Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of these Terms

By accessing or using the Services, you represent that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and the Privacy Policy. If you are using the Services on behalf of a business or other entity, you represent that you are authorized to bind that entity, and "you" refers to that entity.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old (or the age of majority in your jurisdiction) and able to form a binding contract to use the Services. By using the Services, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements and that your use complies with all applicable laws.

3. The Services

The Grid Network is a platform that lets users discover local businesses on an interactive map, view business storefronts, and place orders, and lets business owners create and manage listings. The Services also include an informational "Treasury" dashboard (see Section 10). We may add, change, suspend, or discontinue features at any time. We are a venue and technology provider; unless we expressly state otherwise, we are not the seller of goods or services offered by listed businesses.

4. Accounts & security

• You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when creating an account and keep it updated.
• You are responsible for safeguarding your password and for all activity under your account. Notify us promptly at Support@TheGridProtocol.com of any unauthorized use.
• You may sign in with email/password or a supported third-party provider (e.g., Google). You are responsible for maintaining the security of any third-party account you use to sign in.
• You may not share, sell, or transfer your account, or create an account through automated means or on behalf of anyone other than yourself or an entity you are authorized to represent.

5. Business listings & map blocks

• Review & approval. New business listings are submitted with a "pending" status and are not public until reviewed. We may, in our sole discretion, approve, reject (with a reason), request changes to, suspend, or remove any listing.
• Map blocks. The map "blocks" (zones, rings, and plots) are a visual directory-placement feature. Only one live business may occupy a given block at a time. A block is not real property, an equity interest, a security, or any ownership right; "own your block" refers solely to a directory placement that we may reassign, modify, or reclaim consistent with these Terms.
• Accuracy. You are solely responsible for the accuracy, legality, and completeness of your listing and for having all rights necessary to publish it. Listings must describe a real, lawfully operating business that you own or are authorized to represent.
• No guarantee. We do not guarantee any particular placement, ranking, visibility, traffic, leads, or sales.

6. User content & license

You retain ownership of the content you submit (listings, descriptions, images, and other materials, "User Content"). You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free, sublicensable license to host, store, reproduce, display, and distribute your User Content solely to operate, provide, promote, and improve the Services. You represent and warrant that you own or have the necessary rights to your User Content and that it does not infringe or violate any third-party rights or applicable law.

7. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Post false, misleading, fraudulent, defamatory, obscene, harassing, or unlawful content;
• Impersonate any person or business, or misrepresent your affiliation;
• List a business you do not own or are not authorized to represent, or list unlawful goods or services;
• Infringe intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of others;
• Interfere with, disrupt, probe, or circumvent the security or integrity of the Services;
• Use bots, scrapers, or automated means to access the Services except as expressly permitted;
• Use the Services to send spam or to collect others' information without authorization; or
• Use the Services in violation of any applicable law or regulation.

8. Moderation & enforcement

We may review, moderate, refuse, edit, or remove content and listings, and may suspend or terminate accounts, with or without notice, for any violation of these Terms or for any conduct we reasonably believe is harmful to users, third parties, or us. When we reject a listing, we generally provide a reason so the owner may correct and resubmit. Moderation decisions are made in our reasonable discretion and do not create any obligation to monitor all content.

9. Orders, payments & fees

• Payment processing. Payments are processed by Stripe. By making a payment, you agree to Stripe's applicable terms, and you authorize the charge shown at checkout.
• Platform role. For transactions with listed businesses, the business — not The Grid Network — is the merchant of record for its goods and services unless we expressly state otherwise. The business is responsible for its products, fulfillment, descriptions, pricing, and customer service.
• Prices & taxes. Prices are shown at checkout and may change. You are responsible for any applicable taxes not collected by us.
• Refunds & cancellations. Unless otherwise stated, refunds, returns, and cancellations are handled by the applicable business in accordance with its policies and applicable law.
• Fees. If we charge fees for any feature, we will disclose them before you incur them. Fees are non-refundable except as required by law or as expressly stated.

