Terms of Service

1. Definitions

• "Content" means all novels, chapters, text, comments, reviews, images, and data uploaded by Users.
• "Author" means any User who publishes Content on the Platform.
• "Virtual Currency" refers to digital coins, tokens, or points purchased or earned on the Platform used to unlock Content.

2. Eligibility & Age Restrictions

The Platform is not intended for children under 13. You must be at least 13 years of age (or 16 in applicable EU jurisdictions pursuant to the GDPR) to create an account. To access explicit content (NSFW), participate in monetization, or purchase Virtual Currency, you must be at least 18 years of age or the age of majority in your jurisdiction. We reserve the right to request age verification and terminate accounts failing to comply.

3. User-Generated Content & Licensing

3.1 Ownership: Authors retain all copyright and intellectual property rights to their original Content. Goose Books does not claim ownership of your work.

3.2 License Granted to Us: By publishing Content on the Platform, you grant Goose Books a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sub-licensable, and transferable license to host, store, cache, reproduce, publish, distribute, publicly display, adapt (e.g., formatting for mobile reading), and translate your Content solely for the purpose of operating, marketing, and improving the Platform.

3.3 Moral Rights: To the extent permitted by applicable law, you waive any moral rights or rights of attribution with respect to the technical modifications necessary to display your Content on various devices.

4. Prohibited Content & Conduct

To maintain Safe Harbor protections under the US Communications Decency Act (Section 230) and the EU Digital Services Act (DSA), Goose Books strictly prohibits the following. You agree not to upload Content or engage in activity that:

• Infringes IP: Contains unauthorized translations of foreign novels, plagiarized text, or fan-fiction utilizing protected IP without a clear Fair Use defense.
• Exploits Minors (CSAM): Depicts, encourages, or promotes Child Sexual Abuse Material. This results in an immediate, permanent ban and mandatory reporting to the National Center for Missing & Exploited Children (NCMEC) and relevant law enforcement.
• Is Illegal or Dangerous: Promotes terrorism, self-harm, non-consensual intimate imagery (revenge porn), or illicit goods.
• Is Defamatory or Hateful: Constitutes hate speech, severe harassment, doxxing, or defamatory statements against any individual or group.

5. Anti-Scraping & AI Data Protection

Goose Books respects Author rights. You expressly agree not to use automated scripts, spiders, crawlers, or bots to scrape, extract, or harvest Content from the Platform. Furthermore, third parties are strictly prohibited from scraping Content for the purpose of training, fine-tuning, or developing Artificial Intelligence (AI) or Large Language Models (LLMs). We actively monitor and will pursue legal action against entities violating this anti-scraping policy under the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act (CFAA) and equivalent global statutes.

6. Virtual Currency & Monetization

6.1 Virtual Currency: Users may purchase Virtual Currency to unlock premium chapters. Virtual Currency constitutes a limited, personal, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to access Platform features. It is not real money, has no monetary value outside the Platform, and cannot be exchanged for fiat currency.

6.2 No Refunds: All sales of Virtual Currency are final and non-refundable, except where mandated by local consumer protection laws (e.g., EU 14-day cooling-off period, which is waived upon immediate consumption of digital goods).

6.3 Author Payouts: Authors participating in monetization programs are subject to separate Author Monetization Agreements. We reserve the right to withhold payouts in cases of suspected fraud, chargebacks, or IP infringement. Authors are solely responsible for declaring and paying applicable taxes.

7. Copyright Policy (DMCA)

We respect intellectual property rights. In accordance with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) and the EU Copyright Directive, if you believe your work has been infringed, please submit a written notice to our Designated Copyright Agent containing:

• A physical or electronic signature of the IP owner or authorized agent.
• Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed.
• The URL or exact location of the infringing material on our Platform.
• Your contact information (email and physical address).
• A statement of good faith belief that the use is unauthorized.
• A statement under penalty of perjury that the information is accurate.

We maintain a strict "Repeat Infringer" policy and will terminate accounts of Users who repeatedly violate intellectual property rights.

8. Platform Rights & Moderation

Goose Books reserves the right, at our absolute discretion and without liability, to: (i) monitor, edit, flag, or remove Content; (ii) suspend, shadowban, or terminate User accounts; and (iii) modify or discontinue any part of the Platform at any time, with or without notice. We assume no obligation to pre-screen Content, and you consume Content at your own risk.

9. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Platform and all Content are provided on an "AS IS" and "AS AVAILABLE" basis. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Goose Books disclaims all warranties, express, implied, or statutory, including but not limited to implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Platform will be uninterrupted, bug-free, secure, or safe from data loss. You bear the entire risk of using the Platform.

10. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Goose Books, its founders, directors, employees, or affiliates be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages (including loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill) arising out of or related to your use of the Platform, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. In no event shall our aggregate liability exceed the greater of one hundred US dollars ($100.00) or the amount you paid to us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

11. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Goose Books, its affiliates, and their respective officers and employees from any claims, liabilities, damages, judgments, awards, losses, costs, expenses, or fees (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to: (i) your violation of these Terms; (ii) your User Content (including claims of IP infringement or defamation); (iii) your use of the Platform; or (iv) your violation of any applicable law or rights of a third party.

12. Privacy Policy

Our collection, use, and sharing of personal data are governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. We comply with global data privacy frameworks, including the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).

13. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, USA, without regard to its conflict of law principles. For Users residing in the European Union, this choice of law does not deprive you of the protection afforded by mandatory provisions of your country of residence.

14. Dispute Resolution & Arbitration

14.1 Binding Arbitration: Any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the breach thereof shall be settled by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) in accordance with its Consumer Arbitration Rules. The arbitration shall take place digitally or in Delaware, USA.

14.2 Class Action Waiver: You and Goose Books agree that claims may only be brought in an individual capacity and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative proceeding.

14.3 30-Day Opt-Out: You have the right to opt-out of the arbitration and class action waiver provisions by sending written notice of your decision to opt-out to our legal email within 30 days of first accepting these Terms.

15. Severability & Entire Agreement

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect. These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and Goose Books regarding the Platform, superseding any prior agreements.