Legal
Terms of Service
Last updated: [DATE]. These Terms take effect on that date and apply to every Customer and User of the Service from then on, regardless of when their account was created.
Draft, pending legal review
This is a first draft prepared for internal review, not a finalized or legally reviewed document. It should not be relied upon, linked publicly, or treated as binding until reviewed by qualified counsel and the bracketed placeholders below are filled in with real values (legal entity name, registered address, governing law, contact details, and a real effective date).
These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern access to and use of Decretum, a decision-register application provided by Sæle Digital ("Decretum", "we", "us"), whether as a cloud-hosted service at decretum.app (the "Cloud Service") or as software licensed for deployment on infrastructure you control ("Self-Hosted Deployment", together with the Cloud Service, the "Service"). By creating an account, deploying the software, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms on behalf of the business or other organization you represent ("you", "Customer"), and you confirm that you are authorized to bind it to them. The Service is offered only to businesses, public bodies and other organizations, for use in their professional activities. It is not offered to consumers. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
1. Definitions
- Organization: a workspace within the Service under which Users and Content are grouped.
- User: an individual with an account under an Organization, including anyone invited by an Organization admin.
- Content: decisions, posts, comments, tags, attachments, and any other material Users submit to the Service.
- Admin: a User with administrative permissions over an Organization, including inviting and removing other Users.
- Contributor: a User who creates or owns a decision, or holds the Approver or Admin role, as opposed to a Reader who only views, subscribes to, and comments on Content. Fees and Self-Hosted license seats (Section 8) are calculated per Contributor, and each Contributor includes up to 20 Readers at no charge.
2. The Service
Decretum is a structured, searchable record of decisions an organization makes: what was decided, who approved it, and why. The Cloud Service and Self-Hosted Deployment run the same application; this section describes how responsibility differs between them.
Cloud Service. We operate the infrastructure, and Customer's Organization data is hosted on infrastructure we select and manage (see the Security & Deployment page and our Privacy Policy for details on where and how).
Self-Hosted Deployment. Where Customer deploys the Service on infrastructure Customer controls (for example, via the provided Docker image), Customer is solely responsible for that infrastructure, its security, backups, and any regulatory obligations tied to operating it, including as a data controller under applicable data protection law. We grant Customer a non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to run the software for Customer's own internal business purposes, for a one-year term from the license's issue date, covering the number of Contributors the license specifies (sold in packs of 10, per the Pricing page) and any software updates we release during that term. If Customer's active Contributor count exceeds what the license covers, or the license expires, the software keeps running without interruption; Decretum's only recourse is a notice to Customer's Admins and the option to purchase an additional pack or renew, not suspension or a lockout. A Self-Hosted Deployment verifies its license entirely locally and never needs to contact Decretum or any third party to do so. Support for Self-Hosted Deployments is provided by email on a reasonable-efforts basis; we do not commit to a specific response time or uptime service level. Customer may not resell, sublicense, reverse-engineer beyond what applicable law permits, or remove proprietary notices from the software.
3. Accounts and Organizations
You must provide accurate information when creating an account and keep your credentials confidential. You are responsible for activity under your account. An Organization's first registrant (Cloud Service, un-invited signup) or first registrant on a Self-Hosted Deployment becomes that Organization's initial Admin and may invite, assign roles to, and remove other Users. Admins are responsible for who they grant access to and at what role.
You must be old enough to form a binding contract in your jurisdiction to use the Service.
A User may delete their own individual account at any time (see the Privacy Policy §7 for how this works, including the 14-day window to cancel). Deleting an individual account does not remove Content that User authored. That Content is owned by the Organization under Section 5 below and remains part of the Organization's record.
4. Acceptable Use
You agree not to:
- use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any third party's rights;
- upload malicious code, or attempt to gain unauthorized access to any account, Organization, or system;
- interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service;
- attempt to circumvent an Organization's access controls, visibility restrictions, or approval requirements;
- use the Service to store or transmit content that is unlawful, defamatory, or infringing; or
- reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract source code from the Service except as expressly permitted by law.
