Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using AkinVox, you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not use the platform. These terms apply to all users, including creators, subscribers, and personal library users.

2. Account Registration

• You must provide accurate and complete information when creating an account.
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your password and account.
• You may not create multiple accounts for the purpose of abusing the platform or circumventing restrictions.
• You must be at least 13 years of age to create an account. If you are under 18, you must have parental or guardian consent.
• Guest trial accounts are limited to one trial per device per creator within a 30-day window. To enforce this, we collect a device fingerprint (a one-way hash of non-identifying browser characteristics) and your IP address during trial registration. Attempting to circumvent trial limits through device manipulation, VPNs, or other means is a violation of these terms. See our Privacy Policy for details on what data is collected and how it is stored.

3. Creator Accounts

• Creator accounts require an application and approval process.
• Creators are responsible for the content they upload and distribute through the platform.
• Content must not infringe on the intellectual property rights of others. You must have the right to distribute any content you upload.
• Content that is illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable is prohibited.
• We reserve the right to remove content or suspend creator accounts that violate these terms.

4. Subscriber Accounts

• Subscriber payments are handled by the creator's chosen payment platform (Stripe, PayPal, Ko-fi, or Patreon). Each platform has its own terms and billing practices.
• Subscription terms, pricing, and tier benefits are set by individual creators.
• Access to tier-restricted content depends on maintaining an active subscription with the creator.
• Refund policies are governed by the payment provider used for the transaction.

5. Personal Library

• The personal library feature allows you to upload your own documents for private text-to-speech conversion.
• You must have the legal right to the content you upload to your personal library. Do not upload copyrighted material that you do not own or have permission to use.
• Personal library content is private and is not shared with other users or made publicly available.
• We do not claim ownership of content you upload to your personal library.

6. AI Voice Generation

• AkinVox uses AI text-to-speech technology to generate audio from text content.
• AI-generated voices are synthetic and are not impersonations of real individuals.
• TTS output is intended for use within the AkinVox platform for streaming and playback.
• Creators control which voices are available for their content. Personal library users can choose from available voices for their own documents.
• AI-generated audio may occasionally contain errors, mispronunciations, or artifacts. We continuously work to improve quality but do not guarantee perfection.

7. Content and Intellectual Property

• Creators retain all intellectual property rights to their original content.
• By uploading content to AkinVox, creators grant us a license to host, store, stream, distribute, and display the content and its generated audio to authorized users through the platform.
• Subscribers may stream content for personal use but may not redistribute, re-upload, or commercially exploit creator content.
• The AkinVox platform, including its design, code, and branding, is our intellectual property and is protected by applicable laws.

8. Copyright and DMCA Takedown

AkinVox respects the intellectual property rights of others. If you believe that content on the platform infringes your copyright, you may submit a takedown request.

How to Submit a Takedown Request

Send a written notice to [email protected] with the subject line "DMCA Takedown Request" and include the following:

• A description of the copyrighted work you claim has been infringed.
• A link or description identifying the infringing content on AkinVox (e.g., the creator page, album, or track URL).
• Your contact information (name, email address, and optionally a phone number).
• A statement that you have a good faith belief that use of the material is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in your notice is accurate and that you are the copyright owner or authorized to act on their behalf.
• Your physical or electronic signature.

Our Response

• Upon receiving a valid takedown notice, we will promptly investigate and, if appropriate, remove or disable access to the infringing content.
• We will notify the creator whose content was removed and provide them with the reason for removal.
• Creators who receive a takedown notice may submit a counter-notification if they believe the content was removed in error.
• Repeated copyright infringement by a creator will result in account termination under our moderation system (see Section 10).

Counter-Notification

If you are a creator and believe your content was removed in error, you may send a counter-notification to [email protected] with the subject line "DMCA Counter-Notification" including:

• Identification of the content that was removed and where it appeared on the platform.
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief the content was removed as a result of mistake or misidentification.
• Your name, address, and phone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the courts in your district.
• Your physical or electronic signature.

If we receive a valid counter-notification, we will forward it to the original complainant. If the complainant does not file a court action within 10 business days, we may restore the removed content.

9. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• Scrape, crawl, or use automated tools to extract content or data from the platform.
• Redistribute, re-upload, or share content from the platform without authorization from the content owner.
• Engage in abusive, harassing, or threatening behavior toward other users.
• Circumvent access controls, DRM, or tier-based content restrictions.
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to other users' accounts or platform systems.
• Use the platform to distribute malware, spam, or other harmful content.
• Interfere with the operation of the platform or impose an unreasonable load on our infrastructure.

10. Content Moderation and Enforcement

AkinVox enforces these terms through a graduated moderation system. All moderation actions are logged as a permanent audit record.

