Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using TaleCast ("the Platform," "we," "us," or "our"), you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to these Terms of Service and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these terms, you may not use the Platform.

We may update these Terms from time to time. Continued use of TaleCast after changes are posted constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. We will notify registered users of material changes via email or in-app notification.

2. Eligibility

TaleCast is intended for users who are 18 years of age or older. The Platform contains mature themes including but not limited to adult relationships, LGBTQ+ narratives, violence, and sexual content. By using TaleCast you represent and warrant that:

• You are at least 18 years old;
• You have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms in your jurisdiction;
• You are not prohibited from using the Platform under applicable law;
• You will provide accurate information during registration.

If we learn that a user is under 18, we will suspend or terminate their account immediately.

3. Accounts

To access most features of TaleCast, you must create an account. You agree to:

• Provide accurate, current, and complete information during registration;
• Maintain and promptly update your account information;
• Keep your password confidential and not share access with others;
• Notify us immediately of any unauthorized use of your account;
• Be responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, engage in prohibited conduct, or remain inactive for an extended period.

4. Gems & Purchases

TaleCast uses a virtual currency called Gems to unlock premium content. Gems are purchased through the Platform via Stripe, our third-party payment processor.

Purchasing Gems

• Gem packages are priced in US dollars and are subject to applicable taxes.
• All purchases are processed securely through Stripe.
• Prices may change at any time; you will be shown the current price before completing a purchase.

No Refunds

ALL GEM PURCHASES ARE FINAL AND NON-REFUNDABLE. Gems have no monetary value and cannot be exchanged for cash or any other currency. Unused Gems are not transferable and will be forfeited if your account is terminated for cause.

If you believe a purchase was made in error due to a technical failure on our end, contact us at [email protected] within 7 days of the transaction.

Expiration

Gems do not expire while your account remains in good standing. If your account is terminated for violation of these Terms, you forfeit any remaining Gem balance.

5. Creator Terms

Publishing Content

Creators may publish audio dramas, serialized novels, and visual novels on TaleCast. By publishing content, you represent that you own all rights to the material or have obtained necessary licenses.

Revenue Share

• Creators earn 80% of the Gem revenue generated by their content;
• TaleCast retains a 20% platform fee;
• Payouts are processed monthly for balances exceeding $25 USD;
• Creators must complete identity verification and provide valid payout details before receiving payments;
• TaleCast reserves the right to withhold payouts during investigations of policy violations.

AI Voice Generation

Creators may use ElevenLabs-powered AI voice generation tools provided within the Platform. When using AI voice tools you agree to:

• Not use AI voices to impersonate real, living individuals;
• Not generate content that violates these Terms or applicable laws;
• Comply with ElevenLabs' usage policies as they apply to content generated through our integration.

Content Standards

Creator content must not contain:

• Content sexualizing minors (strictly prohibited; will be reported to authorities);
• Hate speech, slurs, or content promoting discrimination;
• Harassment, doxxing, or threats against real people;
• Illegal content under US federal or applicable state law;
• Content that violates third-party intellectual property rights.

Adult content (18+) is permitted where clearly labeled with appropriate content warnings. TaleCast reserves the right to remove any content and suspend any creator account that violates these standards.

6. Community Rules

TaleCast is an LGBTQ+ affirming, safe space platform. We have zero tolerance for discrimination or harassment. All users of the community features (posts, comments, discussions) must:

• Treat all members with dignity and respect;
• Not post hateful, discriminatory, or derogatory content targeting any group;
• Not harass, threaten, or intimidate other users;
• Not post spam, unsolicited advertising, or off-topic content;
• Respect content warnings and not spoil stories without warning;
• Not engage in conduct that disrupts or undermines community discussions.

TaleCast moderators have discretion to remove content or ban users who violate these rules. If you experience harassment or witness a violation, use the in-app report feature or contact us at [email protected].

7. Intellectual Property & Content

Your Content

You retain ownership of any original content you create and publish on TaleCast. By publishing content, you grant TaleCast a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, distribute, and promote your content on the Platform and in marketing materials for TaleCast.

TaleCast Content

All Platform software, design, branding, and non-user-generated content are owned by TaleCast and protected by copyright and other intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or distribute TaleCast's proprietary materials without written permission.

DMCA

We respect intellectual property rights. To submit a DMCA takedown notice, contact us at [email protected] with the required information under 17 U.S.C. § 512.

8. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose;
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to our systems or other users' accounts;
• Scrape, crawl, or harvest data from TaleCast without permission;
• Use automated tools to create accounts, purchase Gems, or interact with the Platform;
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble any part of TaleCast;
• Circumvent any content protection, paywall, or access control mechanisms;
• Upload malware, viruses, or malicious code;
• Impersonate TaleCast staff, creators, or other users;
• Attempt to manipulate creator revenue, reviews, or recommendation systems.

9. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for violation of these Terms or for any conduct we determine to be harmful to the Platform or its users.

You may close your account at any time from within the app. Upon termination, your access to purchased content and your Gem balance will be forfeited. What happens to your content depends on how it was created:

• Content you created on your own (stories, episodes, and uploaded images/audio not shared with any other creator) is permanently deleted along with your account.
• Content you contributed to a collaborative story with another creator remains on the Platform so your collaborators' work is not affected by your departure. It is no longer linked to your account. At the time you delete your account, you choose whether your published credit name stays visible on that work or is removed along with everything else.
• Reports you have filed are retained for platform safety and moderation purposes, with your identity permanently removed — they can no longer be traced back to you, but a pattern across multiple reports may still be recognized internally for moderation purposes.

Account deletion is permanent and cannot be reversed.

10. Disclaimers

TALECAST IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT THE PLATFORM WILL BE UNINTERRUPTED, ERROR-FREE, OR FREE OF VIRUSES. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, WE DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES INCLUDING IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

TaleCast is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or opinions expressed by creators. Creator content does not represent the views of TaleCast.

11. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, TALECAST AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING FROM YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM, INCLUDING LOSS OF DATA, REVENUE, OR PROFITS, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

OUR TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS SHALL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) $100 USD OR (B) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO TALECAST IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM.

12. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the United States and the State of California, without regard to conflict of law principles. Any disputes arising from or relating to these Terms or the Platform shall be resolved exclusively in the federal or state courts located in Los Angeles County, California, and you consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

If any provision of these Terms is found to be unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.

13. Contact

If you have questions about these Terms of Service, please contact us: