🐱 NeighborCats Terms of Service

Agreement to Terms

Welcome to NeighborCats! These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the NeighborCats mobile application (the "App" or "Service"). By creating an account or using NeighborCats, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Eligibility

Age Requirements

• You must be at least 13 years old to use NeighborCats (or 16 in the European Economic Area)
• If you are under 18, you must have permission from a parent or legal guardian
• By using the App, you represent that you meet these age requirements

Account Creation

• You may create only one account per person
• You must provide a valid nickname (3-20 characters, letters/numbers/underscores only)
• You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account
• You must not share your account credentials with others
• You must notify us immediately if you suspect unauthorized access to your account

2. Acceptable Use

You May:

• Upload photos of cats you encounter in your neighborhood
• View and rate photos uploaded by other users
• Add appropriate tags and descriptions to your photos
• Report inappropriate content using the in-app report feature
• Delete photos you have uploaded

You May NOT:

• Upload photos that are not of cats
• Upload photos of people without their consent (even if a cat is present)
• Upload photos you do not have the right to share
• Upload sexually explicit, violent, hateful, or illegal content
• Upload spam, advertisements, or promotional content
• Harass, bully, or threaten other users
• Impersonate another person or entity
• Use the App for any illegal purpose
• Attempt to hack, reverse engineer, or disrupt the App
• Create multiple accounts to manipulate ratings or evade bans
• Use bots, scripts, or automated tools to interact with the App
• Upload photos with false or misleading location data
• Upload photos containing personal information (addresses, phone numbers, license plates)

3. Content Ownership and License

Your Content

• You retain ownership of all photos you upload
• By uploading a photo, you grant NeighborCats a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to:
  • Store, display, and distribute your photo within the App
  • Create thumbnails and optimized versions of your photo
  • Display your photo on maps and in photo feeds
  • Allow other users to view and rate your photo
• This license continues until you delete the photo or close your account
• You represent that you have the right to upload each photo and grant this license

User Responsibilities

• You are solely responsible for the content you upload
• You must have permission to photograph and share any private property visible in photos
• You must comply with all local laws regarding photography and privacy
• You will not upload copyrighted images without permission

Our Content

• NeighborCats, its logo, design, and features are owned by Landerwick Trading Company LTD or its licensors
• You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of our App
• All rights not expressly granted to you are reserved by us

4. Content Moderation and Removal

Our Right to Remove Content

We reserve the right to remove any content that:

• Violates these Terms of Service
• Violates our Community Guidelines
• Is reported by multiple users (auto-flagging after 3 reports)
• Contains inappropriate, illegal, or harmful material
• Infringes on intellectual property rights
• Violates applicable laws or regulations

Content Review Process

• Users can report photos using the "Report" button
• After 3 reports, a photo is automatically flagged for review
• We will manually review flagged photos within 48 hours
• If a photo violates our policies, it will be permanently deleted
• Repeat violations may result in account suspension or termination

No Obligation to Monitor

• We are not obligated to monitor or review all user-generated content
• We are not liable for user-generated content
• You use the App and view content at your own risk

5. Account Termination

Termination by You

• You may delete your account at any time by contacting us at gregorn@gmail.com
• All your photos, ratings, and data will be permanently deleted within 30 days
• Some cached data may persist in backups for up to 90 days

Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your account immediately if:

• You violate these Terms of Service
• You upload inappropriate or illegal content
• You engage in harassment or abusive behavior
• You create multiple accounts to manipulate the system
• You use automated tools or bots
• We are required to do so by law

Effect of Termination

• Your access to the App will be immediately revoked
• Your photos and data will be permanently deleted
• You may not create a new account without our permission
• Sections of these Terms that should survive termination (e.g., liability limitations) will continue to apply

6. Privacy and Data Collection

Data Collection

• We collect and use your data as described in our Privacy Policy
• By using the App, you consent to data collection and processing

Public Information

• Your nickname, photos, photo locations, and tags are publicly visible
• Any user can view photos you upload on the map
• Consider this before uploading sensitive locations (e.g., your home)

