Terms of Service

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of Mode Labs, including the Mode Labs website, the Verdict app, our community spaces, physical products, and any related services (collectively, the "Service"). By accessing or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms.

By accessing our website, crossing the threshold, using the Verdict app, joining our community spaces, or purchasing our products, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the Service.

Mode Labs is not intended for use by children under the age of 13. By using the Service, you represent that you are at least 13 years old.

You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activities that occur under your account. You agree to notify us immediately of any unauthorized access to or use of your account.

Mode Labs operates a public record. The website holds that record: the World archive, the filed rounds of the Algorithm Game, the Verdict instrument record, and the Store.

Verdict is our app: it issues one real-world mission a day and accepts completed proof. Verdict is distributed through app stores and carries its own app-specific policies, available at /publisher/terms and /publisher/privacy, which apply alongside these Terms.

Mode Labs also runs community spaces (including a Discord server), sells Citizenship positions in the Founding Register, and releases physical products from time to time. Products may be linked to your standing within the Mode Labs system.

The website offers one act: holding the threshold control to enter the record. Crossing writes an entry consisting of a sequential witness designation and a server timestamp, and places a token in your browser so the record can recognise you when you return. No account is created and no name or email is required.

Standing (witness, correspondent, citizen) confers position and recognition on the record. It never gates content: every public page of the Service is readable without any standing at all.

Citizenship is a paid recurring membership limited to one hundred numbered positions. Founding is permanent and citizenship is recurring: your founder number is yours and is never reassigned. If your citizenship lapses, your position remains on the register with your chosen display name and is marked as sleeping rather than resold.

The Founding Register is public. The display name you choose is published against your number. You can change your display name by contacting us.

Citizenship confers standing on the record. It does not grant access to content that others cannot see, and it is not an investment, security, or financial product. Billing is handled by our payment processor; you can cancel the recurring payment at any time, which ends active citizenship at the close of the paid period without affecting your founding number.

The Algorithm Game runs in public. Rounds are posted on third-party platforms (such as Instagram and Discord), and participation means acting in public under the rules posted with each round. Those platforms' own terms also apply to anything you do there.

Public acts can enter the public record. Round reports and record entries may cite the handle a participant acted under, for the act itself. If you would prefer not to be cited by handle, contact us and we will honour the request in future entries and review existing ones.

You are solely responsible for any content you submit to the Service, including mission proof, images, messages, feedback, and other materials ("User Content"). You represent that you have all necessary rights to submit such content and that it does not violate any laws or third-party rights.

You agree not to use the Service to:

• Submit illegal, harmful, threatening, abusive, harassing, defamatory, or otherwise objectionable content
• Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your affiliation with any person or entity
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to the Service or other users' accounts
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers or networks connected to the Service
• Use the Service for any illegal or unauthorized purpose

We reserve the right to remove any User Content and suspend or terminate any account that violates these Terms or that we determine, in our sole discretion, is harmful to the Service or other users.

Mode Labs owns all rights, title, and interest in and to the Service, including all software, designs, logos, branding, and content created by Mode Labs. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or lease any part of the Service without our express written permission.

By submitting User Content to the Service, you grant Mode Labs a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, and display such content solely for the purpose of operating, maintaining, and improving the Service. You retain all ownership rights in your User Content.

Citizenship and physical releases are sold through our store. Pricing, taxes, shipping costs, and estimated delivery times will be displayed at checkout. We reserve the right to modify prices at any time.

Specific shipping and return policies may be provided at checkout or in separate policy pages. We reserve the right to update these policies from time to time. By completing a purchase, you agree to the terms displayed at the time of purchase.

Some features of the Service, including the Verdict app while it is in its alpha stage, may be in beta or experimental phases. These features are provided on an "as is" basis and may be modified, suspended, or discontinued at any time without notice.

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, OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

Mode Labs does not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free. We are not responsible for any decisions you make based on information or data provided by the Service.

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, MODE LABS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS OR REVENUES, WHETHER INCURRED DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, OR ANY LOSS OF DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES.

In no event shall Mode Labs' total liability to you for all claims arising out of or related to the Service exceed the amount you paid to Mode Labs in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or one hundred dollars ($100), whichever is greater.

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Victoria, Australia, without regard to conflict of law provisions.

Any disputes arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service shall be resolved through good faith negotiation. If a dispute cannot be resolved informally, you agree to submit to the jurisdiction of the courts of Victoria, Australia. Nothing in these Terms limits any rights you have under the Australian Consumer Law or other laws that cannot be excluded.

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you by updating the date at the top of these Terms and, where appropriate, by providing additional notice such as via email or a notification within the Service.

Your continued use of the Service after any changes to these Terms constitutes your acceptance of the new Terms.

If you have any questions about these Terms, please contact us at contact@modelabs.studio.