Terms of Service

Last Updated: December 26, 2025

Welcome to TCM Acupuncture Atlas. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of our Traditional Chinese Medicine tongue diagnosis platform. By creating an account or using our services, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using TCM Acupuncture Atlas, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, you must not use our services.

2. Description of Services

TCM Acupuncture Atlas provides:

• AI-powered tongue diagnosis using computer vision and machine learning
• Access to an annotated atlas of tongue images for educational purposes
• AI chat assistant for additional analysis (optional paid feature)
• Expert user capabilities for contributing annotated images (by invitation)
• Educational resources about Traditional Chinese Medicine

Our services are for educational and informational purposes only and do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.

3. User Accounts

3.1 Account Creation

To use certain features, you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate and complete information
• Maintain the security of your password
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized access
• Be responsible for all activities under your account
• Not share your account credentials with others

3.2 Account Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old (or 16 in the EU) to create an account. By creating an account, you represent that you meet this age requirement.

3.3 Account Termination

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms or engage in harmful behavior. You may delete your account at any time through your account settings.

4. Subscriptions and Payments

4.1 Free and Paid Features

We offer both free and paid subscription tiers. Paid features include:

• Full access to the annotated tongue atlas
• AI chat assistant for detailed analysis
• Advanced filtering and search capabilities
• Priority support

4.2 Billing

• Subscriptions are billed monthly or annually as selected
• All payments are processed securely through Stripe
• Prices are subject to change with 30 days notice
• You authorize us to charge your payment method for recurring subscriptions

4.3 Cancellation and Refunds

• You may cancel your subscription at any time
• Cancellation takes effect at the end of your current billing period
• No refunds for partial months or unused time
• Refunds may be provided at our discretion for technical issues or billing errors

5. User Content and Conduct

5.1 Your Responsibilities

You agree NOT to:

• Upload images containing identifiable patient information without proper consent
• Use our services for any unlawful purpose
• Attempt to reverse engineer, decompile, or extract our AI models
• Scrape, mine, or harvest data from our platform
• Upload malicious code, viruses, or harmful content
• Impersonate others or misrepresent your credentials
• Interfere with or disrupt our services
• Use automated tools to access our platform without permission

5.2 Expert User Obligations

If you have expert status and upload tongue images:

• You must have proper qualifications in Traditional Chinese Medicine or related fields
• You must obtain appropriate patient consent before uploading any images
• You must comply with HIPAA, GDPR, and all applicable privacy laws
• You grant us a perpetual, worldwide license to use your contributions for research and education
• You represent that you have the right to share the uploaded content

6. Intellectual Property

6.1 Our Property

All content, features, and functionality of TCM Acupuncture Atlas, including but not limited to:

• AI models and algorithms
• Software and source code
• Design, layout, and user interface
• Logos, trademarks, and branding
• Text, images, and educational content

are owned by TCM Acupuncture Atlas and protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, reproduce, or distribute our content without permission.

6.2 User Content License

By uploading content (images, annotations, comments), you grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, and distribute your content for:

• Providing and improving our services
• Training and enhancing our AI models
• Academic research and publications
• Educational purposes

7. Medical Disclaimer

8. Privacy and Data Protection

Your use of our services is also governed by our Privacy Policy. Key points:

• Tongue diagnosis images are processed locally in your browser
• Images are NOT uploaded to our servers unless you use the AI Chat feature
• When using AI Chat, images are sent to OpenAI and subject to their privacy policy
• We comply with GDPR, HIPAA, and applicable data protection laws

Please review our Privacy Policy for complete details.

9. Disclaimers and Limitations of Liability

9.1 Service Availability

We provide our services "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee:

• Uninterrupted or error-free service
• Accuracy or completeness of AI diagnoses
• That our services will meet your specific requirements
• Security of data transmission over the internet

9.2 Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, TCM Acupuncture Atlas shall not be liable for:

• Indirect, incidental, or consequential damages
• Loss of profits, data, or business opportunities
• Damages arising from use or inability to use our services
• Medical decisions made based on our platform

Our total liability shall not exceed the amount you paid us in the past 12 months, or $100 USD, whichever is greater.

10. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless TCM Acupuncture Atlas from any claims, damages, or expenses arising from:

• Your violation of these Terms
• Your violation of any laws or regulations
• Content you upload or share through our platform
• Your violation of any third-party rights
• Unauthorized use of your account

11. Third-Party Services

Our platform integrates with third-party services:

• Stripe: Payment processing
• OpenAI: AI Chat feature
• Supabase: Database and authentication
• Vercel: Hosting and analytics

These services have their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for their actions or policies.

12. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will notify you of material changes via email or through a prominent notice on our platform. Your continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms.

13. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

13.1 Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of Turkey, without regard to conflict of law provisions.

13.2 Dispute Resolution

In the event of any dispute:

• First, contact us at tcmatlas.contact@gmail.com to resolve informally
• If unresolved, disputes shall be settled through binding arbitration
• You waive the right to participate in class-action lawsuits
• Small claims court remains available for eligible disputes

14. Severability

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

15. Contact Information

For questions about these Terms, please contact us:

• Email: tcmatlas.contact@gmail.com
• Twitter: @tcmatlas
• Instagram: @tcmatlas