waiver. If any provision is unenforceable, the rest remain in effect.
Assignment. We may assign these Terms; you may not assign them without our consent.
Entire agreement. These Terms (plus referenced policies) are the entire agreement regarding the Service.
Language. We provide these Terms in English; translations are for convenience only.
Contact: sebastianvauth@gmail.com • ResearchCast, Angerstrasse 12, 85354 Freising, Germany