Terms of Service

1. Your Relationship With Us

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern the relationship between you ("User", "you", or "your") and Plotline, its parent entities, subsidiaries, and affiliates ("Plotline", "Company", "we", "us", or "our"), and set forth the legally binding terms and conditions for your access to and use of the Plotline mobile applications, web platforms, APIs, software, servers, and related services (collectively, the "Services").

Our Services are provided for personal, non-commercial entertainment and reading organization and community interaction. These Terms include and incorporate by reference our Privacy Policy and any additional operating rules or policies published by Plotline.

2. Accepting the Terms & Eligibility

By downloading, installing, accessing, creating an account on, or otherwise using the Services, you represent, warrant, and agree that:

• You are at least 13 years old. You must be at least 13 years old to use Plotline (or older, if your jurisdiction sets a higher minimum age to consent to digital services);
• If you are under the age of majority in your jurisdiction, you have the permission of a parent or guardian who agrees to be bound by these Terms;
• You have the full power, capacity, and legal authority to enter into a binding legal contract with Plotline; and
• You have not been previously suspended, banned, or terminated from Plotline for violation of our policies or applicable law.

If you access or use the Services on behalf of a company, organization, or other legal entity, you represent and warrant that you are authorized to bind that entity to these Terms.

3. Changes to the Terms

Plotline reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to modify, amend, or replace these Terms at any time. When we make material changes, we will provide notice, such as by updating the "Last Modified" date at the top of this document, displaying an in-app notice, or sending an email to your registered email address. We may require you to accept revised Terms before you can continue using the Services.

Revised Terms take effect on the effective date stated in them and apply going forward only. They do not apply to any dispute that arose, or any claim that was filed, before that date, which remains governed by the Terms in effect at the time.

Your continued access to or use of the Services after the effective date of any revised Terms constitutes your acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must stop using the Services and may delete your account.

4. User Accounts & Security Responsibility

To access certain features of the Services, including synchronized media watchlists, reading logs, clubs, and tier lists, you must register for a user account. You agree to provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration and to promptly update such information to maintain its accuracy.

Account Credentials: You are solely and exclusively responsible for safeguarding the confidentiality of your login credentials, passwords, and authentication tokens. You agree not to disclose your password to any third party. You accept full legal and financial responsibility for all activities, data modifications, submissions, club actions, and transactions occurring under your account.

Security Breaches: You must immediately notify Plotline at support@theplotline.app of any unauthorized access, account takeover, or suspected security breach. Plotline shall not be liable for any losses or damages arising from your failure to maintain the confidentiality of your credentials.

5. Subscriptions, Paid Tiers & Billing Terms

Plotline may offer free service tiers as well as optional paid subscription tiers (e.g., "Plus", "Pro", or specific premium club enhancements) that grant access to additional features, such as more private clubs and club members, customization options, and exclusive badges.

5.1 Recurring Billing & Auto-Renewal

Paid Subscriptions are billed in advance on a recurring periodic cycle (such as monthly or annually) based on your selection at checkout. YOUR SUBSCRIPTION WILL AUTOMATICALLY RENEW AT THE CONCLUSION OF EACH BILLING PERIOD AT THE THEN-CURRENT RATE UNLESS CANCELLED PRIOR TO THE RENEWAL DATE. You authorize Plotline and its third-party billing processors to charge your designated payment method for all applicable subscription fees and taxes.

Free Trials: Plotline may offer a free trial of a paid tier. Free trials are offered through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, which decide who is eligible under their own rules, and are generally limited to one per customer. UNLESS YOU CANCEL AT LEAST 24 HOURS BEFORE THE FREE TRIAL ENDS, IT WILL AUTOMATICALLY CONVERT INTO A PAID SUBSCRIPTION AND YOU WILL BE CHARGED THE THEN-CURRENT SUBSCRIPTION FEE WHEN THE TRIAL ENDS. If you cancel during a free trial, you keep the paid tier until the trial ends, after which your account reverts to the free tier as described in Section 5.5.

5.2 Payment Processors

Payments for mobile in-app subscriptions are processed directly through the Apple App Store or Google Play Store and are subject to their respective terms of service and billing rules. Plotline does not directly receive, collect, or store complete credit card numbers or financial account details.

5.3 Cancellation & Refunds

You may cancel your subscription at any time via your Apple ID Subscriptions or Google Play Subscriptions account settings. Upon cancellation, your subscription will remain active until the conclusion of the paid billing cycle, after which premium features will revert to the standard tier.

Refunds: In-app purchases are processed by Apple or Google, and refund requests are handled by them under their own policies. To request a refund, use reportaproblem.apple.com for the Apple App Store, or follow Google Play's refund instructions. Plotline does not issue refunds directly, except where required by law.

5.4 Price & Feature Modifications

Plotline reserves the right to modify subscription pricing, tier structures, and included capabilities at its sole discretion. Any price changes will take effect in the billing cycle following reasonable advance notice provided to you.

5.5 Plan Downgrades, Expirations & Preserved Data

If your paid subscription expires, is cancelled, or is downgraded to the free tier, your previously created custom lists, logged library records, ratings, reviews, and private clubs are preserved and will not be deleted. However, clubs you own that exceed the free tier's limits on clubs or club members are paused until you reactivate your subscription or bring them within those limits, for example by choosing which clubs to keep active. Your lists are not limited by tier.

5.6 Account Suspension, Ban & Fee Forfeiture

If your account is suspended, restricted, disabled, or permanently terminated by Plotline due to a violation of these Terms, community abuse, harassment, fraud, copyright infringement, or unlawful conduct:

• Forfeiture of Prepaid Subscription Fees: You expressly acknowledge and agree that you forfeit any remaining time, active entitlements, and prepaid subscription fees for the unexpired portion of your active billing cycle (whether monthly or annually). Plotline does not provide prorated refunds, credits, or monetary compensation of any kind for terminated or banned accounts.
• User Responsibility for App Store Cancellations: Terminating or banning an account on the Services does NOT automatically cancel recurring subscriptions managed through third-party platforms (including the Apple App Store or Google Play Store). You remain solely and exclusively responsible for disabling auto-renewal in your Apple ID Subscriptions or Google Play Subscriptions account settings to prevent future recurring charges. Plotline disclaims all liability for renewal charges resulting from your failure to cancel recurring billing through the applicable platform store.

6. License & Permitted Use

Subject to your strict compliance with these Terms, Plotline grants you a limited, personal, non-exclusive, non-transferable, non-sublicensable, revocable license to download, install, and use the Plotline application on authorized mobile devices solely for your private, non-commercial use.

You agree that you will not, directly or indirectly:

• Copy, modify, adapt, translate, disassemble, decompile, reverse engineer, or create derivative works of any portion of the Services or underlying source code;
• Circumvent, disable, or tamper with security-related features, authentication mechanisms, or digital rights management protocols;
• Use automated bots, spiders, scrapers, crawlers, or extraction tools to harvest data, ratings, reviews, discussions, or content from the Services;
• Use, ingest, aggregate, or extract any content, metadata, user ratings, or discussion text from the Services for the purpose of training, fine-tuning, developing, or validating any machine learning model, artificial intelligence algorithm, or large language model (LLM) without Plotline's express prior written consent;
• Rent, lease, lend, sell, sublicense, assign, distribute, or commercially exploit the Services; or
• Interfere with, overburden, or disrupt the integrity or performance of Plotline's servers, network infrastructure, or database clusters.

7. User Content & Upload Warranties

The Services enable users to post notes, reviews, ratings, shelf categories, tier rankings, discussion posts, comment threads, club messages, profile avatars, user photos, uploaded graphics, and custom rating emoji stickers (collectively, "User Content").

Ownership & License: You retain ownership of your original User Content. By submitting or uploading User Content to Plotline, you grant Plotline a worldwide, perpetual, royalty-free, non-exclusive, sublicensable, and transferable license to host, store, display, cache, reproduce, transcode, and distribute such content solely as necessary to operate, host, moderate, improve, and provide the Services across all supported platforms.

User Representation & Warranty on Uploads: You represent, warrant, and covenant that: (a) you own or possess all necessary intellectual property rights, licenses, consents, trademark clearances, and permissions to upload, display, and publish any avatar, profile picture, graphic, club banner, or custom rating emoji uploaded to your account; (b) your User Content does not and will not infringe, misappropriate, or violate any third party's copyright, trademark, patent, trade secret, moral right, privacy right, right of publicity, or any other proprietary right; and (c) your User Content complies with all applicable laws and these Terms.

Shared Lists: When you add titles to a list shared with other users, the other members can see what you added and that you added it, and so can other users if the list is public. Titles you add to a list someone else owns stay on that list if you leave or delete your account. If you delete your account while you own a shared list that has other members, ownership passes to another member so the list stays available to them.

