Terms of Service

This Terms of Service (“Terms”) is a legal agreement between you (the user) and Local Minutes (“Local Minutes,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). These Terms govern your access to and use of the Local Minutes website, AI chatbot, and any related services (collectively, the “Service”). By accessing, using, or interacting with the Service, you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree with these Terms, you must not use the Service.

By using Local Minutes, you also represent that you are at least the age of legal majority in your jurisdiction (typically 18 years old, or 13 with parental consent) and are legally capable of entering into this agreement. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization or other entity, you represent that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms, in which case “you” will refer to that entity as well. If you do not meet these requirements or cannot agree to these Terms, you may not use the Service.

Local Minutes is a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) based AI chatbot service that provides users with access to public documents and information. The Service hosts publicly available local government documents (such as meeting minutes, ordinances, and other public records) and uses AI to generate summaries or answers to user questions about those documents. In practice, when you ask the chatbot a question, Local Minutes retrieves relevant information from the public documents in its database and uses an AI model to formulate a summary or response.

Informational Purposes Only. Local Minutes is provided for general informational and educational purposes only. While we strive to accurately summarize and reference the content of publicdocuments, Local Minutes is not an official government source. We are an independent service not affiliated with or endorsed by any municipality or government entity. The information provided through the chatbot (including summaries of ordinances, policies, or meeting discussions) does not constitute official legal advice, legal interpretation, or any professional advice. Always consult the official public records or authorities for the most accurate and legally binding information, especially before making decisions or taking action based on information from the Service.

The Service may evolve over time. We reserve the right to add, change, or remove features, data sources, or functionality of Local Minutes at our discretion. We will endeavor to ensure that the public documents hosted are up-to-date and accurately represented, but we do not guarantee that we have every document or the latest version of each document. The content and availability of documents may depend on what is publicly available to us. Local Minutes should be used as a service to quickly access and summarize information from public documents, but it should not replace reviewing the full official documents when needed.

By using Local Minutes, you agree to use the Service lawfully and responsibly. You are solely responsible for your use of the Service and for any content that you input into the chatbot (such as the questions you ask) and any outcomes that result. In particular, you agree to the following acceptable use terms:

• Lawful Purposes Only: You will use Local Minutes only for purposes that are legal, proper, and in compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Do not use the Service to engage in any unlawful, harmful, fraudulent, or malicious activity. This includes (but is not limited to) prohibitions on using the Service to plan or commit crimes, to violate privacy or data protection laws, or to infringe intellectual property rights.
• No Abuse or Disruption: You will not misuse, disrupt, or interfere with the normal operation or security of the Service. Prohibited activities include:
  • Attempting to hack, disable, overwhelm, or impair the Service or the servers and networks providing the Service.
  • Introducing viruses, malware, or any other harmful code into the Service.
  • Using any automated system (such as bots, scrapers, or spiders) to excessively request data or scrape content from Local Minutes without our prior written permission.
  • Attempting to bypass any security measures or access parts of the Service (or related systems) that you are not authorized to access.
• No Harmful or Prohibited Content Queries: You agree not to input questions or requests that solicit disallowed content. Local Minutes’ AI has certain content guidelines (aligned with our third-party AI providers’ policies) that prohibit generating harmful or inappropriate content. You will not attempt to use the chatbot to generate:
  • Harassing, defamatory, or hateful content targeting individuals or groups (e.g., hate speech, personal attacks).
  • Explicit sexual or pornographic content, or content that exploits or abuses minors.
  • Instructions or advice for violent or illegal activities (e.g., how to commit a crime).
  • Content that infringes others’ intellectual property or privacy rights.
  • Any other content that is unlawful or that violates these Terms or the third-party AI provider’s acceptable use policies.
• No Circumvention of Filters: You will not attempt to circumvent any content filters or safety mechanisms we have in place. This means you should not use tricks or “jailbreak” prompts to get the AI to violate its rules or produce disallowed content​. If the AI refuses a request or if we have notified users that certain content is not allowed, you agree not to persist in that request.
• Personal Data: Generally, you should avoid inputting personal sensitive information about yourself or others into the chatbot unless necessary. While asking about public records is fine, do not use the Service to share or solicit personal data that is not already public (for example, do not ask the chatbot to provide someone’s private information, as it won’t have that access).
• Account Security (if applicable): If the Service requires you to create an account or provides you with API keys or login credentials, you are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality and security of those credentials. Do not share your account with others and promptly notify us if you suspect any unauthorized access to your account. You are responsible for all activities that occur under your account.

Violation of Acceptable Use: We reserve the right to suspend or terminate your access to Local Minutes (or take other appropriate remedial action) if we determine, in our sole discretion, that you have violated any of the above rules or otherwise misused the Service. We may also cooperate with law enforcement or third-party investigations as legally required when misuse is suspected. Remember, using Local Minutes is a privilege, not a right – please use the Service respectfully and responsibly so that it remains available for everyone.

Local Minutes uses artificial intelligence (AI) to generate responses to your queries based on municipal documents. While we strive to ensure that the AI’s answers are relevant and accurate, AI-generated content can sometimes be incorrect or misleading. By using the Service, you understand and agree to the following regarding AI-generated content:

• Potential for Errors (“Hallucinations”): The AI chatbot may occasionally produce information that is inaccurate, incomplete, or out-of-date, even if it appears confident. These errors are sometimes referred to as AI “hallucinations”​. For example, the chatbot might misquote a document, provide an outdated ordinance as current law, or summarize a discussion in a way that misinterprets the original text. Local Minutes does not guarantee the factual accuracy or completeness of any AI-generated answer. You should independently verify important information by consulting the actual public document or other reliable sources, especially before acting on it.
• No Official Advice or Legal Reliance: Nothing provided by the Local Minutes AI should be taken as official government communication, legal advice, or professional advice of any kind. The chatbot’s responses are for general informational purposes only and are not legally binding on any local government entity or Local Minutes. If you need official records or certified information (for example, for legal proceedings, formal complaints, or official planning), you must refer to the original public documents or contact the relevant local government office. We also recommend seeking professional advice (such as consulting an attorney or other expert) for any legal, financial, or official matter rather than relying solely on an AI summary.
• No Endorsement or Opinion: The content generated by the AI does not represent the opinions or endorsements of Local Minutes or any local government entity. The AI works by analyzing text from documents and predicting a useful answer; it does not have beliefs or intentions. If the AI provides an answer that seems to give advice (for example, “you should do X”), that is a result of the AI’s predictive algorithm, not an instruction from Local Minutes or any official authority. Use your own judgment and critical thinking when evaluating the AI’s responses.
• Use at Your Own Risk: You assume full responsibility for how you use or interpret the AI-generated content. Local Minutes will not be liable for any action you take (or fail to take) based on information obtained from the AI chatbot. This includes any consequences if the information was wrong or misapplied. Always double-check critical information against official sources. By using the Service, you agree that your use of any AI-provided information is at your own risk, and you release Local Minutes from any claims or liability arising from your reliance on the AI content.

In summary, we do our best to make Local Minutes helpful and accurate, but no AI system is perfect. Treat the chatbot’s outputs as informative hints or starting points, not absolute truth. When in doubt, trust the official public documents and professional advice over the AI summary.

Local Minutes integrates and depends on third-party services to deliver the functionality of the AI chatbot and document search capabilities. By using Local Minutes, you acknowledge and agree to the involvement of these third parties and to the following terms regarding third-party services:

• AI Providers: The question-answering and summarization features of Local Minutes are powered by third-party artificial intelligence models and APIs. In particular, we utilize services such as Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 (a large language model) to generate natural language responses, as well as other AI models or tools for text embedding and document summarization. When you submit a query, relevant portions of public documents (and your question itself) are sent to these AI provider systems, which then return the generated answer. This means your use of the Service involves sending data to and through these external AI platforms. We have contractual agreements or API terms with these providers to protect your data and ensure they only use it to provide the service to us, but we do not control their systems. As such, responses are subject to the performance and rules of those AI models. We are not responsible for any limitations or issues originating from the third-party AI (such as downtime on the AI service, the AI’s built-in content filters, or changes to how the AI model functions).
• Compliance with Third-Party Terms: Because our third-party providers (like Anthropic, and any others we use for AI or hosting) have their own terms of service and usage policies, you also agree to use Local Minutes in a manner that does not cause us to violate those third-party terms. For example, AI providers typically forbid certain types of content generation (as noted in our Acceptable Use section), so any attempt by users to generate disallowed content could jeopardize our access to those AI services. You agree not to use Local Minutes in any way that would put us in breach of our agreements with our providers. We reserve the right to limit or suspend your access without notice if a third-party provider alerts us to misuse or if necessary to comply with their policies or applicable law.
• Third-Party Software and Libraries: Local Minutes may include or rely on software libraries, frameworks, or APIs from third parties (for example, open-source tools for text processing, or cloud infrastructure services like database and server hosting). Each of these components may have its own licensing terms. We respect those licenses and, if required, will list or provide attributions for any third-party code in an open source acknowledgments section on our site or documentation. By using the Service, you also agree to the applicable license terms of any open-source or third-party software that is incorporated in our Service. (Typically these licenses do not impose obligations on end-users beyond attribution, but we mention this for full transparency.)
• No Warranty from Third Parties: Our third-party service providers do not make any direct warranties to you regarding their services, and they are not directly liable to you for any issues arising from their services. To the maximum extent permitted by law, such providers will be considered as part of our “Agents” or service providers under our Limitation of Liability clause (Section 9), meaning the disclaimers of warranties and limitations of liability apply equally to them. In no event will our providers (such as the AI model providers) have any direct liability to you under these Terms. If you have any concerns about the involvement of third-party services like those described here, please discontinue use of Local Minutes.
• Changes to Third-Party Services: The third-party services we use may change over time. We may switch AI providers or use multiple providers to improve our Service. We may also add or remove integrations with other services (for example, adding a mapping API to show locations of municipal projects, or removing a cloud provider). We will maintain an updated description in our documentation or Privacy Policy of the key third-party services we use. Your continued use of Local Minutes after any such integration change signifies your consent to the new provider involvement. If any third-party integration materially affects how your data is handled, we will update our Privacy Policy and (if required by law) notify you of the change.

