VINDEX — TERMS OF SERVICE (PLAIN-TEXT DIGEST)
Version: v0.1-draft   Effective: 2026-07-04
Canonical (binding) URL: https://api.vindexapi.dev/terms.txt
Contact: jcislo918@gmail.com

DRAFT — pending legal review. This is a plain-text digest of the full Terms of
Service. The canonical version at the URL above governs and prevails.

1. PARTIES & ACCEPTANCE
   Using the Service — including having software you deploy call the API —
   accepts these Terms. Under UETA / E-SIGN electronic-agent rules, deploying an
   agent = the principal's acceptance; each request and payment binds you.

2. SERVICE DESCRIPTION — INFORMATIONAL ONLY
   Vindex sells informational vehicle data aggregated from public sources. Output
   is for information only and is NOT professional, legal, mechanical, financial,
   or purchasing advice. Do not rely on it as the sole basis for a purchase,
   safety, or repair decision.

3. NOT A VEHICLE-HISTORY REPORT
   Vindex is NOT a vehicle-history report. It makes NO claims about liens, accident
   history, title status, theft, or odometer readings, and returns none of that
   data. It reports only public recall, complaint, and vehicle-specification data.

4. DATA SOURCES & ATTRIBUTION
   Data comes from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA;
   U.S. federal, public domain) and Transport Canada. Canadian recall data is used
   under the Open Government Licence – Canada: "Contains information licensed under
   the Open Government Licence – Canada." Recall/complaint data reflects the source
   databases as of fetch time and may be incomplete, delayed, or stale.

5. PRIVACY & VIN HANDLING
   VINs you submit are stored only as cache keys, for up to 90 days, to serve
   repeat lookups faster. VINs are NEVER linked to a person. Vindex does NOT
   collect, store, or return any owner, registrant, or driver personal data.

6. PAYMENT TERMS
   Paid endpoints are priced per call in USD and settled as USDC via x402 (on Base
   or Solana). Decode $0.01, recalls $0.01, reliability $0.05, known-issues $0.25,
   Canada per-jurisdiction purchase-costs $0.02, US per-state purchase-costs $0.02. The free /v1/sample/* endpoints (fixed sample
   vehicle) require no payment. Compute-first / settle-after: you are NOT charged for
   errors or below-threshold answers. Taxes and network fees are the buyer's. No
   bundles or subscriptions.

7. REFUND POLICY
   Because the Service settles only after successfully computing a billable answer,
   charges without delivery should not occur; where a settled payment fails to
   deliver, the automated x402 failure path applies. Otherwise all sales are final.

8. ACCEPTABLE USE
   No unlawful use. No resale, redistribution, or sublicensing of Vindex-generated
   outputs (the source public data remains under its own terms). No circumventing
   rate limits or payment. Do not represent Vindex output as a certified vehicle
   history or as professional advice.

9. RATE LIMITS
   Free endpoints are rate-limited; paid access is metered per call. We may throttle
   or block abusive traffic.

10. AS-IS / NO WARRANTY
    Service and data provided "AS IS" / "AS AVAILABLE", with no warranties of any
    kind. Data may be delayed, wrong, incomplete, or stale. No guarantee of accuracy,
    fitness, or any outcome.

11. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
    No liability for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages, or for decisions
    made in reliance on the Service. Total liability capped at fees paid to Vindex in
    the prior 30 days.

12. ASSUMPTION OF RISK
    Vehicle purchase, safety, and repair decisions carry risk. You assume all such
    risk and should independently verify with a qualified professional and an
    official inspection before acting.

13. SERVICE AVAILABILITY
    No uptime, latency, or continuity guarantee; no SLA unless separately agreed.

14. INDEMNIFICATION
    You indemnify Vindex against claims arising from your use, your breach, your
    violation of law, or your agent's conduct.

15. INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
    Underlying public data belongs to its sources (NHTSA public domain; Transport
    Canada under OGL–Canada). Vindex's compilations and derived intelligence are
    Vindex's; buyers receive a limited, non-exclusive, internal-use license.

16. GOVERNING LAW & DISPUTES
    Governed by the laws of the operator's country of establishment (Poland) and
    applicable EU law; disputes before the competent courts there, subject to
    mandatory consumer-protection rights.

17. SEVERABILITY
    If any provision is unenforceable, it is limited/severed; the rest remains.

18. CHANGES TO TERMS
    We may update these Terms; the version/effective date and canonical URL will be
    revised. Continued use after changes = acceptance.