Moderation Actions

• Warning -- a formal notice that content or behavior violates these terms. No immediate restrictions are applied, but the warning is recorded.
• Strike -- a recorded violation that contributes to your account's moderation history. Strikes are tracked within a rolling 90-day window.
• Suspension -- temporary restriction of creator dashboard access. During suspension, you cannot manage content, upload new material, or access creator tools. However, your existing published content remains accessible to your subscribers.
• Ban -- permanent restriction of your account. Banned creators lose all access, and their content becomes unavailable to subscribers.
• Account deletion -- permanent removal of your account and associated data. This action cannot be reversed.

Strike System

• Strikes are accumulated within a 90-day rolling window. Strikes older than 90 days no longer count toward the threshold.
• Accumulating 3 strikes within 90 days results in an automatic 7-day suspension of your creator account.
• Suspensions may be extended at the discretion of platform administrators for repeated or severe violations.

Effect on Subscribers

• If a creator is suspended, their existing content remains available to subscribers. Subscribers are not affected during temporary suspensions.
• If a creator is banned or deleted, their content becomes unavailable. Subscribers should contact their payment provider regarding active subscriptions.

Moderation Transparency

• All moderation actions are recorded permanently and cannot be altered. Creators who are moderated will be informed of the action taken and the reason.
• Platform administrators cannot take moderation actions against other administrators.

Appeals

• Creators who have been warned, suspended, or banned may appeal the decision by contacting [email protected] with the subject line "Moderation Appeal."
• Appeals must include your account email, the moderation action you are appealing, and a clear explanation of why you believe the action was incorrect or disproportionate.
• Appeals will be reviewed by a platform administrator who was not involved in the original decision, where possible.
• We aim to respond to appeals within 10 business days. The outcome of the review is final.
• Account deletions are permanent and cannot be appealed or reversed.

11. Payment and Billing

• Creator plans -- creators may subscribe to platform plans that are billed directly through AkinVox. Plan terms, pricing, and features are described on the plan selection page.
• Subscriber payments -- subscriber payments are processed through the creator's chosen payment provider (Stripe, PayPal, Ko-fi, or Patreon). Billing disputes should be directed to the relevant payment provider.
• Refunds -- refund eligibility and processes are governed by the applicable payment provider's policies.

12. Termination

• We may suspend or terminate your account in accordance with the moderation process described in Section 9, or as otherwise required by law.
• You may close your account at any time through your account settings or by contacting support.
• Upon account closure, your personal data will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.
• Creator content removal upon account closure may take a reasonable period to propagate through our CDN and storage systems.

13. Disclaimers

• AkinVox is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.
• We do not guarantee that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or available at all times.
• AI-generated voices may contain errors, mispronunciations, or quality variations. We do not warrant that TTS output will be flawless.
• We are not responsible for the content uploaded by creators or the accuracy of AI-generated audio.

Beta Service

AkinVox is currently in beta. This means the platform is under active development and may undergo significant changes, including the addition, modification, or removal of features, at any time without prior notice. During beta:

• Features may be experimental, incomplete, or subject to change.
• We may experience periods of downtime, data loss, or service interruptions beyond what would be expected of a production service.
• We make no guarantees regarding service availability, data retention, or feature permanence during the beta period.
• Your feedback during this period is valued and helps shape the platform. You can reach us through our Discord community or at [email protected].

We will notify users when AkinVox exits beta. The transition from beta to general availability does not affect these Terms of Service unless we issue an updated version.

14. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, AkinVox and its operators shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or in connection with your use of the platform. Our total liability for any claim arising from these terms or your use of the service shall not exceed the amount you paid to us in the twelve months preceding the claim.

15. Governing Law and Jurisdiction

These Terms of Service are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of Ireland, without regard to conflict of law principles. You agree that any legal action or proceeding arising out of or relating to these terms or your use of AkinVox shall be brought exclusively in the courts of Ireland, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

If you are a consumer in the European Union, you retain any mandatory consumer protection rights afforded to you under the laws of your country of residence. Nothing in these terms affects your rights under applicable EU consumer protection legislation.

16. Dispute Resolution

Before initiating any formal legal proceeding, you agree to first attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting us at [email protected] with a description of the issue. We will attempt to resolve the dispute through good-faith negotiation within 30 days.

If the dispute cannot be resolved informally, either party may pursue resolution through the courts specified in Section 15. EU consumers may also submit disputes to the European Commission's Online Dispute Resolution platform.

17. Changes to Terms

We may update these Terms of Service from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or through a prominent notice on the platform. Your continued use of AkinVox after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. If you do not agree with the changes, you should stop using the platform and close your account.

18. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms of Service, contact us at [email protected].