Term Detective Terms of Service
Effective October 15, 2026
1. Agreement to These Terms
These Terms of Service (these “Terms”) form a binding agreement between you and Term Detective LLC, a Tennessee limited liability company (“Term Detective,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). By creating an account, purchasing a subscription, or otherwise accessing or using termdetective.com or any related service (collectively, the “Service”), you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you use the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization to these Terms, and “you” refers to that organization.
2. Eligibility and Accounts
The Service is a business service intended for individuals 18 years of age or older. You must keep your sign-in credentials secure and notify us promptly if you believe your account has been accessed without authorization. You are responsible for all activity under your account, including the activity of users you add to a Team plan. Each seat is assigned to one named individual and may not be shared. Your account includes your list of monitored vendors (your “Repository”).
3. Not Legal or Professional Advice
TERM DETECTIVE DOES NOT PROVIDE LEGAL OR PROFESSIONAL ADVICE. NOTHING ON THE SERVICE, AND NOTHING IN ANY ANSWER, ALERT, EXPORT, BRIEF, OR ISSUE OF THE FINE PRINT, CONSTITUTES LEGAL, COMPLIANCE, PRIVACY, SECURITY, OR OTHER PROFESSIONAL ADVICE, AND YOU SHOULD NOT RELY ON IT AS SUCH.
The Service reports what vendors’ publicly available documents state, together with a quotation, a link to the source, and the date of capture. The Service does not interpret those documents and does not assess whether any vendor is safe, secure, or compliant. Your use of the Service does not create an attorney-client or other professional relationship with anyone. You should review the source documents and consult your own advisors before making any decision.
4. The Service
4.1 Accuracy. We use reasonable efforts to report vendor documents accurately. However, vendors revise their documents, AI-assisted extraction may contain errors, and human review may not detect every error. Answers are reviewed periodically by a human reviewer, and answers labeled “not reviewed” or “under review” are pending review. Please report any error to us, and we will review it and, where appropriate, correct it.
4.2 The Fine Print. The Fine Print newsletter is commentary and reflects our opinions. It is intended to inform, not to recommend any course of action, and it includes citations to vendor-specific developments and regulatory news. The Fine Print also contains a fictional storyline. Its characters (including, without limitation, the Detective, Moira, and the Chief) and events are fictional, and any resemblance to actual persons or events is coincidental and unintentional.
4.3 Sponsored Placements. Sponsored placements are always identified as sponsored. Sponsorship does not affect how any vendor’s documents are captured, reviewed, or presented.
4.4 Changes to the Service. We may add, modify, or discontinue features, vendor coverage, and the contents of the free plan. If we remove a material feature from a paid plan, we will provide advance notice.
4.5 Vendor Requests. A request that we add a vendor is Feedback under Section 8.5. We decide, in our sole discretion, whether and when to add a vendor. A request does not entitle you to any credit, discount, additional vendor slot, or other benefit, other than the priority review included with a Team plan. Any vendor we add is available to all users. If you have reached your plan’s vendor limit (for example, 20 vendors on the Starter plan), you must remove a vendor from your Repository before adding the new vendor.
5. Third-Party Websites
Every citation on the Service links to a third-party website, typically the vendor’s own. We do not control, and are not responsible for, the content, accuracy, availability, or practices of any third-party website. Those websites may be subject to their own terms, including terms of use or access, and you are responsible for complying with them. A link to a website does not constitute an endorsement of that website or its owner.
6. Subscriptions, Billing, and Cancellation
(a) Automatic Renewal. Paid plans and The Fine Print renew automatically at the end of each monthly or annual term until cancelled. We will send a reminder at least 7 days before an annual plan renews.
(b) Cancellation. You may cancel at any time from your billing page. Your plan will remain active through the end of the current paid term and will then convert to the free plan. Upon conversion, you may keep up to three (3) vendors of your choice, as permitted under the free plan. Alerts for any additional vendors are paused until you choose, and the vendors you do not keep are then removed from your Repository.
(c) Refunds. Fees are non-refundable, including for partial terms and unused time, except as provided in Section 12.2.
(d) Price Changes. We will provide at least 30 days’ notice of any price change. New prices take effect at your next renewal.
(e) Founding Members. The 40% founding-member discount applies to an annual plan for as long as that subscription renews without interruption. The discount ends if you cancel or switch to a monthly plan.
(f) Failed Payments. If a payment fails, we will notify you by email. If the failure is not resolved within 14 days, your account will convert to the free plan.
(g) Downgrades. If you downgrade from the Team plan to the Starter plan, you may keep up to twenty (20) vendors of your choice. Alerts for any additional vendors are paused until you choose, and the vendors you do not keep are then removed from your Repository. Please contact us if you need assistance.
(h) Taxes. Fees do not include applicable sales or similar taxes, which are calculated and collected at checkout where required.
(i) Payment Processing. Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc., subject to Stripe’s own terms.
7. Acceptable Use
7.1 Restrictions. You may not, and may not permit any other person to:
(a) scrape, crawl, or bulk-download the Service, or access it by automated means other than the features we provide for that purpose, such as exports and your private feed;
(b) resell or republish data from the Service, or use it to build or train a competing product or dataset;
(c) share sign-in credentials beyond the seats you have purchased;
(d) probe, test, or circumvent the security, usage limits, or access controls of the Service; or
(e) use the Service for any unlawful purpose.
