Terms of Service for Bardo

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Bardo Legacy platform operated by Bardo Technology L.L.C-FZ ("Bardo," "we," "us," or "our"). By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service. These Terms incorporate our Privacy Policy by reference.

1. Definitions

• "Service" refers to the Bardo Legacy website, mobile interfaces, and AI-powered avatar generation and interaction tools available at https://bardotg.com.
• "User", "you," or "your" refers to anyone who accesses or uses the Service.
• "User Content" means photos, audio, text prompts, videos, documents or other materials you upload.
• "AI Output" or "Avatar Content" means any avatar or digital media generated by the Service.
• "Subscription Plans" are the tiered paid access levels (Basic, Legacy, Dynasty) as detailed on our website (www.bardotg.com).

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that:

• You meet the required age threshold.
• You have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms.
• You are not prohibited from using the Service under applicable laws or sanctions.

If you are using the Service on behalf of a third party, you represent and warrant that you have authority to bind that entity.

3. Account Registration

You must create an account to use core features of the Service. You agree to:

• Provide accurate and complete information.
• Maintain the confidentiality of your login credentials.
• Notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access.

We may require identity verification for security or compliance. You are responsible for all activity under your account.

4. Subscriptions, Billing, and Payments

4.1 Subscription Plans

Bardo Legacy is offered through subscription plans, including Basic, Legacy, and Dynasty. When you subscribe, you agree to:

• The price disclosed at checkout.
• The billing interval (e.g., monthly).
• Recurring auto-renewal until cancellation.

Prices may change; we will notify you in advance.

4.2 Auto-Renewal

Your subscription renews automatically at the end of each billing cycle unless you cancel.

By subscribing, you authorize us (and our payment processor, Stripe) to charge your payment method for recurring fees.

4.3 Cancellation

You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings.

• Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing cycle.
• After cancellation, your access to paid features ends immediately.
• After 30 days, no refunds are provided (see refund section below).

4.4 Refund Policy

Refunds are available under these conditions:

(A) 30-Day Window

You may request a refund within 30 days of purchase for the initial purchase and you must provide a reason. We evaluate each request and may:

• Issue a refund
• Offer a discount
• Request clarification
• Fix any technical issue you report.
• Deny your request.

(B) Billing Errors & Outages

You may request a refund if:

• An incorrect charge occurred, or
• A service outage lasted more than 7 days after you reported the issue and we failed to respond.

(C) No Refunds After 30 Days

After 30 days, no refunds will be issued except where required by law.

4.5 Taxes

You are responsible for any applicable taxes based on your jurisdiction unless the law requires us to collect them.

5. User Content

5.1 Ownership

You retain full ownership of all User Content you upload, including:

• Photos
• Audio
• Text inputs
• Other uploaded text, documents, information, and data.
• Derived elements (e.g., Knowledge Center insights).

We do not claim ownership over your original content.

5.2 License to Process

By uploading User Content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:

• Store
• Process
• Modify (via AI models)
• Transmit
• Display

User Content solely for the purpose of operating the Service.

We do not use your content to train our own models.

5.3 Deletion

You can delete your account at any time. Deleting your account will permanently and irreversibly remove:

• Your stored photos
• Your audio recordings
• Your transcripts
• Your usage history

This deletion may take up to 30 days from backups.

6. AI-Generated Avatars & Limitations

6.1 Avatar Ownership

You own the avatars generated from your data, subject to Bardo Technology L.L.C-FZ's rights in the underlying AI technology.

6.2 Platform-Limited Usage

You may only use the avatars within the Bardo platform.

You may not:

• Export the avatars
• Use them externally
• Redistribute them
• Upload them elsewhere

Our service does not provide avatar export functionality. Violations may lead to account suspension.

6.3 No Biometric Identification

We do not use your photos or voice for biometric identification. They are used solely to generate simulated avatar representations.

6.4 Third-Party AI Providers

We send your data to external AI providers including:

• OpenAI (text/audio)
• Groq (text)
• DeepGram (voice transcription)
• Google Gemini (text)

These providers may process your data according to their own terms and may store or use data for service improvement unless they state otherwise. See our Privacy Policy for details.

7. Acceptable Use Policy

You must not upload, generate, or engage in:

• Illegal content or activity
• Hateful, discriminatory, or violent content
• Sexually explicit content involving minors
• Exploitation, harassment, or impersonation
• Copyrighted material you do not own
• Attempts to reverse-engineer or misuse our AI systems
• Uploading photos of others without their consent
• Health or medical data without explicit consent if shared.
• Use automated tools to scrape or overload the Service

We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these rules.

8. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account:

• If you violate these Terms
• If your activities pose security or legal risk
• If required by law or law enforcement

We will provide reasonable notice unless urgent.

You may terminate your account at any time by deleting it.

Upon termination:

• Access to the Service stops
• Refunds follow the policy in Section 4.4
• Your stored data is deleted according to our Privacy Policy.

9. Third-Party Services

The Service relies on third-party vendors including:

• OpenAI
• Groq
• DeepGram
• DigitalOcean
• Google Cloud (Europe-West3)
• Supabase (EU – Frankfurt)
• Stripe

Your use of the Service is also governed by these providers' terms and privacy policies.

We are not responsible for any issues arising from third-party services.

10. Intellectual Property

All materials not provided by you — including the website, interface, branding, software, and functionality — are owned by Bardo or its licensors.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of:

• The platform
• Its code
• Its visual assets
• Its service logic

No license is granted beyond what is stated in Section 5.

11. Disclaimers

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, including but not limited to merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

We do not guarantee that:

• The Service will be error-free
• Avatars will meet expectations
• The Service will be available without interruption
• Third-party AI responses will be accurate or reliable

Avatars and AI outputs are simulations only and are not substitutes for professional medical, legal, financial, or other advice.

AI-generated content may be unpredictable or incorrect.

12. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law:

• We are not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages.
• Total liability for any claim is limited to the subscription fees paid in the preceding 3 months.

Some jurisdictions do not allow these limitations; in those cases, they apply to the maximum extent permitted.

This limitation does not apply to liability arising from gross negligence, willful misconduct, or where prohibited by applicable law.

13. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates, without regard to conflict-of-law principles.

Any disputes will be resolved exclusively in the courts of the UAE unless otherwise required by applicable law.

Notwithstanding the foregoing, for users located in the European Union, European Economic Area, or Switzerland, mandatory consumer protection and data protection laws of your jurisdiction apply to the extent they cannot be waived.

14. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms periodically.

When changes are material, we will notify users by email or in-app notification.

The "Last Updated" date will reflect the changes.

Continued use of the Service after changes become effective constitutes acceptance.

If you do not agree to material changes, you may terminate your account within 30 days of notification without further obligation (subject to refund policy).

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at:

16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Bardo, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, losses, liabilities, damages, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your User Content, violation of these Terms, or misuse of the Service.

17. Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions shall remain in full force and effect.

18. Force Majeure

Bardo shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performance due to causes beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, war, terrorism, pandemics, governmental actions, or internet failures.