Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) govern your access to and use of Knowtopia on the web and in our mobile applications (the “Service”). By creating an account, purchasing a product, downloading, installing, or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

1) Who we are

The Service is provided by Chad Knowlton d/b/a Knowtopia (“we,” “us,” or “our”), operated in Japan. Primary contact: contact@knopub.com.

2) Eligibility & Accounts (Adult Only)

Accounts may be created only by adults (18+), including parents/guardians and authorized school personnel. You must provide accurate information and safeguard your credentials. If you access the Service on behalf of a school or organization, you represent you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

You may not use the Service if prohibited by applicable laws (e.g., sanctions/export laws). We may refuse accounts or limit access at our reasonable discretion.

3) Schools & Child Users

Knowtopia may be used by students (including children) under the supervision of a parent, guardian, or school. Children do not create standalone accounts; instead, a parent/guardian or school creates and manages access and provides any required consent and notices under applicable law. We do not serve personalized advertising.

Note: If a region requires parental consent for children under a certain age (e.g., under 13 in the U.S.), the supervising adult or school must ensure such consent has been obtained before the child uses the Service.

4) Purchases, Subscriptions & Billing

Physical products (workbooks): Web store purchases are processed by Stripe. Order, fulfillment, and delivery terms are shown at checkout.

App subscriptions: Optional subscriptions are managed by RevenueCat and billed via Apple App Store or Google Play (or Stripe for web-based subscriptions, if offered). Subscriptions renew automatically until canceled in your store account settings (or via your web billing portal). Taxes may be applied as required by law.

5) Trials, Cancellations & Refunds

Trials.

If a trial is offered, you will be charged at the end of the trial unless you cancel before it ends.

App store purchases.

Refunds for in-app purchases are handled by Apple or Google under their policies.

Web subscriptions (Stripe).

Unless disclosed otherwise at checkout, first-time web subscription charges are refundable within 7 days if you contact contact@knopub.com and you have not materially used premium content after purchase. Renewals are generally non-refundable and continue through the end of the current period after cancellation.

Physical products (workbooks).

  • Unopened/unused items may be returned within 14 days of delivery.
  • Defective/incorrect items: we will repair, replace, or refund per applicable law.
  • Unless due to our error, you’re responsible for return shipping; original shipping fees are non-refundable.

6) Privacy, Data & Permissions

See our Privacy Policy for details. We collect minimal personal data to create accounts and operate core features. We collect usage analytics and may collect crash logs to improve stability. We do not use personalized ads.

  • Account deletion: You can delete your account on the “Delete Account” page.
  • Data export: Self-service export is not currently provided.
  • Device identifiers: We do not intentionally collect persistent identifiers beyond what platforms/SDKs minimally require.
  • Permissions: The app may request internet/network access for core functionality.

7) Content, Conduct & Acceptable Use

Users cannot publicly post content via the Service. Information you enter for account/profile is private to your account and used to operate the Service.

You agree not to:

  • Violate any law or infringe any rights (IP, privacy, publicity).
  • Interfere with or disrupt the Service, introduce malware, or attempt unauthorized access.
  • Reverse engineer or bypass technical protections except as permitted by law.
  • Use the Service to build/train competing services or models.

We may suspend access as reasonably necessary to protect users or the Service. No formal appeals process is offered at this time.

8) Intellectual Property

All quizzes, images, audio files, text, and other materials in the app and workbooks (“Knowtopia Content”) are owned by or licensed to us. We grant you a limited, personal, non-commercial, non-transferable license to access and use Knowtopia Content only with legitimately purchased materials (e.g., each learner needs their own workbook) and only as permitted by these Terms.

  • No reproduction or distribution of workbooks or app content, except as allowed by law.
  • No commercial use, sublicensing, or creation of derivative works without our written consent.
  • Trademarks, logos, and names (including “Knowtopia”) may not be used without permission.

Open-source components are licensed under their respective licenses; if attribution is required, we’ll provide notices in an “Open Source Notices” page.

9) Third-Party Services

We integrate with third-party services that have their own terms and privacy policies:

10) Requirements & In-App Purchases

  • Network required: Many features require an active internet connection.
  • In-app purchases: Optional subscriptions and/or purchases are available within the app.

App Store-Specific Terms

Apple App Store

  • These Terms are between you and Chad Knowlton d/b/a Knowtopia, not Apple.
  • Support/maintenance are our responsibility. For warranty issues, Apple may refund the purchase price if applicable; Apple has no other warranty obligations.
  • Apple is not responsible for claims relating to the app (product liability, legal compliance, IP, etc.).
  • You confirm you are not in an embargoed country and not on a prohibited list.
  • Apple and its subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these Terms.

Google Play

  • These Terms are between you and Chad Knowlton d/b/a Knowtopia, not Google.
  • Support/maintenance are our responsibility. Refunds for Google Play purchases follow Google’s policies.

11) Disclaimers & Warranties

EXCEPT AS REQUIRED BY LAW, THE SERVICE AND KNOWTOPIA CONTENT ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” AND “AS AVAILABLE” WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. We do not warrant the Service will be uninterrupted or error-free.

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain disclaimers; some statements above may not apply to you.

12) Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, NEITHER Chad Knowlton d/b/a Knowtopia NOR ITS AFFILIATES, LICENSORS, OR PARTNERS WILL BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, EXEMPLARY, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, OR ANY LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA, OR GOODWILL, ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO YOUR USE OF THE SERVICE.

OUR TOTAL LIABILITY FOR ALL CLAIMS RELATING TO THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNTS YOU PAID US IN THE 12 MONTHS BEFORE THE EVENT GIVING RISE TO LIABILITY, OR (B) USD $50, EXCEPT WHERE A HIGHER LIMIT IS REQUIRED BY LAW.

13) Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold Chad Knowlton d/b/a Knowtopia and its officers, directors, employees, and agents harmless from claims, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees) arising from your breach of these Terms or violation of applicable law.

14) Suspension & Termination

We may suspend or terminate access as reasonably necessary to protect users or the Service, for legal compliance, or for material breach. You may stop using the Service at any time. Provisions that by their nature survive termination (e.g., IP, disclaimers, liability limits, indemnity) will continue to apply.

15) Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. If we make material changes, we will provide notice (e.g., within the app, on this page, or by email where appropriate). Continued use after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

Last updated: 2025-02-12

16) Governing Law & Venue

These Terms are governed by the laws of Japan. Venue and jurisdiction lie exclusively with courts located in Aichi Prefecture, Japan, unless consumer protection law requires a different venue. You may have non-waivable rights under local consumer laws, which these Terms do not limit.

(If you later adopt arbitration/class-action terms for specific regions, insert them here with an opt-out.)

17) Copyright Notices

If you believe material available through the Service infringes your copyright, please contact contact@knopub.com with enough detail for us to locate the material and assess your claim. We may remove material and, where appropriate, limit access by repeat infringers.

18) Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email contact@knopub.com.