10. Treasury & digital-asset disclaimer

• Nothing in the Services is, or should be construed as, financial, investment, legal, accounting, or tax advice, or a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any asset;
• Nothing in the Services constitutes an offer, solicitation, or sale of any security, digital asset, token, or investment product, or an invitation to invest;
• Digital assets and blockchain technologies involve significant risk, including total loss; past or projected performance is not indicative of future results; and
• Any forward-looking statements are subject to change without notice, and we make no representation that any illustrative feature will become available.

You should consult your own qualified professionals before making any financial decision.

11. Intellectual property

The Services, including our software, design, text, graphics, logos, and "The Grid Network" and "The Grid" names and marks, are owned by or licensed to TheGridProtocol LLC and are protected by intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use the Services for their intended purpose, subject to these Terms. All rights not expressly granted are reserved. You may not copy, modify, distribute, reverse engineer, or create derivative works from the Services except as permitted by law.

12. Third-party services

The Services rely on and link to third parties (e.g., Google, Stripe, Cloudflare, and listed businesses' own sites). We do not control and are not responsible for third-party services, content, or terms. Your use of them is at your own risk and subject to their terms and policies.

13. Disclaimers

The Services and all content are provided "as is" and "as available" without warranties of any kind, whether express, implied, or statutory, including implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, secure, error-free, or that content or listings are accurate, reliable, or complete. We are not responsible for the goods, services, conduct, or content of any listed business or other user.

14. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, in no event will TheGridProtocol LLC or its officers, members, employees, or agents be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, revenues, data, goodwill, or other intangible losses, arising out of or relating to the Services, whether based in contract, tort, or otherwise, even if advised of the possibility of such damages. To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability for all claims relating to the Services will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid us in the twelve months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) one hundred U.S. dollars ($100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow certain limitations, so some of the above may not apply to you.

15. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TheGridProtocol LLC and its officers, members, employees, and agents from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to your use of the Services, your User Content or listings, your goods or services, or your violation of these Terms or applicable law.

16. Governing law & dispute resolution

Governing law. These Terms and any dispute arising out of or relating to them or the Services are governed by the laws of the State of Georgia, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules.

Informal resolution first. Before filing any claim, you agree to try to resolve the dispute informally by contacting Risk@TheGridProtocol.com. We will attempt in good faith to resolve the matter for at least 30 days before either party initiates a formal proceeding.

Venue. Subject to any applicable arbitration agreement below, you and we agree to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in Fulton County, Georgia, and waive any objection to inconvenient forum.

Binding arbitration; class-action waiver. To the extent permitted by applicable law, any dispute that is not resolved informally will be resolved by binding individual arbitration administered by a recognized arbitration provider under its consumer rules, seated in or near Fulton County, Georgia, rather than in court, except that either party may bring an individual claim in small-claims court or seek injunctive relief for intellectual-property or unauthorized-access matters. You and we agree that each may bring claims only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any class, consolidated, or representative proceeding. If this class-action waiver is found unenforceable, the remainder of this arbitration provision will be void.

Any claim must be brought within one (1) year after it arises, to the extent permitted by law.

17. Termination

You may stop using the Services at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access to the Services, in whole or in part, at any time and for any reason, including for violation of these Terms. Upon termination, the rights and licenses granted to you will end, and Sections that by their nature should survive (including Sections 6, 11, 13–16, and 18) will survive.

18. Changes to these Terms

We may modify these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will update the "Last updated" date above and, for material changes, provide additional notice as appropriate. Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms.

19. General

• Entire agreement. These Terms and the Privacy Policy are the entire agreement between you and us regarding the Services and supersede prior agreements on the subject.
• Severability. If any provision is held unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in full force.
• No waiver. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of it.
• Assignment. You may not assign these Terms without our consent; we may assign them in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
• Force majeure. We are not liable for delays or failures caused by events beyond our reasonable control.
• Relationship. Nothing in these Terms creates any partnership, joint venture, agency, or employment relationship between you and us.

20. Contact