Terms of Service

Effective date: March 29, 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of Patent Connector, provided by Funktionslust GmbH ("we", "us"). By using the service, you agree to these Terms.

1. Applicability

These Terms apply to:

• the hosted Patent Connector service at patent.dev
• self-hosted deployments of the Patent Connector open-source software

For self-hosted deployments, the open-source license governs the software itself, while these Terms apply to your use of any patent.dev services (such as account management or documentation).

2. Service Description

Patent Connector is a Bring Your Own Key (BYOK) proxy that connects AI assistants to patent office APIs via the Model Context Protocol (MCP). The service:

• stores your patent office API credentials in encrypted form (AES-256-GCM)
• forwards API requests to patent offices on your behalf
• returns patent data in real-time without caching or storing query content
• does not store, log, or retain patent search queries or API responses

3. User Responsibilities

3.1 Patent Office API Compliance

You are responsible for:

• obtaining your own API credentials from patent offices (USPTO, EPO, DPMA, etc.)
• complying with the terms of use of each patent office API you access
• ensuring your usage stays within rate limits and acceptable use policies of the respective patent offices

Patent Connector does not assume liability for violations of patent office API terms.

3.2 Credential Management

You are responsible for:

• keeping your account credentials secure
• safeguarding your API tokens
• revoking compromised tokens promptly

4. AI-Generated Content

Patent data retrieved through Patent Connector is sourced directly from patent office APIs. However, summaries, comparisons, and other derived outputs are generated by the AI assistant you use (e.g., ChatGPT, Claude). We do not verify, endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of AI-generated interpretations. Do not rely on AI-generated output as legal advice.

5. Acceptable Use

You agree not to:

• use the service for any unlawful purpose
• attempt to gain unauthorized access to the service or its systems
• interfere with or disrupt the service
• use the service to circumvent patent office API restrictions or rate limits
• share your account or API tokens with unauthorized third parties

6. Limitation of Liability

The service is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, express or implied. We do not guarantee:

• uninterrupted or error-free operation
• accuracy or completeness of patent data returned by patent office APIs
• availability of third-party patent office APIs

To the maximum extent permitted by law, we shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising from your use of the service.

Our total aggregate liability for any claims arising from or related to the service shall not exceed the amount you have paid us in the twelve (12) months preceding the claim, or ten euros (EUR 10), whichever is greater.

For self-hosted deployments, you operate the software at your own risk and on your own infrastructure. We provide no warranty or support for self-hosted instances.

6.1 Mandatory Liability Under German Law

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for:

• intent or gross negligence (Vorsatz oder grobe Fahrlässigkeit)
• injury to life, body, or health (Schäden aus der Verletzung des Lebens, des Körpers oder der Gesundheit)
• liability under the German Product Liability Act (Produkthaftungsgesetz)
• fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation

7. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Funktionslust GmbH and its officers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, or expenses (including reasonable legal fees) arising from:

• your use of the service in violation of these Terms
• your violation of patent office API terms of use
• your violation of any applicable law or third-party rights

8. Force Majeure

We shall not be liable for any failure or delay in performing our obligations where such failure or delay results from circumstances beyond our reasonable control, including but not limited to: outages or changes to upstream patent office APIs (USPTO, EPO, DPMA), natural disasters, pandemics, government actions, internet or infrastructure failures, or third-party service disruptions.

9. Term and Termination

You may stop using the service at any time. You may delete your account and all associated data through the account settings page.

We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms or if continued operation becomes impractical.

10. Modification of Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Changes will be published on this page with an updated effective date. Continued use of the service after changes constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

11. Governing Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the Federal Republic of Germany. The courts of Munich shall have exclusive jurisdiction.

12. Contact

Funktionslust GmbH
Brudermühlstraße 36
81371 München
Handelsregister: HRB 241736
Registergericht: Amtsgericht München

Contact person: Wolfgang Stark
Email: info@patent.dev