Terms of Service

By accessing or using Folio ("the Service"), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service. If you do not agree to these terms, please do not use the Service.

We may update these terms from time to time. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms. We will notify users of material changes by email or by a notice within the Service.

Folio is an academic research and writing platform that provides tools for document editing, source management, citation formatting, literature discovery, real-time collaboration, and AI-assisted writing support.

The Service is provided "as is" and we reserve the right to modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of it at any time with reasonable notice.

You must create an account to use most features of the Service. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity that occurs under your account.

You must provide accurate and complete information when creating your account. You may not use another person's account without permission.

You must be at least 13 years of age to use the Service. If you are under 18, you represent that you have your parent or guardian's permission to use the Service.

You retain full ownership of all content you create, upload, or store using the Service, including documents, source libraries, and uploaded files ("Your Content").

By using the Service, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license to store, process, and display Your Content solely for the purpose of providing the Service to you.

We do not claim ownership of Your Content and we do not sell, share, or use Your Content for purposes other than operating the Service.

If you share a document with collaborators, you authorize us to make that content available to the people you invite, for as long as the share is active. You are responsible for who you invite.

You are solely responsible for Your Content and for ensuring it does not violate any applicable laws, third-party rights, or these terms.

The Service includes AI-powered features including citation suggestions, source recommendations, proofreading, and writing assistance ("AI Features").

AI Features are provided as assistance tools only. They may produce inaccurate, incomplete, or incorrect outputs. You are solely responsible for verifying the accuracy of any AI-generated content, including citations, references, and source information, before using it in any academic or professional work.

We make no warranty that AI Features will be accurate, complete, or suitable for academic submission. Academic integrity is your responsibility.

Some AI Features process content you paste or import (such as an AI-chat transcript). You are responsible for ensuring you have the right to share that content. Folio verifies imported citations against public databases, but you remain responsible for confirming anything you cite.

We do not use your documents or writing to train AI models.

You agree not to use the Service to:

— Upload or distribute content that infringes any copyright, trademark, or other intellectual property right.

— Engage in academic fraud, plagiarism, or any form of academic dishonesty.

— Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any part of the Service or its underlying systems.

— Interfere with or disrupt the integrity or performance of the Service.

— Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable regulations.

— Resell, sublicense, or commercially exploit the Service without our express written consent.

The Service offers a free tier (Scholar) and paid plans (Fellow and Chair). Features available on each tier are described on our pricing page and may change with notice.

Paid subscriptions are billed monthly or annually in advance. All fees are non-refundable except as described in our Refund Policy or where required by applicable law.

We reserve the right to change our pricing with at least 30 days' notice to existing subscribers. Price changes will not affect current billing periods.

You may cancel your subscription at any time. Upon cancellation, you will retain paid access until the end of your current billing period.

Payment processing is handled by third-party providers. We do not store your payment card details.

The free tier is subject to usage limits including limits on the number of documents and sources. These limits may change with reasonable notice.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate free accounts that have been inactive for more than 12 consecutive months, with prior notice by email.

The Service, including its software, design, interface, and content created by us, is protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or reverse-engineer any part of the Service.

"Folio" and associated logos and marks are our trademarks. You may not use them without our express written permission.

Respecting others’ copyright: you must hold the rights necessary to any material you upload, including PDFs and other files. Do not upload pirated books, articles, or other material you are not licensed to use. Content you upload is stored privately for your own use — Folio does not publish, share, or redistribute it to other users.

Notice and takedown: if you believe material on the Service infringes your copyright, email hello@usefolio.co with (1) your contact details; (2) identification of the copyrighted work; (3) the location of the material on the Service; (4) a statement that you have a good-faith belief the use is not authorized; and (5) a statement, under penalty of perjury, that your notice is accurate and you are authorized to act for the rights holder. We will remove or disable access to infringing material expeditiously.

Repeat infringers: in appropriate circumstances we will suspend or terminate the accounts of users who repeatedly infringe the copyrights of others.

Your use of the Service is also governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these terms by reference. Please read our Privacy Policy carefully.

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement.

We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of viruses or other harmful components.

We are not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content generated by AI Features, or for any academic consequences arising from reliance on such content.

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages arising from your use of or inability to use the Service.

Our total liability for any claims arising from these terms or your use of the Service shall not exceed the total amount you have paid us in the 12 months preceding the claim, or $50, whichever is greater.

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time for violation of these terms, with or without notice.

You may terminate your account at any time from your account settings. Upon termination, you may export your content for 30 days before it is permanently deleted.

Sections 4, 9, 11, 12, and 14 of these terms survive termination.

These terms are governed by applicable law. We will work in good faith to resolve any disputes informally before pursuing formal proceedings.

If you have a complaint or dispute, please contact us at hello@usefolio.co before taking any other action.

If you have any questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us at hello@usefolio.co.