Birchnote Terms of Use

Effective date: [EFFECTIVE DATE]

These terms are an agreement between you and [OPERATOR NAME], [COUNTRY OF RESIDENCE] ("we", "us"), the operator of Birchnote. Contact: hello@birchnote.ch.

By creating an account or using Birchnote you accept these terms and confirm that you have read the Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the service.

1. The service

Birchnote is a service for writing, storing, searching and syncing notes and attachments across the web, Windows and Android. It is provided through the website birchnote.ch and our apps.

The service is currently free. Paid plans may appear later; their prices and conditions will be published before they start, and you will never be charged without choosing a paid plan yourself.

Each plan has limits (number of notes, notebooks, devices, storage, monthly uploads and so on). Current limits are shown on the website and in the app. We may change the limits of the free plan; if a change reduces them, we will tell you in advance, and nothing you already stored will be deleted because of it.

2. Your account

  • You must be at least 16 years old, or use Birchnote with the consent of a parent or guardian.
  • Give a real email address you control: it is used to confirm the account and to reset your password.
  • Keep your password secret. You are responsible for what is done through your account unless it was accessed without your fault; tell us at once if you suspect someone else has access.
  • One person may hold several accounts, but not to get around plan limits or a block.

3. Your content

Your notes and files remain yours. We claim no ownership of them.

You give us a limited permission to store, copy, process and transmit your content only as needed to run the service for you: to save and sync it, make backups, index it for search, extract text from images and PDFs, and show it to the people you share it with. This permission ends when you delete the content or your account, except for copies in backups until they expire.

You are responsible for your content and for what you share. If you make a public link, anyone with the link can open the note.

4. Acceptable use

You must not use Birchnote to:

  • store or share content that is illegal in Switzerland or in your country, including material sexualising minors, content that infringes someone else's copyright or other rights, or malware;
  • harass, threaten or spam other people, including through invitations and access requests;
  • attempt to access other users' accounts or data, test the service's security without our permission, or bypass limits and protections;
  • overload the service or use it in an automated way that disrupts it for others;
  • resell the service or use it as file hosting for public distribution.

5. Availability and backups

We work to keep Birchnote available and your data safe, and we make regular backups. Still, the service is provided "as is": it may be interrupted for maintenance, failures or reasons beyond our control, and we do not promise any particular uptime. Keep your own copies of important notes: the app lets you export your whole account at any time.

6. Suspension and termination

You can stop using Birchnote and delete your account at any time in Settings → Account. Deletion is final: notes and attachments cannot be restored.

We may suspend or close an account if it breaks these terms or the law, or puts the service or other users at risk. Except in urgent cases or where the law forbids it, we will tell you why in advance and give you a chance to export your data.

If we decide to shut Birchnote down, we will announce it at least 60 days in advance so you can export your data.

7. Liability

To the extent permitted by law, we are not liable for indirect damage, lost profit or loss of data that could have been avoided by keeping your own copies. Our liability for gross negligence and intent, and any liability that cannot be excluded under the mandatory law of your country of residence, remains unaffected.

8. Changes to the terms

We may update these terms. We will publish the new version on this page; if the changes affect your rights significantly, we will notify you by email or in the app at least 14 days before they take effect. If you do not agree, you may delete your account before that date; continuing to use the service afterwards means you accept the new terms.

9. Law and disputes

These terms are governed by the law of [GOVERNING LAW, e.g. Switzerland]. If you are a consumer, you also keep the protection of the mandatory rules of the country where you live. Before going to court, please write to us; most problems can be solved by email.

10. Contact

Questions about these terms: hello@birchnote.ch.

Privacy policy