Terms of Service

Effective Date: December 22, 2025

Welcome to Gadzooks. Gadzooks is operated by Very Machine, Inc. ("we", "us", or "our"). These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Gadzooks mobile application and related services (collectively, the "Service"). Please read these Terms carefully before using the Service.

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to be bound by these Terms and our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree to these Terms, do not use the Service.

1. About the Service

Gadzooks is a location-based discovery platform that combines AI-generated insights with user contributions to help you discover interesting places, people, events, and stories in the world around you. The Service includes:

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 16 years old to use the Service. If you are under 18, you represent that you have your parent or guardian's permission to use the Service. By using the Service, you represent and warrant that you meet these eligibility requirements.

3. Account Registration

To use certain features of the Service, you must create an account. When you create an account, you agree to:

You may not use another person's account without permission. We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms or that we believe, in our sole discretion, are being used fraudulently.

4. User-Generated Content

Your Content

The Service allows you to create and share content ("User Content"), including:

Expeditions, waypoints, collections, and field notes are processed by our AI systems to generate insights and integrate with the knowledge graph.

The Knowledge Commons Model

Gadzooks follows a "knowledge commons" model, similar to Wikipedia and OpenStreetMap. When you contribute public content, you're adding to a shared resource that benefits everyone. This model shapes our licensing terms and how we handle your content.

License to Gadzooks — Public Content

By publishing content publicly, you grant Gadzooks a worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, royalty-free, sublicensable, and transferable license to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from, distribute, perform, and display your User Content in connection with operating and providing the Service. This license includes the right to:

This license is irrevocable: once you publish content publicly, it becomes a permanent contribution to the knowledge commons. You cannot later withdraw this license, delete the content, or make it private. If you delete your account, public content will be anonymized (your identity removed) but will remain in the knowledge graph.

License to Gadzooks — Private Content

For private content, you grant us a limited, non-exclusive license only to the extent necessary to provide the Service to you. This includes storing, processing, and displaying your private content to you. This license terminates when you delete the content or your account. Your private content remains your own, and we will not use it for purposes beyond providing personal features to you.

Public Content

When creating content, you choose whether to make it public or private. We encourage public contributions because Gadzooks is built on community contribution: curious people sharing their discoveries makes the platform better for everyone. By creating public content, you understand that:

Private Content

We understand that some discoveries are personal. All users may create private field notes, waypoints, collections, and expeditions. Private content:

Publishing Private Content (One-Way Door)

You may choose to publish private content, making it public. However, this is a one-way door: once content is made public, it cannot be made private again, edited, or deleted. When you publish, the Service will clearly inform you that this action is permanent. By publishing, you grant us the same irrevocable license as other public content.

Content Moderation

All content—both public and private—is automatically moderated to maintain quality and community standards and to prevent misuse of the Service. We reserve the right to review, edit, or remove any User Content at our sole discretion, including content that violates these Terms, is inaccurate, or may be harmful to the Service or other users. Moderation decisions are final.

Content Standards

You are solely responsible for your User Content. You represent and warrant that your User Content:

5. AI-Generated Content and the Knowledge Graph

AI-Generated Content

The Service uses artificial intelligence to generate descriptions, insights, and connections about places, people, events, and concepts. You acknowledge that:

The Knowledge Graph

Gadzooks maintains a knowledge graph that connects places, people, events, and concepts. This graph is built from multiple sources including AI systems, public databases, and user contributions. Information in the knowledge graph:

Discovery Tuning

The Service allows you to tune what content surfaces based on your interests along various conceptual axes. These preferences affect which discoveries are highlighted but do not guarantee specific results.

3D Visualizations

The Service includes 3D visualizations that show how discoveries cluster by semantic meaning rather than geography. These visualizations are generated using dimensionality reduction of semantic embeddings and are provided for exploration and insight. The positioning of items in these visualizations is algorithmically determined and does not imply any factual relationship beyond conceptual similarity.

6. Subscription and Payments

Free and Paid Tiers

The Service offers both free and paid subscription tiers. The free tier allows you to explore places, events, and user content, and create some field notes, waypoints, collections, and expeditions. Creation limits on the free tier help maintain system quality and prevent abuse.

Paid subscriptions unlock the full platform, including:

Note: Private content is available to all users, not just subscribers.

Pricing Philosophy

We keep subscription prices low to make the full experience accessible. The subscription helps cover the costs of computationally expensive features like AI processing and advanced visualizations. Our goal is a price low enough that it shouldn't be a barrier for curious explorers.

Billing

Paid subscriptions are billed monthly on a recurring basis. By subscribing, you authorize us to charge your payment method each month until you cancel.

Price Changes

We may change subscription prices at any time. Price changes will take effect at the start of your next billing period after we provide notice.

Cancellation and Downgrade

You may cancel your subscription at any time through your account settings or app store settings. Cancellation will take effect at the end of your current billing period. You will continue to have access to paid features until then. If you downgrade or cancel:

Refunds

Subscription fees are generally non-refundable, except where required by law. Refund requests are handled by Apple, Google, or Stripe according to their respective policies. You can manage your subscription through your account settings, which will direct you to the appropriate platform.

7. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

8. Intellectual Property

Gadzooks Property

The Service and its original content (excluding User Content), features, and functionality are and will remain the exclusive property of Gadzooks and its licensors. The Service is protected by copyright, trademark, and other intellectual property laws. Our trademarks and trade dress may not be used without our prior written consent.

Feedback

If you provide us with feedback, suggestions, or ideas about the Service, you grant us the right to use such feedback without restriction or compensation to you.

9. Third-Party Services and Content

The Service integrates with and relies on third-party services, including:

These third-party services have their own terms and privacy policies. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, availability, or practices of third-party services. Your use of third-party services is at your own risk.

10. Location Data and Physical Safety

The Service relies on location data and may guide you to physical locations. You acknowledge that:

The Service is not a navigation tool. Do not rely on it for directions, especially while driving or in unfamiliar areas.

11. Disclaimers

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

WE DO NOT WARRANT THAT:

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, GADZOOKS AND ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, AND LICENSORS SHALL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:

IN NO EVENT SHALL OUR TOTAL LIABILITY TO YOU EXCEED THE AMOUNT YOU HAVE PAID TO US IN THE TWELVE (12) MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100), WHICHEVER IS GREATER.

SOME JURISDICTIONS DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF CERTAIN DAMAGES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Gadzooks and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and licensors from and against any claims, liabilities, damages, losses, costs, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to:

14. Termination

By You

You may stop using the Service and delete your account at any time through the app settings or by contacting us.

By Us

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without cause, with or without notice. Reasons for termination may include, but are not limited to:

Effect of Termination

Upon termination or account deletion:

Provisions of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination shall survive, including the irrevocable license for public content, ownership provisions, warranty disclaimers, indemnification, and limitations of liability.

15. Dispute Resolution

Informal Resolution

Before filing a claim, you agree to try to resolve the dispute informally by contacting us at [email protected]. We will try to resolve the dispute informally within 60 days.

Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict of law provisions.

Jurisdiction

Any legal action or proceeding relating to these Terms shall be brought exclusively in the federal or state courts located in California, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

16. Changes to Terms

We may modify these Terms at any time. We will always update the "Effective Date" at the top of these Terms when changes are made. For material changes, we will also notify you by posting a notice in the app and/or sending an email to your registered address.

Your continued use of the Service after changes constitutes acceptance of the modified Terms. If you do not agree to the modified Terms, you must stop using the Service.

17. General Provisions

Entire Agreement

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and Gadzooks regarding the Service.

Waiver

Our failure to enforce any right or provision of these Terms will not be considered a waiver of those rights.

Severability

If any provision of these Terms is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in effect.

Assignment

You may not assign or transfer these Terms or your rights under them without our prior written consent. We may assign our rights and obligations under these Terms without restriction.

18. Contact Us

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

Very Machine, Inc.
Email: [email protected]