Terms of Use

1. Eligibility & Platform

Etch is for users 13 and older (or the local equivalent age of digital consent). The app requires iOS 16 or later and a valid Apple ID.

2. Account Registration

We use Apple Sign-In. The email Apple shares with us is used to recover your account and to deliver notifications about your published Etches.

3. User Content & Responsibility

You retain all rights to the content you put into your Etches. You are responsible for the legality of what you publish, including whether you have the right to record people or property shown in your media, and whether what you write or share is lawful in your jurisdiction. Don't use Etch to harass, defame, or violate the privacy of others.

4. Free Service Period

Etch is currently provided as a free service while we build out the full product. We reserve the right to introduce paid tiers in the future, in which case the existing free tier will continue to exist with reasonable usage limits. Material changes to pricing or limits will be communicated in-app and via email at least 30 days in advance.

5. Device Permissions

Etch requests camera, photo library, and (optionally) location access. All permissions are optional; the app degrades gracefully if denied. Location is off by default and only attached when you opt in per Etch.

6. The Tamper-Evident Seal

Each published Etch is sealed with a cryptographic hash. If the bundle's contents are modified after publish, the seal breaks and the viewer sees a clear tampered warning. The seal is a strong tool for everyday disputes like landlord/tenant, marketplace, freelance, and insurance, but we do not claim courtroom-grade chain of custody. Formal legal proceedings typically require notarization or a similar third-party process, which Etch does not provide.

7. Public Share Links

Publishing an Etch produces a public URL. Anyone with the URL can view the bundle. You are responsible for who you share your links with.

8. Acceptable Use

You may not use Etch to:

• Publish illegal content or facilitate illegal activity.
• Harass, threaten, defame, or impersonate any person.
• Distribute malware, phishing pages, or other harmful payloads.
• Scrape, reverse-engineer, or run automated traffic against our services.

We may suspend or terminate accounts that materially breach these rules.

9. Intellectual Property

You retain rights to your content. Etch, the Etch logo and name, the viewer page chrome, and the app itself remain the property of Stalwart Crest, Inc.

10. Disclaimer of Warranties

The Etch service is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, express or implied, to the maximum extent allowed by law.

11. Limitation of Liability

Etch is free at this time, so our maximum liability to you is limited to USD $100, except where prohibited by law.

12. Privacy

Our handling of your data is described in the Privacy Policy.

13. Changes to These Terms

We will update the effective date at the top of this page when we make changes. For material changes, we will also notify you in-app the next time you open Etch.

14. Termination

You can delete your account anytime from inside the app or by emailing us. We may suspend or terminate accounts that materially breach these terms.

15. Governing Law

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Delaware, USA.

16. Apple-Specific Terms

Etch is distributed through the Apple App Store. The following terms apply to your use of the App on Apple devices, in addition to everything above:

• Acknowledgment. This agreement is between you and Stalwart Crest, Inc. only, not with Apple. Stalwart Crest, Inc., not Apple, is solely responsible for the App and its content.
• Scope of License. Your license to use the App is non-transferable and limited to use on Apple-branded devices that you own or control, as permitted by the Apple Media Services Terms.
• Maintenance and Support. Stalwart Crest, Inc. is solely responsible for any maintenance and support services for the App. Apple has no obligation to provide any maintenance or support.
• Warranty. Stalwart Crest, Inc. is solely responsible for any product warranties, whether express or implied by law, to the extent not effectively disclaimed. If the App fails to conform to any applicable warranty, you may notify Apple, and Apple will refund the purchase price (if any) for the App. To the maximum extent permitted by law, Apple has no other warranty obligation whatsoever with respect to the App.
• Product Claims. Stalwart Crest, Inc., not Apple, is responsible for addressing any claims you or any third party have relating to the App or your use of it, including product liability, legal-compliance, and intellectual-property claims.
• Intellectual Property. In the event of any third-party claim that the App or your use of it infringes that third party's intellectual property, Stalwart Crest, Inc. (not Apple) will be solely responsible for the investigation, defense, settlement, and discharge of that claim.
• Legal Compliance. You represent that you are not in a country subject to a U.S. Government embargo or designated by the U.S. Government as a terrorist-supporting country, and that you are not on any U.S. Government list of prohibited or restricted parties.
• Third-Party Beneficiary. Apple and Apple's subsidiaries are third-party beneficiaries of these terms. Upon your acceptance of them, Apple has the right (and is deemed to have accepted the right) to enforce these terms against you as a third-party beneficiary.
• Developer Contact. Direct any questions, complaints, or claims regarding the App to Stalwart Crest, Inc. at support@stalwartcrest.com.

17. Contact

Questions or notices: support@stalwartcrest.com.