Location Data

• We collect GPS coordinates when you upload a photo
• Location data is publicly displayed with your photo marker
• We do not track your location when you are not using the App

7. Intellectual Property

Copyright

If you believe content on NeighborCats infringes your copyright, contact us at gregorn@gmail.com with:

• Description of the copyrighted work
• URL or description of the infringing content
• Your contact information
• A statement that you have a good faith belief the use is unauthorized
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you are authorized to act on behalf of the copyright owner

Trademarks

• NeighborCats, its logo, and related marks are trademarks of Landerwick Trading Company LTD
• You may not use our trademarks without written permission

8. Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability

"AS IS" Service

The app is provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to:

• Warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose
• Warranties that the App will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
• Warranties that content is accurate, complete, or reliable

Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Landerwick Trading Company LTD shall not be liable for:

• Any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages
• Loss of profits, data, or goodwill
• Service interruptions or data breaches
• User-generated content or actions by other users
• Damages arising from your use or inability to use the App

In no event shall our total liability exceed $100 or the amount you paid us in the last 12 months (whichever is greater).

User Disputes

• You are solely responsible for your interactions with other users
• We are not liable for disputes, conflicts, or harm arising from user interactions
• If you have a dispute with another user, you release us from all claims related to that dispute

9. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Landerwick Trading Company LTD, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including legal fees) arising from:

• Your use of the App
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any third-party rights (including intellectual property or privacy rights)
• Content you upload to the App

10. Third-Party Services

External Services

The App uses third-party services including:

• Firebase (Google) for authentication, database, and storage
• Google Maps for map display
• Expo for app framework

Your use of these services is subject to their respective terms and privacy policies.

Third-Party Links

The App may contain links to third-party websites or services. We are not responsible for the content, terms, or privacy practices of these external sites.

11. Changes to Terms

Notification of Changes

• We may modify these Terms at any time
• Material changes will be communicated via email (if provided) or in-app notification
• The "Last Updated" date will reflect when changes were made

Acceptance of Changes

• Continued use of the App after changes constitutes acceptance of the new Terms
• If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the App

12. Geographic Restrictions

• NeighborCats is operated from Canada
• We make no representation that the App is available or appropriate for use outside Canada
• If you access the App from outside Canada, you do so at your own risk and are responsible for compliance with local laws

13. Dispute Resolution

Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of British Columbia, Canada, without regard to conflict of law principles.

Venue

Any legal action must be brought in the courts of British Columbia, Canada, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

14. General Provisions

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and NeighborCats.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full effect.

Waiver

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

Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms. We may assign our rights and obligations to any third party.

Force Majeure

We are not liable for delays or failures in performance resulting from causes beyond our reasonable control (e.g., natural disasters, pandemics, acts of war).

Contact for Legal Notices

All legal notices should be sent to:

Landerwick Trading Company LTD
2065 Triumph
Vancouver, BC V5L1K7
Canada
Email: gregorn@gmail.com

15. Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us:

Email: gregorn@gmail.com

Mailing Address:
Landerwick Trading Company LTD
2065 Triumph
Vancouver, BC V5L1K7
Canada

Acknowledgment

Appendix: Community Guidelines

What We Encourage

• Sharing photos of cats you encounter in public spaces
• Adding helpful and accurate tags
• Being respectful to other users
• Reporting inappropriate content
• Celebrating the diversity of neighborhood cats

What We Don't Allow

• Photos of cats in distress or being harmed
• Photos that invade privacy of people or private property
• Spam, advertisements, or promotional content
• Harassment or bullying in photo comments or tags
• False reporting of content

Reporting Content

If you see content that violates these guidelines:

1. Tap the three-dot menu on the photo
2. Select "Report Photo"
3. Choose a reason (Inappropriate, Not a Cat, Spam, Other)
4. Submit the report

After 3 reports, photos are automatically flagged for manual review.

Appeals

If your content was removed and you believe it was a mistake:

• Email us at gregorn@gmail.com with your nickname and a description of the photo
• We will review your appeal within 5 business days
• Our decision on the appeal is final