Terms of Service

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing, browsing, or using the website located at thequeryforge.com (the "Site") or any services provided by The Query Forge (the "Service"), you acknowledge that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms of Service (the "Terms") and our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated by reference.

These Terms constitute a legally binding agreement between you and The Query Forge, operated in Chicago, Illinois. If you are using the Service on behalf of an organization, you represent and warrant that you have authority to bind that organization to these Terms.

If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not access or use the Service.

2. Description of Service

The Query Forge is a subscription-based digital content service that delivers research reports on topics including history, ancient history, military history, astrophysics, cosmology, archaeology, and philosophy of science.

Upon submitting a research query, subscribers receive written reports synthesized from publicly available academic literature, primary source archives, and other reference materials. Reports are produced using a proprietary research synthesis system and reviewed for quality before delivery.

While we strive for accuracy and cite sources throughout every report, The Query Forge makes no warranty that information contained in reports is complete, current, error-free, or fit for any particular purpose. Automated research synthesis, by its nature, may contain factual inaccuracies that sources cited within the report may not fully validate.

3. Account Registration

To access the Service, you must create an account by providing a valid email address. You may also be asked to provide additional information as necessary to process payments or deliver reports.

You are responsible for:

• Maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials
• All activity that occurs under your account
• Notifying us promptly at support@thequeryforge.com if you become aware of any unauthorized access or security breach

You represent that all registration information you provide is accurate and complete, and that you will maintain its accuracy throughout your use of the Service. Accounts are for individual use only — one account per person.

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that we reasonably believe have been created fraudulently, share credentials, or otherwise violate these Terms.

4. Subscription Plans and Billing

The Query Forge offers the following recurring monthly subscription tiers and one-time purchase options:

Recurring Billing

Subscription plans are billed monthly on a recurring basis via Stripe, our third-party payment processor. By subscribing, you authorize us to charge your payment method on a recurring monthly basis until you cancel. Your subscription automatically renews at the end of each billing period unless you cancel before the renewal date.

Price Changes

We reserve the right to change subscription pricing at any time. For existing subscribers, we will provide at least 30 days' written notice via email before any price increase takes effect on your account. Continued use of the Service after the effective date of a price change constitutes acceptance of the new pricing.

Payment Method

All payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store your full payment card information on our servers. By providing a payment method, you represent that you are authorized to use it and that the information you provide is accurate.

Failed Payments

If a scheduled payment fails, we may retry the charge. If payment cannot be collected, we reserve the right to suspend or terminate your subscription access until the balance is resolved.

5. Report Delivery

Standard Reports

Standard reports are approximately 3,500–4,000 words in length and include an executive summary, background and context, core analysis, scholarly debate, bibliography, and curated reading list. Standard reports are typically delivered to your registered email address within 2 hours of query submission.

Premium Reports

Premium reports are approximately 9,000–10,000 words in length and include all standard report sections plus expanded analysis, data visualizations, historical maps, timelines, comparative tables, illustrated key concepts, and a dedicated reading guide. Premium reports are typically delivered within 4 hours of query submission.

Report Counts and Reset

Your monthly report allocation resets on your billing date each month. Unused reports from a given billing period do not roll over to the following month.

6. Refund Policy

Single Purchases

For one-time report purchases ($2.99 standard / $6.99 premium), you may request a full refund within 24 hours of purchase, provided the report has not yet been delivered to your email. Once a report has been delivered, the purchase is final and non-refundable.

Subscription Plans

Subscription fees are non-refundable for the current billing period. You may cancel your subscription at any time via your account settings or by contacting us at support@thequeryforge.com. Cancellation takes effect at the end of the current billing period, and you will retain access to the Service through that date. No prorated refunds are issued for unused time.

Exceptions

We may, at our sole discretion, issue refunds or credits in cases of:

• Documented technical failures that prevented report delivery
• Duplicate charges resulting from a processing error
• Other exceptional circumstances evaluated on a case-by-case basis

To request a refund under these exceptions, contact support@thequeryforge.com with a description of the issue.

7. Intellectual Property

Your Use of Reports

Reports delivered through the Service are provided for your personal, non-commercial use only. You may read, reference, and use report content for personal research, study, or private purposes. You may not:

• Resell, license, or distribute report content to third parties
• Republish reports or substantial portions thereof on any public platform or website
• Commercially exploit report content, including incorporating it into products or services sold to others
• Remove or obscure any attribution or source citations contained in a report

Our Rights

The Query Forge retains all rights, title, and interest in and to the reports generated through the Service, including all intellectual property rights therein. The delivery of a report to you constitutes a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to use that report as described above.