In summary, Local Minutes is a collaborative effort between our platform and trusted third-party technologies. We work with reputable providers to deliver the best experience possible. However, when you use our Service, you are also indirectly using those third-party services. We want you to be aware of this and understand that their terms and potential limitations are part of the overall Service. If you have questions about specific third-party involvement, feel free to contact us for more information.

Your privacy is important to us. Our practices regarding the collection, use, and protection of user data are described in our Privacy Policy, which is hereby incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using Local Minutes, you agree to the collection and use of information as outlined in the Privacy Policy. We strongly encourage you to read it in full. Below is a brief summary of key privacy points:

• Data We Collect: We may collect personal information that you provide to us (for example, if you create an account or submit a donation, such as your name, email address, and payment information). We also collect usage data when you interact with the chatbot, such as the questions you ask and the AI’s responses, as well as technical information like your IP address and device type. Chat queries and AI responses may be logged for service improvement, moderation, and debugging purposes.
• How We Use Data: We use collected data to operate and improve the Service, to personalize your experience (for example, remembering past queries if applicable), and to communicate with you (such as sending service updates or responding to support inquiries). We may also use data to monitor for compliance with these Terms (e.g., detecting abuse) and to analyze Service performance.
• Third-Party Processing: Local Minutes relies on third-party service providers to function. For example, when you ask the chatbot a question, the query and relevant context will be shared with our AI processing partner (such as Anthropic Claude or other model providers) to generate an answer. This means third-party AI providers will process your queries and the content of relevant public documents to form a response. We also use third-party services for tasks like cloud hosting, data storage, payment processing (for donations/subscriptions), and analytics. These providers only receive the information necessary to perform their role, and they are contractually obligated to protect your data and use it only for providing their services to us.
• User Rights: Depending on where you live, you may have certain legal rights regarding your personal data. For example, if you are in the European Union or a similar jurisdiction, you may have the right to access the personal information we hold about you, correct or update it, request deletion, or object to certain processing. Our Privacy Policy outlines these rights and how you can exercise them. We will honor applicable data protection laws and will facilitate your rights to the extent required by law.
• Cookies and Tracking: Our website may use cookies or similar technologies to improve functionality and analyze usage. For details on what cookies we use and your choices (such as opting out of certain analytics), please see the Privacy Policy.
• Privacy of Minors: Local Minutes is not directed to children under 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from them. If you are under 13, please do not use the Service or submit any personal information. If we learn that we have inadvertently collected personal data from a child under 13, we will take steps to delete it. Parents or guardians who believe their child may have provided us personal information can contact us to request deletion.

For the full details of our data practices, please review the complete Privacy Policy (available on our website). If you have any questions about how we handle your data, you can reach out to us using the contact information provided in the Privacy Policy or the Contact Information section of these Terms. By continuing to use Local Minutes, you acknowledge that you have read and understood our Privacy Policy.

Local Minutes may be offered as a free service with options for users to support or enhance their usage through donations or paid subscriptions. The following terms apply to any monetary contributions or payments made by users:

7.1 Donations:

Users may have the option to donate money to support the ongoing development and maintenance of Local Minutes. Donations are completely voluntary and are not required to use the basic features of the Service (unless explicitly stated otherwise). By making a donation:

• You understand that a donation is a voluntary gift and does not purchase or guarantee any additional services or benefits (unless we specify a perk or reward as part of a fundraising campaign). We appreciate your support, but a donation in itself does not create any contractual obligation on Local Minutes beyond using the funds to support the Service.
• Donations are typically non-refundable. Because donations are gifts and often used immediately for operational costs, we generally cannot offer refunds. Exception: If you believe there was an error (for example, you accidentally donated the wrong amount or experienced some technical issue resulting in an unintended payment), please contact us promptly at our support email. We will review refund requests on a case-by-case basis and comply with any applicable laws regarding refunds.
• We may recognize donors (e.g., a thank-you message or listing) only with your consent. Otherwise, donation information is kept private as per our Privacy Policy.

