Terms of Service
Effective Date: January 21, 2025 | Last Updated: January 21, 2025
Welcome to CivicSummary. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our platform at civicsummary.ai and related services. By using CivicSummary, you agree to be bound by these Terms.
1. Acceptance of Terms
By accessing or using CivicSummary, you confirm that you are at least 13 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms. If you are using our services on behalf of an organization, you represent that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.
2. Our Mission and Service
CivicSummary enhances transparency and civic engagement by making local government information more accessible and understandable. We provide:
- AI-powered summaries of public meetings and documents
- Organized access to agendas, minutes, and voting records
- Tools for civic participation and public comment submission
- Email notifications and updates about local government activities
Important: We are an independent platform and do not represent or act on behalf of any government agency.
3. Account Registration
To access certain features, you must create an account. You agree to:
- Provide accurate, current, and complete information
- Maintain the security of your account credentials
- Promptly update your information if it changes
- Accept responsibility for all activities under your account
- Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use
4. Subscriptions and Billing
4.1 Subscription Plans
We offer various subscription tiers with different features. Premium features may include archive access, advanced alerts, API access, and enhanced commenting tools.
4.2 Billing
- Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually in advance
- Prices are subject to change with 30 days notice
- All fees are non-refundable except as required by law
4.3 Cancellation
You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account dashboard. Access continues until the end of your current billing period.
5. User Content and Public Comments
5.1 Public Comment Submission
Our platform facilitates submission of public comments to government bodies. When you submit a comment:
- It may become part of the public record
- You are solely responsible for the content
- Your name and comment may be publicly visible
- We may forward it to relevant government email addresses
5.2 Content Standards
You agree not to submit content that:
- Is defamatory, harassing, or threatening
- Contains hate speech or discrimination
- Is knowingly false or misleading
- Violates any law or regulation
- Infringes on intellectual property rights
5.3 License Grant
By submitting content, you grant CivicSummary a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute your content in connection with our services.
6. Intellectual Property
All CivicSummary content, including summaries, interface designs, logos, and features, is protected by intellectual property laws and is owned by or licensed to CivicSummary.
You may not reproduce, distribute, modify, or create derivative works without our written permission, except for personal, non-commercial use or legitimate civic advocacy purposes.
7. Acceptable Use Policy
You agree not to:
- Use the service for any unlawful purpose
- Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems
- Interfere with or disrupt the service
- Use automated systems or software to extract data without permission
- Impersonate any person or entity
- Harass, abuse, or harm other users
- Circumvent any security measures or access restrictions
8. Disclaimers
Important Legal Notice:
- CivicSummary provides information sourced from public government documents
- We do not guarantee accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of any content
- Always consult official government sources for authoritative information
- We do not provide legal, financial, or professional advice
- The service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind
9. Limitation of Liability
To the fullest extent permitted by law, CivicSummary and its affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of profits or revenues, whether incurred directly or indirectly, or any loss of data, use, goodwill, or other intangible losses resulting from your use of our services.
10. Indemnification
You agree to indemnify and hold harmless CivicSummary, its affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including legal fees) arising from your use of the service or violation of these Terms.
11. Termination
We may suspend or terminate your account immediately if you:
- Violate these Terms
- Engage in fraudulent or illegal activities
- Abuse or misuse the platform
- Fail to pay subscription fees when due
Upon termination, your right to use the service will immediately cease, though certain provisions of these Terms will survive termination.
12. Modifications to Terms
We may modify these Terms at any time. Material changes will be notified via email or prominent notice on the platform. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.
13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the American Arbitration Association rules, except where prohibited by law.
Class Action Waiver: You agree to resolve disputes individually and waive any right to participate in class actions.
14. General Provisions
- Entire Agreement: These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and CivicSummary
- Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in effect
- No Waiver: Our failure to enforce any right or provision is not a waiver of that right
- Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without our consent
15. Contact Information
For questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us: