Terms and Conditions

By accessing or using WebCite's services, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you are using our Services on behalf of an organization, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

Throughout these Terms, the following definitions apply:

• "Services" refers to the WebCite platform, including the web application, API, and all related features and functionality.
• "User," "you," or "your" refers to any individual or entity accessing or using the Services.
• "Content" refers to any text, documents, images, data, or other materials submitted to or generated through the Services.
• "Citations" refers to the verified references and source information generated by our platform.
• "API" refers to the Application Programming Interface provided for programmatic access to our Services.
• "Credits" refers to the usage units consumed when making verification requests.
• "Subscription" refers to your selected service plan (Free, Builder, or Enterprise).

3.1 Core Functionality

WebCite provides a citation verification and generation platform that:

• Validates claims and statements against trusted public and institutional sources
• Generates structured citations with credibility scores
• Supports document uploads for bulk verification (PDF, DOC, DOCX, CSV, PPT, XLS, images)
• Provides API access for integration with third-party applications
• Exports results in JSON and CSV formats

3.2 Service Availability

We strive to maintain high availability of our Services but do not guarantee uninterrupted access. We may temporarily suspend Services for maintenance, updates, or security purposes. We will provide reasonable notice when possible.

3.3 Service Modifications

We reserve the right to modify, update, or discontinue any aspect of the Services at any time. Material changes that affect your use will be communicated through the platform or via email.

4.1 Account Registration

To access certain features, you must create an account by:

• Signing in with Google OAuth, or
• Registering with your email address and verifying via one-time password (OTP)

You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to update such information as necessary.

4.2 Account Security

You are responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials
• All activities that occur under your account
• Notifying us immediately of any unauthorized access or security breach
• Ensuring that your API keys are kept secure and not shared publicly

4.3 Account Restrictions

• You must be at least 16 years of age to create an account
• One person or entity may not maintain multiple free accounts
• Accounts are non-transferable without our written consent

5.1 Service Plans

WebCite offers the following subscription tiers:

5.2 Payment Terms

• Payments are processed securely through Dodo Payments
• Subscription fees are billed in advance on a monthly or annual basis
• Usage-based charges (Builder plan) are billed monthly in arrears
• All fees are non-refundable except as required by law or explicitly stated
• You authorize us to charge your designated payment method for all applicable fees

5.3 Cancellation and Refunds

• You may cancel your subscription at any time through the billing portal
• Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period
• No prorated refunds are provided for partial months
• Upon cancellation, you retain access until the end of your paid period

5.4 Price Changes

We may modify pricing with 30 days' notice. Continued use after price changes constitutes acceptance. Existing subscriptions will honor current pricing until the next renewal.

6.1 API Access

API access is available to Builder and Enterprise plan subscribers. You may:

• Generate API keys through your dashboard
• Use the API to integrate WebCite functionality into your applications
• Access documentation at our API documentation portal

6.2 API Key Security

6.3 Rate Limits and Fair Use

• API requests are subject to rate limits based on your subscription tier
• Excessive requests may result in temporary throttling
• We reserve the right to suspend API access for abuse or violation of these Terms

6.4 API Changes

We may update the API with reasonable notice. We will maintain backward compatibility where feasible and provide migration guidance for breaking changes.

7.1 Permitted Use

You may use our Services for lawful purposes including:

• Verifying claims for research, journalism, and academic work
• Generating citations for reports, articles, and publications
• Integrating citation verification into your applications
• Analyzing data credibility for business intelligence

7.2 Prohibited Activities

You may NOT use our Services to:

• Violate any applicable laws, regulations, or third-party rights
• Submit or generate content that is illegal, harmful, defamatory, or infringes intellectual property
• Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or extract source code from the Services
• Circumvent or disable security features or access controls
• Scrape, crawl, or harvest data beyond authorized API usage
• Impersonate others or misrepresent your affiliation
• Distribute malware, spam, or malicious content
• Resell or redistribute the Services without authorization
• Interfere with the Services' operation or other users' access
• Use automated systems to create multiple accounts

8.1 Our Intellectual Property

WebCite and its licensors retain all rights, title, and interest in the Services, including all software, algorithms, designs, trademarks, and documentation. Nothing in these Terms grants you ownership rights to our intellectual property.

8.2 Limited License

Subject to your compliance with these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to access and use the Services for your internal business or personal purposes.

8.3 Feedback

If you provide feedback, suggestions, or ideas about our Services, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free license to use such feedback for any purpose without compensation to you.

9.1 Your Content

You retain ownership of content you submit to the Services (queries, uploaded documents, etc.). By submitting content, you grant us a license to process, store, and analyze such content solely to provide the Services.

9.2 Content Responsibility

You are solely responsible for:

• The legality, accuracy, and appropriateness of content you submit
• Ensuring you have rights to submit such content
• Any consequences arising from your content

9.3 Content Removal

We may remove content that violates these Terms or applicable law. We are not obligated to monitor all content but reserve the right to do so.

10.1 No Warranty

We specifically disclaim all warranties including:

• MERCHANTABILITY and FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE
• NON-INFRINGEMENT
• Accuracy, completeness, or reliability of citations and search results
• Uninterrupted or error-free operation
• Security of data transmission

10.2 Citation Accuracy

10.3 Third-Party Content

Citations reference third-party sources. We do not control and are not responsible for the accuracy, availability, or content of third-party sources.

11.1 Exclusion of Damages

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WEBCITE SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR:

• Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
• Loss of profits, revenue, data, or business opportunities
• Service interruptions or data loss
• Errors or inaccuracies in citations or search results
• Unauthorized access to your account or data

11.2 Liability Cap

Our total liability for any claims arising from these Terms or your use of the Services shall not exceed the greater of: (a) the amount you paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) $100 USD.

11.3 Essential Purpose

These limitations apply regardless of the legal theory and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so these may not apply to you.

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless WebCite, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

• Your use of the Services
• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Content you submit to the Services

13.1 Termination by You

You may terminate your account at any time by contacting support or through account settings. Termination does not relieve you of payment obligations for services already rendered.

13.2 Termination by Us

We may suspend or terminate your access immediately if you:

• Violate these Terms or our Acceptable Use Policy
• Fail to pay applicable fees
• Engage in fraudulent or illegal activity
• Pose a security risk to the Services or other users

13.3 Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

• Your access to the Services will cease immediately
• Your API keys will be revoked
• We may delete your data after a reasonable retention period
• Provisions that by their nature should survive (indemnification, limitation of liability, etc.) will remain in effect

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will provide notice of material changes by posting the updated Terms and updating the "Last Updated" date. For significant changes affecting your rights, we will provide email notice.

Your continued use of the Services after changes become effective constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to the changes, you must stop using the Services.

15.1 Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict of law principles.

15.2 Dispute Resolution

Any disputes arising from these Terms or the Services shall first be attempted to be resolved through good-faith negotiation. If negotiation fails, disputes shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the rules of the American Arbitration Association.

15.3 Class Action Waiver

You agree to resolve disputes with us on an individual basis and waive any right to participate in class action lawsuits or class-wide arbitration.

16.1 Entire Agreement

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

16.2 Severability

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will continue in full force and effect.

16.3 Waiver

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

16.4 Assignment

You may not assign these Terms without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations without restriction.

16.5 Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations due to circumstances beyond our reasonable control.