5. Content and Data Ownership
As between Decretum and Customer, Customer owns all Content its Users submit. For the Cloud Service, Customer grants Decretum a limited license to host, process, and display Content solely to provide and support the Service. Decretum does not claim ownership of Customer Content and will not use it to train models or share it with third parties except as described in the Privacy Policy or as necessary to provide the Service (for example, sending an email notification through a configured mail provider).
Decretum and its licensors retain all rights, title, and interest in the Service itself (the software, design, and underlying technology), excluding Customer Content.
6. Data Processing
Where Decretum processes personal data on Customer's behalf in connection with the Cloud Service (principally, personal data Customer's Users choose to include within Content), the Data Processing Agreement made available at decretum.app/dpa (the "DPA") applies to that processing and is incorporated into these Terms by reference. The DPA does not apply to a Self-Hosted Deployment, for the reasons explained in the Privacy Policy. A Customer that requires a separately countersigned copy of the DPA may request one at support@decretum.app.
7. Third-Party Services
The Service integrates with third-party identity providers you may choose to enable (Google, Microsoft Entra ID) and, for email notifications, an SMTP provider Customer or Decretum configures. Use of those providers is also subject to their own terms. Decretum is not responsible for the availability or conduct of third-party services Customer chooses to connect.
From time to time we may offer optional beta or experimental features, including AI-assisted functionality, on an opt-in basis. Such a feature may involve processing Content through a third-party AI provider; before making any AI-assisted feature generally available, we will identify the provider and update this Section and our Privacy Policy accordingly. No AI-assisted feature is currently enabled on the Cloud Service.
8. Fees and Payment
Fees are as published on the Pricing page at the time of purchase or renewal, unless a separately signed order form or agreement states otherwise. Only Contributors are counted toward fees or license seats. Each Contributor includes up to 20 Users with the Reader role at no charge; more Readers than that require additional Contributors or license packs, as shown on the Pricing page. The Cloud Service is billed monthly or annually per Contributor; a subscription automatically renews for successive terms of the same length unless cancelled before the renewal date. Self-Hosted licenses are sold and renewed by direct arrangement rather than automatic billing, and are billed annually per pack of Contributors. Fees are exclusive of applicable taxes, which Customer is responsible for, excluding taxes on Decretum's net income. Refunds are made as described in our Refund Policy. Decretum may change its fees for a subsequent term with at least 30 days' notice before the change takes effect; continuing to use the Service after that constitutes acceptance of the new fees. If payment fails or is not received when due, Decretum may suspend access to the Cloud Service after reasonable notice, without affecting Customer's obligation to pay fees already incurred.
Our order process for the Cloud Service is conducted by our online reseller Paddle.com. Paddle.com is the Merchant of Record for all such orders: it processes payments, issues invoices, handles applicable sales taxes and VAT, and handles refunds. Customer provides its legal business name and, where applicable, its VAT or company registration number at checkout, and invoices are issued to Customer, not to an individual User.
9. Term and Termination
These Terms remain in effect while you use the Service. You may stop using the Service, or an Admin may close an Organization's account, at any time. An Admin can export the Organization's Content at any time, including before requesting closure. The export covers every decision, post, member, and pending invite, but not the underlying attachment files themselves (attachments are listed by filename, size, and type, not included as downloadable file contents). Once closure is requested, every User's access is deactivated immediately; this is reversible for 14 days via a link emailed to every Admin, after which the Organization and its Content are permanently deleted. We may suspend or terminate access for a material breach of these Terms that is not cured within a reasonable time after notice, or immediately for conduct that creates legal liability or risk to other Users.
10. Disclaimers
THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, DECRETUM DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE SERVICE WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR SECURE, OR THAT ANY CONTENT WILL BE PRESERVED WITHOUT LOSS. FOR A SELF-HOSTED DEPLOYMENT, CUSTOMER IS SOLELY RESPONSIBLE FOR BACKUPS AND AVAILABILITY OF ITS OWN INFRASTRUCTURE.
11. Limitation of Liability
TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, DECRETUM WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM USE OF THE SERVICE. DECRETUM'S TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ANY CLAIM ARISING OUT OF THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE AMOUNT CUSTOMER PAID DECRETUM FOR THE SERVICE IN THE [PLACEHOLDER: e.g. TWELVE MONTHS] PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR [PLACEHOLDER: e.g. USD/EUR 100] IF NO FEES HAVE BEEN PAID. NOTHING IN THESE TERMS LIMITS LIABILITY THAT CANNOT BE LIMITED UNDER APPLICABLE LAW.
