Terms of Service

1. Scope

These Terms of Service govern the purchase and use of the software “Sidenotes” (hereinafter “Software”), provided by Dennis Schneider, Vahlenhorst 20, 26127 Oldenburg (hereinafter “Provider”).

By purchasing the Software, the customer (hereinafter “User”) agrees to these Terms of Service.

2. License

The Provider grants the User a perpetual, non-transferable right to use the Software. The license covers the major version current at the time of purchase (e.g., Version 1.x) and includes all associated minor and patch updates.

The license entitles the User to install and use the Software on a reasonable number of personal devices (e.g., desktop and laptop).

3. Updates and Upgrades

Free updates: All minor and patch updates within the purchased major version (e.g., 1.0 → 1.1 → 1.2 etc.) are included in the purchase price and provided free of charge.

Paid upgrades: Major upgrades (e.g., from Version 1.x to Version 2.x) constitute a new, separately licensed product version and may be subject to a fee. The Provider may offer existing users a discounted upgrade price.

There is no entitlement to the development of future major versions.

4. Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) and Third-Party Costs

Sidenotes allows users to provide their own API keys for third-party AI services such as OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, or Groq, or to configure local providers such as Ollama. Any resulting third-party API costs are not included in the purchase price of the Software and are borne directly by the User to the respective third-party provider.

The Provider has no control over pricing changes, availability, or terms of use of these third-party services.

5. Payment Processing

Payment processing is handled by Lemon Squeezy (Lemon Squeezy, LLC), who acts as Merchant of Record and is responsible for invoicing, sales tax collection, and payment processing. Lemon Squeezy’s terms and conditions apply in addition to these Terms.

6. Right of Withdrawal

As a consumer, you generally have a 14-day right of withdrawal. For digital content that is not delivered on a physical medium, the right of withdrawal expires prematurely pursuant to § 356(5) BGB (German Civil Code) if:

• the Provider has begun performance of the contract (delivery of the license key or download),
• the User has given express consent that the Provider may begin performance before the expiry of the withdrawal period, and
• the User has confirmed awareness that consent to early performance results in the loss of the right of withdrawal.

This consent is obtained during the purchase process with the reseller.

7. Liability and Warranty

The Software is provided “as is.” The Provider makes no warranty regarding the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of content generated by AI models (local or via BYOK). The User is solely responsible for reviewing any generated text.

The Provider’s liability for slight negligence is excluded, except where material contractual obligations (cardinal obligations) are breached. Liability for breach of cardinal obligations is limited to foreseeable, contract-typical damages. These limitations do not apply to damages arising from injury to life, body, or health.

8. Data Protection

For information on data processing, please refer to our Privacy Policy.

9. Final Provisions

The law of the Federal Republic of Germany applies. The application of the United Nations Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG) is excluded. If the User is a merchant, a legal entity under public law, or a special fund under public law, the exclusive place of jurisdiction is the Provider’s registered office.

Should any provision of these Terms be or become invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions shall remain unaffected.