Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using Briefklar (“the Service”), you agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (“Terms”). If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Service.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you (“User”, “you”) and Briefklar App (“Briefklar”, “we”, “us”). They apply to all visitors, users, and others who access or use the Service.

You must be at least 16 years of age to use this Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you are at least 16 years old.

2. Description of Service

Briefklar is an AI-powered document analysis platform designed to help users understand official correspondence in foreign countries. The Service provides:

• Upload and OCR processing of official letters, government documents, and administrative notices
• AI-powered analysis and plain-language explanations in 30+ languages
• AI-generated reply letter drafts in the official language of the document
• Voice input for reply customisation (Pro and Family plans)
• Deadline tracking and reminder notifications (Pro and Family plans)
• Document history and cross-device sync (Pro and Family plans)
• PDF and Word document export

3. User Accounts

3.1 Account Creation

To use Briefklar, you must create an account through our authentication provider (Clerk). You may sign up using email/password or a supported social login provider. You agree to provide accurate and complete information during registration.

3.2 Account Security

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You must notify us immediately at support@briefklar.de if you become aware of any unauthorised use of your account.

3.3 Family Plan Accounts

Family Plan subscribers may invite 2–5 members who share a pooled credit balance. The account owner is responsible for ensuring that all family members comply with these Terms. Each family member must have their own account.

4. Subscription Plans & Billing

4.1 Available Plans

4.2 Billing & Payment

• Paid subscriptions are billed monthly or annually through Stripe.
• Annual plans offer a discounted rate: Pro at €7.99/month, Family at €11.99/month (billed yearly).
• All prices include applicable VAT where required by law.
• Briefklar never stores your payment card details — all payment processing is handled by Stripe.

4.3 Cancellation & Refunds

• You may cancel your subscription at any time from your account settings.
• Upon cancellation, you retain access to paid features until the end of your current billing period.
• Unused credits do not carry over after cancellation and are not refundable.
• Refunds for annual plans are handled on a case-by-case basis. Contact support@briefklar.de within 14 days of purchase.

5. Credit System

Briefklar uses a credit-based system to manage usage. Each action consumes a specific number of credits:

• Document analysis: 1 credit per letter uploaded and analysed
• Reply generation: 1 credit per AI-generated reply letter
• Voice transcription: 2 credits per voice recording transcribed (Pro/Family only)

Credits are deducted at the time of use. If a service call fails (e.g. transcription error), credits are automatically refunded to your account.

Pro and Family plans include credit rollover up to your monthly allocation. Free plan credits do not roll over. Credits have no cash value and cannot be transferred between accounts.

6. Your Content & Data

6.1 Ownership

You retain full ownership of all documents you upload to Briefklar. We do not claim any intellectual property rights over your content.

6.2 Limited Licence

By uploading content, you grant Briefklar a limited, non-exclusive licence to process your documents solely for the purpose of providing the Service (OCR extraction, AI analysis, translation, and reply generation). This licence terminates when you delete the document or your account.

6.3 Document Storage & Deletion

• Documents are stored in private, encrypted storage with no public URL.
• You may delete any document at any time from your letter history.
• Upon account deletion, all your documents and data are removed within 30 days.
• Your documents are never used to train AI models.

6.4 Voice Data

Audio recordings for voice replies are processed in memory only. No audio data is stored in our database or file storage at any point. The transcribed text is returned to your browser and used solely to customise your reply.

7. AI Analysis Disclaimer

This disclaimer is displayed within the app at the point of use and constitutes a material term of your use of the Service. By using Briefklar, you acknowledge and accept the limitations of AI-generated analysis.

8. Acceptable Use & Conduct

You agree not to use Briefklar to:

• Upload illegal, harmful, or fraudulent content
• Attempt to manipulate, bypass, or exploit the AI system (prompt injection)
• Circumvent usage limits, rate limits, or credit restrictions
• Use automated tools (bots, scrapers) to access the Service without permission
• Share your account credentials with others (Family Plan members excepted)
• Reverse-engineer, decompile, or attempt to extract the source code of the Service
• Upload content that infringes on the intellectual property rights of others
• Use the Service in any way that violates applicable laws or regulations

Violation of these terms may result in immediate account suspension or termination without refund.

9. Intellectual Property

The Briefklar name, logo, website design, user interface, and all associated software and documentation are the intellectual property of Briefklar App and are protected by copyright and trademark laws.

You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works of any part of the Service without prior written consent. AI-generated analysis and reply letters produced for your documents are yours to use as you see fit.

10. Termination

10.1 By You

You may close your account at any time by contacting support@briefklar.de or through your account settings. Upon closure, your subscription (if any) will be cancelled and your data will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

10.2 By Briefklar

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your account if you violate these Terms, engage in abusive behaviour, or use the Service in a way that could harm other users or the platform. Where possible, we will provide notice before termination.

10.3 Effect of Termination

• Remaining credits are forfeited and are not refundable.
• Your documents and data will be deleted within 30 days.
• Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (disclaimers, liability, governing law) will continue to apply.

11. Limitation of Liability

To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law:

• Briefklar is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied.
• We do not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.
• We are not liable for any damages arising from your reliance on AI-generated analysis, including missed deadlines, incorrect translations, or misinterpreted legal obligations.
• Our total liability to you for any claim arising from or related to the Service shall not exceed the amount you paid to Briefklar in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits liability for fraud, gross negligence, or any liability that cannot be excluded under German law (§ 309 Nr. 7 BGB).

12. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we make material changes, we will:

• Display a prominent notice in the app dashboard
• Send an email notification to all registered users
• Update the “Last Updated” date at the top of this document

Continued use of Briefklar after the effective date of changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree with changes, you may close your account at any time.

13. Governing Law & Disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

For consumers resident in the European Union: you retain any mandatory consumer protection rights granted by the laws of your country of residence. Nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights as a consumer.

The European Commission provides an online dispute resolution platform at ec.europa.eu/consumers/odr. We are not obligated to participate in dispute resolution proceedings before a consumer arbitration board, but may choose to do so on a case-by-case basis.

14. Contact

For data protection matters, please refer to our Privacy & Security Policy.