Upload Liability Disclaimer: You assume sole legal and financial responsibility for all media files, images, and custom assets uploaded through your account.

8. Discussions, Club Communications & User Interactions

Plotline provides community discussion forums, media comment threads, private and public club spaces, and collaborative turn-based picking features designed for film, television, and literary appreciation.

8.1 Prohibited Conduct

You agree that you will not engage in, facilitate, encourage, or post any content involving:

• Verbal abuse, harassment, threats of physical harm, bullying, cyberstalking, intimidation, or hate speech targeting any individual or protected group;
• Defamatory, libelous, fraudulent, malicious, or knowingly false statements;
• Doxxing, disclosing non-public personal information, private phone numbers, physical addresses, or financial details of any person without authorization;
• Sexually explicit, pornographic, non-consensual intimate imagery, or exploitative content;
• Impersonating any person, celebrity, brand, Plotline team member, or other user; or
• Unsolicited commercial advertising, affiliate spam, pyramid schemes, or bot-generated promotion.

Plotline has no tolerance for objectionable content or abusive users. You can report content or a user, and block any user, from within the app. We review reports and may remove content that breaks these Terms and suspend or permanently ban the accounts responsible, as described in Section 8.4.

8.2 Section 230 Interactive Computer Service Immunity

To the fullest extent permitted by law, you acknowledge and agree that Plotline is an "interactive computer service" provider as defined under Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act (47 U.S.C. § 230) and comparable international laws. Plotline does not author, originate, verify, endorse, or adopt any user-generated comments, discussion threads, reviews, or club messages. Under no circumstances shall Plotline, its founders, officers, directors, or employees be liable as the publisher or speaker of any user-generated statements, opinions, verbal abuse, defamatory comments, or tortious conduct committed by third-party users of the Services.

8.3 Complete Release of User-to-User Disputes

If you have a dispute, argument, disagreement, or claim with or against one or more users of the Services (including disputes arising from club administration, turn order picks, discussion arguments, or offensive remarks), you agree to resolve such dispute directly with that user. YOU HEREBY EXPRESSLY AND IRREVOCABLY RELEASE PLOTLINE, ITS PARENT ENTITIES, SUBSIDIARIES, OFFICERS, FOUNDERS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND SUCCESSORS FROM ANY AND ALL CLAIMS, DEMANDS, LIABILITIES, LOSSES, AND DAMAGES (ACTUAL AND CONSEQUENTIAL) OF EVERY KIND AND NATURE, KNOWN AND UNKNOWN, ARISING OUT OF OR IN ANY WAY CONNECTED WITH DISPUTES BETWEEN USERS.

If you are a California resident, you waive California Civil Code Section 1542, which says: "A general release does not extend to claims that the creditor or releasing party does not know or suspect to exist in his or her favor at the time of executing the release and that, if known by him or her, would have materially affected his or her settlement with the debtor or released party."

8.4 Good Samaritan Moderation Discretion

In accordance with 47 U.S.C. § 230(c)(2), Plotline reserves the absolute right and discretion (but assumes no affirmative legal duty or obligation) to monitor, review, flag, filter, redact, edit, refuse to post, or remove any User Content, or to suspend, restrict, or permanently terminate user accounts or club privileges at any time, with or without notice, for any conduct that Plotline considers objectionable, abusive, unlawful, or contrary to the spirit of the community. Plotline’s decision to moderate or not moderate any particular piece of content shall not create any ongoing duty or liability. Any suspension, restriction, or termination of an account under this Section shall result in the immediate forfeiture of all prepaid subscription fees and active entitlements as set forth in Section 5.6.

8.5 Spoilers & Plot Details

While users are encouraged to mark reviews and discussion comments containing major narrative revelations with spoiler warnings, Plotline cannot guarantee that you will not encounter unmarked spoilers. Plotline disclaims all liability for emotional distress, disappointment, or diminished enjoyment resulting from exposure to spoilers or unverified plot discussions.

9. Copyright, DMCA Takedown & Repeat Infringer Policy

Plotline respects the intellectual property rights of creators and complies with the Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 ("DMCA"), 17 U.S.C. § 512, and applicable international copyright statutes. We maintain a strict notice-and-takedown procedure for copyright owners whose protected works appear on our platform without authorization.

