Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of these terms

These Terms of Service (the “Terms”) govern your access to and use of TreeTales, a service operated by Oscar Garcia (sole proprietor) (“TreeTales,” “we,” “us”). By creating a Project, submitting a Story, or otherwise using the service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy, which describes how we handle personal information. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

2. What TreeTales is

TreeTales is a collaborative, guided storytelling service for preserving family memories. A StoryCollector organizes a Project centered on a StoryOwner (for example, a grandparent) and invites Contributors to answer Prompts with Stories (text today; photos and audio are planned). Stories become Cards that assemble into a Book. Viewing a Book online is free; a printed Book is a paid product (see “Print orders & payment” below).

3. Eligibility

You must be old enough to form a binding contract in your jurisdiction (generally 18, or the age of majority where you live) to create a Project or make a purchase. TreeTales is intended for use by adults.

Because Projects preserve family memories, Stories and photos may describe or depict minors and elderly StoryOwners. If you submit content about another person, you represent that you have the right to do so and, where required, the consent of that person or their guardian. Our handling of any personal information about children is governed by the Privacy Policy and is subject to final legal review (issue #20); this draft does not make any specific claim of compliance with children’s privacy laws.

4. Accounts & access

TreeTales is designed to be low-friction:

• Anonymous to start. You can begin building a Project before providing any email address; a session is created on your first action and your work saves as you go.
• Magic-link email. To send invitations or return to your work, you attach an email address and verify it through a one-time sign-in link. There is no password to manage.
• Full account at payment. A full account is provisioned when you make a purchase, so your Book has a permanent home.
• Contributors need no account. Invited Contributors submit Stories through a link without signing up.

You are responsible for keeping access to your email secure, since it controls sign-in. Tell us at support@treetales.io if you believe your account has been accessed without your permission.

5. Your content & the limited license you grant

You (and your Contributors) keep ownership of the Stories, photos, audio, and other content you submit (“Your Content”). We do not claim ownership of it.

You grant TreeTales a limited, non-exclusive license to store, display, typeset, and print Your Content for the sole purpose of operating the service and producing your Book. This license is narrow on purpose:

• We never rewrite your family’s words.A Story stays the author’s raw words.
• AI is optional and assistive only. Where you choose to use it, AI may proofreadand polish readability — light, optional cleanup you can accept or reject — while preserving the author’s own words. It never ghostwrites, never auto-rewrites, and never edits the words for you without your action.
• We do not train AI models on Your Content, and we do not sell it.

You are responsible for Your Content and represent that you have the rights necessary to submit it and to grant the license above.

6. Contributor submissions & curation

When a Contributor submits a Story, they consent to it being included in the Project and produced into the Book, on these Terms. A StoryCollector may curatehow Stories are presented — choosing which Stories appear, their order, and how they are framed in the Book — but a StoryCollector never edits a Contributor’s actual words. Curation controls presentation, not authorship.

7. Acceptable use

You agree not to use TreeTales to submit content that is unlawful, infringing, defamatory, or that you do not have the right to share; to impersonate others; to upload malware or attempt to breach the security of the service; to harvest others’ data; or to use the service in a way that harms other people or disrupts the service. We may remove content or suspend access that violates these Terms.

8. Intellectual property

The TreeTales name, logo, software, design, and the arrangement of the service are owned by TreeTales or its licensors and are protected by intellectual-property laws. These Terms do not grant you any right to our branding or software beyond using the service as intended. As between you and TreeTales, Your Content remains yours, subject to the limited license in Section 5.

9. Print orders & payment

Viewing a Book online is free. Printing a Book is a paid product. Checkout is not yet available; today, the purchase option collects interest through a waitlist(“notify me when print is ready”) and does not charge you. Being on the waitlist is not an order and creates no obligation to buy.

Planned print pricing (a working hypothesis, subject to change before checkout launches):

• Softcover — $59: printed and shipped, full Book plus photos, one copy.
• Hardcover — $99: printed and shipped, full Book plus photos and extras, one copy.

Additional copies may be offered as an add-on at checkout. Printed Books are produced by a third-party print-on-demand provider; production and shipping timelines will be described at the time checkout launches.

Refunds and cancellations: because printed Books are custom-made to order, our refund, replacement, and cancellation policy is still being finalized (issue #19) and will be published before paid checkout goes live. Nothing in this draft should be read as a commitment on refunds.

10. Disclaimers

The service is provided “as is” and “as available,” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, to the fullest extent permitted by law. We do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or that content will be preserved without loss. You are encouraged to keep your own copies of anything important to you.

11. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, TreeTales will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost data, profits, or goodwill, arising from your use of the service. The specific caps and exclusions on our liability are subject to final legal review (issue #20).

12. Termination

You may stop using TreeTales at any time and may ask us to delete your Project and content as described in the Privacy Policy. We may suspend or end access if you violate these Terms or to protect the service or other users. Sections that by their nature should survive termination — such as content ownership, disclaimers, and limitation of liability — will survive.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms as the service evolves. When we make material changes, we will update the version label and the “Last updated” date above and, where appropriate, notify you. Continuing to use the service after changes take effect means you accept the updated Terms.

14. Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of New York, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules. The venue for disputes and any dispute-resolution terms are subject to final legal review (issue #20).

15. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at support@treetales.io.