Terms of Service | Plinth

1. Service Description

Plinth (“the Service”) is a proprietary communication and project documentation platform designed for residential builders and their clients. The Service allows builders to log site visit check-ins with photos, notes, and checklists, and share progress journals with homeowners.

2. Important Disclaimer — Not a Legal Record-Keeping Service

Plinth is a communication and documentation tool. It is NOT a legal record-keeping service, and the data generated by Plinth — including but not limited to photos, timestamps, notes, PDF reports, and check-in logs — should NOT be relied upon as legal evidence in disputes, arbitration, litigation, or insurance claims without independent verification.

While Plinth timestamps and stores data as accurately as technically feasible, we make no guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness, admissibility, or legal sufficiency of any data produced by the Service. Builders and homeowners should consult qualified legal counsel regarding their documentation and record-keeping obligations.

Change order responses captured via the Service (including “Approve” and “Decline” actions) represent informal communication between builder and homeowner. They do not constitute legally binding written change orders as may be required by applicable state or local law. Builders are responsible for executing formal written change orders separately where required.

3. Accounts and Access

Builder accounts require a valid email address. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your account credentials. Homeowner journal access is provided via shareable links generated by the builder. Builders control which projects and data are visible to homeowners.

4. Intellectual Property

Our IP

The Service — including all software, source code, algorithms, user interface designs, visual design, architecture, documentation, brand assets, the Plinth name, the Plinth logo, and all related trademarks — is the exclusive property of Plinth and its operators and is protected by U.S. and international copyright, trademark, and trade secret laws. No right, title, or interest in any part of the Service is transferred to you except for the limited right to use the Service under these Terms.

Your Content

You retain full ownership of all content you upload to Plinth, including photos, notes, documents, and project data. By uploading content, you grant Plinth a limited, non-exclusive license to store, display, and transmit your content solely as necessary to provide the Service. We do not claim ownership of your content and will not use it for any purpose beyond operating the Service.

Restrictions

You may not copy, modify, distribute, reverse engineer, decompile, or create derivative works based on the Service or any part of its software, design, or user experience. You may not scrape, crawl, or use automated tools to extract data or content from the Service beyond what is made available through our published APIs. You may not resell, sublicense, or white-label the Service or any portion thereof without prior written consent.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree to use Plinth only for lawful purposes related to residential construction project documentation. You will not: upload content that is illegal, harmful, or violates the rights of others; attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service or its infrastructure; interfere with or disrupt the Service or its servers; use the Service to develop a competing product or service. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these terms.

6. Billing and Cancellation

Paid plans are billed monthly or annually through Stripe. You may cancel at any time from your account settings. Upon cancellation, you retain access through the end of your billing period. Your data and homeowner journal links remain accessible on the free tier after cancellation.

7. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PLINTH AND ITS OPERATORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, BUSINESS OPPORTUNITIES, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE. Our total liability for any claim related to the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid to Plinth in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim.

8. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Plinth and its operators, officers, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorney's fees) arising from: (a) your use of the Service; (b) your violation of these Terms; (c) your violation of any rights of a third party; or (d) any content you upload to the Service.

9. Availability and Warranty Disclaimer

We strive to maintain high availability but do not guarantee uninterrupted service. THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We are not liable for any loss resulting from service interruptions, data loss, or security breaches beyond our reasonable control.

10. Governing Law and Disputes

These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Maine, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from these Terms or your use of the Service shall be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in the State of Maine. You agree to submit to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

11. Termination

We may terminate or suspend your access to the Service at any time, with or without cause, upon reasonable notice. Upon termination, your right to use the Service ceases immediately. Sections 2, 4, 7, 8, and 10 shall survive termination. You may request export of your data within 30 days of termination.

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by email or through the Service at least 30 days before the changes take effect. Continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated terms.

13. Contact

For questions about these terms, contact us at hello@plinth.build.