Terms of Service

1. Who May Use the Service

Age Requirements

You must be at least 13 years old to use the Service.

Permission by Parent or Guardian

If you are under 18, you represent that you have your parent or guardian’s permission to use the Service. Please have them read this Agreement with you.

If you are a parent or legal guardian of a user under the age of 18, by allowing your child to use the Service, you are subject to the terms of this Agreement and responsible for your child’s activity on the Service.

Businesses

If you are using the Service on behalf of a company or organization, you represent that you have authority to act on behalf of that entity, and that such entity accepts this Agreement.

2. Your Use of the Service

Content on the Service

The content on the Service includes crossword puzzles, clues, grids, text (such as puzzle descriptions), user profiles, interactive features, software, metrics, and other materials whether provided by you, Hearthbun, or a third-party (collectively, "Content").

Content is the responsibility of the person or entity that provides it to the Service. Hearthbun is under no obligation to host or serve Content. If you see any Content you believe does not comply with this Agreement or the law, you can report it to us.

Hearthbun Accounts

You can use parts of the Service, such as browsing and solving public puzzles, without having a Hearthbun account. However, you do need an account to use some features. With a Hearthbun account, you may be able to create puzzles, save your progress, follow other creators, and more.

To protect your account, keep your password confidential. You should not reuse your Hearthbun account password on third-party applications.

Your Information

Our Privacy Policy explains how we treat your personal data and protect your privacy when you use the Service. We will process any content uploaded by you to the Service in accordance with this Agreement and applicable privacy laws.

Permissions and Restrictions

You may access and use the Service as made available to you, as long as you comply with this Agreement and applicable law. You may view, solve, and share puzzles for your personal, non-commercial use. You may also share Hearthbun puzzles through our sharing features.

The following restrictions apply to your use of the Service. You are not allowed to:

• Access, reproduce, download, distribute, transmit, display, sell, license, alter, modify or otherwise use any part of the Service or any Content except: (a) as expressly authorized by the Service; or (b) with prior written permission from Hearthbun and, if applicable, the respective rights holders.
• Circumvent, disable, fraudulently engage with, or otherwise interfere with any part of the Service, including security-related features or features that prevent or restrict the copying or other use of Content.
• Access the Service using any automated means (such as robots, botnets or scrapers) except with Hearthbun's prior written permission.
• Collect or harvest any information that might identify a person (for example, usernames) without their permission.
• Use the Service to distribute unsolicited promotional or commercial content or other unwanted or mass solicitations.
• Cause or encourage any inaccurate measurements of genuine user engagement, such as artificially inflating puzzle solve counts, creating fake accounts to follow creators, or otherwise manipulating metrics.
• Misuse any reporting, flagging, complaint, or appeal process, including by making groundless, vexatious, or frivolous submissions.
• Run contests on or through the Service that do not comply with applicable laws and our policies.
• Use the Service for any commercial purpose other than for personal, non-commercial use (for example, you may not publicly display puzzles for commercial gain).
• Use another user's account or create a new account to circumvent a suspension or termination.
• Sell access to puzzles, advertising, sponsorships, or promotions on the Service without our prior written consent.

Reservation

Using the Service does not give you ownership of or rights to any aspect of the Service, including usernames or any other Content posted by others or Hearthbun.

Develop, Improve and Update the Service

Hearthbun is constantly changing and improving the Service. As part of this continual evolution, we may make modifications or changes (to all or part of the Service) such as adding or removing features and functionalities, offering new puzzle types or services, or discontinuing old ones. We may also need to alter or discontinue the Service, or any part of it, in order to make performance or security improvements, make changes to comply with law, or prevent illegal activities on or abuse of our systems.

These changes may affect all users, some users, or even an individual user. When the Service requires or includes downloadable software, that software may update automatically on your device once a new version or feature is available, subject to your device settings.

3. Your Content

You retain ownership of all crossword puzzles, clues, layouts, and any other content ("Content") you create or upload to Hearthbun.

However, by uploading Content to the Service, you grant Hearthbun a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to:

• Use, display, host, distribute, promote, remix, or adapt your Content as part of the Service,
• Feature your Content on the homepage or in promotions,
• Enable other users to play, clone, or remix your puzzles (e.g., use your clues or grids to create new puzzles).

You also grant other users a license to:

• View, play, and share your puzzles through the Hearthbun platform,
• Create derivative puzzles based on aspects of your Content (e.g., reusing clues or parts of your layouts),
• Use those remixes within Hearthbun (but not outside of it without your permission).

If you remove your Content, these licenses will continue solely for the limited purpose of operating, maintaining, securing, and improving the Service, including retaining backups, preserving existing derivatives or remixes created prior to removal, and complying with legal obligations, after which Hearthbun will stop displaying the Content publicly.

4. Account Suspension & Termination

You may delete your account at any time. Hearthbun may suspend or terminate your account if:

• You breach these Terms or applicable laws,
• Your content causes harm to the platform or other users,
• We are legally required to do so.

5. Software and Updates

Some parts of the Service may include software that updates automatically. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive license to use this software solely to access the Service. You may not reverse-engineer or modify it unless permitted by law.

6. Warranty Disclaimer

The Service is provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee the accuracy, reliability, or availability of puzzles or any other features of the platform.

7. Limitation of Liability

To the fullest extent allowed by law, Hearthbun and its affiliates shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from:

• Errors or bugs,
• Account access issues,
• Content loss or corruption,
• Unauthorized use of your content,
• Platform downtime.

Our maximum liability to you under this Agreement shall not exceed $100.

8. Indemnity

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Hearthbun and its team from any claims or damages resulting from:

• Your use of the Service,
• Your content,
• Your violation of this Agreement or others' rights.

9. Changes to This Agreement

We may update these Terms as our service evolves. If changes materially affect your rights, we'll notify you in advance. Continued use of the Service after changes means you accept the new terms.

10. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Washington, USA. All disputes shall be resolved in the courts of King County, Washington.

11. Miscellaneous

If any part of this Agreement is unenforceable, the rest remains valid. Delays in enforcing rights do not waive them.

Contact Us

If you have questions about these Terms, contact us at hearthbun@gmail.com.