7.2 Subscriptions:

Local Minutes may offer subscription plans for enhanced or premium features (for example, higher usage limits or early access to new features). If you choose to subscribe to a paid plan, the following terms apply:

• Billing and Auto-Renewal: By signing up for a subscription, you authorize Local Minutes (or our third-party payment processor) to charge you the stated subscription fee at the recurring intervals disclosed (e.g., monthly or annually). Subscriptions will automatically renew at the end of each billing cycle (month-to-month or year-to-year, depending on your plan) unless you cancel before the next renewal date. The renewal will be at the same term length and at the then-current subscription rate. We will charge the payment method you provided us. If any payment is not successfully settled (due to expiration, insufficient funds, or otherwise) and you do not cancel the account, we may suspend your access to the paid features or rate limits until payment is received.
• Cancellation: You may cancel your subscription at any time. Cancellation will take effect at the end of the current billing period. This means you will retain access to the subscription features until the current paid term ends, and your subscription will not renew thereafter. To cancel, follow the instructions provided in your account settings or contact our support. We do not generally provide refunds or credits for partial subscription periods or unused services after you cancel. In limited cases (such as a documented service outage or as required by law), we may at our discretion provide a pro-rated refund or credit, but this is the exception rather than the rule.
• Refunds: Except as expressly provided in these Terms or required by law, all charges for subscriptions are final and non-refundable. If you believe there are extenuating circumstances (for example, you were charged after you timely canceled, or you experienced a serious disruption of service), please contact us and we will review your case. Any refunds issued are at our sole discretion or as required by applicable consumer protection laws. Some jurisdictions may provide certain cancellation or refund rights (e.g., a right to cancel a online service contract within a short “cooling-off” period); we will honor such rights as applicable.

7.3 Payment Processing:

Payments for donations or subscriptions will typically be processed by third-party payment processors (for example, Stripe, PayPal, or similar services) on our behalf. By making a payment, you agree to comply with the third-party processor’s terms and any relevant payment method terms (such as your credit card agreement). We do not store your full payment card details on our own servers; such financial information is handled securely by the payment processor. However, we may store basic transaction information (like the last four digits of your card, card type, and billing zip, or transaction ID and amount) for records and to handle billing inquiries. All payments are charged in the currency specified at point of purchase (if not specified, it will be U.S. Dollars). You are responsible for any applicable taxes, duties, or bank fees (for example, foreign transaction fees) resulting from the transaction. If we are required to collect sales tax or VAT, that will be indicated at the time of payment.

7.4 Changes to Donation Options & Subscription Plans:

We reserve the right to modify, add, or remove our donation options or subscription plans. For example, we might introduce new tiers of service, change the features of existing tiers, or discontinue the donation program in favor of a different funding model. If any such change affects current subscribers, we will notify those subscribers in advance and, if necessary, provide options like refunds or grandfathered plans in accordance with applicable laws or regulations. Our goal is to be transparent with any changes, and we will post updates on our site or contact users directly when changes occur.

Local Minutes respects intellectual property rights and expects users to do the same. This section outlines how copyright applies to the content on our Service and the procedure for reporting copyright infringements (DMCA requests).

8.1 Content Ownership:

• Public Documents: The primary content hosted and accessed through Local Minutes consists of public documents (such as meeting minutes, agendas, local ordinances, reports, etc.). These documents are typically public records that may be in the public domain or are made publicly available by the relevant government entities. Local Minutes does not claim ownership of these documents. Copyright in government documents can vary by jurisdiction; for example, in some regions, official government works may not be subject to copyright, while in others they might be copyrighted by the municipality. To the extent any local governmentdocument is subject to copyright, that copyright is held by the issuing government body or the original author, not by Local Minutes. We present these documents and their AI-generated summaries under principles of fair use and public interest, aiming to improve public access to information.
• AI-Generated Content: Content generated by the AI (summaries, answers, or other text) is created automatically based on the municipal documents and user queries. Local Minutes does not claim traditional copyright ownership over AI-generated text that is derived from public documents. You are generally free to use the AI-generated summaries for your personal, non-commercial use or to further your understanding of the municipal information. However, note that if an AI-generated response contains verbatim excerpts or close paraphrasing of a copyrighted document, that excerpt itself may be protected by copyright (held by the original owner as noted above). Your use of such excerpts should comply with applicable law (for example, fair use/fair dealing provisions). Local Minutes provides these excerpts/answers for commentary, research, or educational purposes as part of the chatbot Service.
• Service Features and Compilation: The overall selection, arrangement, compilation, and presentation of content on Local Minutes (such as our website design, the database of documents we assembled, the code that runs the platform, and any original text like our own articles or descriptions) are the property of Local Minutes or our licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited license to use the Service (read and interact with content) for personal or internal business purposes. You may not reproduce, distribute, or create derivative works from our website’s content or features (aside from the documents and AI text outputs as permitted above) without our prior written consent, except as allowed by law.

