TERMS OF SERVICE • AICHE TECHNOLOGIES

Effective Date: October 5, 2025

0) Visual Trust Summary (The Gist in 15 Seconds)

This plain-English summary is for convenience only. It does not replace the full Terms of Service. If anything here conflicts with the Terms, the Terms control.

✅ Our Purpose: To let you think faster than you type, using temporary, privacy-first cloud processing.
❌ Our Ironclad Vows: Your content uses temporary files that are immediately deleted. Never trained on. Never sold. No human review.
⚖️ Who Owns What: You own 100% of your inputs and outputs - always.
🔒 Our Architectural Protection: We protect you through our design, not just promises. Data is encrypted in transit, processed temporarily, and your optional history is secured exclusively on your device.
🤝 A Fair Deal: Our service is provided "as-is," but we stand by our promises. Cancel anytime. Our liability is limited in a fair and transparent way.

1) The AICHE Promise: Our Core Commitments

While we may update our Terms to reflect new features or laws, these Core Commitments reflect our foundational pledge to you. Any material change to these commitments would require significant advance notice and your active consent.

Our Core Commitments

Zero Long-Term Storage: Your content may be briefly written to temporary encrypted files during processing (typically under 30 seconds), then immediately and permanently erased. It is never stored long-term. Full stop.
No Training on Your Content: We will never use your voice or text to train any AI models-our own or a third party's. This is our foundational pledge.
Privacy by Architecture: We designed our systems to be physically incapable of retaining your content. The most secure data is data that doesn't exist.
Encryption Always: All data in transit between your device and our servers is secured using industry-leading encryption.

2) Introduction & Acceptance of Terms

This Terms of Service (the "Terms") is a binding agreement between you and AICHE Technologies LLC, a Delaware corporation ("AICHE," "we," "us," or "our").

Scope of These Terms

These Terms govern your use of:

The AICHE website (including aiche.app and any subdomains)
Web applications and interfaces
Desktop applications (Windows, macOS, and Linux)
Obsidian Plugin (AICHE Voice for Obsidian)
Browser extensions or integrations
APIs, SDKs, and developer tools
Any related services, features, or content (collectively, the "Service")

Note: Desktop software installations are also governed by the Desktop Installer Agreement accepted during installation.

Acceptance of the Terms

You indicate your acceptance when you:

Click or tap "I Agree," "Accept," or similar control during sign-up or installation
Access or use any part of the Service
Continue using the Service after being notified of changes

Authority to Accept

If accepting on behalf of an organization, you represent and warrant that you have full legal authority to bind that organization. You agree to indemnify AICHE for any claims arising from lack of actual authority. If you're unsure about your authority, please have an authorized officer accept these terms or accept only in your individual capacity.

User Categories

Free Users: Users without any paid subscription
Paid Individual Users: Users with personal paid subscriptions
Business/Enterprise Users: Users with business or enterprise subscription plans or separate Master Service Agreements

Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms to reflect new features, legal requirements, or operational changes
For material changes, we'll provide at least 30 days' advance notice via email or in-product notification
Continued use after notice constitutes acceptance
Material adverse changes to Core Commitments require explicit consent

Eligibility

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service (or 16+ where required by local law). If you are under the age of majority where you live, you may only use the Service with the consent and supervision of a parent or legal guardian who agrees to these Terms.

Incorporated Policies

These Terms incorporate by reference:

Our Privacy Policy
Desktop Installer Agreement (for desktop users)
Trust Center documentation
Any product-specific notices

If there's a conflict between these Terms and a separate written agreement signed by us (e.g., an MSA for enterprise customers), the signed agreement controls for that customer.

3) The Service

Service Description

AICHE is a productivity tool that lets you trigger voice capture via a hotkey and receive AI-enhanced text transcription you can paste anywhere. Your speech flows at 39 bits/second while typing is only 6-we bridge that gap.

