Terms of Service

1. ACCEPTANCE OF TERMS

By accessing or using the Grain of Salt platform (the "Service"), including our web application and browser extension, you ("User", "you") agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you do not agree, you must immediately cease using the Service.

The Service is operated by NOVUS DESIGN PTY LTD (ACN 695 371 236), a company incorporated in New South Wales, Australia ("we", "us", "Company").

2. DESCRIPTION OF SERVICE

2.1 Service Overview

Grain of Salt is an AI-powered fact-checking platform that analyses news articles, social media posts, screenshots, and images submitted by users. The Service generates a "Credibility Score" and analysis report using artificial intelligence and machine learning technologies.

2.2 Service Model

The Service is offered on a freemium model, with both free-tier access and paid subscription plans offering advanced features.

2.3 Platform Dependencies

The Service may function as a browser extension on platforms controlled by third parties (e.g., Google Chrome Web Store, Microsoft Edge Add-ons). You acknowledge that:

• (a) We do not control these third-party platforms;
• (b) These platforms may update, modify, or remove the Service at any time; and
• (c) We are not liable for any interruption or inability to use the Service resulting from third-party platform policies or technical changes.

3. CRITICAL AI DISCLAIMER AND LIMITATION OF RELIANCE

3.1 Nature of AI-Generated Content

YOU ACKNOWLEDGE AND AGREE THAT:

• (a) The Credibility Score, analysis reports, and all outputs generated by the Service are produced by Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems and are not created, verified, or endorsed by human experts.
• (b) AI-generated outputs may be inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, biased, or misleading. The Service relies on machine learning models that may misinterpret context, contain inherent biases, or produce erroneous conclusions.
• (c) The Service is provided for informational and educational purposes only. It does not constitute, and should not be relied upon as:
  • Professional advice of any kind
  • Legal, financial, investment, or medical advice
  • Verification of truth or factual accuracy
  • A substitute for independent research or critical thinking

3.2 No Liability for Reliance

We expressly disclaim all liability for any loss, damage, or harm arising from your reliance on any Credibility Score, analysis, or output generated by the Service, including but not limited to:

• Financial losses (including investment decisions, purchases, or transactions)
• Reputational harm
• Legal consequences
• Personal injury or emotional distress

You must independently verify all information before making any decisions based on the Service's outputs.

3.3 Third-Party AI Data Processing (Privacy Notice)

To provide our core verification services, the Service transmits the text, images, and URLs you submit ("Input Data") to third-party artificial intelligence partners. By using the Service, you explicitly consent to this data sharing.

• Google LLC (Gemini): Used for optical character recognition (OCR), image analysis, and primary reasoning.
• Perplexity AI, Inc.: Used for real-time web search and evidence gathering.

These partners act as sub-processors. Your Input Data is transmitted securely via API and is used strictly for generating the requested analysis. We do not use your Input Data to train our own foundation models, and we configure our API agreements to prohibit our partners from using your Input Data to train their foundation models where possible.

4. USER ACCOUNTS AND ELIGIBILITY

4.1 Account Creation

To access certain features, you must create an account by providing accurate and complete information. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials.

4.2 Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and have the legal capacity to enter into binding contracts under Australian law. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements.

5. USER CONDUCT AND PROHIBITED ACTIVITIES

5.1 Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms.

5.2 Prohibited Activities

You must NOT:

• (a) Generate Misleading Content: Use the Service to create, disseminate, or promote false, misleading, defamatory, or harmful content.
• (b) Harassment or Abuse: Use the Service to harass, threaten, stalk, abuse, or intimidate any person or entity.
• (c) Reverse Engineering: Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, or otherwise discover the source code, AI prompts, algorithms, or proprietary methods underlying the Service.
• (d) Automated Abuse: Use bots, scrapers, scripts, or automated tools to:
  • Bypass usage limits or credit restrictions
  • Submit large volumes of content without authorisation
  • Collect data from the Service
  • Interfere with the Service's operation
• (e) Circumvention: Attempt to circumvent any security measures, technological protection measures, or access restrictions.
• (f) Resale or Redistribution: Resell, redistribute, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service or its outputs without our prior written consent.
• (g) Illegal Activity: Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable laws or regulations.

5.3 Consequences of Violation

Violation of these conduct rules may result in immediate termination of your account, removal of content, and/or legal action.

6. SUBSCRIPTIONS, PAYMENTS, AND REFUNDS

6.1 Subscription Plans

We offer both free-tier access and paid subscription plans ("Paid Plans"). Paid Plans provide access to advanced features, higher usage limits, and priority support.

6.2 Billing

• (a) Advance Payment: All subscription fees are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis (as selected by you).
• (b) Automatic Renewal: Paid Plans automatically renew at the end of each billing period unless you cancel prior to the renewal date.
• (c) Payment Methods: You authorise us to charge your nominated payment method for all applicable fees.

6.3 Price Changes

We reserve the right to change subscription pricing at any time. We will provide you with at least 30 days' notice of any price increase. Continued use of the Service after the notice period constitutes acceptance of the new pricing.