8.2 Trademarks:

“Local Minutes” and our logos, slogans, or taglines are trademarks or service marks of our project. You are not permitted to use these identifiers in a way that confuses others as to the source of the Service (for example, you may not brand your own service with a similar name in a confusing way). All other trademarks or service marks that appear on Local Minutes (for example, the names of municipalities or third-party services used) are the property of their respective owners and are used on our Service for identification purposes only. Use of those marks on our site does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by their owners.

8.3 DMCA Takedown Requests:

If you are a copyright owner (or an agent authorized to act on a copyright owner’s behalf) and you believe that any content available on Local Minutes infringes your copyright, you may submit a request to have the content removed under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). We will respond expeditiously to address copyright infringement concerns. To file a DMCA notice, please send us an email at support@localminutes.com with the subject line “DMCA Notice” and include all of the following information in writing (this is required by 17 U.S.C. §512(c)(3)):

1. Identification of the copyrighted work claimed to be infringed. Describe the original work that you believe is being infringed. If your notice covers multiple works, you can provide a representative list. (For example: “Minutes of the City Council meeting dated January 5, 2023, which I authored” or “the photograph titled XYZ by John Doe.”)
2. Identification of the infringing material and its location. Provide reasonably sufficient detail to allow us to locate the content on our Service that you claim is infringing. The best way is to include a specific URL or URLs where the material is displayed, along with a description of the content to be removed. For example: “The document accessible at http://localminutes.org/documents/townX/meeting123.pdf” or “the excerpt quoted in the chatbot answer to my query about [topic], shown on this URL…”.
3. Your contact information. Include your full name, affiliation (if applicable), mailing address, telephone number, and email address so we can reach you.
4. A statement of good faith. Include a statement such as: “I have a good faith belief that the use of the copyrighted material described above, in the manner complained of, is not authorized by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.”
5. A statement of authority and accuracy. For example: “I attest under penalty of perjury that the information in this notice is accurate and that I am the copyright owner or authorized to act on behalf of the owner of an exclusive right that is allegedly infringed.”
6. Your signature. A physical or electronic signature of the copyright owner or the person authorized to act on their behalf. You may type your full legal name at the end of your notice as an electronic signature.

Once we receive a valid DMCA notice, we will: (a) promptly investigate and remove or disable access to the allegedly infringing material, (b) notify the user who posted or stored the content (if applicable; note that in the context of Local Minutes, the “user” is typically us posting public documents, but if a user had, say, added a comment or content which is infringing, that user would be notified), and (c) if appropriate, take other reasonable steps such as removing repeat infringers’ content or accounts.

8.4 Counter-Notification:

If you believe content that you uploaded or posted (if any) was wrongly removed in response to a DMCA notice, you may send us a counter-notification. Your counter-notice should include: (i) identification of the content that was removed and the location it appeared, (ii) a statement under penalty of perjury that you have a good faith belief the content was removed due to mistake or misidentification, (iii) your consent to the jurisdiction of the Federal District Court for your judicial district (or if outside the U.S., to the jurisdiction of any judicial district in which Local Minutes may be found) and agreement to accept service of process from the original complainant, and (iv) your physical or electronic signature. If we receive a valid counter-notification, we may restore the material in question unless the original complainant informs us they have filed a court action seeking to restrain the alleged infringement, within the timeframe allowed by law.

8.5 Repeat Infringers:

In accordance with the DMCA and other applicable law, Local Minutes has adopted a policy of terminating, in appropriate circumstances and at our discretion, users or account holders who are deemed to be repeat infringers. While our Service doesn’t anticipate extensive user-posted content, if a particular user or account is responsible for multiple instances of confirmed infringement, that user’s access may be suspended or terminated.

8.6 No Legal Advice:

Any discussions of copyright or fair use in these Terms or on our site are provided for general informational purposes and do not constitute legal advice. If you are unsure whether a use of content constitutes infringement, fair use, or if you have other legal questions, you should consult an attorney.