9.1 Submitting a DMCA Takedown Notice

If you are a copyright owner, or an agent authorized to act on behalf of one, and you believe in good faith that any content, avatar, custom emoji sticker, club banner, or media hosted on the Services infringes your copyright, you may submit a formal DMCA Notification of Claimed Infringement to our Designated Copyright Agent containing the following six (6) statutory elements:

1. A physical or electronic signature of a person authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed;
2. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to have been infringed (or, if multiple works at a single site are covered, a representative list of such works);
3. Identification of the material that is claimed to be infringing or to be the subject of infringing activity, including sufficient detail for Plotline to locate the material (e.g., exact URL, username, club ID, or description of the specific custom emoji);
4. Information reasonably sufficient to permit Plotline to contact you, including your legal name, physical mailing address, telephone number, and email address;
5. A statement that you have a good-faith belief that use of the material in the manner complained of is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law; and
6. A statement, made under penalty of perjury, that the information in the notification is accurate, and that you are authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.

9.2 Counter-Notification Procedure

If you believe that your content, avatar, or custom emoji was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification, you may submit a written Counter-Notification to our Designated Copyright Agent containing:

• Your physical or electronic signature;
• Identification of the material that has been removed or to which access has been disabled, and the location where the material appeared before removal;
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good-faith belief that the material was removed or disabled as a result of mistake or misidentification;
• Your name, address, and telephone number, and a statement that you consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for the judicial district in which your address is located (or if outside the U.S., any judicial district in which Plotline may be found); and
• A statement that you will accept service of process from the person who provided the original takedown notice or an agent of such person.

Upon receipt of a valid counter-notification, Plotline will promptly provide the complaining party with a copy. Unless the copyright owner files a court action seeking a restraining order within ten (10) business days, Plotline may restore the removed material in accordance with 17 U.S.C. § 512(g).

9.3 Repeat Infringer Policy

In accordance with Section 512(i)(1)(A) of the DMCA, Plotline has adopted and reasonably enforces a policy that provides for the termination, in appropriate circumstances, of user accounts, memberships, and subscription access for users who are determined to be repeat copyright infringers. Plotline also reserves the right to terminate or restrict accounts upon the receipt of a single credible infringement notice, in its sole discretion.

10. Third-Party Metadata, External Links & Affiliate Disclosures

Plotline retrieves entertainment metadata (including movie, TV show, and book titles, synopses, episode guides, cover artwork, and author information) from third-party open databases, including The Movie Database (TMDB) and OpenLibrary. Plotline does not own, author, or guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or timeliness of third-party metadata.

This product uses the TMDB API but is not endorsed or certified by TMDB.

10.1 External Links & Third-Party Retailers

The Services may contain links to third-party platforms, digital retailers, streaming services, movie ticket vendors, or book merchants (e.g., Apple TV+, Prime Video, Netflix, Amazon, Audible, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop.org, Fandango). Plotline exercises no control over, and assumes zero liability for, the products, pricing, billing, terms, or privacy practices of any third-party websites or external services. Any purchase, rental, subscription, or transaction you conduct on a third-party platform is solely between you and the respective third-party merchant.

10.2 FTC Affiliate Marketing & Referral Disclosure

In compliance with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising and international commercial disclosure standards, please be advised that certain outbound links provided within Plotline may constitute affiliate or referral links. Plotline may receive financial compensation, commissions, or referral fees when you click on certain external links or complete purchases of media titles, streaming subscriptions, books, tickets, or products through partner platforms. Such commercial arrangements are earned at no additional cost to you and do not affect the cataloging of media records.

Where the app shows affiliate or sponsored links, they are labeled where they appear.

11. Exclusion of Warranties ("AS IS" & "AS AVAILABLE")

12. Limitation of Liability

You expressly understand, acknowledge, and agree that to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

13. Indemnification & Hold Harmless

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Plotline, its parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, and each of their respective officers, directors, founders, employees, contractors, agents, and licensors from and against any and all claims, actions, suits, demands, damages, liabilities, losses, judgments, penalties, settlements, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees and legal expenses) arising out of or related to:

• Your access to, use of, or inability to use the Services;
• Your User Content, notes, reviews, messages, or club interactions;
• Your breach or violation of these Terms, our Privacy Policy, or applicable laws or regulations; or
• Your infringement, misappropriation, or violation of any intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of any third party.

