Terms of Service
These Terms of Service (“Terms”) are a binding legal agreement between you (“you,” “your,” or “Customer”) and altengine (“altengine,” “we,” “us,” or “our”). They govern your access to and use of the altengine website, APIs, consoles, and related services (collectively, the “Services”). By creating an account, clicking to accept, or using the Services, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Services. If you use the Services on behalf of an organization, you represent that you are authorized to bind that organization, and “you” includes that organization.
1. The Services
altengine provides cloud APIs — currently a Search API and a Channel API — that revive capabilities formerly offered by Google App Engine, with additional managed services added over time. We may add, change, deprecate, or remove features. We are an independent provider and are not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Google LLC. “Google App Engine” and related marks belong to their respective owners and are used only to describe compatibility.
2. Eligibility and accounts
You must be at least the age of majority in your jurisdiction and able to form a binding contract to use the Services. You must provide accurate, current, and complete account information and keep it up to date. You are responsible for all activity that occurs under your account.
3. API keys and security
You are responsible for safeguarding your API keys, tokens, and credentials, and for all use made with them, whether or not authorized by you. Do not share credentials or expose them in public code. Notify us promptly at security@altengine.net of any suspected unauthorized use or security incident. We are not liable for losses arising from your failure to secure your credentials.
4. Acceptable use
You agree not to, and not to permit any third party to:
- use the Services to store, transmit, or process unlawful, infringing, defamatory, or harmful content;
- violate, misappropriate, or infringe the intellectual property, privacy, or other rights of others;
- transmit malware or any code intended to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to systems or data;
- attempt to breach, probe, or circumvent security, authentication, rate limits, or usage metering;
- access the Services to build a competing product, or reverse engineer them except to the extent that restriction is prohibited by law;
- use the Services to send unsolicited messages, or in any way that interferes with or degrades other customers' use; or
- use the Services in violation of applicable law, including export, sanctions, and data-protection laws.
You are responsible for compliance with laws applicable to Your Content and your use of the Services. We may investigate suspected violations and may remove content or suspend accounts as described in Sections 12 and 13.
5. Fees, billing, and taxes
Paid usage is billed according to the rates published on our pricing page and shown in your console. Metered charges accrue as you use the Services beyond the free tier. The first US$1 of usage each calendar month is free, as described on the pricing page; we may change the free tier with reasonable notice. Payments are processed by our third-party payment processor, and you authorize us and that processor to charge your payment method for all amounts due. Late or failed payments may result in suspension.
Fees are stated exclusive of taxes. You are responsible for all sales, use, VAT, GST, withholding, and similar taxes and duties, excluding taxes on our net income. Except where required by law, all fees are non-refundable and payment obligations are non-cancelable. We may change pricing prospectively with reasonable advance notice, effective at the start of your next billing period.
6. Your Content
As between you and us, you retain all rights, title, and interest in the data you submit to the Services (“Your Content”). You grant us a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, store, process, transmit, and display Your Content solely as necessary to provide, secure, and support the Services and as instructed by you through the Services. You represent and warrant that you have all rights, consents, and permissions necessary to submit Your Content and to grant this license, and that Your Content does not violate these Terms or applicable law. Our handling of personal data within Your Content is described in our Privacy Policy.
7. Our intellectual property
The Services, including all software, APIs, documentation, and the “altengine” name and logos, are owned by us or our licensors and are protected by intellectual-property laws. Subject to these Terms, we grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable, revocable right to access and use the Services during the term. Except as expressly granted, no rights are conveyed, and we reserve all rights not expressly granted.
8. Feedback
If you send us suggestions, ideas, or feedback about the Services, you grant us a perpetual, irrevocable, worldwide, royalty-free license to use and incorporate it without restriction or obligation to you.
9. Third-party services
The Services rely on third-party infrastructure and providers, and you may choose to integrate third-party services. We are not responsible for third-party services, and your use of them is governed by their own terms. Your use of certain third-party services (for example, our payment processor) may require you to accept their terms.
10. Beta features and changes to the Services
We may offer features identified as beta, preview, or experimental, which are provided “as is,” may be changed or withdrawn at any time, and are excluded from any service commitments. We may modify, suspend, or discontinue any part of the Services. We will use commercially reasonable efforts to notify you in advance of changes that we reasonably expect to materially and adversely affect your use.