We respect creators’ rights and ask that you do the same. If you have any questions about our Copyright & DMCA Policy, you can contact us at the email provided in this section or via the contact information in Section 12 below.

Please read this section carefully – it limits the liability of Local Minutes and obligates you to indemnify us in certain situations. If you do not understand or do not agree with these provisions, please discontinue use of the Service.

• Indemnification: You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Local Minutes, its creators, contributors, affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, employees, and agents (collectively, “Indemnified Parties”) from and against any and all claims, liabilities, damages, losses, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys’ fees and legal costs) that arise out of or relate to your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or your violation of any rights of another party. This means that if a third party (for example, another user, a municipality, or anyone else) brings a claim against us because of something you did – such as misusing the Service, violating someone’s copyright or other rights through the Service, or ignoring the disclaimers and causing harm – you will be responsible for any cost or damage we incur as a result of your actions. We reserve the right to assume the exclusive defense and control of any matter otherwise subject to indemnification by you (at your expense), and you agree to cooperate with our defense of such claim. You will not settle any claim that affects the Indemnified Parties’ rights or obligations without our prior written approval.
• Disclaimer of Warranties: Local Minutes is provided “as is” and “as available”. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we disclaim all warranties and representations, whether express, implied, or statutory, about the Service. This includes any implied warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, title, and non-infringement. We do not guarantee that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that the information provided (including AI-generated content or document accuracy) will meet your expectations or requirements. You use the Service at your own discretion and risk. While we hope to provide a great service, we make no guarantee that our Service will be error-free in content or functionality, and we make no promises that any factual information is correct, up-to-date, or reliable.
• Limitation of Liability: To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, in no event shall Local Minutes or its affiliates, nor their respective officers, employees, agents, partners, or suppliers, be liable to you for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages whatsoever. This includes, without limitation, damages for lost profits, lost savings, loss of data, loss of goodwill, or any other intangible losses arising out of or relating to your access to or use of (or inability to use) the Service, or any conduct or content of any third party on or via the Service (including any content obtained through the AI chatbot). Local Minutes shall not be liable for any errors or omissions in content, or any loss or damage of any kind incurred as a result of the use of any content posted, transmitted, or otherwise made available via the Service. This limitation applies whether the claim is based in contract, tort (negligence included), strict liability, or any other legal theory, and even if we have been advised of the possibility of such damages. In particular, you agree that Local Minutes is not liable for any decision you make or action you take based on information you obtained through the Service (for example, any misunderstanding of a law or rule due to an AI-generated summary). If you are dissatisfied with any portion of the Service or with these Terms, your sole and exclusive remedy is to discontinue use of the Service.
• Cap on Liability: To the extent that our liability cannot be completely disclaimed under law, you agree that in no event will the total aggregate liability of the Indemnified Parties to you for all claims arising out of or relating to these Terms or your use of the Service exceed the greater of (a) the total amount (if any) you paid to us for the Service in the 12 months immediately before the event giving rise to the liability, or (b) USD $100. This means if, for example, you have paid $50 in subscription fees to us in the last year, our maximum liability to you for any and all claims will be $100; if you paid nothing, our maximum liability is capped at $100 (some jurisdictions allow a default minimal liability).
• Exceptions and Limitations: Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or the limitation or exclusion of liability for certain types of damages. If you reside in such a jurisdiction, some of the above limitations may not apply to you to the extent disallowed by law. In those cases, Local Minutes’ liability will be limited to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law. Nothing in these Terms is intended to exclude or limit liability that cannot be limited under law (for example, certain liabilities under product liability laws or for intentional and grossly negligent conduct). Additionally, the indemnification obligations may not apply in certain jurisdictions (e.g., in the EU, a consumer might not be required to indemnify a company for certain types of use). However, the overall intention is to protect Local Minutes from undue legal harm while not overriding any non-waivable legal rights you have as a consumer.

In summary, you understand that Local Minutes is a beta/innovative service that comes with risks, and you agree to not hold us responsible for various things that could go wrong in connection with your use of the Service. You also agree to protect us (indemnify us) if your actions cause us to be sued or incur damages. This allocation of risk is an essential part of the bargain between you and us – it allows us to provide access to municipal data via AI at low or no cost. Without these limitations, we would not be able to make the Service available in its current form.

These Terms and the relationship between you and Local Minutes are governed by the laws of the State of Vermont, USA, excluding its conflicts of law principles. We choose Vermont law because that is where our operations (or project team) are based, and we seek consistency in how these Terms are interpreted, no matter where you use the Service. However, we do not guarantee that the Service is appropriate or available in any particular jurisdiction, and it is your responsibility to ensure that your use complies with local laws.

10.1 Informal Resolution:

We value our relationship with users and aim to resolve concerns quickly and fairly. Before filing any formal claim against Local Minutes, you agree to first try to resolve the dispute informally by contacting us at support@localminutes.com with the heading “Dispute Notice” and a brief written description of your issue. We will attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting you via email or other means. If we are unable to resolve the dispute within 30 days of receiving your initial notice, then either party may proceed to seek formal legal remedies as outlined below.

10.2 Arbitration Agreement:

By using the Service, you and Local Minutes agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the use of the Service will be settled by binding arbitration, except for the specific exceptions stated below. This means you are waiving your right to a trial by judge or jury and waiving your right to participate in a class action for such disputes.

• Arbitration Procedures: The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) and governed by its Commercial Arbitration Rules (if you are using the Service for business) or Consumer Arbitration Rules (if you are an individual using for personal purposes) in effect at the time the dispute is filed. If AAA is not available, the parties will agree on an alternative established arbitration provider or may default to a court as described below. The arbitration will be conducted by a single, neutral arbitrator in the English language. The arbitrator may award any relief that a court of competent jurisdiction could award, including individual injunctive relief and attorneys’ fees when available under law. The arbitrator’s decision will include a written statement of findings and conclusions and will be final and binding, subject to limited court review under the Federal Arbitration Act. Judgment on the arbitration award may be entered in any court having jurisdiction.
• Arbitration Location and Fees: The arbitration hearings will, at your option, take place in a reasonably convenient location for you. If you are an individual consumer, you may choose to have the arbitration conducted by telephone, video conference, based on written submissions, or in-person in the county where you live or another mutually agreed location. Fees: If your claim is for $10,000 or less, we will reimburse your filing fee and pay the AAA’s and arbitrator’s fees unless the arbitrator determines your claims are frivolous or brought in bad faith. For claims over $10,000, the AAA rules will govern payment of filing fees and arbitrator fees (for consumers, AAA’s Consumer Rules cap your filing fee at a reasonable amount, and we will pay the rest). Each party will bear their own attorneys’ fees and costs unless the arbitrator awards otherwise or applicable law provides otherwise.
• Exceptions – Opt-Out and Small Claims: Opt-Out: You have the right to opt out of the arbitration agreement in this Section within 30 days from the date you first agreed to these Terms (for example, the first time you use the Service after these Terms go into effect), by sending an email to support@localminutes.com with subject line “Opt Out of Arbitration” and your name and a clear statement that you want to opt out of this arbitration agreement. Opting out of arbitration will not affect any other provisions of these Terms. Small Claims: Either you or Local Minutes may choose to bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes or claims within the scope of that court’s jurisdiction instead of arbitration. If the claims are transferred, removed, or appealed to a different court, the arbitration agreement will then apply.
• No Class Actions: You and Local Minutes agree that all claims and disputes will be resolved on an individual basis and not on a class, collective, or representative basis. The arbitrator shall not have the authority to combine or aggregate similar claims or conduct any form of representative or class proceeding. You further agree to waive the right to participate as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class action or representative proceeding against us. (In short, you can’t sue us as part of a class action, or have an arbitration as a group; any dispute between us will be handled one-on-one.)
• Severability of Arbitration Terms: If any portion of this arbitration agreement is found unenforceable or unlawful (for example, if the class action waiver is found illegal), the unenforceable portion shall be severed and the remainder of the arbitration agreement shall remain in force. However, if the class action waiver is deemed invalid and that issue cannot be severed, then the entirety of the arbitration agreement shall be null and void, and the dispute will be decided by a court of competent jurisdiction, but without a jury, as jury trial is waived below.

10.3 Judicial Forum for Non-Arbitrable Claims:

If the arbitration agreement above is found not to apply to you or a particular claim (for example, if you validly opted out of arbitration, or a court rules the arbitration agreement unenforceable in your case), then any judicial action must be brought exclusively in the state and federal courts located in Vermont, USA, unless another location is required by applicable law. Both you and Local Minutes consent to venue and personal jurisdiction in Vermont, and waive any objections to inconvenient forum. You also waive any right to a trial by jury in any litigation, to the extent permitted by law. If you are a consumer in the EU or another jurisdiction with laws giving you the right to bring claims in your home country under local law (despite a choice of law or forum clause), then nothing in these Terms affects those rights; but otherwise, the intent is that Vermont law and courts will govern for non-arbitral disputes.

10.4 Time Limit on Claims:

To the extent permitted by law, any dispute or claim arising out of or related to use of the Service or these Terms must be filed within one (1) year after the date on which the claim first could be filed. If such a claim is not filed within that one-year period, it is permanently barred. This provision encourages timely resolution of issues. (This time limit does not apply to claims of copyright infringement under the DMCA or to certain statutory rights which by law cannot be shortened.)

