Terms of Service

1. Agreement to these terms

These Terms of Service are an agreement between you and MapCrates. By creating an account, downloading the desktop software, joining the beta, using the website, or using any MapCrates service, you agree to these terms. If you use MapCrates for a company or other organization, you represent that you have authority to accept these terms for that organization.

If you do not agree to these terms, do not use MapCrates. A separate written agreement signed by MapCrates may override these terms for the specific customer, order, or service covered by that agreement.

2. What MapCrates provides

MapCrates is local-first desktop software and related online account services for packaging professional GIS deliverables into self-contained HTML map exhibits. The desktop software processes customer map data on the user's machine. The online services are intended to handle accounts, authentication, email verification, license status, download entitlement, beta access, support administration, and future billing.

MapCrates is not a system of record for your GIS datasets, map exports, drone imagery, attachments, shapefiles, FileGDBs, or project files. You are responsible for retaining your own source data, exports, deliverables, and backups.

3. Beta program

During beta, MapCrates may be offered free to invited or early testers. Beta software and beta services may be incomplete, may change quickly, may contain defects, and may be suspended or discontinued at any time. Beta access does not guarantee future free access, a production subscription, support levels, feature availability, data migration, or continued compatibility with earlier beta releases.

You agree not to rely on beta software as the sole tool for emergency response, life-safety decisions, regulatory compliance, critical infrastructure decisions, or other high-risk uses. Independently verify maps, measurements, coordinates, basemap sources, labels, exports, and client-facing deliverables before relying on them.

4. Accounts and security

You must provide accurate account information, keep your credentials secure, and promptly notify MapCrates if you believe your account or device has been compromised. You may not share your password, transfer your account, use another person's account, or attempt to bypass authentication, email verification, rate limits, license checks, human verification, or security controls.

MapCrates may require email verification, password reset confirmation, multi-factor authentication, device registration, license refreshes, and other reasonable controls to protect users, downloads, licensing, and the service.

5. License and permitted use

Subject to these terms and your active beta grant, trial, or subscription, MapCrates grants you a limited, revocable, non-exclusive, non-transferable license to install and use the desktop software for your internal business or professional mapping work.

The standard MapCrates license is a named-user license. Unless MapCrates agrees otherwise in writing, one user account may have one active desktop session at a time. The software may require periodic online license refreshes and may offer a limited offline grace period after the last successful license refresh.

You may not resell, rent, sublicense, host, or make MapCrates available as a service bureau or managed service without written permission. You may not copy, modify, reverse engineer, decompile, disassemble, scrape, probe, defeat technical limits, or create derivative works of MapCrates except to the extent that applicable law prohibits this restriction.

6. Customer data and local files

Your GIS datasets, drone imagery, attachments, source project files, generated `.mapcrate` packages, and exported HTML maps remain yours. The desktop software is designed so those files stay on your machine unless you intentionally send them to MapCrates, such as through a support request or a separate written arrangement.

You are responsible for having the rights needed to use, package, export, and share your data, basemaps, imagery, fonts, logos, attachments, and other materials. You are also responsible for reviewing client deliverables for accuracy, confidentiality, attribution, license notices, and any required restrictions before distributing them.

7. Third-party services and data sources

MapCrates may integrate with or rely on third-party services such as hosting providers, email providers, payment processors, human verification tools, storage providers, and mapping libraries. Those services may have their own terms and policies.

Basemaps, tile services, geocoding services, imagery, government datasets, and other data sources may have separate license terms. You may use third-party data with MapCrates only if you have the right to process, cache, package, export, and share that data in the way you use it.

8. Subscriptions, trials, billing, and cancellation

MapCrates beta access is currently free for eligible beta testers. If paid plans are launched, pricing, trial length, renewal terms, taxes, and cancellation details will be presented at signup or checkout. Paid subscriptions may be processed by Stripe or another payment provider. MapCrates does not store full payment card numbers.