12. Indemnification
Customer will indemnify and hold Decretum harmless from claims arising out of Customer Content, Customer's breach of these Terms, or Customer's violation of applicable law, to the extent permitted by law.
13. Assignment
Neither party may assign or transfer these Terms, in whole or in part, without the other party's prior written consent, which will not be unreasonably withheld, except that Decretum may assign these Terms without Customer's consent to an affiliate, or in connection with a merger, acquisition, corporate reorganization, change in Decretum's legal form (for example, converting from a sole proprietorship to a limited company), or sale of all or substantially all of the assets relating to the Service, provided the assignee agrees in writing to assume Decretum's obligations under these Terms in full, including any Data Processing Agreement then in effect. Decretum will notify Customer of any such assignment. Customer may likewise assign these Terms without Decretum's consent to an affiliate or successor entity in connection with a comparable merger, acquisition, or corporate reorganization involving Customer, provided the assignee assumes Customer's obligations under these Terms. Any purported assignment in violation of this section is void. Subject to this section, these Terms bind and benefit each party's permitted successors and assigns.
14. Governing Law and Disputes
These Terms are governed by the laws of Norway, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms is subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the Norwegian courts, with venue at the courts of the district where Decretum has its registered office, subject to any mandatory jurisdiction rules that cannot be waived under the Lugano Convention or other applicable law. [CONFIRM WITH COUNSEL: the Lugano Convention interaction, and whether any Customer's location requires additional consumer-protection or jurisdiction carve-outs that can't be waived by contract.]
15. Changes to These Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. For material changes, we will provide reasonable notice (for example, by email to an Organization's Admins or a notice within the Service) before the change takes effect. Continued use of the Service after a change takes effect constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.
16. General Provisions
Confidentiality. Each party may receive information from the other that is marked confidential or would reasonably be understood as such (for example, these Terms' own non-public pricing, or non-public information about either party's business or technology). The receiving party will use it only to perform its obligations or exercise its rights under these Terms, and will protect it with the same degree of care it uses for its own confidential information of similar importance, but no less than reasonable care. This does not apply to information that is or becomes public through no fault of the receiving party, was already known to it without a duty of confidentiality, is independently developed without use of the confidential information, or must be disclosed by law, provided the receiving party gives reasonable notice where legally permitted.
Force Majeure. Neither party is liable for a failure or delay in performance, other than a payment obligation, caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including natural disaster, war, terrorism, riot, labor conditions, governmental action, internet or utility failures, or a failure of a third-party service Decretum depends on to operate the Cloud Service.
Severability. If a provision of these Terms is found unenforceable, that provision will be limited or eliminated to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions remain in full force and effect.
Waiver. A party's failure to enforce a provision of these Terms is not a waiver of its right to do so later. A waiver is only effective if made in writing.
Notices. Notices to Decretum must be sent to support@decretum.app. Notices to Customer will be sent to an Organization's Admins by email or by a notice within the Service; Customer is responsible for keeping its Admins' email addresses current.
Survival. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination, including Section 5 (Content and Data Ownership), Sections 10 through 12 (Disclaimers, Limitation of Liability, Indemnification), this Section 16, and any payment obligations already accrued, survive termination or expiration of these Terms.
Order of Precedence. If these Terms conflict with the Data Processing Agreement referenced in Section 6, the Data Processing Agreement controls for matters of personal data processing; these Terms control for everything else. A separately signed order form or agreement between the parties controls over both to the extent of any conflict.
Entire Agreement. These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any Data Processing Agreement or signed order form referenced in them, are the entire agreement between Customer and Decretum regarding the Service, and supersede any prior or contemporaneous agreements on the same subject.
Feedback. If Customer provides suggestions, ideas, or other feedback about the Service, Decretum may use it without restriction or obligation to Customer.
Publicity. Neither party will state publicly that the other is a customer or user of its products or services without the other's prior written consent, except that Decretum may list Customer's name and logo in a general customer list unless Customer opts out by emailing support@decretum.app.
17. Contact
Questions about these Terms can be sent to support@decretum.app.