Terms of Service

1. Agreement to Terms

By accessing or using Seedling ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service ("Terms"). If you disagree with any part of these terms, you may not access the Service.

Seedling is operated by Seedling ("Company", "we", "us", or "our"). These Terms govern your use of our website and platform for pitch competitions, video submissions, judging, and prize distribution.

2. Use of Service

2.1 Eligibility. You must be at least 18 years old to use this Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you are at least 18 years of age.

2.2 Account Registration. You must provide accurate, complete, and current information during registration. You are responsible for safeguarding your account password and for any activities or actions under your account.

2.3 Acceptable Use. You agree not to use the Service to:

• Violate any applicable laws or regulations
• Infringe upon intellectual property rights of others
• Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
• Harass, abuse, or harm other users
• Impersonate any person or entity
• Manipulate or interfere with competition results or judging
• Use automated systems to access or scrape the Service

3. Payments and Fees

3.1 Entry Fees. Competition entry fees are non-refundable once submitted. Entry fees contribute to the competition prize pool, minus platform fees.

3.2 Platform Fees. Seedling charges a platform fee (percentage-based) on each competition entry to maintain and operate the Service. This fee is disclosed at the time of entry.

3.3 Prize Payouts. Winners receive prize payouts via Stripe. You must connect a valid Stripe account to receive winnings. Processing times depend on Stripe and your financial institution.

3.4 Payment Processing. All payments are processed through Stripe. You agree to Stripe's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. We are not responsible for Stripe processing errors or delays.

3.5 Taxes. You are responsible for all applicable taxes related to entry fees paid or prizes received through the Service.

4. Intellectual Property

4.1 Your Content. You retain ownership of all content you submit, including pitch videos and materials. By submitting content, you grant Seedling a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, store, display, and process your content for purposes of operating the Service.

4.2 Public Submissions. If you mark a submission as "public," you grant other users the right to view that submission. You may change visibility settings at any time.

4.3 Platform Content. The Service, including its design, features, text, graphics, and software, is owned by Seedling and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws.

4.4 Prohibited Content. You may not submit content that infringes on third-party intellectual property rights, contains confidential information you're not authorized to share, or violates any laws.

5. User Accounts and Roles

5.1 Account Types. Seedling offers different account roles: Founder, Judge, and Admin. Each role has specific permissions and responsibilities.

5.2 Judges. If you serve as a judge, you agree to evaluate submissions fairly, provide honest feedback, and maintain confidentiality of non-public submissions.

5.3 Account Suspension. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in fraudulent activity, or otherwise misuse the Service.

5.4 Data Retention. Upon account deletion, we retain certain data as required by law or for legitimate business purposes (financial records, dispute resolution).

6. Limitation of Liability

6.1 Service Availability. The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee uninterrupted, secure, or error-free operation.

6.2 Competition Results. While we strive for fair judging processes, we are not responsible for judging decisions, score discrepancies, or disputes between users. Competition results are final once announced.

6.3 Third-Party Services. We are not liable for issues arising from third-party services such as Stripe payment processing, AWS S3 video hosting, or user internet connectivity.

6.4 Maximum Liability. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Seedling's total liability for any claims arising from or related to the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid to Seedling in the six months preceding the claim.

6.5 Exclusions. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain liability exclusions. In such jurisdictions, our liability is limited to the greatest extent permitted by law.

7. Dispute Resolution

7.1 Informal Resolution. Before filing a claim, you agree to contact us at hello@tryseedling.live to attempt informal resolution of any disputes.

7.2 Arbitration. Any disputes not resolved informally shall be resolved through binding arbitration in accordance with the American Arbitration Association's rules.

7.3 Class Action Waiver. You agree to bring claims only in your individual capacity and not as part of any class or representative action.

8. 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 its conflict of law provisions.

Any legal action or proceeding arising under these Terms will be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in Delaware.

9. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify users of material changes via email or through the Service. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

It is your responsibility to review these Terms periodically for updates.

10. Contact Information

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

Email: hello@tryseedling.live