Operational Model (Temporary Processing)

Temporary Processing: Voice processing uses temporary files that are immediately deleted after processing completes (typically within 15 seconds)
Stateless Servers: We don't maintain persistent storage of your audio or transcription content
Local-Only History: If you choose to keep a searchable history, it's stored exclusively on your device using secure OS storage with encryption
No Cross-Device Sync (v1.0): There is no server-side sync in version 1.0. If introduced later, it will be strictly opt-in and end-to-end encrypted

Key Features

The Service includes:

One-key voice recording from anywhere
AI-powered transcription in multiple languages
Text enhancement (grammar, structure, translation)
Smart Insert for automatic text placement
Offline recording with later processing
Local encrypted history (optional)

Availability and Changes

Availability: The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." We aim for high reliability but don't guarantee 100% uptime
Not a Backup: AICHE is not an archival or backup service. Maintain your own copies of important information
Feature Changes: We may add, remove, or modify features. For material changes affecting your rights, we'll provide advance notice

Security Architecture

Encryption in Transit: Industry-standard TLS 1.3 for all data transmission
Local Protection: Local history encrypted using OS-level secure storage (Windows DPAPI, macOS Keychain/Secure Enclave, Linux Secret Service)
OS Backup Notice: Your operating system's backup features (like OneDrive, iCloud, Time Machine) may automatically back up local application data. You're responsible for configuring these OS-level settings according to your privacy preferences

Data Collection Differences

Website (aiche.app): Uses standard web analytics and may include advertising pixels for service improvement and marketing. See Privacy Policy for details.
Desktop Applications: No analytics trackers, no advertising pixels, no telemetry. Your voice and text data never leaves the temporary processing flow.
Why the difference: Our website needs analytics to improve user experience and measure marketing effectiveness. Our desktop app is built for absolute privacy - what happens on your device stays on your device (except for temporary processing).

Obsidian Plugin

The AICHE Voice Obsidian plugin is a community plugin available through the official Obsidian Community Plugins directory.

Usage Terms:

The AICHE Voice Obsidian plugin is included with your AICHE subscription
Same usage terms apply as desktop and mobile apps
The plugin requires an active internet connection for transcription
Offline functionality stores encrypted audio locally until connection is restored

Technical Details:

Audio recordings are sent to AICHE servers (api.aiche.app) for processing
Transcriptions are returned directly to your Obsidian vault
Authentication uses OAuth via the obsidian://aiche-auth protocol handler
Tokens are encrypted at rest using Web Crypto API

Independence:

We are not affiliated with Obsidian; the plugin is an independent integration
Support for the plugin is provided by AICHE, not Obsidian
The plugin follows Obsidian's Community Plugin guidelines

4) User Accounts & Security

Account Integrity

You agree to provide accurate information and keep it current
You're responsible for all activities under your account, including actions from linked devices
One email address per account (no shared accounts)

Credentials and Access

Protect your credentials, device tokens, and any one-time codes
Don't share them with others
Notify us immediately at [email protected] of any suspected compromise or unauthorized use

Device Linking

You may link multiple devices to your account
Each device requires separate authorization through our Connect page
We may implement reasonable device limits to prevent abuse
Removing a device immediately revokes its access

Our Security Practices

We implement industry-standard security measures including:

Multi-factor authentication options
Secure token-based device authorization
Regular security audits
Incident response procedures

As described in the AICHE Promise, we don't retain audio or transcription content after processing, and any local history is stored only on your device using secure OS mechanisms.

Your Security Responsibilities

Keep your devices and operating systems updated
Use modern, supported browsers and operating systems
Install our application updates when available
Configure your OS backup settings appropriately
Report security concerns to [email protected]

5) Acceptable Use & Fair Use

Our Commitment to All Users

AICHE is built to handle your productivity needs, whatever they may be
We want every user to have a fast, reliable experience
Most users will never encounter any limitations
We maintain service quality through smart resource management

Keeping Service Fast for Everyone

To ensure everyone gets great performance, we may apply gentle rate limiting if our systems detect:

Automated or scripted usage patterns
Unusual patterns that might indicate a technical issue
Activity that could impact service quality for others

If this happens:

You'll see a friendly notice about temporary limits
Service will resume normally after a brief cooldown
If you have legitimate high-volume needs, just contact us-we're flexible

We're Built for Real Work

AICHE is designed for:

All your personal and business productivity needs
Creative projects and content creation
Educational and professional use
Whatever helps you think faster than you type

Working Together

If our systems flag unusual patterns:

We assume good intentions first
We'll reach out if we need to understand your use case
We're interested in supporting power users with legitimate needs
Communication beats enforcement every time

General Guidelines

While using the Service, please:

Respect intellectual property and privacy rights
Obtain consent before recording others where required by law
Use the Service for lawful purposes only
Don't attempt to circumvent security measures
Don't use the Service to distribute malware or spam
Don't publish benchmarks without our written consent

Safety Considerations

For everyone's safety, the Software should not be used for:

Medical diagnosis, treatment, or advice
Legal advice or document preparation requiring certification
Emergency services or critical communications
Safety-critical systems (aviation, nuclear, life support)
Any use where failure could cause death, injury, or property damage

6) Your Content, Your Ownership

You Own Your Content

You retain 100% ownership of your audio inputs and text outputs (collectively, "User Content"). We claim no ownership rights in your User Content.

Limited Operational License

You grant us a temporary, limited license to process User Content solely to provide the Service to you. This license exists only during the brief processing period (typically under 30 seconds) and terminates immediately upon deletion of temporary files.

No Storage, No Training, No Human Review

We don't retain your audio or transcription content after processing
We don't use your content to train AI models
We don't allow human review of your content
Temporary processing files are immediately and permanently deleted

Local-Only History

If you enable local history:

It's stored only on your device using secure OS storage
It's not synchronized to our servers
Audio files are not stored by default (text only)
You control whether to keep or delete history

Operational Metrics (Non-Content)

We may collect minimal diagnostic or usage metadata from the web service (not from desktop applications) that doesn't include audio or transcription content:

Processing duration and success rates
Feature usage patterns
Error codes and performance metrics See our Privacy Policy for details.

7) Subprocessors & Third-Party Services

Our Trusted Partners

We use a limited number of carefully selected vendors for:

AI Processing: Groq Inc. for speech-to-text (processes temporarily, no retention)
Infrastructure: Hetzner and DigitalOcean for servers
Payments: Stripe for secure payment processing

All subprocessors are contractually bound by strict confidentiality and security obligations, including a prohibition on using any customer data for their own purposes (such as model training).

Transparency Commitment

Current subprocessor list maintained on our Trust Center
30-day notice for material changes to subprocessors
Data Processing Addendums (DPAs) in place with all partners

Third-Party Terms

Some features may rely on third-party services subject to their own terms. Your use of those features may be governed by both these Terms and the third-party terms.

8) Payments, Subscriptions & Refunds

Pricing

Free Trial: 7 days full access, no credit card required
Current Pricing: $4.99/month (early bird pricing)
Prices shown in USD, excluding applicable taxes

Billing and Auto-Renewal

Subscriptions billed monthly in advance
Automatic renewal unless cancelled
Applicable taxes (VAT, GST) added at checkout based on location
Payment processing through Stripe (PCI-compliant)

Cancellation

Cancel anytime through account settings
One-click cancellation, no questions asked
Cancellation takes effect at end of current billing period
You maintain access until period ends

Refund Policy

14-Day Money-Back Guarantee: No-questions-asked refund for your first subscription purchase made directly through us
Reasonable Use: We may decline refunds in cases of abuse (e.g., repeated refund requests or excessive usage with immediate cancellation)
Third-Party Purchases: If purchased through app stores, their refund policies apply

Price Changes

At least 30 days' notice for price increases affecting existing subscriptions
Continued use after notice constitutes acceptance
We may grandfather existing users at our discretion

9) Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

"As-Is" Service Provision

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available." To the extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties, express or implied, including but not limited to:

Implied warranties of merchantability
Fitness for a particular purpose
Accuracy or reliability of outputs
Non-infringement
Quiet enjoyment

AI Output Accuracy Expectations

Please understand that:

AI-generated transcriptions may contain errors, omissions, or misinterpretations
Accuracy varies based on audio quality, accents, technical terminology, and environmental factors
Outputs are not verbatim records suitable for legal proceedings
You should review and verify all outputs before use
Outputs should not replace human judgment for critical decisions

No Professional Services

The Service does not provide and should not be relied upon for:

Medical, legal, financial, or tax advice
Professional transcription services requiring certification
Court reporting or legal documentation
Real-time captioning for accessibility compliance
Any service requiring guaranteed accuracy or professional standards

Limitation of Liability

To the extent permitted by applicable law:

Free Users: Our total aggregate liability for all claims shall not exceed one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

Paid Individual Users: Our total aggregate liability shall not exceed the greater of:

Amount paid for the Service in the 12 months preceding the claim, or
One hundred U.S. dollars ($100)

Business/Enterprise Users: Liability governed by separate Master Service Agreement.

Exclusion of Certain Damages

Our liability does not extend to:

Indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages
Loss of profits, revenue, data, or goodwill
Business interruption or loss of business opportunity
Cost of substitute services or software
Damages from reliance on Service outputs
Damages exceeding the liability caps described above

Exceptions

These limitations may not apply to:

Liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence
Fraudulent misrepresentation
Any liability that cannot be excluded under applicable law

Basis of Bargain

You acknowledge these limitations reflect the allocation of risk between parties and form an essential basis of the bargain. The Service would not be provided without these limitations.

10) Indemnification

Your Indemnification

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless AICHE, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees, agents, and suppliers from any claims, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from:

Your violation of these Terms
Your violation of applicable laws or regulations
Your use of the Service in combination with third-party products
Content you process through the Service
Your negligence or willful misconduct
Claims that your use infringes third-party rights
False claims of authority to bind an organization

Procedure

The indemnified party will:

Promptly notify you of the claim
Provide reasonable cooperation in defense
Allow you sole control of defense and settlement
Not admit liability without your consent

Our Limited Indemnification

For Business/Enterprise Users with separate agreements, we provide indemnification as specified in your Master Service Agreement.

11) Dispute Resolution

Governing Law

This Agreement shall be governed by and construed in accordance with:

The laws of the State of Delaware, USA
Without regard to conflict of law principles
Without application of the UN Convention on Contracts for International Sale of Goods

Let's Talk First

Before initiating formal proceedings:

Please contact us at [email protected]
Provide a written description of your concern
Allow 30 days for good faith negotiations
We genuinely want to resolve issues together

Binding Arbitration

If informal resolution doesn't work, disputes will be resolved through binding arbitration:

Administrator: American Arbitration Association (AAA)
Rules: AAA Consumer Arbitration Rules
Location: San Francisco, California (or via videoconference)
Arbitrator: Single arbitrator with technology law experience
Language: English
Decision: Final and binding on both parties

Individual Dispute Resolution

You and AICHE agree that:

All disputes must be brought individually
Class actions, class arbitrations, and representative actions are not permitted
Claims cannot be joined or consolidated
The arbitrator can only award relief for the parties involved

Exceptions to Arbitration

Either party may seek:

Small claims court action (individual claims within jurisdictional limits)
Injunctive relief for IP infringement or violation
Enforcement of arbitration decision in court

Opt-Out Right

You may opt out of arbitration and class action waiver:

Send written notice to [email protected] within 30 days of first accepting these Terms
Include your name, email, and clear opt-out statement
Opt-out doesn't affect other Agreement terms

Costs and Fees

AAA filing fees per Consumer Arbitration Rules
Each party bears own attorney fees unless law provides otherwise
Prevailing party may recover fees if allowed by law
AICHE pays arbitrator fees for claims under $75,000

12) Term and Termination

Term

These Terms begin when you first use the Service and continue until terminated.

Termination by You

You may terminate at any time by:

Deleting your AICHE account
Uninstalling all AICHE applications
Cancelling your subscription
Ceasing all use of the Service

Termination by AICHE

We may terminate or suspend if:

You breach these Terms
Required by law or court order
Service is being discontinued
Security threat is detected
You refuse critical security updates for more than 60 days

Progressive Enforcement

For minor violations:

Written warning with violation details
7-day cure period (typical)
Suspension if uncured
Termination for repeated violations

Severe violations (illegal activity, security threats, malicious abuse) may result in immediate termination.