Unless a checkout page, order form, or separate written agreement says otherwise, paid subscriptions renew automatically until canceled. Cancellation stops future renewal but does not automatically refund past charges. MapCrates may suspend or terminate paid access for nonpayment, chargebacks, suspected fraud, abuse, or breach of these terms.

9. Acceptable use

You agree not to use MapCrates to:

• Violate laws, contracts, intellectual-property rights, privacy rights, or data licenses.
• Upload, send, or distribute malware, harmful code, unlawful content, or deceptive content.
• Interfere with MapCrates systems, security, licensing, downloads, or other users.
• Attempt unauthorized access to accounts, admin tools, APIs, infrastructure, or data.
• Misrepresent map accuracy, authorship, source attribution, legal boundaries, or official status.
• Use MapCrates for high-risk uses without independent professional review and verification.

10. Intellectual property and feedback

MapCrates, including the software, website, documentation, logos, designs, code, workflows, and service infrastructure, is owned by MapCrates or its licensors. Except for the limited license granted in these terms, no rights are transferred to you.

If you provide feedback, bug reports, ideas, screenshots, examples, or suggestions, you grant MapCrates permission to use them without restriction or compensation. You keep any ownership rights you have in your underlying customer data and materials.

11. Support, updates, and availability

MapCrates may provide support, updates, fixes, downloads, license services, or migration help, but no particular response time or availability level is guaranteed unless stated in a separate written agreement. MapCrates may update, modify, replace, suspend, or discontinue features, beta releases, download links, APIs, infrastructure, or services.

12. Disclaimers

To the fullest extent permitted by law, MapCrates is provided "as is" and "as available." MapCrates disclaims warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, non-infringement, accuracy, uninterrupted operation, error-free operation, and compatibility.

MapCrates does not guarantee that maps, measurements, coordinates, projections, basemaps, geospatial transformations, exported files, or client deliverables will be complete, current, or error-free. You are responsible for professional review and validation.

13. Limitation of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by law, MapCrates will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, consequential, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, lost revenue, lost data, lost goodwill, business interruption, substitute services, or inaccurate deliverables.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, MapCrates' total liability for all claims relating to the service will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid MapCrates for the service during the three months before the event giving rise to the claim or 100 U.S. dollars.

14. Indemnity

You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless MapCrates from claims, damages, liabilities, costs, and expenses arising from your use of MapCrates, your customer data, your deliverables, your breach of these terms, or your violation of laws, third-party rights, privacy obligations, data licenses, or professional duties.

15. Suspension and termination

MapCrates may suspend or terminate access if you violate these terms, create security or legal risk, fail to pay amounts due, misuse beta access, share credentials, attempt to bypass licensing, or use the service in a way that may harm MapCrates, other users, or third parties. You may stop using MapCrates at any time.

Sections that by their nature should survive termination will survive, including ownership, payment obligations, restrictions, disclaimers, limits of liability, indemnity, dispute terms, and any provisions needed to interpret or enforce these terms.

16. Export, sanctions, and government use

You may not use, export, re-export, or transfer MapCrates in violation of U.S. export control laws, sanctions, or other applicable trade restrictions. If you are a U.S. government user, MapCrates is provided as commercial computer software and commercial documentation.

17. Governing law and disputes

These terms are governed by the laws of the State of Texas, without regard to conflict of law rules. Before filing a claim, you agree to contact MapCrates and try to resolve the issue informally. Unless applicable law requires otherwise, courts located in Texas will have exclusive jurisdiction over disputes relating to these terms or MapCrates.

18. Changes to these terms

MapCrates may update these terms from time to time. The updated version will be posted with a new "Last updated" date. If a change materially affects your rights or obligations, MapCrates will provide reasonable notice, such as through the website, account area, email, or desktop software.

19. Contact

Questions about these terms can be sent to support@mapcrates.com. Privacy questions can be sent to privacy@mapcrates.com. See the Privacy Policy for details about data practices and user rights.