7.2 Compliance with Laws. You represent and warrant that you, and every user under your account, will use the Service in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations, including export control and economic sanctions laws.
7.3 Suspension. If you breach this Section 7, we may suspend or terminate your account. Where reasonable, we will notify you first and give you an opportunity to cure the breach.
8. Intellectual Property
8.1 Our Property. We own all right, title, and interest in and to the Service, including the vendor profiles, field answers and labels, change histories, comparisons, The Fine Print, and the Term Detective name and logo. Our property also includes our methodology (including our questions, field definitions, answer labels, and the processes by which we capture, read, and review documents); our visual design, illustrations, and other visual materials; and the fictional elements of The Fine Print, including the Detective storyline and its characters, settings, and plots.
8.2 Vendor Documents. Vendors retain ownership of their documents. We quote brief excerpts and link to the source; we do not republish vendor documents.
8.3 Customer Content. You retain ownership of your watchlists, settings, and saved charts (“Customer Content”). You grant us a limited license to use Customer Content solely to provide the Service to you, as described in our Privacy Policy.
8.4 Exports. You may use exports and charts within your organization and share them with your advisors and auditors. If you quote our answers publicly, you must keep the quotation brief and credit “Source: Term Detective.”
8.5 Feedback. Any suggestions, ideas, or vendor requests you provide to us (“Feedback”) may be used by us without restriction and without any obligation to you.
8.6 Limited License; Reservation of Rights. Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to access and use the Service for your internal business purposes during your subscription. We reserve all rights not expressly granted in these Terms. No other right, title, or license is granted to you, whether by implication, estoppel, or otherwise.
9. Disclaimers and Limitation of Liability
9.1 Disclaimer. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE.” TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, AND WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE ACCURATE, COMPLETE, CURRENT, UNINTERRUPTED, OR ERROR-FREE, OR THAT IT WILL BE FIT FOR ANY PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
9.2 Exclusion of Certain Damages. WE ARE NOT LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOST BUSINESS, LOST DATA, OR THE RESULTS OF DECISIONS MADE IN RELIANCE ON THE SERVICE, EVEN IF WE HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.
9.3 Limitation of Liability. OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE LESSER OF (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID US IN THE THREE (3) MONTHS PRECEDING THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO THE CLAIM AND (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).
9.4 Exclusive Remedies. If an answer on the Service is inaccurate, you may notify us, and we will review it and correct it where appropriate. If you are dissatisfied with the Service, you may cancel your subscription. These are your sole and exclusive remedies, and any other claim is subject to the limitations in this Section 9.
9.5 Applicable Law. Some jurisdictions do not permit certain of the exclusions or limitations in this Section 9. In those jurisdictions, they apply to the fullest extent permitted by law.
10. Indemnification
You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Term Detective and its members, managers, and agents from and against any third-party claim, and any resulting losses, damages, and costs (including reasonable attorneys’ fees), arising out of (a) your breach of these Terms, (b) your misuse of the Service, (c) Customer Content or any other content you submit to us, or (d) your access to or use of any third-party website. We will notify you promptly of any such claim and permit you to control its defense, provided that you may not settle any claim in a manner that admits fault on our behalf without our prior written consent.
11. Dispute Resolution
11.1 Governing Law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Tennessee, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules.
11.2 Informal Resolution. Before filing any claim, you agree to email hello@termdetective.com describing the dispute. Both parties will attempt in good faith to resolve the dispute within 30 days.
11.3 Small Claims. Either party may bring an eligible claim in small claims court in Davidson County, Tennessee.
11.4 Binding Arbitration. Any other dispute will be resolved by binding arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association under its Commercial Arbitration Rules, before a single arbitrator, conducted by video or in Nashville, Tennessee. The arbitrator may award the same individual relief that a court could award.
11.5 Class Action and Jury Trial Waiver. Claims may be brought only on an individual basis, and not as a class, collective, or representative action. Each party waives the right to a jury trial. If this waiver is unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim will proceed in court rather than in arbitration.
11.6 Opt-Out. You may opt out of arbitration by emailing us within 30 days after you first agree to these Terms. If you opt out, disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Davidson County, Tennessee.
11.7 Exceptions. Either party may seek relief in court to stop the misuse of intellectual property or unauthorized access to the Service, including scraping.
12. Termination and Discontinuation
12.1 Termination. You may close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your account as described in Section 7.3.
12.2 Discontinuation of the Service. If we discontinue the Service, we will use commercially reasonable efforts to notify you in advance and will refund, on a pro rata basis, any prepaid fees for the remaining months of your then-current term.
12.3 Survival. Sections 8 through 11 survive the closure or termination of your account.
13. Changes to These Terms
We will provide at least 30 days’ notice by email before any material change to these Terms takes effect. Non-material changes take effect when posted. Every version of these Terms is available in our public changelog at termdetective.com/terms/changes. Your continued access to or use of the Service after a change takes effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must stop using the Service.
14. General
These Terms and our Privacy Policy constitute the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service. If any provision of these Terms is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of that provision. You may not assign or transfer your account or these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of all or substantially all of our assets. We will send notices to the email address associated with your account. You may contact us at hello@termdetective.com or at Term Detective LLC, 116 Agnes Rd, Suite 200, Knoxville, TN 37919.