We understand this Dispute Resolution section is dense, but it’s important. It aims to facilitate efficient resolution through arbitration or small claims, rather than protracted lawsuits, and to prevent abuse of the court system through class actions. By agreeing to these Terms, you are agreeing to this Dispute Resolution process. Please consider consulting legal counsel if you want to understand the implications of this section fully, as it significantly affects your legal rights.

To ensure that Local Minutes remains accessible and maintains optimal performance for all users, we reserve the right to impose rate limits on individual accounts. This means that if an account makes an unusually high number of requests or engages in usage patterns that could jeopardize the stability or sustainability of the service, we may temporarily deny requests from that account. The specific rate limits are subject to change without notice, but we expect them to be sufficient for ordinary usage.

These limits are designed to balance fair usage and ensure the continued availability of the Service for everyone. By using the Service, you agree to comply with these usage limits. Continued excessive or abusive use may result in limitations or termination of your access, at our sole discretion.

Local Minutes reserves the right to modify or update these Terms of Service at any time. As our Service evolves (for example, if we add new features, partner with new providers, or if laws change), we may need to make changes to these Terms to reflect those developments. When we make changes, we will do the following:

• Notice of Changes: We will update the “Effective Date” at the top of this Terms of Service document to indicate when the latest revisions were made. For significant changes, we may also provide a more prominent notice of the modification. This could include posting an announcement on our website, sending you an email notification (if we have your email on file and if you’ve given consent to be contacted for legal notices), or providing an in-service notification when you log in. The form of notice may vary depending on the nature of the change and our relationship with you, but our goal is to keep you informed.
• Reviewing Updates: It is also your responsibility to review these Terms periodically for any updates. By continuing to access or use Local Minutes after updated Terms have been posted (and become effective), you are agreeing to the revised Terms. If you do not agree with any update or modification, you must stop using the Service. We understand that legal terms can be long, but we encourage you to read any new Terms in full.
• Material Changes: If a change to the Terms is material (i.e., significantly affects your rights or obligations), we will make reasonable efforts to notify you in advance, and such changes will become effective no sooner than 15 days after posting (or after notification to you, if that’s earlier). Non-material changes (such as clarifications, typographical corrections, or improvements to wording) may be effective immediately upon posting.
• Continued Use = Acceptance: For clarity, each time you use the Service, you are re-affirming your acceptance of the then-current Terms. If we have posted updated Terms and you continue to use Local Minutes, to the fullest extent permitted by law, we will treat that continued use as your acceptance of the updated Terms.
• Changes to Service: Along with changes to Terms, we may also at any time change, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Service (including the availability of any feature, database, or content). We may also impose limits on certain features or restrict your access to parts or all of the Service without notice or liability. While not part of the “Terms” itself, we want to be transparent that the Service’s form and functionality may change over time as we improve the product or respond to circumstances.

We hope to avoid frequent changes to these Terms, and if we make them, it’s usually to improve clarity or comply with new regulations. We will not retroactively change dispute resolution provisions for already-occurring disputes unless you agree to it. If you have any questions or concerns about changes to these Terms, please contact us (see Section 12).

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about these Terms of Service or need to contact us for any reason (including to provide notices, such as legal notices or DMCA takedown requests), you can reach us at:

• Email: support@localminutes.org
• Mailing Address: Local Minutes – Legal Department, 145 Pine Haven Shores suite 1000-a, Shelburne, Vermont 05482
• Attn: Please address legal correspondence as “Attn: Legal” or “Attn: Terms of Service Inquiry” to help ensure it reaches the appropriate team. For DMCA notices, you can use “Attn: DMCA Agent.”

We will do our best to respond to your inquiry within a reasonable timeframe. For account or technical support issues, you may also reach out to us via the support channels listed on our website.

Entire Agreement:

These Terms of Service (along with the Privacy Policy and any additional guidelines or terms provided for specific features of the Service) constitute the entire agreement between you and Local Minutes regarding your use of the Service, superseding any prior agreements between us on the subject. Any waiver of any provision of these Terms will be effective only if in writing and signed by an authorized representative of Local Minutes. If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, that provision will be enforced to the maximum extent permissible and the remaining provisions will remain in full force.

Thank you for reading our Terms of Service. We appreciate you using Local Minutes and hope you find it valuable for accessing public information. By using our Service, you agree to these Terms – if you do not, please refrain from using Local Minutes. If you ever need clarification on these Terms, feel free to contact us. We’re here to help clarify and ensure that Local Minutes remains a trustworthy and useful resource for everyone interested in local government documents and information.