11. Disclaimers
Except as expressly stated in these Terms, the Services 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, and any warranties arising from course of dealing or usage of trade. We do not warrant that the Services will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that data will not be lost or corrupted. Some jurisdictions do not allow certain warranty exclusions, so some of the above may not apply to you.
12. Limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, neither party will be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, revenue, goodwill, or data, arising out of or relating to the Services or these Terms, even if advised of the possibility. To the maximum extent permitted by law, our total aggregate liability for all claims arising out of or relating to the Services or these Terms will not exceed the greater of (a) the amounts you paid us for the Services in the twelve (12) months before the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) US$100.
These limitations do not apply to liability that cannot be excluded or limited under applicable law. The exclusions and limitations in this Section allocate the risks under these Terms between the parties and are a fundamental basis of the bargain.
13. Indemnification
You will defend, indemnify, and hold harmless altengine and its affiliates, officers, and employees from and against any third-party claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or relating to (a) Your Content, (b) your use of the Services, or (c) your breach of these Terms or violation of applicable law. We will promptly notify you of the claim, give you control of the defense (subject to our right to participate with our own counsel), and reasonably cooperate. You may not settle a claim in a way that imposes obligations on us without our prior written consent.
14. Suspension
We may suspend your access to the Services, in whole or in part, if we reasonably determine that (a) your use poses a security risk or may harm us, our systems, or others; (b) you are in breach of these Terms, including non-payment; or (c) suspension is required by law. Where practicable we will provide notice and an opportunity to cure. We will restore access once the cause of suspension is resolved.
15. Term and termination
These Terms apply while you use the Services. You may stop using the Services and close your account at any time. We may terminate or suspend these Terms or your account for material breach that is not cured within a reasonable period after notice, or immediately if required by law or in cases of abuse or risk of harm. Upon termination, your right to use the Services ends. For a reasonable period after termination (except in cases of abuse or legal restriction), you may export Your Content through available tools; thereafter we may delete Your Content in accordance with our Privacy Policy. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination — including Sections 5–7 and 11–19 — will survive.
16. Export controls and sanctions
You represent that you are not located in, and will not use the Services in or for the benefit of, any country or party subject to applicable trade sanctions or embargoes, and that you are not identified on any restricted-party list. You agree to comply with all applicable export-control and sanctions laws.
17. Governing law and venue
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, United States, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules, and excluding the U.N. Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods. The parties consent to the exclusive jurisdiction and venue of the state and federal courts located in Texas for any dispute arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Services, and waive any objection to venue or inconvenient forum. Nothing prevents either party from seeking injunctive relief in any court of competent jurisdiction to protect its intellectual property or confidential information.
18. Dispute resolution
Before filing a claim, the parties agree to first attempt to resolve any dispute informally by contacting legal@altengine.net and negotiating in good faith for at least thirty (30) days. Any claim must be brought within one (1) year after it arises, to the extent permitted by law, or it is permanently barred.
19. Force majeure
Neither party is liable for any failure or delay in performance (other than payment obligations) caused by events beyond its reasonable control, including acts of God, natural disasters, war, terrorism, civil unrest, labor disputes, governmental action, internet or utility failures, or failures of third-party infrastructure providers.
20. Changes to these Terms
We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the “Last updated” date above and, for material changes, provide additional notice (such as by email or in the console) before they take effect. Your continued use of the Services after changes take effect constitutes acceptance. If you do not agree to the updated Terms, you must stop using the Services.
21. General
These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and any order or pricing terms referenced here, are the entire agreement between the parties regarding the Services and supersede all prior agreements on that subject. If any provision is held unenforceable, it will be modified to the minimum extent necessary and the remaining provisions will remain in effect. Our failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver. You may not assign these Terms without our prior written consent; we may assign them to an affiliate or in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. The parties are independent contractors, and these Terms create no partnership, agency, or joint venture. There are no third-party beneficiaries. We may provide notices to you by email or through the console; you may provide notices to us at the contact below. Section headings are for convenience only.
22. Contact
Questions about these Terms? Email legal@altengine.net.
This document is a general template, not legal advice, and contains bracketed placeholders that must be completed. Have qualified counsel review and adapt it — including the legal entity name and jurisdiction-specific requirements — before relying on it in production.