We reserve the right to use anonymized, aggregated query data and report content for the purpose of improving and developing our Service, training quality processes, and understanding user needs. We will not publish or distribute the specific contents of your individual queries in identifiable form.

Site Content

All content on the Site — including the design, layout, text, graphics, and software — is the exclusive property of The Query Forge and is protected by applicable intellectual property laws. Nothing in these Terms grants you any rights to use our trademarks, service marks, or trade names.

8. Content Synthesis Technology

The Query Forge employs a proprietary automated research synthesis system to produce reports. This system draws from publicly available academic literature, primary source archives, and reference databases to structure and write reports based on the query submitted.

You acknowledge and accept that:

• Reports are not peer-reviewed academic research and should not be cited as such in academic or professional contexts
• While reports include source citations, automated synthesis may occasionally misattribute, misquote, or mischaracterize cited works
• Content is for informational and educational purposes only
• Reports are not a substitute for professional advice in medicine, law, finance, or any other regulated field
• The accuracy of information about rapidly evolving topics may be limited by the currency of reference materials used in synthesis

We encourage you to independently verify significant claims before relying on report content for any decision-making purpose.

9. Affiliate Disclosure

The Query Forge participates in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com.

Where reports include curated reading lists or book recommendations, some links to Amazon.com may be affiliate links. If you click such a link and purchase a product, we may receive a small commission at no additional cost to you. Prices on Amazon are set by Amazon and are not affected by our affiliate participation.

Our inclusion of book recommendations is based on their relevance and quality for the subject matter, not on affiliate commissions. We endeavor to recommend only books we believe are genuinely valuable for the topic at hand.

10. Acceptable Use

You agree to use the Service only for lawful purposes and in accordance with these Terms. You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any illegal purpose or in violation of any applicable local, state, national, or international law or regulation
• Submit queries intended to generate content that is defamatory, harassing, threatening, or otherwise harmful to any person
• Attempt to gain unauthorized access to any portion of the Service, other accounts, or related systems
• Use automated scripts, bots, or any other programmatic means to submit queries or access the Service, except with our prior written consent
• Share, sell, or transfer your account credentials to any other person
• Create more than one account per individual to circumvent report limits or otherwise abuse pricing tiers
• Use the Service in any manner that could damage, disable, or impair its performance
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, decompile, or otherwise extract source code or operational information from the Service

We reserve the right to investigate suspected violations and, where appropriate, suspend or permanently terminate accounts found in violation of this Acceptable Use policy without prior notice or refund.

11. Disclaimer of Warranties

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, THE QUERY FORGE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ACCURACY, TITLE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT.

We do not warrant that:

• The Service will be uninterrupted, timely, secure, or error-free
• Reports will be accurate, complete, or current
• Any defects in the Service will be corrected
• The Service or its content is free of viruses or other harmful components

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties, so some of the above exclusions may not apply to you.

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY APPLICABLE LAW, IN NO EVENT SHALL THE QUERY FORGE, ITS OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, AGENTS, OR LICENSORS BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES — INCLUDING, WITHOUT LIMITATION, LOSS OF PROFITS, DATA, USE, GOODWILL, OR OTHER INTANGIBLE LOSSES — ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF OR INABILITY TO USE THE SERVICE.

In any case, The Query Forge's total cumulative liability to you for any and all claims arising out of or related to these Terms or the Service shall not exceed the greater of (a) the total amount you paid to The Query Forge in the twelve (12) months immediately preceding the event giving rise to the claim, or (b) fifty dollars ($50).

The limitations in this section apply whether the alleged liability is based on contract, tort, negligence, strict liability, or any other legal or equitable theory. Some jurisdictions do not allow the limitation or exclusion of liability for consequential or incidental damages, so the above limitation may not apply to you.

13. Governing Law

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

Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms or the Service that is not resolved informally shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the state and federal courts located in Cook County, Illinois (Chicago), and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of such courts.

Before initiating any formal legal proceeding, you agree to first attempt to resolve the dispute informally by contacting us at support@thequeryforge.com and allowing 30 days for us to respond.

14. Changes to Terms

We reserve the right to modify these Terms at any time. We will notify existing subscribers of material changes by email at least 30 days before the changes take effect. The updated Terms will also be posted to this page with a revised effective date.

Your continued use of the Service after the effective date of any changes constitutes your acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the revised Terms, you must cancel your subscription and discontinue use of the Service before the effective date of the changes.

For changes required by law or to address security concerns, we may provide shorter notice or implement changes immediately.

15. Contact

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

The Query Forge
Chicago, Illinois
Email: support@thequeryforge.com

We will make reasonable efforts to respond to inquiries within 5 business days.