6.4 Refund Policy

• (a) No Partial Refunds: We do not offer refunds for partial months, unused AI credits, or early cancellation of subscriptions.
• (b) Australian Consumer Law: Nothing in this clause excludes, restricts, or modifies any guarantee, right, or remedy conferred on you by the Australian Consumer Law (ACL) or other applicable laws that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted, or modified ("Non-Excludable Rights").
• (c) Where permitted by law, refunds are granted solely at our discretion.

6.5 Cancellation

You may cancel your Paid Plan at any time through your account settings. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period. You will retain access to Paid Plan features until that date.

7. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS

7.1 Your Content

• (a) Ownership: You retain all ownership rights in any text, images, screenshots, or other content you submit to the Service ("User Content").
• (b) Licence to Us: By submitting User Content, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to use, process, store, and analyse your User Content solely for the purpose of providing the Service and improving our AI models.
• (c) Representations: You represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary rights to submit User Content, and that it does not infringe any third-party intellectual property rights.

7.2 Our Intellectual Property

• (a) Platform Ownership: We retain all ownership rights, title, and interest in and to:
  • The Grain of Salt platform, website, and browser extension
  • All source code, software, algorithms, and AI models
  • The Credibility Score methodology and scoring system
  • All analysis reports, outputs, and data generated by the Service
  • Our trademarks, logos, and branding
• (b) No Transfer: These Terms do not transfer any ownership rights to you. All rights not expressly granted are reserved by us.
• (c) Licence to Use and Install: Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant us a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable licence to:
  • (i) Access and use the Website and Cloud Services; and
  • (ii) Download, install, and use one copy of the Grain of Salt Browser Extension on a device that you own or control, solely for your personal or internal business purposes.

8. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY AND INDEMNITY

8.1 Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW:

• (a) Our total aggregate liability to you for any claims arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service, whether in contract, tort (including negligence), statute, or otherwise, is limited to:
  • The total amount you paid us in subscription fees in the 12 months immediately preceding the claim; or
  • One hundred Australian dollars (AUD $100), whichever is greater.
• (b) We are not liable for any:
  • Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
  • Loss of profits, revenue, data, goodwill, or business opportunities
  • Damages arising from your reliance on AI-generated outputs

8.2 Australian Consumer Law Savings Clause

NOTHING IN THESE TERMS EXCLUDES, RESTRICTS, OR MODIFIES:

• (a) Any guarantee, right, or remedy conferred on you by the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable laws that cannot lawfully be excluded, restricted, or modified ("Non-Excludable Rights").
• (b) Where the Australian Consumer Law or other applicable laws imply a guarantee, warranty, or condition into these Terms (and that law prohibits us from excluding or modifying it), our liability for breach of such guarantee, warranty, or condition is limited to (at our option):
  • In the case of services: re-supplying the services or payment of the cost of having the services re-supplied; and
  • In the case of goods: replacing the goods, supplying equivalent goods, repairing the goods, or paying the cost of having the goods replaced or repaired.

8.3 Indemnity

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless NOVUS DESIGN PTY LTD, its directors, officers, employees, and agents from any claims, losses, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Service
• Your breach of these Terms
• Your User Content
• Your violation of any law or third-party rights

9. TERMINATION

9.1 Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service immediately, without notice or refund, if:

• (a) You breach any provision of these Terms (including the User Conduct provisions in Clause 5);
• (b) We reasonably suspect fraudulent, abusive, or illegal activity on your account;
• (c) We are required to do so by law or court order; or
• (d) We decide to discontinue the Service (in which case we will provide reasonable notice where practicable).

9.2 Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting us at admin@novusdesign.com.au or using the account deletion function. Termination does not entitle you to a refund of any prepaid fees.

9.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your right to access and use the Service immediately ceases.
• We may delete your account and User Content (though we may retain certain data as required by law or for legitimate business purposes).
• Clauses that by their nature should survive termination (including Clauses 3, 7, 8, 10, and 11) will continue to apply.

10. DISPUTE RESOLUTION AND GOVERNING LAW

10.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of New South Wales, Australia. The parties submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of New South Wales.

10.2 Dispute Resolution Process

• (a) Informal Resolution: Before commencing formal proceedings, the parties agree to attempt to resolve any dispute informally by contacting us at admin@novusdesign.com.au and negotiating in good faith for at least 30 days.
• (b) Jurisdiction: If informal resolution is unsuccessful, any legal proceedings must be commenced in the courts of New South Wales, Australia.

10.3 Class Action Waiver

To the extent permitted by law, you agree that any dispute resolution proceedings will be conducted on an individual basis and not as part of a class, consolidated, or representative action.

11. GENERAL PROVISIONS

11.1 Modifications to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time by posting the updated Terms on our website with a new "Last Updated" date. Your continued use of the Service after such changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

11.2 Entire Agreement

These Terms constitute the entire agreement between you and NOVUS DESIGN PTY LTD regarding the Service and supersede all prior agreements and understandings.

11.3 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable or invalid, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

11.4 No Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not constitute a waiver of that right or provision.

11.5 Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account without our prior written consent. We may assign these Terms to any affiliate or successor entity.

11.6 Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, please contact us at: