Acceptable Use Policy

This Acceptable Use Policy ("Policy") governs the use of VitaLaw | Defences (the "Service") operated by VitaIQ Inc. This Policy is incorporated into and forms part of our Terms of Service.

By using our Service, you agree to use it responsibly, ethically, and in compliance with all applicable laws and professional obligations. Violation of this Policy may result in immediate termination of your account and access to the Service.

1. Professional and Ethical Standards

1.1 For Legal Professionals

If you are a lawyer, paralegal, or legal professional, you must:

• Maintain your professional obligations of competence and diligence
• Independently verify all AI-generated content and case law
• Not rely solely on the Service for legal analysis
• Maintain client confidentiality (the Service is not designed for storing confidential client data)
• Comply with all applicable rules of professional conduct
• Exercise independent professional judgment
• Not use the Service to provide unauthorized practice of law

1.2 For Law Students

If you are a law student, you must:

• Comply with your institution's academic integrity policies
• Not submit AI-generated content as your own work without proper attribution
• Use the Service as a research tool, not as a substitute for learning
• Properly cite all sources, including cases found through the Service
• Not share your account with other students
• Respect intellectual property rights in academic materials

1.3 Academic Integrity

2. Permitted Uses

You may use the Service for:

• Legal research and case law analysis
• Academic research and education
• Preparing legal documents and briefs (with independent verification)
• Understanding legal concepts and precedents
• Organizing and managing your research
• Generating insights for legal arguments
• Personal legal research and self-education

All uses must be lawful, ethical, and in accordance with this Policy and our Terms of Service.

3. Prohibited Activities

3.1 General Prohibitions

You may NOT:

• Use the Service for any illegal or unauthorized purpose
• Violate any local, provincial, national, or international law
• Provide legal advice to others through the Service
• Represent AI-generated content as authoritative legal opinion
• Use the Service to engage in unauthorized practice of law
• Submit false, misleading, or fraudulent information
• Impersonate any person or entity

3.2 Technical Prohibitions

You may NOT:

• Use automated scripts, bots, or scrapers to access the Service
• Attempt to bypass or circumvent usage limits
• Reverse engineer, decompile, or disassemble the Service
• Probe, scan, or test the vulnerability of our systems
• Breach or circumvent authentication or security measures
• Access or attempt to access another user's account
• Interfere with or disrupt the Service or servers
• Transmit viruses, worms, malware, or destructive code
• Overload or flood the Service with requests
• Use the Service to develop competing products

3.3 Content Prohibitions

You may NOT use the Service to:

• Upload or transmit illegal, harmful, or offensive content
• Violate intellectual property rights of others
• Share copyrighted materials without authorization
• Create or distribute spam or unsolicited communications
• Harass, threaten, or intimidate others
• Post defamatory, discriminatory, or hateful content
• Share confidential or proprietary information without permission

3.4 Account Sharing and Resale

You may NOT:

• Share your account credentials with others
• Allow others to use your account
• Create multiple accounts to circumvent restrictions
• Resell, rent, or lease access to the Service
• Use the Service on behalf of third parties without authorization
• Transfer your account without our written consent

4. Usage Limits and Fair Use

4.1 Subscription Limits

Each subscription tier has specific usage limits. Attempting to circumvent these limits through technical means, account sharing, or other methods is strictly prohibited.

4.2 Fair Use Policy

Even with "unlimited" features, we expect reasonable use. Excessive usage that:

• Degrades service quality for other users
• Appears to be automated or systematic downloading
• Suggests commercial resale or redistribution
• Exceeds normal legal research patterns

may result in account review, rate limiting, or termination.

4.3 API Access

If API access is provided, additional terms and rate limits will apply. Unauthorized API access or exceeding rate limits may result in immediate suspension.

5. Monitoring and Enforcement

5.1 Our Rights

We reserve the right to:

• Monitor usage patterns for compliance with this Policy
• Investigate suspected violations
• Remove or disable access to content that violates this Policy
• Suspend or terminate accounts that violate this Policy
• Report illegal activities to law enforcement
• Take legal action against violators

5.2 No Obligation to Monitor

While we may monitor for violations, we have no obligation to do so and assume no liability for user content or activities.

6. Consequences of Violations

Violations of this Policy may result in:

We reserve the right to determine the appropriate response to any violation in our sole discretion. Serious violations may result in immediate termination without warning.

7. Reporting Violations

If you become aware of any violation of this Policy, please report it immediately to:

8. Cooperation with Investigations

We will cooperate fully with law enforcement authorities and court orders. This includes:

• Preserving evidence of violations
• Providing information as required by law
• Assisting in investigations of illegal activities
• Reporting suspected criminal activity

9. Intellectual Property Respect

9.1 Third-Party Content

Canadian case law accessed through our Service is generally in the public domain or licensed from CanLII. Users must respect any applicable licenses and attribution requirements.

9.2 Copyright Infringement

We respect intellectual property rights. If you believe content on our Service infringes your copyright, please contact us with:

• Description of the copyrighted work
• Location of the infringing material
• Your contact information
• Statement of good faith belief
• Statement of accuracy under penalty of perjury

10. Updates to This Policy

We may update this Policy to reflect changes in our practices, technology, legal requirements, or for other operational reasons. Material changes will be notified via email or Service announcement. Continued use after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Policy.

11. Appeals Process

If your account is suspended or terminated for alleged violations, you may appeal by:

• Submitting a written appeal to appeals@vitalaw.app within 30 days
• Explaining why you believe the action was in error
• Providing any supporting evidence
• Agreeing to comply with this Policy going forward

We will review appeals and respond within 14 business days. Our decision on appeals is final.

12. Contact Information