14. Mandatory Arbitration & Class Action Waiver

PLEASE READ THIS SECTION CAREFULLY. IT AFFECTS YOUR LEGAL RIGHTS, INCLUDING YOUR RIGHT TO FILE A LAWSUIT IN COURT.

14.1 Informal Dispute Resolution: Prior to filing any formal legal claim, you and Plotline agree to attempt to resolve any dispute, controversy, or claim in good faith. You must send a written notice of dispute detailing the factual basis of the claim and the requested relief to support@theplotline.app. Both parties agree to engage in informal negotiations for a minimum of sixty (60) days following receipt before initiating formal proceedings.

14.4 Exceptions: Either party may bring an individual claim in small claims court if it qualifies and stays there. Either party may also seek injunctive or other equitable relief in court to stop actual or threatened infringement or misuse of intellectual property, or unauthorized access to or use of the Services (including scraping and the uses prohibited in Section 6).

14.5 Mass Arbitration: If 25 or more similar arbitration demands are filed against Plotline by or with the assistance of the same law firm, group of law firms, or coordinated organization, the demands will be administered in batches under the AAA's Mass Arbitration Supplementary Rules (or, if those do not apply, in batches of no more than 50 demands, with each batch resolved before the next is filed). The statute of limitations for any claim in a later batch is paused while earlier batches are resolved.

14.6 30-Day Right to Opt Out: You may opt out of this arbitration agreement by emailing support@theplotline.app from the email address on your account, with the subject "Arbitration Opt-Out", within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. Opting out does not affect any other part of these Terms, including the class action waiver as it applies to proceedings in court.

14.7 Changes to This Section: If Plotline changes this Section 14 after you have accepted it, the change does not apply to any claim that arose or was filed before the change took effect.

14.8 Court Venue: Any claim not subject to arbitration shall be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in the State of Delaware, and you and Plotline consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.

15. App Store Supplemental Terms

If you download or access the application via the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, you acknowledge and agree that:

• These Terms are solely between you and Plotline, and not with Apple Inc. ("Apple") or Google LLC ("Google");
• Apple and Google have no responsibility whatsoever for providing maintenance, hosting, or support services for Plotline;
• Apple and Google are not responsible for investigating, defending, settling, or discharging any claims relating to product liability, consumer protection, or intellectual property infringement; and
• Apple and Google (and their subsidiaries) are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms, and upon your acceptance, will have the right to enforce these Terms against you.

16. General Legal Provisions

Governing Law: These Terms and any dispute arising hereunder shall be governed by, construed, and enforced in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, United States, without regard to its conflict of law principles.

Severability: If any provision of these Terms is held by a court or arbitrator of competent jurisdiction to be invalid, illegal, or unenforceable, such provision shall be severed or modified to the minimum extent necessary, and the remaining provisions shall continue in full force and effect.

Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the complete, entire, and exclusive legal agreement between you and Plotline regarding your use of the Services, superseding all prior oral or written agreements, representations, or understandings.

Limitation of Time to File Claims: TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, ANY CAUSE OF ACTION OR CLAIM ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICES MUST BE COMMENCED WITHIN ONE (1) YEAR AFTER THE CAUSE OF ACTION ACCRUES; OTHERWISE, SUCH CLAIM IS PERMANENTLY BARRED.

Electronic Communications & Notices: You consent to receive communications from Plotline electronically, including by email to your registered email address and through notices in the Services. These communications satisfy any legal requirement that they be in writing. Notices to you are effective when sent to your registered email address or posted in the Services. You are responsible for keeping your email address current.

Modification or Discontinuation of the Services: Plotline may change, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Services, temporarily or permanently, at any time. Plotline is not liable to you or any third party for any such change, suspension, or discontinuation.

Assignment: You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your account without Plotline's prior written consent. Plotline may assign these Terms without restriction, including in connection with a merger, acquisition, reorganization, or sale of assets.

No Waiver: Plotline's failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms is not a waiver of that right or provision.

Force Majeure: Plotline is not liable for any delay or failure to perform caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including outages or failures of third-party hosting, networks, or service providers, natural disasters, labor disputes, acts of government, or cyberattacks.

Survival: Sections 5.6, 7, 8.3, and 11 through 16, and any other provisions that by their nature should survive, survive any termination of these Terms or your account.

17. Contact Information

For questions, formal notices, or legal inquiries regarding these Terms of Service, please contact us at:

Plotline
1178 Broadway, 3rd Floor #3993
New York, NY 10001
United States
Email: support@theplotline.app