Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are a binding agreement between you and the operator of CantoAI (“CantoAI,” “we,” “us,” or “our”) governing your access to and use of our website and Cantonese language learning application at canto-ai.com (the “Service”).

Please read these Terms carefully. By accessing or using the Service, you agree to these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1. Eligibility and Acceptance

• You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service.
• If you are between 13 and 17 (or the age of majority where you live), you may use the Service only with permission of a parent or legal guardian who accepts these Terms on your behalf.
• You must provide accurate account information and keep it current.
• You may not use the Service if you are barred from doing so under applicable law or if we have previously suspended or terminated your account.

2. Service Description

CantoAI is an AI-powered language learning tool for Hong Kong Cantonese practice, including conversation rehearsal (Chat), translation (Translate), and pronunciation help (Pronounce).

Educational use only. The Service is for language learning and personal practice. It is not professional, legal, medical, immigration, financial, or other expert advice. Do not rely on AI output for decisions that could affect health, safety, employment, legal status, or relationships.

3. Accounts and Security

• You are responsible for activity under your account and for keeping credentials secure.
• Notify us promptly at hello@canto-ai.com if you suspect unauthorized access.
• One account per person unless we authorize otherwise.
• We may refuse registration, reclaim usernames, or limit accounts at our discretion.

4. Acceptable Use

You may use the Service for

• Personal, non-commercial language learning
• Educational practice and self-study

You may not

• Violate any law or third-party rights
• Harass, threaten, defame, or harm others
• Submit illegal, exploitative, or highly sensitive personal data you are not authorized to share
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of our systems; circumvent access controls or rate limits
• Reverse engineer, scrape, or resell the Service except as permitted by law
• Use the Service to build a competing product using our outputs at scale
• Use automated means to access the Service without our written permission
• Misrepresent AI-generated Cantonese as human professional interpretation in high-risk settings

5. AI, Language, and Audio Disclaimers

• Responses are generated using third-party AI and speech technology (including OpenAI and Google). Output may be incorrect, incomplete, outdated, or culturally inappropriate.
• Colloquial Cantonese varies by region, generation, and context. We do not guarantee accuracy, fluency outcomes, or suitability for any specific situation.
• Voice audio is processed for transcription and playback. We do not permanently store raw voice recordings in our database; transcripts and text may be stored as described in our Privacy Policy.
• You are solely responsible for how you use phrases you learn or copy from the Service in real conversations.

6. Privacy

Our Privacy Policy explains what we collect, how we use it, and your rights. By using the Service, you acknowledge that we process data as described there, including sharing with service providers such as Supabase, Google, OpenAI, Google Analytics, and Stripe (for payments).

7. Intellectual Property

Our property

The Service, including software, design, branding, and documentation, is owned by us or our licensors and protected by intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable license to use the Service for personal learning in accordance with these Terms.

Your content

• You retain ownership of text and voice input you submit.
• You grant us a worldwide, royalty-free license to use, store, process, reproduce, and display your content solely to operate, secure, improve, and support the Service, including aggregate and de-identified analysis as described in our Privacy Policy.
• You represent that you have the rights to submit your content and that it does not violate these Terms or applicable law.

8. Optional Payments

Some features or support options may be offered for payment through Stripe. Prices and terms will be shown at checkout. Payments are voluntary unless we explicitly state otherwise for a paid plan. Refunds are handled according to the policy displayed at purchase or as required by law.

9. Service Availability and Changes

• We strive to keep the Service available but do not guarantee uninterrupted or error-free operation.
• We may modify, suspend, or discontinue features or the entire Service at any time, with or without notice.
• Outages of third-party providers (e.g., OpenAI, Google, Supabase) are outside our control.

10. Termination

By you

You may stop using the Service at any time. To request account deletion, email hello@canto-ai.com from your account email with the subject “Account deletion request.” We will process deletion as described in our Privacy Policy.

By us

We may suspend or terminate your access immediately, without prior notice, if we reasonably believe you violated these Terms, pose a security risk, or if required by law. We may discontinue the Service with reasonable notice where practicable.

Effect of termination

• Your right to use the Service ends upon termination.
• Sections that by nature should survive (including disclaimers, limitation of liability, indemnification, dispute resolution, and governing law) will survive.
• We may retain information as described in our Privacy Policy and as required by law.

11. Indemnification

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless CantoAI and its operator, affiliates, and personnel from and against any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising out of or related to:

• Your use or misuse of the Service
• Your content or conduct
• Your violation of these Terms or applicable law
• Your violation of any third-party rights

We reserve the right to assume exclusive defense and control of any matter subject to indemnification by you, and you agree to cooperate with our defense.

12. Disclaimer of Warranties

13. Limitation of Liability

14. Dispute Resolution and Governing Law

Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to conflict-of-law principles, except where mandatory consumer protection laws in your country of residence require otherwise.

Informal resolution

Before filing a claim, you agree to contact us at hello@canto-ai.com and attempt to resolve the dispute informally for at least 30 days.

Binding arbitration (US users)

If you reside in the United States, any dispute not resolved informally will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules, except as stated below. The Federal Arbitration Act governs the interpretation and enforcement of this section.

• Class action waiver: You and CantoAI agree that each may bring claims only in an individual capacity, not as a plaintiff or class member in any class or representative proceeding.
• Small claims: Either party may bring an eligible claim in small claims court.
• Injunctive relief: Either party may seek injunctive relief in court for misuse of intellectual property or unauthorized access.
• Opt-out: You may opt out of arbitration within 30 days of first accepting these Terms by emailing hello@canto-ai.com with subject “Arbitration opt-out” and your account email.

Non-US users

If mandatory law in your country does not permit arbitration as described above, you may bring claims in the courts of your country of residence, and nothing in these Terms limits rights you cannot waive by contract.

15. Third-Party Services

The Service integrates third-party services (including Supabase, Google, OpenAI, Google Analytics, and Stripe). Your use of those services may be subject to their terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for third-party services, but we select providers we believe are appropriate for our needs.

16. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will post the updated Terms and update the “Last Updated” date. Where required, we will provide additional notice. Continued use after changes become effective constitutes acceptance, except where your consent is required by law.

17. General

• Entire agreement: These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Service.
• Assignment: You may not assign these Terms without our consent. We may assign them in connection with a merger or sale.
• No waiver: Failure to enforce a provision is not a waiver.
• Severability: If any provision is unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect.
• Force majeure: We are not liable for delays or failures due to events beyond our reasonable control.

18. Contact

These Terms are designed to protect users and the Service operator. They are not a substitute for advice from a qualified attorney in your jurisdiction.