Effect of Termination

Upon termination:

Your license rights cease immediately
You must uninstall all Software copies
Local history remains on your device (your responsibility to delete)
No refund for current billing period
Account data deleted per Privacy Policy

Data Portability

Before terminating:

Export your account information via account settings
Note: We don't store your audio or transcription content to export
Local history resides only on your device
You're responsible for backing up local data

Survival

These sections survive termination:

Ownership rights
Disclaimers and limitations
Indemnification obligations
Dispute resolution terms
General provisions

13) General Provisions

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, Desktop Installer Agreement (if applicable), and referenced policies, constitute the entire agreement between you and AICHE regarding the Service.

Amendments

We may update these Terms with 30 days' notice for material changes
Notice via email or in-app notification
Continued use after notice constitutes acceptance
Material adverse changes to Core Commitments require explicit consent

Assignment

AICHE may assign these Terms in connection with merger, acquisition, or sale of assets
You may not assign without our written consent
Agreement binds successors and assigns

Severability

If any provision is deemed invalid or unenforceable:

That provision will be modified to minimum extent necessary
Remaining provisions continue in full force
Parties will negotiate replacement provision in good faith

No Waiver

No waiver of any provision is effective unless:

Made in writing and signed
Waiver of one breach isn't waiver of future breaches
Our failure to enforce isn't a waiver

Force Majeure

Neither party is liable for delays, failures, or material degradation of service due to:

Acts of God, natural disasters
War, terrorism, civil unrest
Government actions or regulations
Internet or infrastructure failures beyond control
Pandemic or health emergencies

Interpretation

This Agreement should be interpreted reasonably and in good faith, consistent with its overall purpose of enabling productive use of the Service while protecting both parties' legitimate interests. Ambiguities should not be construed to create unexpected obligations or windfalls for either party.

Notices

To AICHE: [email protected]
To You: Email address on your account
Legal notices effective upon receipt
Service notices effective upon sending

Relationship of Parties

We're independent contractors
No partnership, joint venture, or agency
Neither party can bind the other

Third-Party Beneficiaries

No third-party beneficiary rights except as explicitly stated
Indemnified parties are beneficiaries of indemnification provisions only

14) Additional Legal Requirements

Export Compliance

The Service contains encryption technology subject to:

U.S. Export Administration Regulations (EAR)
You represent you're not on any restricted party list
You agree not to export to embargoed countries
You agree not to use for prohibited end uses

DMCA & Copyright Compliance

If you believe your copyrighted work has been infringed:

Send notice to [email protected] with subject "DMCA Notice"
Include: identification of work, infringing material location, contact info, good faith statement, accuracy statement under penalty of perjury, signature
Counter-notifications accepted per DMCA procedures
We may terminate repeat infringers

Accessibility

We strive to make the Service accessible to users with disabilities and aim to comply with WCAG 2.1 Level AA guidelines where technically and commercially feasible. We'll make reasonable efforts to accommodate requests within standard industry practices.

Contact [email protected] for:

Accessibility issues or barriers
Reasonable accommodation requests
Alternative format documentation

Security Reporting

Report vulnerabilities or security concerns to [email protected]

We appreciate responsible disclosure
Please allow reasonable time for fixes before public disclosure
Security researchers may be eligible for acknowledgment

15) Enterprise & Business Terms

Order of Precedence

For business or enterprise customers:

Separate Master Service Agreement (MSA) may apply
If conflict exists, MSA governs for that customer
Contact [email protected] for enterprise terms

Enterprise Benefits

Business customers receive:

Data Processing Addendum (DPA)
Service Level Agreement (SLA)
Trust Center access with security documentation
Potential volume discounts
Dedicated support channels

Compliance Support

We provide reasonable assistance with:

Security questionnaires
Compliance audits
SOC 2 documentation (when available)
Additional requirements per MSA

CONTACT INFORMATION

AICHE Technologies LLC

Contacts:

Website: https://aiche.app
Trust Center: https://trust.aiche.app